Wren and Martin Summary: Tenses | Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC) - CAT PDF Download

What Are Tenses?

• Definition: A tense is a form of a verb that indicates the time (present, past, or future) and the state (complete, ongoing, or habitual) of an action or event.
• Key Idea: Tenses show when an action happens and how it is performed (e.g., completed, ongoing, or repeated).
• Examples:
  • Present: "I write a letter." (Happening now)
  • Past: "I wrote a letter." (Happened before now)
  • Future: "I shall write a letter." (Will happen later)

Three Main Tenses

• Present Tense: Refers to actions in the present time.
  • Example: "I love music." (Current action or state)
• Past Tense: Refers to actions completed in the past.
  • Example: "I loved the concert." (Action happened before now)
• Future Tense: Refers to actions that will happen in the future.
  • Example: "I shall love the new album." (Action will happen later)

Note: The word "tense" comes from the Latin word tempus, meaning time.

Special Cases

Sometimes, tenses may not strictly align with time:

• Past Tense for Present Time: "I wish I knew the answer." (Expresses a present regret using past tense)
• Present Tense for Future Time: "Let’s wait till he comes." (Refers to a future event using present tense)

Forms of Tenses

Each tense has four forms that describe the state of the action:

• Simple: Describes an action simply, without details about its completion.
• Continuous: Shows an action that is ongoing or incomplete.
• Perfect: Indicates an action that is completed or finished.
• Perfect Continuous: Describes an action that started in the past and is still ongoing or was ongoing for a period.

Present Tense Forms (Verb: to love)

• Simple Present: I love, you love, he loves, we love, they love.
  • Example: "I love chocolates." (Habit or fact)
• Present Continuous: I am loving, you are loving, he is loving, etc.
  • Example: "I am loving this book." (Ongoing action)
• Present Perfect: I have loved, you have loved, he has loved, etc.
  • Example: "I have loved this song since childhood." (Completed action with present relevance)
• Present Perfect Continuous: I have been loving, you have been loving, etc.
  • Example: "I have been loving this series for weeks." (Ongoing action up to now)

Past Tense Forms (Verb: to love)

• Simple Past: I loved, you loved, he loved, etc.
  • Example: "I loved the movie." (Completed action)
• Past Continuous: I was loving, you were loving, he was loving, etc.
  • Example: "I was loving the party when it started raining." (Ongoing past action)
• Past Perfect: I had loved, you had loved, he had loved, etc.
  • Example: "I had loved the book before I saw the movie." (Action completed before another past action)
• Past Perfect Continuous: I had been loving, you had been loving, etc.
  • Example: "I had been loving the game until I got tired." (Ongoing action up to a past point)

Future Tense Forms (Verb: to love)

• Simple Future: I shall/will love, you will love, he will love, etc.
  • Example: "I will love the new cafe." (Future action)
• Future Continuous: I shall/will be loving, you will be loving, etc.
  • Example: "I will be loving my vacation next week." (Ongoing future action)
• Future Perfect: I shall/will have loved, you will have loved, etc.
  • Example: "I will have loved this book by tomorrow." (Completed future action)
• Future Perfect Continuous: I shall/will have been loving, you will have been loving, etc.
  • Example: "I will have been loving this game for a year by next month." (Ongoing action up to a future point)

Verb Agreement

A verb must agree with its subject in number (singular/plural) and person (1st, 2nd, 3rd).

Example:

• Singular: "He speaks." (3rd person singular)
• Plural: "They speak." (3rd person plural)

Mood and Tense Identification

Mood: Indicates the manner of the verb (e.g., Indicative for facts, Imperative for commands).

Exercise Examples:

1. "The river flows under the bridge."
   • Verb: flows
   • Mood: Indicative (states a fact)
   • Tense: Simple Present
2. "I shall answer the letter tonight."
   • Verb: shall answer
   • Mood: Indicative
   • Tense: Simple Future
3. "Be good, sweet maid."
   • Verb: be
   • Mood: Imperative (command)
   • Tense: Present

Uses of Present and Past Tenses

1. Simple Present Tense

Uses:

1. Habitual Actions: For regular or repeated actions.
   • Example: "She drinks tea every morning."
2. General Truths: For facts that are always or generally true.
   • Example: "The sun rises in the east."
3. Exclamatory Sentences: To describe something happening now with "here" or "there."
   • Example: "Here comes the bus!"
4. Vivid Narrative: To describe past events dramatically, as if happening now.
   • Example: "Sohrab rushes forward and strikes Rustam."
5. Fixed Timetables: For scheduled events.
   • Example: "The train leaves at 5:20."
6. Quotations: To introduce quotes.
   • Example: "Keats says, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever.’"
7. Time/Condition Clauses: Instead of future tense in clauses with "if," "when," etc.
   • Example: "I’ll wait till she arrives."
8. Sports Commentaries: To describe rapid actions in progress.
   • Example: "He kicks the ball and scores!"

Note: Verbs of perception (see, hear), emotion (love, hate), thinking (think, believe), or possession (have, own) are usually not used in continuous form.

