\¥riting in Use of English for Higher Education, Onwuka (36)

submits that tense is the way different language express the

time at which an event described in the sentence occurred.
With reference to Quirk and Grebaum, she states that tense is the
correspondence between theform ofa verb and our concept of
time. Also, tense is regarded asa method that we use ln English to
refer to time time-past, present and future.

!n discussing tense in English the verb is thG lTlOSt important structure

to Se considered because it is the verb that is used in different ways,
different forms to show thetime of occurrence of an event or the state
0f being as the case may be. lt is the verb that shows whether that
action or state is stated in the past, present or future (traditional or
Old grammarians) or whether the action is in the continuative or
effective aspect including the mood (modem grammarians).

historically speaking, there are two schools of grammarians and each

school has its own understanding of ten(es different from theother.
ffe first is the pioneer grammarians known as the Traditional
Grammarians. The 18th, 19th, and partly 20th century grammarians
)f pioneered the study of English grammar and truly belong to this
chooL Their ideas of the English grammar depended largely on Latin

99
‹c rim . lii iiaiB merged asa new world power in place of Rornar
1.l)l i(’C” i)lld civilization. Britain thus attained the position of the
anthem ol” the modem civilizati0fl. R§llSh that used to be an
insignificant and .unknown language in comparison with Latin,
be•came prominent and universal as well. The study of English
grammarthus started.

The traditional grammarians made no diStincti0fl between Łe

grammar ofEnglish and Latin. Asa ma£er offact, they understooo
Latin asa universal language and model for aIl langoages including
English. To them whatever obtained in Lat napplied to Englisf
including tenses. In Latin, there werethreetenses: the pasttense, iFc
present tense and the Łture tense. The traditlonal grammarians
adopted the notion of the three tenses lnto English verbatllfl anć
worked with it. That is why all the English grammar books ofże
19th and 20th centuries were written with the understanding of że
three tenses. The notion has not been completely done away »'iż
even when modern gammarians (known as the linguists) hae
discovered that English has Vo tenses, the present and ke pasi
tenses. The modern gramri¢rians have achie cd this tŁrougt
independent study of English asa language and not asa progen¡’ of
the Latin language and grammar.
łn contrast with the traditl0llal grammarlans, the mQ§gyp.
grammatians ha›e done enough research and their findings she»
that the tenses in English are two, not three. They have discv»’cxś
that the future tense in Latin doe not feature in the Eng1i›l
grammar. The feature tense in Latin is in English, par of ńe
present tense. The presenttens¢ in English is more encompsssing

100
 1’1iL findings of the modern grammarians in the subject of tenses show
lJd.1 C“ ei'y language is on its own in the features the language has and
this cuts across all the areas of language study including its grammar.
\1odcrn linguist such as John Lyons, Frank Palmer, and Noam
Chomsky areemphatic on this. Every language (grammar), no matter
how unintelligible it is, should be studied independent of other
languages. That Latin had three tenses and English two is scholarly
enough.

ASPECT
Onwuka and Okoye (79) write that aspect isa term that is closely
related to tense.. It indicates whether theaction eKpressed by the verb
has been completed or is still in progress. It refers to the manner in
which theverbal action is experienced or regarded (as completed or in
progress). Aspect shows the inception, duration, continuation or
termination/completion of an action described in the sentence. The
modern grammarian talks about the continuative and perfective
aspects. In sentences such as 'He dances' and 'He sings', the action
may have been completed orstill in progress. So he dances in progress
becomes 'Heis dancing'and'He sings' becomes'He is singing', also in
progress. This is the progressive or continuative aspect. The
perfective variants of the two sentences above are,'He has danced and
'Hehas sung'. The maker for the progressive or continuative
aspect is the 'ing', past and present as inthe following cases:
They are g0ing t0school.
She is listening to the radi0.
The girl was dancing on thestage.
he tcam was playing well.
'Has' and 'have' 'has been' and 'have been' are the makers for the
perfective aspect (singular and plural) and to tht root of tht verbs

101
t• i's ritmul irnlt “ritm‹ iilJiiili
‹ ‹ « ‹ •‹ ‹ ‹ ‹ ‹ •‹ < « ‹

tvd' i'r'cn' is addcd in @ost cascs:

