TENSES
Time is a universal non-linguistic concept with three divisions.
1. The present
2. The past
3. The future
Why do we consider time as a non-linguistic concept?
Time is not a linguistic concept because it is within the society and it’s the way people use to perceive actions, ie. It must be represented time in language.
TENSE
Tense is the change of the verb to show time or correspondence of time within the tense.
TYPES OF TENSES
1. The present tense (the now/ today tense)
2. The past tense (the yesterday tense)
3. The future tense (the tomorrow tense)
NB: Tense tells us when certain things happened.
VERBS
What is a verb?
A verb is a word which expresses an action or a state of being.
1. A verb appears in the base form in the dictionary before making any malnutrition.
2. “s” form in simple present and “ies” form.
3. “ing” form in participle form and present continuous form.
4. “ed” form to form the past tense.
a) An action
Examples.
(i) She teaches in their school.
(ii) They are cultivating a farm.
(iii) We are standing up.
(iv) The moving car crushed him.
b) A state of being = verbs which are not doing verbs, but being verbs that is verbs which describe states.
Examples.
(i) The food is very cold.
(ii) The athletes are here.
(iii) Her beautiful dress become dirty.
FORMS OF VERBS
The makes up of verbs. What makes a verb?
There are two ways in which verbs can be formed. So verbs formed from:
a) Main verbs – these shows an action.
Examples. Walk, eat, play, run, dance, sing, laughs, sees, slides, sleeping, read, take, etc.
b) Auxiliary verbs (Helping verbs)
Examples. Am, is, was, are, be, been, being, have, has, had, having, were, do, does, done, did, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would, ought, etc.
They help us to know/ locate the time when the action takes place, took place or will take place. In short, they are indicators of time. Also they show us how many times the action is being done.
VERB TENSE
(Change in verb according to time)
Verb tense helps us to talk about time when an action takes place, took place or will take place.
EXERCISE:
Use verbs from the box to fill the blanks.
Sing cover patrol
Drink play set
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1. He never ____________ coffee at night.
2. The children __________ in the yard every Sunday afternoon.
3. Her grandmother _________ herself with at least two blankets every day.
4. We _______ the National Anthem every Friday morning.
5. Police officers ________ this area every night.
6. The teacher _________ an exam every term.
TENSES
TYPES OF VERBS
Verbs can be divided into Regular and Irregular verbs according to how they inflect.
1. REGULAR VERBS (weak verbs).
The regular verbs are a class of verbs that form their past tense and past participle by adding “d”, “ed” or “ied”.
Examples:
a) We add “d” to the verbs ending with “e”
Verb
|
Past Tense
|
Past Participle
|
like
|
liked
|
Liked
|
die
|
died
|
Died
|
cause
|
caused
|
Caused
|
force
|
forced
|
forced
|
arrange
|
arranged
|
Arranged
|
live
|
lived
|
Lived
|
Unite
|
united
|
United
|
Love
|
loved
|
Loved
|
Agree
|
agreed
|
Agreed
|
Side
|
sided
|
Sided
|
smoke
|
smoked
|
Smoked
|
b) By adding “ed”
Verb
|
Past Tense
|
Past Participle
|
Clean
|
cleaned
|
Cleaned
|
report
|
reported
|
Reported
|
Wash
|
washed
|
Washed
|
suggest
|
suggested
|
suggested
|
Wait
|
waited
|
Waited
|
Want
|
wanted
|
Wanted
|
c) By doubling the last consonant and adding “ed”.
Verb
|
Past Tense
|
Past Participle
|
Bag
|
bagged
|
Bagged
|
Fit
|
fitted
|
Fitted
|
Stop
|
stopped
|
Stopped
|
travel
|
travelled
|
Travelled
|
Plan
|
planned
|
Planed
|
prefer
|
preferred
|
Preferred
|
permit
|
permitted
|
permitted
|
occur
|
occurred
|
Occurred
|
Omit
|
omitted
|
Omitted
|
d) By changing the last “y” into “i” and adding “ed”
Verb
|
Past Tense
|
Past Participle
|
Cry
|
cried
|
Cried
|
Dry
|
dried
|
Dried
|
supply
|
supplied
|
Supplied
|
Apply
|
applied
|
Applied
|
Reply
|
replied
|
Replied
|
2. IRREGULAR VERS (Strong verbs)
Irregular verbs are verbs which change completely when forming their past tense and past participles. Irregular verbs change internally or do not use “ed” in the expected places. They do not have specific formula or principle in forming their past tense and past participle.
Therefore due to this reason the past tense of irregular verbs often leads to errors either because of pronunciation difficulty.