• Example: "I have a car." (Correct) vs. "I am having a car." (Incorrect)

2. Present Continuous Tense

Uses:

1. Action Happening Now: For actions occurring at the moment of speaking.
   • Example: "She is singing now."
2. Temporary Actions: For actions happening around now, not necessarily at the exact moment.
   • Example: "I am reading a novel." (Even if not reading right now)
3. Planned Future Actions: For fixed personal plans.
   • Example: "I am going to the cinema tonight."
4. Persistent Habits: With adverbs like "always" or "constantly" for annoying habits.
   • Example: "He is always losing his keys."

Note: Avoid using continuous forms with verbs like "see," "love," or "think" unless they have a different meaning.

• Example: "I am thinking of you." (Considering, not believing)

3. Present Perfect Tense

Uses:

1. Immediate Past: For actions just completed (often with "just").
   • Example: "He has just left."
2. Unspecified Time: For past actions without a specific time.
   • Example: "I have visited Paris."
3. Present Relevance: For past actions affecting the present.
   • Example: "I have lost my keys." (I don’t have them now)
4. Ongoing Action: For actions starting in the past and continuing now (with "since" or "for").
   • Example: "I have lived here for five years."

• Adverbs Used: never, ever, so far, till now, yet, already, today, etc.

Note: Do not use present perfect with specific past time adverbs (e.g., "yesterday").

• Incorrect: "I have gone yesterday."
• Correct: "I went yesterday."

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Use: For actions that started in the past and are still continuing or emphasise ongoing effort.

• Example: "She has been studying for three hours." (Still studying)
• Special Case: Can describe a recently finished action to explain a situation.
  • Example: "My clothes are wet because I have been watering the garden."
• Adverbs Used: for, since, all day, etc.

5. Simple Past Tense

Uses:

1. Completed Actions: For actions finished in the past, often with time adverbs.
   • Example: "She visited London last year."
2. Implied Time: For past actions, where time is understood from context.
   • Example: "I met her in Paris." (Implies a past event)
3. Past Habits: For regular actions in the past.
   • Example: "He played football every weekend."

Adverbs Used: yesterday, last week, ago, etc.

6. Past Continuous Tense

Uses:

1. Ongoing Past Actions: For actions happening at a specific past time.
   • Example: "They were watching TV all evening."
2. Interrupted Actions: Used with simple past to show a longer action interrupted by a shorter one.
   • Example: "I was reading when the phone rang."
3. Persistent Habits: With "always" or "continually" for annoying past habits.
   • Example: "He was always complaining."

Note: Often used with simple past to show sequence (e.g., ongoing action + new action).

7. Past Perfect Tense

Use: For actions completed before another past action.

• Example: "I had finished my homework before the movie started."

Structure: Used in one clause with simple past in another to show which happened first.

• Example: "When I arrived, the train had left."

8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Use: For actions that were ongoing up to a certain point in the past.

• Example: "She had been working for hours before she took a break."

Emphasis: Highlights duration before a past moment.

• Example: "By 1995, he had been teaching for ten years."

The Future

1. Ways to Express the Future

English uses multiple structures to talk about the future:

• Simple Future Tense: Will/shall + verb
• Going to Form: Be going to + verb
• Simple Present Tense: For schedules or conditions
• Present Continuous Tense: For personal plans
• Be about to: For the immediate future
• Be to: For formal plans
• Future Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous: For specific future situations

2. Simple Future Tense

Uses:

1. Future Facts: For things we cannot control.
   • Example: "I will be 20 next week."
2. Predictions/Beliefs: For what we think will happen.
   • Example: "I think she will win the race."
3. Instant Decisions: For decisions made at the moment of speaking.
   • Example: "It’s raining. I’ll take an umbrella."

Common Phrases: Used with "I think," "I’m sure," "I expect," etc.

3. Going to Form

Uses:

1. Planned Actions: For decisions made before speaking.
   • Example: "I’m going to buy a new phone."
2. Likely Events: When there’s evidence in the present.
   • Example: "Look at those clouds. It’s going to rain."
3. Imminent Actions: For actions about to happen.
   • Example: "The train is going to leave!"

Note: Use "going to" for planned actions, not simple future.

4. Simple Present Tense for Future

Use: For fixed schedules or official timetables.

• Example: "The movie starts at 7:00 PM."
  

Time/Condition Clauses: Used with "if," "when," "until," etc.

• Example: "I’ll call you when I arrive."

5. Present Continuous for Future

Use: For personal plans already arranged.

• Example: "I’m meeting my friend tonight."

Note: Preferred over simple present for personal arrangements.

6. Future Continuous Tense

Uses:

1. Ongoing Future Actions: For actions happening at a specific future time.
   • Example: "This time tomorrow, I’ll be flying to Paris."
2. Planned/Expected Actions: For actions in the normal course of events.
   • Example: "The postman will be coming soon."

7. Be to Form

Use: For formal plans or official arrangements, often in news reports.

• Example: "The President is to visit Japan next month."

Note: Common in formal writing; "be" may be omitted in headlines.

8. Future Perfect Tense

Use: For actions that will be completed by a specific future time.

• Example: "I will have finished my homework by 8 PM."

9. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Use: For actions ongoing up to a future point, emphasising duration.

• Example: "By next year, I will have been working here for a decade."

Note: Rarely used but emphasises long duration.