-11c l›iii |3e-t‘lÎil llicd ¥cry wCll.
- Ï1C}' l1ùŸû ÇL*t'Ê0l“l11CCÏ VCF}’ WCÏ(.
-Tl›«p»oplc ltav«agrccd todo it.
l“herc-fore, aspect coald be progressive or perfectivc.

blOOD
Mood is the fom of the verb that speclfies the relationshlpbetween
the action of the verb and such conditions as futUrlty, obligation,
compulsion, possibility, wishes etc. Okoye (54) describes it as the
manner in which theaction of the verb is expressed. Is ita fact, a
command,a wish, ap0SSÎbility, an obligatloR, afi äSSU@ tÎORÎ ötG.
k

There area numberofmoods inEnglish,

(1) Indicative Mood: This is also referred to as the declarative
mood. It is used in nakinga statement,a statement of
fact.eg. •
Chikais my relation.
Cällforniä ÎS 1fl2t%0ricä.
- Degree examinationsare wriäen inthe final year.
(2) Indicative Mood: This oneisusedinasking questlOns.
Examples:
- Whenwill you come?
- ls theman you brother?
ls he intheoffice?
(3) Imperative Mood: This mood is used in giving instructions,
making requests, issuing orders, givipg advice,
entreaty etc. ,
Examples:
Stop that,
Get up
Close the door.
Be kind to the poor.
Be polite to the Stfanger,
(4) Subjunctive Mood: It is ased in expressing wishes,

102
 de-s ire, possib
i litie5 and conditions. Spcci ïitall y,
subjunctie mood hasthcfollowing uses:
(/t)(i) Present subjunctive: This is used in thetraditional
phrases expressihg Wishes ofhope,
Exnmyles:
Long live FederalRepublic ofNigeria.
May God help us.
(ii) lt is used in noun clauses expressing desire, intention or
resolution.
3xamples:
lt is suggested thata law should be passed against ignoringa
presidentialdebate.
I suggest thata conmittee should be set up to examine the
problems with theCBT.
(B)(l) PäSt Subjanctive: This subjunctive is used añer the verb
'wish'.
Exemples:
I wishI were president ofNigeria.
I wish1 didn'I watch thematch.
(ii) lt is used after 'if to express improbabllity or unreallty in the
present.
Examples:
lfhe had money, hecorld llve ln Lagos.
Ifhe studied hard, he could pass the Cambridge. (C)lt is used
afler'as lfaRd 'as though'. Examples:
Hetalk asifhe werethe governor.
Peter walk asthoagh he was thehigh chief.
The man orders me about as ifI were hls servant. (D) lt is
used after the claase "it lS tlme+ subject +past tense" to
indicatethat it is already late. Examples:
lt is time wetravelled home.
lt is time we carrled outthe lnStruction^
lt istime we started the work.
(E) lt is used aPer the phrase "would rather + safiject" to
indicate performance.

103
 l1olLl.
Classification ofTcnscs
Tci scy arc classificd in this subordinatc unit. Fhc catcgnrics r›/t§y,„
tCnS0S aic discusscd as wcll as their functions.
(i) Frcsent Tensc:
Thc prescnt tense is used todiscuss activitics and statcs in UC py$ggpt
time. The present tense also discusses future activities and s‹ate„
This is part of thc contention of the modern grammarian, ‹Lat tL,
futurc tense is part of thepresent tense, that actually there isn rovr,
asa tense but as time. The present tensc hasa numbcr ofvariants:
The simple present tense
- The present perfect tense
- The present continuous/progressive tense
- The present perfect progressivetens e

Simple Present Tense-

This is used to express activities, actions or states in the presenttioi,

Examyl‹•s:
The man is here.
He isa man
He does thework.
- She driyes the car.

(ii) It is used toexpress habitual action.

Exiimples:
He goes to school every day.
We take breakfast every morning.

104
 11cc.ills her‘ u«ulici‘ cvci‘yr1,iy.

I: ”iIItt[!lt’,v.’
t,l,›ptct4 childi‘cii live »•ith psycholOgical problems. Childrcn from
I ‹ kerb homes aredelinquents. Politicians do not tell the truth.

(i) li is used ill expressing universal truth.

£.v«mylc•s:
- The earth is spherical.
- A mammal hasfour legs.
- London is the capital of Britain.

(v) It is used in expressing future engagements.

