TENSES

                               

Definition :

Tenses is the pattern of sentence in which it describes the characteristic of event, the purpose of it, composed by what formula, what kind of verb used and especially when it happens – modified by what the most appropriate time signal(s)

Tenses adalah pola-pola kalimat yang menggambarkan karakteristik kejadian, tujuannya yang disusun dengan rumusan tertentu dengan kata kerja yang khusus digunakan untuk kejadian-kejadiannya, yang dilengkapi dengan keterangan waktu yang paling sesuai

1.        SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE (S + adverb of frequency + V1 + Time Signals)

Adverb of frequency : always, usually, often, frequently, normally, sometimes, occasionally, seldom, rarely, hardly ever, almost never, never.

Time signals: every (day, week, month, morning , Friday, term, etc), once a week

a.       Describing habitual actions

·         I go to school by bus every day

·         She is always busy every morning

·         We study English twice a week

·         My father never smokes cigarette

b.       Describing general truth ( Naturally and Socially)

·         The sun rises in the east every morning

·         A day has twenty four hours

·         Wood floats on the water but iron sinks

·         Good management listens its employees

·         The government serves its people

c.       Describing Momentary Event which may change in the future

·         Ms Az-Zahra writes novel this moment

·         My friends prefer tea to coffee for the time being

·         Putry always drinks a glass of milk every morning

·         John likes film better than stages

d.               Describing Future Event has been well-planned before

·         We leave Jakarta at 10 AM next Tuesday and arrive in Jogjakarta at 02 PM on Wednesday.

·         We spend 2 hours there, take a rest and then leave again at 04.30 PM

·         When does your father get back from his journey ?

2.       PRESENT CONTINUOUS / PROGRESSIVE TENSE

( S + to be + V ing + Time Signals)

Time Signals : now, right now, at present, at the moment, today, tonight, this week/month/semester etc, these days, nowadays etc.

a.       Describing events which are still going on

·         He is studying English now

·         She is having breakfast at the moment

b.       Describing the continuous event, though it is not being done exactly at present

·         John is building a house now

·         Mary is writing a novel this week

c.       Describing repeated events for momentary time. ( ‘ing’ doesn’t mean sedang)

a.       Andri is staying with his uncle in Bogor this week

b.       We usually have breakfast at 8 AM, but today we are having breakfast at 7 o’clock.

d.       Describing repeated events which cause terrible feeling on the speakers.

·         Mary : John is always ringing me when I am in Bandung

Here, Mary feels terrible because John always rings her when she is in Bandung

3.       PRESENT PERFECT TENSE (S + have/has + V3/PP + TS)

Adverb/Time Signals : already, just, recently, still, yet, so far, up to/till now, up to the present, once, twice, three (four ,etc) times, for (+a period of time),

since (+ a point in time)

a.       Describing event happened in the past and give important impacts now

·         Edward has visited Bali, so he can tell his family about it

·         Safa has graduated with excellent achievement

b.       Describing event started in the past, but still goes on until now and in the future.

·         They have lived in Bandung since 1981

·         We have worked in this company for 7 years

·         She has been busy since morning

·         Up till now, he has not spoken to me.

c.       Describing past event which has just finished when we are talking that event now

·         Hello, Paul. I haven’t seen you for a long time! How are you ?

4.       PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE ( S + have/has + been + V –ing + TS)

Time Signals : so far, up to now, for (+a period of time), since (+a point in time) etc

a.       Describing past event which is still going on now, even more in the future

·         They have been studying English for one year

·         I have been teaching English since 1998

·         He has been very busy for 2 weeks

b.       Describing past event which just ended exactly when it is talked now

·         Sorry, I am late. Have you been waiting here long ?

·         Have you been doing the homework ? Submit it now !

c.       If there is no time signal, it can also be used to explain the activity which has been perfectly done and the impact is felt up to now.

·         I have been painting the fence

·         Be careful ! John has been painting the door.

5. SIMPLE PAST TENSE (S + V2 + O + Time Signal)

Time Signals : yesterday, last Monday (week, etc), two days(a week, etc) ago, in 1999 etc

a.       Describing past event which has no relation anymore with nowadays time

·         John was sick yesterday, but now he feels well

·         Bob worked for a big firm last year.

b.       Describing two events which are going on almost in the same time.

