USE OF TENSES

What is Tense?

A tense is a form that a verb takes to show the time of an action or state expressed by the verb.

There are three main tenses as follows:

1. The Present Tense. (I sing a song)

2. The Past Tense.  (I sang a song yesterday)

3. The Future Tense.  (I will sing a song tomorrow)

Read the following sentences:

1. I call

2. I am calling.

3. I have called.

4. I have been calling.

All these refer to the present time, and therefore, are all in the Present Tense, but there is a distinction in the way in which the action is regarded.

In sentence 1, the action is mentioned simply. There is no reference to the completenesses of the action. The verb 'call' in this is, therefore, said to be in the Simple Present Tense.

In sentence 2, the action is mentioned as incomplete, that is, as still going on. Hence the verb 'am calling' is said to be in the Present Continous Tense.

In sentence3, the action is mentioned as finished, complete or perfect  Hence the verb 'have called' is said to be in the Present Perfect Tense.

In sentence 4, the actioned is mentioned as having been going on continuously but not completed at the present moment. Hence the verb 'have been calling' is said to be in the Present Perfect Continous tense. 

There are 12 types of Tenses as follows:

The Present Tense has four forms:

1. Simple Present (also called Present Indefinite )
2. Present Continuous
3. Present Perfect
4. Present Perfect Continuous

The Past Tense has four forms:

1. Simple Past (also called Past Indefinite )
2. Past Continuous
3. Past Perfect
4. Past Perfect Continuous

The Future Tense has four forms:

1. Simple Future (also called Future Indefinite )
2. Future Continuous
3. Future Perfect
4. Future Perfect Continuous