Er«mples:
President Johnathan arrives in London on Monday.
The convocation holds next week. The bus leaves by
I 0:00am.

(vi) It is used to introduce quotations.

E.vnmyles:
Shakespeare writes, "The evil that men do lives afterthem."
Adolf I-I itler declared, "Warsaw shall see war and war no
morc."
Muhammad Alideclared, "I am the greatest."

(vii) It is used in expressing proverbs, sayings and figurative

expressions.
Examples:
Those who live in glass houses should notthrow stones.
A stitch in time saves nine.
The pen is mightier than the sword.

(›’iii) It is used in describing the process ofdoing something.

105
I t^ I11•1 û '1 l^'\*ÈÜ I. }'L”t L‘I It*II ț'l1 |1.IÎ I11 l'I’‹\l)t I”› ‹I ł1tI ( İL 1 l Ł!, 1 1 I( 1 IIIA I Fr ›nr I‘.
ní‹ ‹'i\Iink t‹› th‹ .size y‹›\i \vtii1I. \v‹›i'k ‹›ii Illc I ‹ ›l t‹›m, L›‹: ri‹l tŁ '
ï( I'l I‹'(II I‘‹', \t t› l‘k t› If tl1¢' I11i ŁILII Ù, c ‹›I1cI t]t |c .I l1tI \Vc.iV c I I1« t:(Iñ L:’I

Exaiitples:
Christian Chukwu collects the ball now, lie beatsa player, beats
another, and kicks the ball to lfeanyi Onyedika. He scores.
(xi) It is used in sentences beginning wlth 'here' and 'there'.

Examples:
Here comes Mr.President.
There sits the prime minister.

2. Present Continuous/Progressive-
(i) It is used to express an activity that is in progress at the moment.
lt is not yet completed, it is on-going.A form ofauxiliary verb 'be+
the ing form ofthemain verb areused to indicate this. It is expressed
like this: be+ verb-f- ing.Am/is are+ verb+ ing.

Examples:
- I am writinga lecture.
- She is cleaning the house,
- They are working In the garden.
(ii) It is used to express the future [future planned action],

Examples:
- Emeka is graduating next year. —
- The couple arewedding next month.
lfeoma is relocating to Lagos next week.
106
 II is teachiiig iechn iquc isy icldinp rcs« bts.
The N lier ian ecOnOmy is depressing,

(iv) lt is used to expressa temporary situation.

Exaiitples:
I am staying in Anambra forthis period of election.
He is waiting forhiswife toreturn from church.
Present Perfect:
lt is used to describe an action that started in the past and has just
been completed in the present. It features the use of the auxiliary verb
'has' or'have' depending on whether it is singular or plural.
(l)It showsthat an action has just been completed.
The electoral tribunal has been constituted.
His son has gained admission intoa foreign university.
(11) lt is used toexpress completed action ivhose time is not specific.
Examples:
He hasbeen appointed.
The players have completed themedicals.
He has spoken with them.
(iii) lt is used to express an action that commenced in the past and
continued upto thepresent.
She has worked with them forfive years.
1 have notseen ivy mother for a font-,Îime.
They have notcompleted theassignment.
(iv) lt is used to indicate actions that have been repeated ina period
up to the present.

Exemple:
I have been there three times today.
I have called this number five times today.

107
 Lw) inihow inNigcñaforcnyears.
I hwu he i1 discussing it with my wife for onc wcck.
I franc bccn working for him since January.

2 PastTcnsc
The past tense is used in describing actions and activities that have
already occUrled. They include the following;
Simple past
Past continuous/progressive
Past perfect
Past perfectcontinuous/progressive
Simple Past;
This is used in describing activities that were completed at
a certain period in the past, (i) It does not work with the auxiliaq
verb.

Examples',
- I saw her the other day
- The man came here last week
- Sunshine was mild yesterday.
(ii) Itexpresses a wish.
Exnmples’,
I wishI were you
I wishI wereyourparents.
(iii) It is used in expressinga task or an qction that should have
taken place but atthe moment ofspeaking is still uncompleted.
Exiimyle,
- It is high time you granted her the leave.
- It is high time you studied hard for the carry-over
examination.