·         He shut the book when I entered the room

·         She collapsed as soon as she saw the room

·         She stopped talking as I opened the door

c.       To inform several actions which happened almost in the same time

·         When he saw me, he stood up and came up to me.

·         When he called her a liar, she smocked his face

d.       To tell the events which happen repetitively in the past but now not any more

·         When I was abroad, she wrote me a letter twice a month

The verb ‘used to + infinitive’ is also used to describe past habits

·         I used to play tennis every Saturday

·         He used to work in a bank two years ago

·         She used to spend our vacation in this village

·         Bani used to be thin when he was a child

6. PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE (S+was/were+V-ing+O+TS)

Time Signals : just a moment (week, month, year) ago, at that time, at this time last week (month, etc), in (during, by) the summer (June, etc)

a.       To express the event which was going on in the past or when other action also happened.

·         He was sleeping when I came last night

·         The students were playing when it rained

·         I am talking to my friend when the teacher entered class

2. To express the event which was going on in the past ( there was a duration)

The duration is fixed by preposition : from ………...to …………

Time Signals : all the whole, the whole of the ………

·         She was watching TV from 7 to 9 last night.

·         He was working in the garden all morning.

·         They were making an experiment the whole day yesterday.

3. To describe the event would happen in the past and had been planned before

·         He packed his goods because he was leaving that night

·         She prepared everything since she was giving a presentation

4. To describe the event which was happening repetitively in the past and it often caused terrible feeling on the speaker. Time signal : always

Mary : John was always ringing me up when I was in Bandung.

7. PAST PERFECT TENSE ( S + Had + V3/PP + O)

                Time Signals : before(1950), by (May 1), by then, by that time, ever,

                                                                        Never, already, still, yet.

a.       To describe the event which had happened & finished in the past before a certain time.

·         They had already done the test at 2 o’clock yesterday

2. To describe the event which had happened and finished in the past before other action happened

·         They had done the test when the bell rang yesterday.

3. To describe the event which had started in the past but not yet finished on a certain time.

·         Mary had still studied his lesson for an hour when John arrived yesterday.

It is used with verbs : hope, expect, think, intend, mean, suppose, want etc

Which indicate/explains that something wanted didn’t happen.

·         She had hoped that John would be able to visit us last night

It is used in Reported Speech

1. Direct Speech

Bob : “I lost my book yesterday”

                “ I have lost my pen yesterday”

2. Indirect Speech (Reported Speech)

·         Bob said that he had lost his book yesterday

·         Bob said that he had lost his pen the day before

8. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE ( S + had + been + V ing + O + TS)

                Time Signals : before 1492, by last ( week/month/ a certain time, by then,

 by that time,  for ( + a period of time)

a.       The event had been started in the past but not yet finished on/when :

-  A certain time

·         John had been studying his lessons for an hour at 10.00 o’clock yesterday

-          Other action happened

·         John had been studying his lesson for an hour when Mary arrived at 10.00 o’clock yesterday

·         My mother had been making a cake by the time I arrived at home

·         We have been discussing for one hour when the rain fell.

2. The event had started in the past and went on for a while/moment then ended. The duration wasn’t mentioned. The stress is on the result of action.

·         John had been painting the house; that was why his hands were covered with paint.

·         The children had been playing football. That was why they were so hot.

3. It is used on Reported Speech

·         John “ I was writing a letter at 7 o’clock last night.

·         John said that he had been writing a letter at 7 o’clock the previous night.

9. FUTURE TENSE ( S + shall/will or am/is/are + going to + V1 + O + TS )

Time Signals : tomorrow, tonight, on (Monday), next Friday, next week/month/yea, this afternoon/ evening, tomorrow night.

a.       It explains the event which certainly will happen in the future without being influenced by out factors or other requirements. Above understanding is called “Pure Future”

·         I shall be twenty years old next Tuesday

·         Next year, Idul Fitri will be on Saturday.

2. It is used in Conditional Sentence –in Main Clause (Sub Clause will be in Simple Present Tense)

·         If you study hard, you will pass the exam

·         If I have a lot of money, I will go around the world

The difference between ‘will’ and ‘be going to’

Will : the action isn’t planned before or planned immediately

Be going to : the action has been/is really well-planned before

10. FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE  (S+will (be going to) + be + V ing + O)

Time Signals : at noon (3PM), at that time, at this time tomorrow/next week/ next Friday etc, the day after tomorrow, a week (month) from today

1. To describe event on a certain time in the future

·         He will be studying English at 7 o’clock tonight

·         She will be having her breakfast at 6.30 tomorrow morning.

