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Tenses

The document discusses various tenses in English including the simple present, present continuous, simple past, past continuous, present perfect simple, and present perfect continuous. It provides examples of how each tense is used to indicate present time, past time, future time, completed actions, unfinished actions, habits, and more. Key uses include expressing eternal truths, habits, continuous states, and abilities with the simple present and expressing activities in progress in the past with the past continuous.

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ablanguages
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181 views

Tenses

The document discusses various tenses in English including the simple present, present continuous, simple past, past continuous, present perfect simple, and present perfect continuous. It provides examples of how each tense is used to indicate present time, past time, future time, completed actions, unfinished actions, habits, and more. Key uses include expressing eternal truths, habits, continuous states, and abilities with the simple present and expressing activities in progress in the past with the past continuous.

Uploaded by

ablanguages
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC or read online on Scribd
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TENSES

SIMPRE PRESENT

NOTIONS:
Present time
a- GENERIC USE:

1- Eternal Truths:
* Mathematical
* Geographical
* Scientific

2- Habits:

3- Continuous States

4- Professions, jobs:

5- Abilities:

6- Proverbs:

7- Quotations:

b- SPECIFIC USE: Real present

1- A single event with little or no duration that occurs at the time of speaking or
writing. Commentaries

2- Demonstrations: How to do things

3- Performative Verbs

4- Stage directions

Past time
1- Historic present

2- Oral narrative

3- Newspaper headlines

Future time
1- Timetables (sth unalterable)

2- Time clauses
PRESENT CONTINUOUS

A-GENERIC USE:
1- Habit in the present (always) ANNOYANCE

2- For a limited period of time

B-SPECIFIC USE:
1- Real present (now)

2- Future time

SIMPLE PAST

A- DYNAMIC VERBS

1- EVENT IN THE PAST (point in time)

2- HABITUAL PAST

3- FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

B- STATIVE VERBS

1- STATE PAST

PAST CONTINUOUS

A- ACTIVITY IN PROGRESS AT A CERTAIN TIME IN THE PAST


(incompleteness)

B- Habit in the past (always) ANNOYANCE

C- TENTATIVE USE
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

A- FINISHED USE
1- Resultative Past

2- Indefinite Past (at least once up to now)

B- UNFINISHED USE (with adverbs of duration)


• For dynamic verbs we use present perfect continuous

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS


A- FINISHED USE
Emphasizes continuity and uninterruption of the action and the effect it has

Giving excuses

B- UNFINISHED USE
(with future idea)

CONTRAST
1-
*She has been an invalid all her life
* She was an invalid all her life

2-
* I´ve read that book (resultative past)
* I´ve read that book (indefinite past)
* I´ve been reading that book

3- Complete with the right tense


* He (play) football every Saturday since he was 10 years old
* He (play) football all morning

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