108
 a comedy in then oi“nin C7
(7

We \VCI‘C 3$i1)i HQ £lCJO bJ Lii ing the ) criod of the broadcast

(ii) It is also useci to describe ali activity that was in progress before
ai olhci"stai“tcd.

They were doing something else when their father came

back.
It was raining heavily when thevisitor came,

(iii) It is used to represent an activity that was regularly repeated in

the past. Examples:
In oui‘ university days, we were always going on excursion.
She was always talking about herhusband's escapades then.

(iv) It is used to describe two actions that were occurring

simultaneously in the past. Examples:
Uche was viewing the network news when herfather was
beating her brother. -- I was working on my assignment while my
friend was playing music.

Past Perfect:
Another term forthis is the plu-perfect tense. It worLs in different
ways !t is realize by had+ past participle.
(i) lt describes an activity that started in the past and stopped
before another activity began and was completed.

109
 I r•p • t e > m ț s ł ł' .e ” r
+ + ø ø e a ‹ « e J z * * * •

\ ›i ıi i| I‹’•
I *1*"I I l^f ‹'ł UI‘IlJîl‹I l‹* [I lJ‹' [‹›l’f- f |1‹’Ț' ‹.°rțł¿“çęrj I[ț¿j }jç/țjç¿
** *“ !*•!‹! t’•\I ‹'l\I l1t*f ‹'i›‹I IJŁ’ Íi›l“Ł’I l1t’ |JiÏ i\‹” İ[):I| ;irrİ vrjrÏ,

::\I ii11ù. ‘Ï I\t Ńùț i\ iîȚ' l1rț{.1i1 :ii1‹l \t’‹iS £:‹›i11ylctcrl in thc y:iËf.

Ï i+I\‹I ŁIt»l1€‘t Iič 1Vnl“Ï¢.

’Ï li‹j l›ïi‹J cicctcd .a.hlory buildingth•rc.
Nî1t:ź« IąąÚ \'iSi!cd tl1c Zoo.
(iii) Ït ix used to iridicatz: conditions II nt were netmet andusually
İ lil roJL‹CÙJ Ł\’'İ FCI •1uSC.

If I l›ad listciicd to ixy conscience,I wouldn't have beena

› ictint oftI1is illcss.
Ï ËIîcI ad studied harder, ltc would l1ave madea beßer grade.
(i›•) It is used in ixdircct speech especially when thereposing
vcrb is in Ë1c past.

Tlne boy said that he had done thework.

Cliike said that they have completed the
assignment
(v)It is as well used toexpress unfulfilled desìre in the past.

Extimples
The club has expected all their supporters to be in the
stadium.
- The workers had hoped that they would be paid thöİfSälãry
before they go forthe break.

Past Perfect Tense

- This is realized by had+ been+ ingform oftheverb.
(i) It is used to describe an activity thnt commencedand was
completed in the past though it had been going or at the time
oÉref«rence.

110
 sli‹» iiig the futuic iilcltidcs tomorrow, next year, ncxt wcck ctc. tic
fcllo ring are variants of the future tense,
simplc future
future continuous/progressive
future perfect
future perfect continuous/progressive

-Simple Future:
This is used to describe an activity that will be in progress ata given
future time.
Examples,
I will do it tomorrow.
We shall see you on Thursday.
Fetare perfect:
This describes the activity that will be concluded in the future before
inotheractivity will commence.

Examples:
The semester will have ended before the book is published.
The man will have come back from London before l6e
hearing begins.

Fut»re Perfect Continuous/Progressive:

This shows an activity that is expected not only to be in progress ata
§i¥8h fUture time but also to have reacheda particular point of
completion atth1t future time.

111
ri,z ti›e ›.«ii«›its orthe followingsentences in the present, pest and

He wan writesa bO0lt.

SIc singsa song.
lie works in the garden(simple present)
1-le is working in the garden (prcsentcontinuous/progressive)
l3c has been working in the garden (presentperfect progressive).
He has worked in the garden (present perfect).
The man writesa book(simple present)
The man has writtena book (present perfect)
The man has been writing a book (present perfect
progressive/continUous)
The man is writinga book(presentcontinuous/progressive).
She sanga song(simple past)
She has sunga song(past perfect)
She has been singinga song (past perfect continuous/ progressive)
She will give you (simple future)
She will be giving you (future continuous)
She will have given you (future perfect)
The study of tenses which started with the traditional grammarians
has been studied by the modern grammarians. Through research, the
modern grammarian has been able to show that the Englishtenses
are quite different from theLatin tenses. Their findings show tl
it is wrong toimpose Latin grammatical ideas into English. Tim
figure tense in Latin is part Of the present tense in English.A ntllrbe
ofcases in the foregoing have been used to pfove this.