Example. “sang / sung” or because of confusion of the last “d” sound in the inflictive with the past “d” which is expected. Thus ‘added’ correct because “add” is a regular verb, but “builded” or she “build” are wrong because “build” is an irregular verb which already ends in “d” and makes its past form by using “built”. Another problem is with send and sent and the special cases where the past tense is the same as the infinitive like “put” and “cast”.
Verb
|
Past Tense
|
Past Participle
|
Arise
|
arose
|
Arisen
|
Be
|
was /were
|
Been
|
Begin
|
began
|
Begun
|
Beat
|
beat
|
Beaten
|
Bite
|
bit
|
Bitten
|
Bleed
|
bled
|
Bled
|
Break
|
broke
|
Broken
|
Breed
|
bred
|
Bred
|
Bring
|
brought
|
Brought
|
Burst
|
burst
|
Burst
|
Build
|
built
|
Built
|
Burn
|
burned
|
Burned
|
Catch
|
caught
|
Caught
|
Cast
|
cast
|
Cast
|
Choose
|
chose
|
Chosen
|
Come
|
came
|
Come
|
Cost
|
cost
|
Cost
|
Creep
|
crept
|
Crept
|
Cut
|
cut
|
Cut
|
Deal
|
dealt
|
Dealt
|
Dig
|
dug
|
Dug
|
Do
|
did
|
Done
|
Draw
|
drew
|
Drawn
|
Dream
|
Dreamed/t
|
Dreamed/t
|
Drink
|
drank
|
Drunk
|
Drive
|
drove
|
Driven
|
Eat
|
ate
|
Eaten
|
Fall
|
fell
|
Felt
|
Feed
|
fed
|
Fed
|
Feel
|
felt
|
Felt
|
Fight
|
fought
|
Fought
|
Find
|
found
|
Found
|
Flee
|
fled
|
Fled
|
Fly
|
flew
|
Flown
|
Forbid
|
forbade
|
forbidden
|
Forget
|
forgot
|
forgotten
|
Forgive
|
forgave
|
Forgiven
|
Freeze
|
froze
|
Frozen
|
Gate
|
got
|
Got
|
Go
|
went
|
Gone
|
Grow
|
grew
|
Grown
|
Hang
|
hung
|
Hanged
|
Hang
|
hanged
|
Hanged
|
Have
|
had
|
Had
|
Hear
|
heard
|
Heard
|
Hide
|
hid
|
Hidden
|
Hit
|
hit
|
Hit
|
Hold
|
held
|
Held
|
Hurt
|
hurt
|
Hurt
|
Keep
|
kept
|
Kept
|
Kneel
|
knelt
|
Knelt
|
Know
|
knew
|
Known
|
Lay
|
laid
|
Laid
|
Lead
|
led
|
Led
|
Learn
|
learned/t
|
learned/t
|
Leave
|
left
|
Left
|
Lend
|
lent
|
Lent
|
Lie
|
lay
|
Lay
|
Light
|
lit
|
Lit
|
Load
|
loaded
|
Loaded
|
Make
|
made
|
Made
|
Mean
|
meant
|
Meant
|
Meet
|
met
|
Met
|
Melt
|
melted
|
Melted
|
Mistake
|
mistook
|
mistaken
|
Pay
|
paid
|
Paid
|
Put
|
put
|
Put
|
Read
|
read
|
Read
|
Rid
|
rid
|
Rid
|
Ride
|
rode
|
Ridden
|
Ring
|
rang
|
Rung
|
Rise
|
rose
|
Risen
|
Run
|
ran
|
Run
|
Say
|
said
|
Said
|
See
|
saw
|
Seen
|
Sell
|
sold
|
Sold
|
Send
|
sent
|
Sent
|
Set
|
set
|
Set
|
Sew
|
sewed
|
Sewn
|
Shake
|
shook
|
Shaken
|
Shed
|
shed
|
Shed
|
Shine
|
shone
|
Shone
|
Show
|
showed
|
Shown
|
Shut
|
shut
|
Shut
|
Shrink
|
shrank
|
Shrunk
|
Sing
|
sang
|
Sung
|
Sink
|
sank
|
Sunk
|
Sit
|
sat
|
Sat
|
Sleep
|
slept
|
Slept
|
Smell
|
smelled
|
Smelled
|
Sow
|
sowed
|
Sown
|
Speak
|
spoke
|
Spoken
|
Speed
|
speeded
|
Speeded
|
Spell
|
spelled/spelt
|
spelled/spelt
|
Spend
|
spent
|
Spent
|
Spread
|
spread
|
Spread
|
Stand
|
stood
|
Stood
|
Steal
|
stole
|
Stole
|
Stick
|
stuck
|
Stuck
|
strike
|
struck
|
Struck
|
Swear
|
swore
|
Sworn
|
Sweep
|
swept
|
Swept
|
Swim
|
swam
|
swum
|
Take
|
took
|
Taken
|
Teach
|
taught
|
Taught
|
Tear
|
tore
|
Torn
|
Tell
|
told
|
Told
|
Think
|
thought
|
Thought
|
Throw
|
threw
|
Thrown
|
Wake
|
woke
|
woken
|
Wear
|
wore
|
Worn
|
Weep
|
wept
|
Wept
|
Win
|
won
|
Won
|
Write
|
wrote
|
Written
|
Some irregular verbs do not change in the past tense and past participle.
