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Tenses Notes
The Present Continuous

Uses
A) For an action happing now;
It is raining
B) For an action happing about this time but not necessarily at the moment of speaking;
He is reading a play by Shaw these days.
I am reading new novel.
I am teaching.
C) For decision about future made before the time of speaking.
I am appearing in PMS next month.
I am going to America next year.
D) For intention about Future; going to vs. will

VERBS NOT NORMALLY USED IN THIS CONTINUOUS TENSES

A) Verbs like; feel, hear, see, smell, notice, observe

B) Verbs expressing feeling and emotions e.g. Admire, adore, appreciate, care for, detest,
dislike, fear, hate, like, loathe, love, mind (care), respect, value, want, wish.
C) Verbs of mental activity, e.g. Agree, appreciate, assume, believe, expect, feel, certain, sure,
forget, know, mean, perceive, realize, recall, recognize, recollect, see, suppose and think.
D) Verbs of possessions; belong, owe, own and possess.

Present continuous tense is often used with adverbs such as; now, at this time.

Simple Present Tense

A) To present habitual action; He smoke. Dogs barks.
B) To describe time table, Routine, Schedule, professions, general truths.

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C) It can be used for planning future actions or series of actions, particularly when they refer to
journey, e.g. We leave Faisalabad at 10 a.m next Tuesday and arrive in Lahore at 12. We spend
two hours in Lahore and leave for Islamabad at 2. We stay there for two days and then leave for
Murree……. Etc

The simple present tense is often used with adverbs or adverbs phrases such as; always, never,
occasionally, often, usually, every week, on Monday, twice a year and seldom etc.

Present Perfect tense

Perfect means ‘before’ in grammar. Present perfect means ‘before present’.

The action takes place in the near past but it consequences, impact etc is in present.

It is chiefly used in conversations, letters, newspapers and television and radio reports.

Adverbs

Just, just now, recently, lately, already, since, for and yet.

Present Perfect Continuous

Action starts in the past and continuous into the present.

Past Simple Tense

A) It is used for action completed in the past at a definite time. It is therefore used;
1) For a past action when the time is given. I met him yesterday, Pasteur died in 1895.
2) When the action clearly took place at a definite time even though this time is not
mentioned. The train was ten minutes late. I thought this book in Lahore.
3) For an action which occupied a period of time or when extended over a period of time but
now that action is terminated e.g. he worked in that bank for four years. He lived in
Islamabad for a long time.
4) For action that occurred at a moment in a period of time now terminated. He saw Jinnah
once.

Adverbs used

Yesterday, last day, last month, ago, a few months ago, any day, date and year or time of the
past.

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Past continuous tense

The past continuous tense is chiefly used for past actions which continued for some time but whose
exact limits are not know and are not important.

It is also used to describe an action which was in progress at sometime in the past.

It was reading a novel.

Used without a time expression it can indicate gradual development;

It was getting dark. The wind was rising.

Past simple and past Continuous

Past perfect Tense and its combination with past simple.

Future simple tense

To express the speaker’s opinions, assumptions, speculations about the future. These may be
introduced by verbs such as assume, be afraid, feel, sure, believe, daresay, and doubt, perhaps, possibly,
probably and surely.

I am sure Ali will come back. I suppose they will sell the house. They will probably wail for us.

For future habitual action which we assume will take place.

Spring will come again. Birds will build nests. People will make plans.

Infinitive (To+ 1st form)

Uses
It may be used alone; we began to walk. Or as part of an infinitive phrase; we began to walk down the
road.

The infinitive may be the subject of a sentence;

To find fault is easy.
To err is human, to forgive divine.
To compromise appears advisable.
To learn out of the window is dangerous.

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The infinitive may be the object or part of the object of a verb

I don’t mean to read.
Asif likes to play cards.
Two men failed to return from the expedition. I managed to put the fire out.
We are not prepared to wait any longer.

Verb + how/what/when/where/which/why + infinitive.

The verbs mostly frequently used in this way are asked, decide, discover, find out, forget, know, learn,
remember etc.