112
h ÏtJtlîtÏ.Ń
h› S-i•/i11i 1:1r. iJ1od.II.« •tic icpi•cscnted cs izzoJcl auxiliaries or oycrat‹›r*.
Ì l1ù\ cL1i›x°titcitca cIasx unto tllemsclvcs in the category of stixili»ry
1ci‘l›x. l*i•ii11ai•iIy, they are auxiliai•y verbs because they xeedprincipal
› crt›s to function. Without theprincipal (main) verbs, they will result
iit n‹›nsci›1icaI and ungi’zizii/iatical stateizicnts. The modals in English
are can, could, may, %ç1it, must, ought to, shall, should, will, would,
nc-ed, dai•e. have to, used to.

Uses ofModals
ìt is used in the first person to indicate future action.
E.vamples:
We shall takea lecture next week.
I shall attend the conference on Friday.
- They shall visit you tomorrow.
(ii) It is used Inthesecond and thirdperS0RS t0 gİVö COmmands.
Examples:
- You shall obey your parents.
You shall do whatthehead says,
(iii) It is used in the first person permission.

ExomRles:
ShallI give him the letter?
ShallI do that?
ShallI go with her?
(ir) It is as well used in interrogative sentences.

Examples:
ShallI bring you food?
Shall we go?
(v) It is also used toindicate intention.

Examples:
We shall be there onThursday.

113
 I iv‹1l coiiic rimj r›ur birthday.
(iii) lt is used toshow willingness.

I n'ill honor your invitation.

- 1 will be there if”you invite me.
(IV) It iS Used toshow insistence.

Examples:
- You will pay the money youborrowed.
- They will replace whatthey removed.
(v)It is used toexpress prediGtion.

Examples:
- The rainy season ivlll soon start.
- They will soon come back,
(VI). It is used toindicate threat.

Examples:
I Will slap you.
I will order him.
- I will warn her.
(vii) It is used toexpress illVi il(ion or politei c•ijiicst

114
 \¥il1 you rené OVCl my work fOrme?
tC)'S!iou1ë'
SlâotllÛ ÎS ÎUC âst (Ol‘ln Of shall. lt is used ina number ofways.
(i) lt is used to expi ess necessity/obligation.

Exnmplc•.s:
You should pay yOur fees.
You shOUld give me my money,
(ii) It is used in reported speech.

Examples:
He sald that he should come tOmorrow.
His mother said that she shOuldjoin them in the house.
(iii)lt is used in expressing pOSSÎbility or supposition in conditional
clauses.

Examples:
Should thelabor union be on strike, the election will not hold.
- Should it rain, the rally will be put on hold.
(iv)It is used in expressing possibility or likelihood.

Examples:
He should be home at weekend.
- He should be able to solve his family problems,
(v) It is used after'lest' in a clause expressing purpose.

Examples:
Attend early, lest we should miss themajOr issue.
- Spend prudently, lest you should be bankrupt
(D) Would'
Would 1s the past tense of will but it is used indifferent situations.
(i) It is used toexpress probability.

115
 The wean told me lie would beherc today.
The aspii‘ant said he would consult his lawyer today.
(iv) It is uscd with 'like' to expressa wish.
Exaiityles:
I would like to take you to Lagos.
He would like to thank you for your kindness.
(v). Would rather'
This is used to expressa choice/preference.
Examples:
l would rather remain unemployed than take up that kind of
job.
1 would rather view thematch in the television than suffer in
the stadium,
(vi). Wish+ Would'This is used to express intention.
Examples:
I wishl would work with you.
Chike wishes he would come along with us.
(E)May'
May is the present form of'mightl.
(i) It is used for different purposes:
It is used to seek forand grant permission.

Exumyles.
May I useyour pen?

116
 E.siimylc•s.
Ma God bless your family?
May your days be long?
(iii) It is used toexpiessa polite request.
Ex«m;›les:
May I join you?
May1 speak with the President General?
(iv) It is used in subordinate clauses to express purpose.

