Grammar Lecture

5
Tense Problems

Simple Present Tense

Subject+V1+Object
For example:
Mr. Ali runs.
Mr. Ali runs a factory.

Transitive and Intransitive

Verbs
A verb that needs an object is a Transitive
Verb.
A verb that does not need an object is an
Intransitive Verb.
For Example:
Mr. Ali runs.
Mr. Ali runs a factory.
My little brother can speak.
My little brother can speak Pashto.

Using Present Tense

Use Present Tense to introduce the
words of the author you are
quoting.
For example
Lincoln defines conservatives as
adherence to the old and tried,
against the new and untried.

 Use Present Tense to make a

general statement, or to express
scientific truths.
For example:
Einstein argues that the principle of
relativity applies to all physical
phenomena.

Future in Present
Present Tense can also be used to
express something that is about to
happen in future.
For example:
a.
The two presidents meet tomorrow
morning.
b.
My brother arrives this Thursday.
c.
The ceremony begins in two hours.

Simple Past Tense

Subject+V2+Object
For example:
Mr. Ali fell.
Mr. Ali felled a tree.

Using Past Tense

Use Past Tense to narrate events.
For example:
Last night, I went to the cafeteria
where I saw one of my old friends.
He told me that he had joined GIKI
last year.

Remember!
Past tense should always be followed by
past tense except in case of a universal
truth or a direct narration.
a. He said that he had completed the task.
b. The geologist said that petroleum is a
complex mixture of hydrocarbons.
c. She said, Nothing grows in our garden
as it never gets any sun.
d. She said that nothing grew in their
garden as it never got any sun.

Perfect Tenses
Perfect tenses enable writers to show how
events stand in relationship to each other in
time.
Consider the difference:
simple past
simple past
Allen sold his house when he moved.
past perfect
simple past
Allen had sold his house when he moved.

Remember!
There is a difference between the
simple past tense and the present
perfect tense. The simple past
indicates that the action has come to
an end. The present perfect indicates
that the action is still continuing.
a. He has been an invalid all his life.
[He is still alive]
b. He was invalid all his life. [He is
now dead]

Thank you!