Simple Future: “You will work fifty hours.” In this example, you will work fifty hours in the future. Future Perfect: “By noon on Saturday, I will have finished my housework.” By noon on Saturday, this person will have the housework already done even though right now it is in the future.ġ. Simple Future: “On Saturday, I will finish my housework.” In this sentence, the person will finish his or her housework sometime on Saturday.Ģ. The future perfect tense is used for an action that will be completed at a specific time in the future.ġ. If Sven hadn’t sounded so pompous, then he would have been elected.Īgain, the word then is not required, but it is implied. If I had done my exercises, then I would have passed the test. Usually, results are marked by an implied then. I think Sven would have been elected if he hadn't sounded so pompous.įurther, in both cases, the word if starts the conditional part of the sentence. If I had done my exercises, I would have passed the test.Ģ. In sentences expressing condition and result, the past perfect tense is used in the part that states the condition.ġ. Past Perfect: “Renee had washed the car when George arrived.” Here, Renee had already finished washing the car by the time George arrived. Simple Past: “Renee washed the car when George arrived.” In this sentence, Renee waited to wash the car until after George arrived.Ģ. Past Perfect: “John sold the vegetables that he had raised.” In this sentence, John raised the vegetables before he sold them.ġ. Simple Past: “John raised vegetables.” Here, John raised vegetables at an indeterminate time in the past.Ģ. The past perfect tense designates action in the past just as simple past does, but the past perfect’s action has been completed before another action.ġ. Thus the action of the main verb points back in time the action of the perfect infinitive has been completed. Thus, John, at the time of possibly winning the trophy, had hoped to do so, but never did. “To have won the trophy” indicates a moment in the near past when the trophy was still able to be won. The past perfect verbal phrase, “had hoped,” indicates that John hoped in the past, and no longer does. Therefore, the person is saying that he or she is currently happy due to an event that happened in the near past.Ģ. I am happy to have participated in this campaign! The current state of happiness is in the present: “I am happy.” Yet, this happiness comes from having participated in this campaign that most likely happened in the near past. Usually the action that is represented by the present perfect tense was completed before the action of the main verb.ġ. Present perfect infinitives, such as the examples below, set up a sequence of events. Thus, these would both be simple past verb forms. In both of these cases, the action happened in the past. These occur when the infinitive is combined with the word “have.” Sometimes, problems arise when infinitives are used with verbs of the future, such as “hope,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” or “want.”
Infinitives also have perfect tense forms. Present Perfect: “If John has done his homework, he can go to the movies.” In this case, John has not yet completed his homework, but he will most likely do so soon. Simple Past: “John did his homework so he can go to the movies.” In this example, John has already completed his homework.Ģ. Present Perfect: “Betty has taught for ten years.” This means that Betty taught for ten years, and she still teaches today.ġ. Simple Past: “Betty taught for ten years.” This means that Betty taught in the past she is no longer teaching.Ģ. The present perfect consists of a past participle (the third principal part) with "has" or "have." It designates action which began in the past but which continues into the present or the effect of which still continues.ġ. The following are the most common auxiliaries: be, being, been, can, do, may, must, might, could, should, ought, shall, will, would, has, have, had. In the above examples, will or will have are the auxiliaries. Here’s a useful tip: all of the perfect tenses are formed by adding an auxiliary or auxiliaries to the past participle, the third principal part.ġ st principal part (simple present): ring, walkĢ nd principal part (simple past): rang, walkedģ rd principal part (past participle): rung, walked Usually, the perfect tenses are the hardest to remember. Understanding the six basic tenses allows writers to re-create much of the reality of time in their writing. Most English tenses, as many as thirty of them, are marked by other words called auxiliaries. Only two tenses are conveyed through the verb alone: present (“sing") and past (“sang").
This handout explains and describes the sequence of verb tenses in English. Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students.
0 kommentar(er)
