WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY-PHILIPPINES

Maria Aurora, Aurora 3202

Technical English I (Technical Report Writing and Presentation) (CDI_5)
Prepared by; Melvin R. Hugo, MSCrim, RCrim

CHAPTER I- ENGLISH LANGUAGE FUNDAMENTALS

Learning Outcomes;
At the end of the study the students must be able;
 Understand subject-verb agreement, tenses, nouns and pronounce, grammar,
and composition.
 Distinguish the rules of the English language and the basic building blocks of
sentence structure when writing reports
 Compose written communications correctly

TENSES

Since most investigative reports are written about things that have already happened,
the words that are used should clearly indicate the events occurred in the past. This is
expressed through the tense of the action words (or verbs) in the report. Tense can be either
present or past tense.

Any of the forms of a verb which show the time at which an action happened: "I sing" is
in the present tense and shows action happening now, and "I will sing" is in the future tense,
showing action that will happen later.

A tense is a form of the verb that allows you to express time. The tense of the verb
tells us when an event or something existed or when a person did something .

a. Present tense. Present tense verbs express an action currently taking place. For
example, the phrase "I am reading this manual" is written in the present tense.

b. Past tense. Past tense verbs express actions completed in the past For example, the
phrase. "I read this manual last week" is written in the past tense .

ALL TENSES

I. PRESENT SIMPLE

Form: Subject + Verb (Present/V1)

Examples: Habits and routines:

1. I drink milk every day.

2. Faye goes to church on Sundays.

Facts:
1. You sing very well.
2. Steph works as a teacher.

The simple present tense is when you use a verb to tell about things that happen
continually in the present, like every day, every week, or every month. We use the simple
present tense for anything that happens often or is factual.

Here are a few examples: I go to school every day.

II. PRESENT CONTINOUS

Form: Subject + am/is/are+ verb (ing)

I am
He, She, It is
You, We, They are

Examples:

a. Actions happening now (at the time of speaking)

1. I am teaching lesson right now.
2. We are eating dinner.
3. It is raining outside.
b. Temporary Activities:
1. She is learning to play the piano
2. I am watching the movie at the moment
3. My mom is staying with us for a couple of days.
c. Changes taking place now
1. Experts say that the Earth is getting warmer.
2. The price of meat is increasing.
3. Tiktok videos are becoming very popular these days.

The present continuous verb tense indicates that an action or condition is happening
now, frequently, and may continue into the future. The Present Continuous Formula: to be
[am, is, are] + verb [present participle] Aunt Christine is warming up the car while Scott is
looking for his new leather coat.

III. PRESENT PERFECT

Form: Subject + has/have+ Verb (past perfectV3)

I, You, We, They have

He, She, It has

Examples:

a. Experiences:
1. I have taught English to many learners. (in my profession)
2. Klein has visited Paris four times. (in his life)
3. We have four movies this month.

b. Recent actions or events.

4. I have finished my task.
5. Breille has left her book.
6. The principal has instructed her teacher what to do with the new grading system.

What is present perfect tense? The present perfect tense is one of the common verb
tenses in English, used to show an action that happened in the past that is directly related to
the present, such as actions that are still continuing or that indicate a change over time.

IV. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form: Subject+ has/have + been + verb (ing). (Action started in the past and are still
continuing)
Examples:
1. I have been waiting to see the doctor for three hours/since three o'clock.
2. He has been playing basketball since he was child/for15years.
3. Liza has been learning English for six months/since last July.

The present perfect continuous tense is employed in a sentence to indicate an action

that started in the recent past and is still continuing in the present. It is also referred to as the
present perfect progressive tense as the action progresses from the past to the present.

V. PAST SIMPLE

Form: Subject + Verb (past/V2)

Examples:
a. Completed actions in the past.
1. I played chess with my friends last Monday.
2. Jomarie gave me a present for our anniversary.
3. My father built this house in 2019.
4. Cris lived in Dubai for three years.

V1 V2 V3
give gave given
build built built
come came come

The 'simple past tense', according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is defined as “the form
of a verb used to describe an action that happened before the present time and is no longer
happening. It is usually made by adding -ed.”

VI. PAST CONTINUOUS

Form: Subject+ was /were + Verb (ing). (Unfinished on-going action in the past + finished
action)

Examples:
1. I was having dinner with my in-laws when the telephone rang.
2. It was raining when Mary Ann left for work.
3. The light went off while the kids were playing.

The past continuous tense is employed in a sentence to represent an action or event

that was going on in the past. In other words, it shows the progress of the action or event at a
specific time in the past. The past continuous tense is, therefore, also called the 'past
progressive tense'.

