The Uses and Formation of the English Tenses

Types of Tenses

  • SIMPLE PRESENT - a verb tense used to describe an action that is happening at present or in regular basis. It is formed by using the root word and adding -s or -es at the end depending on the form of noun.
         Examples: 
  1. Lara practices the piano everyday.
  2. The dog teaches us how to be a man's bestfriend.
  3. He shows his dancing skills to the public.
  4. Mr. Bear receives a standing ovation in his public speech.
  5. I brush my teeth every morning and every night.
  • SIMPLE PAST - a verb tense used to describe an action in the past or an action that happened. It is formed by using the root word and adding -d or -ed at the end.
         Examples:
  1. They jumped at the fence the other night.
  2. She won the swimming competition and 
  3. I heard their conversation last night.
  4. The Professor cancelled the meeting during the last minute.
  5. Lovely asked me about her performance a while ago.
  • PRESENT CONTINUOUS - a verb tense used to describe an action that is happening now and will continue in the future. It is formed by using the "to be" verb (am, is are) + verb.
         Examples:
  1. The cheerleading squad is preparing their routine today.
  2. They are eating ice cream with some of their close friends.
  3. I am doing my best to deliver a positive result.
  4. We are waiting for the cafe to open.
  5. My sister is arriving today from his long vacation trip.
  • PAST CONTINUOUS - a verb tense used to describe an action that is happened in the past and still continued at some event. It is formed by using the "to be" verb (was/were) + verb.
         Examples:
  1. I was eating dinner when mother arrived.
  2. The judges were applauding his performances since the last hours.
  3. I was preparing my powerpoint presentation when the electricity turned off.
  4. Mary was exhausted when they moved in.
  5. We were showing them the way.
  • PRESENT PERFECT  - a verb tense used to describe an action that  happened at an indefinite time in the past and continued to present time It is formed by using the "have/has" + the past participle of the verb.
         Examples:
  1. I have shown him this picture before.
  2. Clara has signed the waiver sometime before.
  3. Mary and her Colleagues have talked to Mr. Smith about their reports here.
  4. This building has served its purpose for a long time.
  5. We have shown them the way here.
  • PAST PERFECT - a verb tense used to describe an action that were completed at some point in the past. It is formed by using the "had"  + past participle of the verb.
         Examples:
  1. I walked away because he had shown me his mean personality.
  2. The students had cleaned the classroom before the Principal arrived.
  3. She had met him before the competition started.
  4. Laura had left by the time I got into the room.
  5. I had deleted our email conversation after I was caught.
  • PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS - a verb tense used to describe an action that started in the past and continues at present time. It is formed by using "has/have been" + present participle of the verb.
         Examples:
  1. I have been studying this research for 3 months now.
  2. Myra has been competing for a decade now.
  3. He has been showing his dancing skills to the public for the whole day.
  4. She has been correcting my grammar for a week now..
  5. We have been carrying this burden for quite sometime now.
  • PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS - a verb tense used to describe an action that started in the past and continued until some time in the past. It is formed by using "had been" + present participle of the verb.
         Examples:
  1. I had been waiting long enough before the taxi arrived.
  2. Father had been drinking since Mother left her.
  3. Mr. Lee had been working for the company for 10 years when he got the promotion.
  4. It had been raining heavily for 3 straight days when the road broke.
  5. My friends had been planning this trip for the whole week before our flight was cancelled.
  • SIMPLE FUTURE - a verb tense used to describe an action that has not happened yet. It is formed by using "will" + verb.
         Examples:
  1. She will learn a new recipe from her mother.
  2. I will show you the results.
  3. I will meet her at the cafe.
  4. The officer will lead you to your chambers.
  5. They will visit the shrine.
  • FUTURE CONTINUOUS - a verb tense used to describe an action that will occur in the future and continues for an expected length of time. It is formed by using "will + be" + present participle of the verb.
         Examples:
  1. I will be seeing you next month.
  2. The people will be watching him tonight.
  3. Kyle will be joining the military training not later than next month.
  4. It will be raining soon.
  5. I will be writing him a letter the soonest possible time.
  • FUTURE PERFECT - a verb tense used to describe an action that will continue to occur up until the future. It is used for actions that will be complete before a specified time in the future. It is formed by using "will + have" + past participle of the verb.
         Examples:
  1. Kara will have worked at that company for 5 years.
  2. I will have traveled to Venice by tomorrow.
  3. It will have rained by noontime.
  4. You will have forgotten that I existed by then.
  5. I will have gathered enough evidence for 2 days.
  • FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS - a verb tense used to describe an action that will continue until a time in the future. It is formed by using "will + have + been" + present participle of the verb.
         Examples:
  1. By next week, I will have been completing my proposed project for 2 hours.
  2. By noontime, I will have been studying my lessons for 5 straight hours.
  3. She will have been carrying my luggage by the time I arrive for an hour.
  4. By the end of the month, I will have been living in Paris for a decade.
  5. By next year, you will have been pursuing your Doctorate for 5 years.
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Speaking and Listening