He discovered how to open the safe.

I found out where to buy fruit cheaply.
I don’t know when to switch the machine off.
I showed here which button to switch.
She couldn’t think what to say.

The bare infinitive after verbs and expressions

A) Can, do, may, shall, will
B) Need and dare
C) Feel, hear, see, watch
D) Bid, let, make
E) Would rather/sooner/rather/sooner than e.g. Asif would rather wait till tomorrow.
Rather than/ sooner than risk a bad crossing, he postponed his journey. I would rather die than
beg. I had rather play than work.
F) Had better
G) Help
Notice; if two infinitives are joined by and, the to of the second infinitive is normally dropped.
I intend to sit in the garden and write letters.

But and except take the bare infinitive when they follow;
Do+anything/ nothing/everything;

He does nothing but complain. My dog does everything but speak.

Can’t you do anything but ask silly questions? There is nothing to do but wait.

‘To’ problem
‘To’ can either be a part of an infinitive, or a preposition.
A) After be, have, ought, used, hate, hope, intend, would like/ would love, mean, plan, try, want, it
is part of an infinitive.
B) After look forward to, take to, accustomed to, be used to, it is preposition.
I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

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I am used to standing in queues.

Verbs followed by the gerund

The most important of these are
Admit*, keep, anticipate, loathe, appreciate, mean*, avoid, mind, consider*, miss, defer, pardon, delay,
postpone, enjoy, imagine, remember*, suggest*

He admitted taking money. Avoid over-eating.

Would you consider selling the property?
He detests writing letters. She dreads getting old. Do you enjoy teaching? He involve cutting away part
of the roof.
He kept complaining. He didn’t want to risk getting wet. If we buy plenty of food now it will save
shopping later in the week.
I can’t understand his/him leaving his friends.
I couldn’t help laughing. It’s no good / uses arguing.
Is there anything here worth buying?

Verbs which may take either infinitive or gerund;

Advise, agree, allow, being, can/can’t, bear, cease continue, hate, intend, like, love, mean, need, permit,
prefer, propose, recommend, regret, remember, require, start, stop, try, used to, want.

Verbs which should be followed by an infinitive;

Decide, plan, expect, fail, hope, intend, learn, promise, refuse, want, agree, consent, try, afford, agree,
expect, promise, propose, hesitate, neglect, attempt.

A verb may take an infinitive or a gerund according to its implication. If a verb indicates a purpose, an
infinitive should be used and if the verb indicates a cause, a gerund should be used.

He went to school to see the principal. (Not for seeing)

He was turning for coping answer. (Not to copy)

Remember
I must remember to post the letter/. I can remember posting the letter.
Forget
He forgets to pay the text.
I can never forget making mistakes in the paper.(remember/forget doing for memories in the past)
Regret
I regret to inform you that you have failed in the paper.
I regret spending all the money.
Try
I am trying to run this computer program.

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I tried clicking on the box, but it did not work.

Stop
He stopped to talk.
Stop talking please.

Change of narration
 If the direct speech is introduced by the verb in the present tense, then there is no change in the
tense of the verb in the direct speech.
 If the direct speech is introduced by the verb in the past tense, then following changes in the
tense of verb in the indirect speech take place;

Direct Speech Indirect speech

Simple present Change into Simple present
First form 2nd form

Simple past Change into Past perfect

2nd form Had + 3rd form

Present continuous Change into Past continuous

Is, am, are Was, were

Past continuous Change into Past perfect continuous

Was, were Had been
Has, have Had
Will, shell Would
Would like/should like Would like/should like

Expression of time and place indirect speech

Adverbs and adverbial phrases of time change as follow

Direct Indirect
Today That days

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Yesterday The day before, the previous day

The day before yesterday Two days before

Tomorrow The next day/ the following day

The day after tomorrow In two day’s time

Next week/year etc The following week year etc
Last week/year etc The previous week year etc
A year ago etc A year before/ the previous year

He said, ‘I saw her the day before yesterday’.

He said he had seen her two days before.