E.viimyles:
Study hard that you may pass well. -Take enough rGst that
y our may be strong,
(v) lt is used toindicate possibility.

Exnmples:
Hisfather may be in tOwn now.
- You may succeed in securing thejob.
(F) 'M ight'
(i) Might is used tO indicate possibility (theoretical or factual).

Exantples:
The RectOr lTllQht have gone toLondon.
- It might happen today.
(ii) It is used in indirect speech.

Examples:
He said he might take up thejob.
Okeke said he might apply forthevacant position.
(iii) When used ina sentence, it is less certain than may.

117
 Slic might be thcrc. -11c might travel scon.

(i) 'Can' shows ability, capability etc. Examples;

The architect can draw thebuilding plan.
He can prepare thG soup very well.
The boy can do it.
(ii) lt is used to take permission.

Exa R!e*-
- Can I speakwith theHOD now?
- Can I cOme with you?
(iii).It is used in expressing possibility.

Examples:
You can now seeher.
- We can get there this evening.
(H) 'Could'
'Could' is the past form ofcan and can be used in various ways.
(i) It is used to indicate past ability.

Examples:
- Ibrahim could no longer spend lavishly since his father
ceased to bea ministef. -He could work for longer hours when hewas
young.
(ii).It is used to expresspossibility.

Examples:
That could be the reason forthe problem.
- The father could tell us whatthe matter is.
(iii).It is used in indirect speech.

Examples.
- The head of department told her that she could pay her fees
thefollowing day.
His father told him that he could enroll in the army.

118
 (i ). lt l5 used tomakea Olite request.

Examples:
- Could you do it for her?
- Could you send this to her?
(1).'Must'
{i) 'Must' is used to express obligation, compulsion and logical
nccessity.

Exumyles:
You must do whathe told you.
- You must cater for your children.
(ii).lt is used toexpress determination.

Examples:
I must addrcss the local chaptcr today beforeI face the state
chapter tomorrow. - I musl bc in the department before 7.00 am
tomorrow.
(ii).It is uscJ to cxprcss prohabiliij.

E.vamyles:
lkc iiiiisi be a slenosrapher to have finished typing that
v'oluinc.
You must bea home economist to know how to prepare all
those dishv-s.
( ).li is used lo express negative condition.

Exemples.
You muse notbe in that ses5lOf\.
Hc must notplay that match.

119
‹ ’i etc
¡) ’t3tp’ sc 3 Beth is mol in the tend of tl4fyiny
;knp¡ng ot tatiog something lx›ldly. II has ¢11 ltte
(erms ots re lat with.

. Tie Dimu›r from tI›c Mini.stry dsrcd to Icsvc lfas

meetinghc$nrC thCCflt).
- Ngozi didn't dare totell hcr mothcrsbout thematter.
(¡j). At an auxiliary vcrb, it has no inflcxion and is used in the
sense oWavc thecourage to’.

lamp/a:
- You dare not talk to me like that.
- How dare you do it like that!
- You dare nots«ndthatmcssagctomyfriend.
(X).'Used to'
It is used to expressa habit that was on in thc past and does not
happen any longer in the present.
Exam let:
- He used totravel overseas when hehadthemoney.
- We uscd toattend that primary school overthere.
(L).’Ought to’
(i),lt is used to express necessity.

- Yououghttotakecare ofyourwcight,
- You oughtto do it foryourwife.
(ii).ltexpresses fitness and suitability.

**+p!6S\
- You ought to havca credit pass in literature fory U tO
studylaw.
- You ought to holda uni crsity dcgrcc for you IO
considered.

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 (Îii).lt cxprcsses moral Obligation.

Ex•tnyles:
You ought togive alms tothehelpless.
You ought tohelp your relations.
(iv).It expresses unfulfi fled obligation.
Ex‹imyles:
YoU cught tol‹avc savcd some money forrctirement.
This gracious woman OLlght to have marricda respOnsible

E.«impies:
I nccd tosccI in.
You nccd tobc ti cr .
(ii). lt cnn bc tiSCd to¿cthcr› ith not as en «tixiIiar¿ vcrb.

() lt can be used with 'do' and 'to' infinitives.

Exumy
DO youneed to know more?
Does sheneed to see him on the matter?

121