Examples.
Verb
|
Past Tense
|
Past Participle
|
Burst
|
burst
|
Burst
|
Put
|
put
|
Put
|
Cut
|
cut
|
Cut
|
Cost
|
cost
|
Cost
|
Hit
|
hit
|
hit
|
Hurt
|
hurt
|
Hurt
|
Let
|
let
|
Let
|
Read
|
read
|
Read
|
Set
|
set
|
Set
|
Shed
|
shed
|
Shed
|
EXERCISE 2 (Verbs)
Fill in the blanks with the correct verbs.
One day, Peter (i) w ______ hunting in the forest. There he (ii) s _____ a big lion. Peter (iii) r _____ very fast. He quickly (iv) cl ______ a tree. He then (v) lo _____down at the lion. It was looking at him angrily. He was very frightened. He (vi) c _____ higher up the tree, but suddenly he saw a big snake on a branch above him. Juma did not know what to do. He (vii) c _____ for help.After a short time he (viii) h ______ a car coming fast towards his direction.the car stopped a few meters from the lion, one of the two men in car got out and (ix) k ______ the lion with his gun. Peter quickly climbed down and (x) po ______ at the snake. The men with the gun (xi) ai ______ at it and shot it down. The boy (xii) th _____ the men and (xiii) r _____ home as fast as he could.
THE PRESENT TENSE (The now tense).
The present tense is used into several forms to express actions which occur at present time.
The forms include:
(i) The simple present tense
(ii) The present continuous tense
(iii) The present perfect tense
(iv) The present perfect continuous tense
THE SIMPLE PRESSNT TENSE
This tense is commonly used when referring to an action which happens every day, always, weekly, monthly, generally etc. it is used to express HABITUAL actions or events. Normally its verbs take “s/ es/ ies” when the third person singular (he/she/it) takes the position of the subject.
We use the Simple Present Tense for:-
(i) Facts, including scientific facts.
Example: -A magnet attracts metals.
-The earth rotates on its own axis.
(ii) Repeated actions, habits and customs.
Example: -James picks his nose a lot.
-My father gets up at five o’clock every morning.
-She seldom goes to school.
(iii) Abilities
Example: -My sister all dance every day well.
-Anna sings beautifully.
In order to make a sentence using simple present tense, the following must be observed.
a) Singular subject.
He
She + “s”, “es” or “ies” added to the verb.
It
John
Example:
1. Aminagoes to school every day (go).
2. It rains at our village every day (rain).
3. John smokes too much on called days (smoke).
4. She normally visits her uncle on Sunday (visit).
5. Our cat catches one hundred rats every day (catch).
6. The baby likes crying (like).
7. Always she beats other children (beat).
8. She eats too much when it is meat and rice (eat).
9. She never collects homework (collect).
10. This insect disturbs us oftenly (disturb).
11. He knows the answer (know).
Words used when making simple present tense.
1. Every day
2. Often
3. Always
4. Normally
5. Usually
6. Frequently
7. Weekly
8. Generally
9. Daily
10. Sometimes
11. Monthly
12. He/she/it/never
b) Plural subject.
When the subject is plural, the main verb remains as it is regardless of its nature. For example whether it ends with “o” or a consonant.
Examples:
(i) Pupils normally come to school by bus (come).
(ii) We go to church every day (go).
(iii) Teachers normally work very hard to help their students (work)
(iv) I speak Germany (speak).
NB: This tense can also be used when expressing universal truth.
What are universal truths?
These are actions known worldwide and have been scientifically proved to have truth and will exist the way they are.
Examples:
(a) Light travels on a straight line (travel)
(b) The sun sets in the west (set).
(c) Water boils at 100 
(boil).
(boil).