2. To describe event which will happen when other action occurs

·         They will be having dinner when you arrive tonight.

·         If you come to my house at 7 PM, I will be watching television

3. To explain action will be carried out in the future but it hasn’t been planned before. It will happen as usual.

·         Tom will be meeting John tomorrow

Above sentence means that the meeting between Tom & John has nothing special.

It will happen just as usual because they’re office friends.

·         The students will be taking the exams next week

·         The tourists will be traveling with a guide next Sunday

·         Hadi will not be working today. His wife is ill.

11. FUTURE PERFECT TENSE (S + will + have + V3/PP + O)

                It is used to explain action/activity which will have been done on/when

1. A certain time in the future (at……..o’clock on Monday etc)

·         The shop will have closed by 10 o’clock tonight

·         Linda will have finished typing this report by four o’clock this afternoon

2. Other action happens on a certain time in the future

·         The children will have gone to bed when we come home

3. The action will start in the future and not yet end on a certain time when following action happens. Time signals : for

·         They will begin to study at 11 o’clock

If we arrive home at 12 o’clock, they will have studied for an hour.

d.       The same with c, but the action has started in the past & not yet ended while other action happens.

·         The children began to study at 1 o’clock

By 4 o’clock they will have studied for 3 hours.

12. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE ( S + will + have + been + V ing + O + TS)

a.       To explain actions which will be carried out & not yet ended while other action starts/happens on a certain time. The stressing are on :

-          The action which will have been going on

·         John will have been playing badminton by 9 o’clock tomorrow morning

·         They will have been living in Bandung for two years by next January

·         By this month, I will have been studying for three years in that school

·         My father will have been reading a newspaper for two hours by 9 o’clock this morning.

b.       The action has started in the past & still will go on when other action will start in the future.

·         Tanti began to live in Australia when she was 12 years old. By the time she is 20 years old, she will have been living in Australia for 8 years.

·         Putri started studying Civil Engineering two years ago in 2006. By the time 2008, she will have become Civil Engineer if she can finish her lesson smoothly.

13. PAST FUTURE TENSE ( S + would + V1 + O + TS)

a.       To tell the event which would happen in the past

·         I would buy a book the day before

·         She would study at this time last Monday

·         He would teach English at 7 o’clock yesterday morning

b.       Used in ‘Type 2 of Conditional IF’ – Present Unreal Condition

·         If I were a bird, I would fly around the sky

·         If I knew her address, I would visit her house

14. PAST FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE  (S+should/would+be+ V ing+O+TS)

a.       To tell continuous event which would happen in the past

·         I would be studying at this time last week

·         He would be teaching in the class at this time yesterday

b.       Used in Reported Speech

·         He said that he would be studying on Monday.

·         My father said that he would be working on Saturday.

                 

15. PAST FUTURE PERFECT TENSE (S+should/would+have+V3/PP+O+TS)

Used in ‘Type 3 of Conditional IF’ – Past Unreal Condition (The regret ness or something expected didn’t happen/something unexpected happened).

·         You would have past the exams if you had studied hard

·         I should have met Ratna if I had come earlier.

·         He would have got scholarship if he had won the competition

·         We should have visited Bali if it hadn’t occurred chaos there lately

16. PAST FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

(S + should/would + have + been + ing)

                Describing the event which had been going on in the past

·         I should have been studying in that school for 3 years by the end of last year.

·         He should have been teaching in that university for 5 years by this year.

BAGAN  TENSES

I. PRESENT

A.      SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

B.       PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

C.      PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

D.      PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

II. PAST

A.      SIMPLE PAST TENSE

B.       PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

C.      PAST PERFECT TENSE

D.      PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

III. FUTURE

A.      FUTURE TENSE

B.       FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

C.      FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

D.      FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

IV. PAST FUTURE

A.      PAST FUTURE TENSE

B.       PAST FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

C.      PAST FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

D.      PAST FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Exercise 1 :

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

Put the following verbs into the correct tense—either the present simple or the present progressive. Use all the elements in the brackets. Note the importance of certain key words. Use a highlighter to indicate the key words.

1.    They (sell) my grandfather six eggs every Saturday.

2.     Mr Brown (have) a cold shower every morning, but at the moment

               he (have) a hot bath.