He promised, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’.

He promised that he would do it the next day.

‘I’ m staring the day after tomorrow, mother, ’he said

He told his mother that he was staring in two days ‘time

She said, My father died a year ago’

She said that her father had died a year before/the previous year.

Indirect speech; pronoun and adjective

Pronoun and possessive adjective usually change from first or second to third person except when the
speaker is reporting his own words;

He said, ‘I’ve forgotten the combination of my safe’

He said that he had forgotten the combination of his safe.

Questions in indirect speech;

He said, ‘where is she going?

He asked where she was going.

He said, ’where does she live?

He asked where she lived.

Questions beginning will you/would you/could you?

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These may be ordinary questions, but may also be requests, invitations, or, very occasionally,
commands.

He said, ‘will you be there tomorrow?

He asked if she would be there the next day

‘Will you stand still!’ he shouted.

He shouted at me to stand still. Or

He told me to stand still.

‘Would you like to live in New York?’ he asked.

He asked if I would like to live in New York.

Will/would you find these letters, please? He said.

He asked/told me to file the letters.

Important sentences
If I had the instruction manual I should/would know what to do’, said bill

Bill said that if he had the instruction manual he would know what to do.

Unreal past tenses after wish, would rather/sooner and it is time do not change;

‘We wish we didn’t have to take exams, ‘said the children.

The children said they wished they didn’t have to take exams.

‘It’s time we began planning our holidays,’ he said

He said that it was time that began planning their holidays.

Examples of indirect commands, request, advice

‘If I were you, I’d stop taking tranquilizers, ‘I said.

I advised him to stop taking tranquilizers.

‘Why don’t you take off your coat? He said

He advised me to take off my coat.

‘Would/Could you show me your passport, please?’ he said

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He asked me to show him my passport. Or

He asked to see my passport.

Passive Voice
Active we keep the butter here.

Passive the butter is kept here.

Active they broke the window.

Passive the window was broken.

Active people have seen wolves in the streets.

Passive wolves have been seen in the streets.

The passive of continuous tenses requires the present continuous forms of to be, which are not
otherwise much used.

Active they are repairing the bridge.

Passive The Bridge is being repaired.

Active They were carrying the injured player off the field.

Passive The injured player was being carried off the field.

Other continuous tenses are exceedingly rarely used in the passive, so that sentences such as;

‘They have/had been repairing the road,’ and

‘They will/would be repairing the road’ are not normally put into the passive.

Auxiliary + infinitive combinations are made passive by using a passive infinitive;

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Active You must/should shut these doors.

Passive These doors must/should be shut.

Active they should/ought to have told him.

Passive He should/ought to have boon told.

Other infinitive combinations

Active He wants someone to take photograph.

Passive He wants photograph to be taken.

Active He invited me to go.

Passive I was invited to go.

Active He urged the council to sell the house.

Passive The council was urged to sell the house.

Agree/be anxious/arrange/be determined. Determine/decide/ demand + infinitive +

objective are usually expressed in the passive by that……….should,

Active He decided to sell the house.

Passive He decided that the house should be sold.

Gerund combinations

Advise/insist/propose/recommend/suggest + gerund + object are usually expressed in

the passive by that……………….should

Active He recommended using bulletproof glass.

Passive He recommended that bullet-proof glass should be used.

Other Sentences

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Active I remember them taking me to the zoo.

Passive I remember being taken to the zoo.

Active Tenses and their passive equivalents

Tense/Verb form Active voice Passive voice

Simple present Keeps Is kept
Present continuous Is keeping Is being kept
Simple past Kept Was kept
Past continuous Was kept Was being kept
Present perfect Has kept Has been kept
Past perfect Had kept Had been kept
Future Will keep Will be kept
Conditional Would keep Would be kept
Perfect conditional would have kept Would have been kept
Present infinitive To kept To be kept
Perfect infinitive To have kept To have been kept
Present participle/gerund Keeping Being kept
Prefect participle Having kept Having been kept

Prof. Mohammad ASIF Shafe