Understanding the Role of Speaking and Listening

 Speaking and Listening is central to the lives of all people. It is the means through which we communicate feelings, thoughts and experiences. It is also an integral part of thinking and learning.

 Children learn the skills of speaking and listening as they participate as active members of a society through interactions with family members and members of the wider community. When children enter educational settings, their experiences of language will be diverse. In all phases of development, students are encouraged to value and respect their home language while developing a critical understanding and effective use of the English Language as their secondary language. 

 SPEAKING
Students speak to interact socially, to develop self-awareness and to explore ideas. Teachers can assist them to understand the way language works by developing the processes and strategies they need to successfully participate in a wide range of social interactions, classroom discussion, and learning experiences.

 LISTENING
Listening is more than hearing. It is an interactive process obtaining information, for pleasure and for building relationships. Sensitive teachers will be aware of the differences that may exist across and within cultures. For example, in English speaking communities, we depend on particular listening behaviors such as eye contact, nodding and some gestures to indicate that speech is understood. However, these behaviors may not be appropriate in other cultures and some students may feel uncomfortable when these behaviors are expected of them. Teachers can assist by explicitly teaching the processes and strategies needed to communicate effectively in a range of contexts.

          Types of Listening

  • Two-way - listener can interact with the speaker.
  • One-way - listener receives, interprets, reacts to the speaker but does not respond communicably.
Interaction involves the SPEAKER and LISTENER. One is speaking and one is listening. Interaction comes after when one of the speakers and listeners tend to ask something in between the conversation.

 Speaker (verbal)                                 - expresses his thoughts and ideas
Listener (non-verbal)                          - receives the speaker's thoughts and ideas
People communicate for the following:

  • getting things done
  • influencing the behavior, feelings, and attitudes of others
  • getting along with others
  • expressing individuality and personal feelings
  • seeking and learning about the social and physical environment
  • creating stories, games, new worlds, and new experiences
  • communicating information
  • entertaining others
Speakers learn to :
  • ask, refer, persuade, request, facilitate and explain their ideas and thoughts
  • set tasks, help, instruct, direct, manage, organize, negotiate, persuade
  • state their opinions, tell their experiences, state their feelings and emotions
  • tell their stories, discuss their ideas, anticipate the listener's feelings
  • impact knowledge on listeners, state facts, inform and lecture their listeners
  • play with words to persuade their listeners, make their listeners laugh
Listeners learn to:
  • help, provide, do things asked for them, find things and justify their understanding
  • follow instructions, follow rules, use facial expressions, ask questions
  • compliment the speaker, analyze the speakers point of view
  • asks questions, criticize the speaker, reflect on the speaker's thoughts
  • evaluate the speaker, apply knowledge based on speaker's thoughts
  • respond to the speaker, clarify ideas
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