(d) Metals expand on heating (expand).
Main verb doesn’t change when you use the following subjects.
-They
-We
-You
-I
-John and Hamis
Examples:
1. I like mangoes. (like)
2. We normally speak French. (speak)
3. Children always come back from school late. (come)
4. You sometimes wake up very early. (wake)
5. They usually arrive home accompanied by their friends. (arrive)
GROUPWORK:
Complete the following gaps by using words in the brackets.
i. She to me once a week. (write)
ii. Bashir English very well. (speak)
iii. You always church service. (attend)
iv. I maths to science. (prefer)
v. They normally meat on Sunday. (eat)
vi. Her uncle blue shirts. (like)
vii. We Biology once a week. (learn)
viii. Neema, Halima and John playing along the road every evening. (like)
ix. They their grandmother every weekend. (visit)
x. John the answer. (know)
EXERCISE:
Choose the correct answer by writing its letter in the box provided.
1. I never ………… to school on foot.
A. go
B. goes
C. gone
2. Eva and Mushi normally ……….. in doing homeworks.
A. help
B. helps
C. helped
3. It ………… frequently at our village.
A. rain
B. rained
C. rains
4. She ……….. too much.
A. talking
B. talk
C. talks
5. We always ……… to church on Sunday.
A. have gone
B. go
C. going
6. My mother ………. rice as food every day.
A. cooks
B. cooking
C. cook
7. The sun ………… in the east.
A. raises
B. raised
C. raise
8. They normally ………… home late from school.
A. Arrive
B. arriving
C. have arrived
9. He …………. to eat today.
A. doesn’t want
B. do not want
C. they do not want
10. Where …………. she normally go every weekend?
A. does
B. do
C. done
Negative form
|
Formula
Example: I go to school every day.
I do not go to school every day.
He goes to school.
He does not do go school.
Interrogative form
We use do/does at the beginning of the sentence.
Example: I go to school every day.
Do I go to school every day?
He likes music
Does he like music?
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Present continuous tense is the tense which is used to express actions which are taking place now and they are still going on.
Words which are used as key words are:-
Ø now
Ø at the moment
Ø at present
Ø this time
Ø today
Rules governing this tense:-
I am + verb + ing.
We
You are + verb + ing.
They
He
She is + verb + ing.
It
Kamara
Example:
1. She is cooking now.
2. At the moment, Bashir is eating an apple.
3. I am going to school now.
4. My father is driving to his office at present.
5. It is raining today.
6. I am late now
7. At the moment, the Headmaster is writing a letter.
8. You are walking to school right now.
9. The people are celebrating outside.
10. They are playing on the ground at the moment.
|
Negative form
We use;
Example: I am not cleaning my bedroom.
She is not cooking now.
They are not singing at the moment.
Interrogative form
We use am, is, are, at the beginning of a sentence to make a question of present continuous tense.
Example: Am I cleaning my bedroom?
Is she cooking now?
Are they singing now?
GROUPWORK:
Rewrite the following sentences in present continuous tense.
1. Musoke buys milk from the milkman.
-Musokeis buying milk from the milkman.
2. The children fetch water.
-The children are fetching water.
3. He collects all our books.
-He is collecting all our books.
4. The farmer harvests his crops.
-The farmer is harvesting his crops.
5. My brother makes pots out of clay.
-My brother is making pots out of clay.
6. The market vendors don’t sell clothes.
-The market vendors are not selling clothes.
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
This is a tense which deals with events which have just taken place few minutes ago/past.
It shows an action in the past which is closely connected with the present.
Example: I have just eaten my breakfast.
Rules governing this tense:-
I
You have + past participle
We
They
 |
He
She has + past participle
It
|
Musa
We use
Key words used in Present perfect tense.
-already
-yet
-since
-for
-ever
-never
-just
-today
Examples: Tom has never been to school.
I have already finished my work.
He has come back today.
We have already finished our task.
|
Negative form;
We use
Example: - I have eaten.
- I have not eaten.
|
Interrogative form;
We use
EXERCISE
Change the following sentences into present perfect tense.
1. Moses is preparation some mud for his house.
-Moses has prepared some mud for his house.
2. She is teaching English.
-She has taught English.
3. The pastor preaches to his congregation.
-The pastor has preached to his congregation.
4. The pupils are having lunch.
-The pupils have had lunch.
5. He is sweeping the school compound.
-He has swept the school compound.
6. We are bathing.
-We have bathed.
7. We take the books to the teacher.
-We have taken the books to the teacher.
8. She cleans the blackboard.
-She has cleaned the blackboard.