3.    She (dislike) playing tennis but she (adore) swimming.

4.    (he, not, work) in his room at the moment?

5.    Mrs Poole seldom (eat) crisps.

6.    The plane (leave) Heathrow at 8 a.m. and (arrive) at Kennedy seven hours later.

7.    He always (phone) me every Saturday evening. He never (forget).

8.    I (send) this book to Tim next week.

9.    He (catch) the same train every evening.

10.  I (look) for my glasses and I (not, can) find them anywhere.

11.  We (have) lunch with the Smiths on Tuesdays.

12.  We (have) dinner with the Browns on Friday.

13.  Mr Green (come) to see us next week.

14.  My cousins (go) to Greece this summer. They (go) there nearly every year.

15.  James (want) a new pair of trousers.

16.  Julie (need) to have her hair cut.

17.  Mr Stowcrat (own) five cars and a plane.

18.  I (not, know) who these socks (belong to), but they (smell) like cheese.

19.  John (hardly ever, write) to me these days, but he (usually, phone) me once a week.

20.  They (want) to stay here for another week.

21.  This tea (taste) like dishwater.

22.  Look! He (come) now.

23.  What (you, do)? I (try) to make some jam but everybody (keep) asking me what I (do), so I (not, make) much progress.

24.  My car (always, break) down.

25.  She (not, earn) very much but she (buy) her first car next week.

26.  We (think) of going there next week.

27.  I (see) the doctor on Thursday.

28.  He (always, forget) to bring his books.

29.  This book (belong) to Brian.

30.  What (you, do)? I (be) a dentist.

31.  What (you, do)? I (think) about what I’ve got to do tomorrow.

32.  (you, think) he would come if we asked him?

33.  How much (you, owe) me?

34.  (I, not, go) with you tomorrow? Isn’t there enough room in the car?

35.  It (look) as if it is going to rain.

36.  (you, not, want) to come walking with me?

37.  I hope you (understand) what I (talk) about today.

38.  (you, go) to market on Wednesday?

39.  (you, remember) when you were very small?

40.  I (wish) he would stop phoning me at eleven o’clock at night.

He (always, do) it!

Exercise 2:

Identifying Verb Tenses

Name the verb tenses in the following sentences.

1.            Today, Carl kicks the ball across the field.

2.            Today, Carl is kicking the ball across the field.

3.           Tomorrow, Carl will kick the ball across the field.

4.            Carl has been kicking the ball that way for years.

5.             Today, Carl has kicked the ball across the field six times.

6.            Tomorrow, Carl will have kicked the ball across the field.

7.           Yesterday, Carl had kicked the ball across the field.

8.             You will be leaving Bathurst tomorrow, won’t you?

9.            My aunt was giving lectures in Asiatic culture this summer.

10.           He had been learning Chinese at school.

Exercise 3 :

Identifying Verb Tenses

1. Which one of the following sentences is written in the future perfect tense?

A. When they arrive, we will serve dinner.

B. At 8:00 pm we will have served dinner.

C. By the time they arrived, we had already served dinner.

D. We're afraid we have served dinner too early.

2. Which one of the following sentences is written in the present progressivetense?

A. I am completing my income tax return early this year.

B. I will have completed my income tax return before the deadline.

C. I had completed my income tax return before April 30.

D. I have completed my income tax return.

3. Which one of the following sentences is written in the past perfect tense?

A. I recently received a letter from my friend in Ottawa.

B. I think I will soon receive a letter from my friend in Ottawa.

C. Do you think I will have received a letter from my friend by next week?

D. I had received a letter from my friend in Ottawa.

4. Which one of the following sentences is written in the simple past tense?

A. They have lived here for two months.

B. They will have been living here for two months by the end of the week.

C. They lived in Halifax before moving here.

D. They have lived in Halifax and Charlottetown.

5. Which one of the following sentences is written in the simple future tense?

A. He is finished painting my house.

B. He will finish painting my house soon.

C. He will be finished painting my house by tonight.

D. He has finished painting my house.

6. Which one of the following sentences is written in the present perfect tense?

A. She has designed a logo for the company.

B. She will design a logo for the company.

C. She is designing a logo for the company.

D. She designed a logo for the company.

7. Write a sentence in the future perfect tense using the verb to wash.

8. Write a sentence in the present perfect tense using the verb to talk.

9. Write a sentence in the past progressive tense using the verb to sign.

10. Write a sentence in the future progressive tense using the verb to need.

11. Use the past perfect progressive tense in a sentence.

12. Use the present perfect progressive tense in a sentence.

Exercise 4 :