VII. PAST PERFECT:

Form: Subject + had + Verb (past participle /V3.) The first past action (when there are two or
more past actions.)

Examples:
1. When we got to the mall, the concert started.
2. When we got to the mall, the concert had started.
3. I was full because I had eaten much earlier.
4. The man looked very familiar, I had seen him somewhere before.
 The past perfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that
one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned
first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first.

VIII. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form: Subject + had been + Verb (ing) (The first (continuous) past action)

Examples:
1. I felt really tired because I had been working all day.
2. He had been waiting for three hours when the doctor finally arrived.

IX. FUTURE SIMPLE:

Three forms:
a. Going to
b. Present Continuous (ing)
c. Will

a. Going To (plans and intentions)

Form: Subject + am /is/are + going to verb (base)

Examples:
1. We are going to buy a house.
2. I am going to practice yoga everyday.
3. Angel is going to take a leave from work.

b. Present Continuous- fixed arrangements. Form: Subject + am/is/are +verb (ing)

Examples:
1. I am having lunch with my in-laws on Sunday.
2. We are going to Laguna tomorrow.
3. Jonas is giving a proposal to the board members on the 30th.

Going To vs. Present Continuous

1. I am going to see the architect sometime next month. (plan)

I am seeing the architect tomorrow morning (arrangement)
2. We are going to get married next year. (plan)
We are getting married on December 27th. (arrangement)

c. Will - instant decision, offers, promises.

Form: Subject+ will + verb (base)

Examples:
1. "May I take your order?"
"Yes I will have spaghetti and fries combo please." (instant decision)
2. "Someone is knocking at the door.
"I will open it."(instant decision)
3. "These documents are really heavy.
"I will help you with them." (offer)
4. "Can you lend me P500.00? I will pay you back next month." (promise)
5. "Thank you for your message. I will respond within the day.
 6. This year, Jen will read War and Peace.
7. It will be hard, but she's determined to do it.

The simple future is a verb tense that's used to talk about things that haven't
happened yet. Use the simple future to talk about an action or condition that will begin and
end in the future.

MAKING PREDICTION: WILL AND GOING TO

WILL - prediction based on knowledge, personal experience.

Examples:
1. I think the Philippines will win in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
2. You should watch "Pride and Prejudice". I'm sure you will love it.

GOING TO - Prediction based on something in the present.

3. Look at the sky, it is going to rain soon.
4. Daddy is going to be happy.

X. FUTURE CONTINUOUS

Form: Subject + will be +verb (ing). (Going actions in the future)

Examples:
1. At 7AM tomorrow, I will be driving to Quezon City."
2. Do you want to join the seminar on Saturday?"
"I can't. I will be working until late.

(Fixed or routine events}

Form: Subject +will be + verb (ing)

3. I will be staying at the Manila Hotel.

I am staying at the Manila Hotel. I am doing to stay at the Manila Hotel.
4. "I'm going to Starbucks. Do you want me to bring you coffee?"

The future continuous tense is generally used to represent an event or action that is
happening at a certain point in time in the future. The tense is also called the future
progressive tense, as it denotes an action or event that is progressing or continuing at a
particular time in the future.

XI. FUTURE PERFECT (Completed actions in the future)

Form: Subject + will have + verb (participle/V3)

Examples:
1. By October, Page will have saved P10, 000.00.

Function. The future perfect tense refers to a completed action in the future. When
we use this tense we are projecting ourselves forward into the future and looking back at an
action that will be completed some time later than now. It is most often used with a time
expression.

XII. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS (On going action in the future (with duration)
 2. By October, Page will have been saving for ten months.
3. By 6PM, we will have painted the room.
4. By 6PM, we will have been painting the room for eight hours.

The future perfect continuous tense is a verb tense that can be used to refer to an
action that will be continuing until a certain point of time in the future.

VOICE
The term "voice," when used to describe a type of verb, refers to whether the verb is
active or passive. Reports should be always be written in the active voice, as most readers find
sentences written in the active voice easier to follow and understand.

a. Active voice. A verb is in the active voice when the subject of the sentence is
the individual or thing that is doing or performing the action.

An example would be "I gave the report form to the victim.

b. Passive voice. A verb is in the passive voice when the subject of the sentence
is someone or something other than the performer of the action in the
sentence. A common indicator of passive voice is the word "by" in the
sentence.

An example would be "The victim was given the report form by me."
Reference/s:
Technical English 1&2 (Legal Forms) for Criminology Students, Marilyn B. Festavo-Balares, PhD, RCrim, Nicasio L. Garcia,
EdD, RCrim, Eymard Z. Gomez, PhD, RCrim, Pio M. Vargaz, MSCrim, RCrim