Mixed Tenses Exercises

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple present or present progressive)

1. Look! Sara (go) to the movies.
2. On her right hand, Sara (carry) her handbag.
3. The handbag (be) very beautiful.
4. Sara usually (put) on black shoes but now she (wear) white trainers.
5. And look, she (take) an umbrella because it (rain)  

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or past perfect)

1. When he (wake up) , his mother (already /prepare) breakfast
2. We (go) to London because our friends (invite) us
3. He (hear) the news, (go) to the telephone and (call) a friend.
4. When she (start) learning English she (already /learn) French.
5. Jane (already / type) three pages when her computer (crash) .
6. By the time the doctor (arrive) at the house the patient ( die) .
7. Before that day we (never / think) of traveling to Japan.
8. I (know) him a long time before I (meet) his family.
9. They (not / know) where to meet because nobody (tell) them.
10. It (be) cloudy for days before it (begin) to rain.

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple past or present perfect).

1. I (just / finish) my homework.
2. Mary (already / write) five letters.
3. Tom (move) to his home town in 1994.
4. My friend (be) in Canada two years ago.
5. I (not / be) to Canada so far.
6. But I (already / travel) to London a couple of times.
7. Last week, Mary and Paul (go) to the cinema.
8. I can't take any pictures because I (not /buy) a new film yet.
9. (they / spend) their holidays in Paris last summer?
10. (you / ever / see ) a whale?

Put the verbs into the correct tense (Simple Past or Past Progressive).

1. The receptionist (welcome) the guests and (ask) them to fill in the form
2. The car (break) down and we (have) to walk home.
3. The boys (swim) while the girls (sunbath) .
4. My father (come) in, (look) and (tell) me to tidy up my room.
5. While one group (prepare) dinner the others (collect) wood for the campfire.
6. While the parents (have) breakfast the children (run) about.
7. Martha (turn) off the light and (go) to bed.

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple future or future perfect)

1. Tomorrow I think I (start)  my new project.
2. I (finish) it by the end of this month.
3. The teacher (probably/assign) a test to his students next Monday.
4. He (correct) it by the end of next week.
5. My friend (certainly/get) a good mark.
6. By 9 o'clock, we (finish) our homework.
7. They (leave) the classroom by the end of the hour.
8. I think I (start) my trip tomorrow

Exercise 5 :

Irregular Verbs

1. Write a sentence in each of the 12 tenses using the verb to cut.

    Indicate the tense used after each sentence.

2. Write a sentence in each of the 12 tenses using the verb to do.

    Indicate the tense used after each sentence. Be sure to have your instructor correct your work.

3. Write a sentence in the future perfect tense using the verb to know.

4. Indicate the tense of the underlined verbs in the following sentences.

     Write your answers in your notebook.

SENTENCE	TENSE ?
A.      I am feeling better already.
B.      My son did his homework last night.
C.      The disaster relief team has sprung into action.
D.      By the time you get to school, the bell will already have rung.
E.    The train will be making three stops before Montreal
F.    The butcher had already delivered our order.
G.      Barry threw the ball to first base.

.

Exercise 6 :

Translate the following story in  Present Perfect Tense  into a good one in Bahasa Indonesia

An Exciting Trip!

I have  received a letter from my brother, Tim. He is in Australia, He has been there for six months. Tim is an engineer. He is working for big firm and he has already visited  a great number of different places in Australia. He has just bought an Australian car and has gone to Alice Springs, a small town in the centre of Australia. He will fly to Perth. My brother has never been abroad before, so he is finding this trip very exciting.

Important vocabularies:

• an exciting trip : perjalanan yang mengasyikkan
• received : menerima
• an engineer : seorang ahli mesin
• a firm : sebuah perusahaan/firma
• a small town : kota kecil
• centre : pusat 
• abroad : luar negeri
• finding : menemukan

Exercise 7 :

Create  5 sentences of each following Tenses :

a.       Present Perfect Tense & Present Perfect Continuous Tense

b.       Past Perfect Tense & Past Perfect Continuous Tense

c.               Future Perfect Tense & Future Perfect Continuous Tense