9. The trader is selling salt.
-The trader has sold salt.
10. Otai rides a bicycle.
-Otai has ridden a bicycle.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
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It shows the length of time taken to complete a certain action.
Formula;
I
You
We have + been + verb + ing
They
Lisa &Kanoral
He
She has + been + verb + ing
It
John
Key words;
-for
-since
For: Is used to show a length or period of time taken.
Since: Shows a point or particular period of time from which an action started taking place.
Example: - Nine o’clock, Monday, last week, last term.
- We have been learning English since morning.
- She has been eating for half an hour.
|
Formula
Example: I have not been reading a book.
He has not been reading my book.
Interrogative form:-
We start with has/ have at the beginning of a sentence.
Examples: Have I been reading a book?
Has he been reading my book?
Have they been working since Monday?
Examples:
(i) Mhoro has been helping me till now.
(ii) They have been staying with us since 2006.
(iii) He has been working in the bank for 3 years.
(iv) They have been speaking to their parents.
(v) Clara has been wearing a nice dress.
EXERCISE:
Using the words in brackets complete each of the sentences in present perfect continuous tense.
1. They have been dancing since morning. (dance)
2. She has been being a soldier since she left the university. (be)
3. I have been waiting for my brother for three hours. (wait)
4. AIDs has been killing people since 1980’s. (kill)
5. She has been suffering from malaria since Monday. (suffer)
6. We have been being in the United States for ten years. (be)
7. They have been shopping for the last one hour. (shop)
PAST TENSE
This refers to the past events which are not related to the present. The time when these actions took place or occurred is specifically mentioned.
The past tense is divided into four forms namely:-
(i) The simple past tense.
(ii) The past continuous tense.
(iii) The past perfect tense.
(iv) The past perfect continuous tense.
THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE.
The simple past tense is used to show an action which has been completed in the past. This tense is formed by using the second part of the verb. The simple past tense is formed by adding “d”, “ed” or “ied” to the root of the verb for the regular verbs.
Since it is difficult to distinguish the verbs that form the simple past tense by adding “d”, “ed” or “ied” from which do not obey this rule, it is advised that any English learner should take each verb individually and learn how its simple past tense is formed.
Key words/ words associated with this tense.
-ago
-yesterday
-the day before
-last week, month, year, century, June, Easter, Christmas, day, night, Friday, evening, Monday, etc.
Examples:
1. I saw an elephant at Mikumi National park yesterday.
2. The dog barked at the young boy yesterday.
3. My balloon burst yesterday.
4. Her daughter improved in her studies last year.
5. He wrote many letters yesterday.
6. I visited my friend during Eidd –el Fitr last year.
7. She came here a week before you.
8. You walked to school yesterday.
NB: 1. All persons use the same form of the verb.
Example: I
You
He
She walked to school last Friday
It
We
They
2. This tense is formed by using the second part of the verb.
3. No any auxiliary or helping verb is used before the main verb in a sentence.
|
Negative form.
Formula.
Example: -He did not see a car yesterday.
-I did not buy a car yesterday.
Interrogative form (question).
We use did at the beginning of the sentence.
Example: -Did he see a car yesterday?
-Did I buy a car yesterday?
NB: Don’t change the main verb into past when the word did has been used in a sentence.
EXERCISE:
Change the verbs from the brackets into the simple past tense.
1. He ………….. (do) not speak very slowly. Few ………….. (understand) him.
2. She ……..… (drive) this car carefully. We ………… (arrive) safely.
3. My mother ………. (prepare) good juice. We …………. (like) it.
4. Why ……… (do) not wake up in time? This ……….. (give) more time for your work.
5. The dog …………. (bark) yesterday night. The dog ………….. (meet) Juma at the door.
Change the following sentences into past tense.
1. We have eaten food.
= we ate food.
2. I like milk.
= I liked milk.
3. We have finished our work.
= we finished our work.
4. John is going to school.
= John went to school
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
This tense is used to show that an action was in progress or incomplete in the past. This tense is used in the following:-
(i) To show that two events were taking place/happening at the same time in the past.
Example: - We were cleaning the school compound while the teacher was supervising.
- They were sleeping when the teacher was teaching.
- Bakari was playing while I was reading.
- While I was going to school, Juma was playing at home.
(ii) To show that an activity was going on when another event happened (one event carried out first and the other followed later).
Example: - As I was going to school, it started raining.
- He was talking to his sister when his uncle came.
- While we were talking, our teacher entered the class.
- When Juma entered the room, Asha was reading a book.
- As she was going to school, Annett met her uncle.
- Juma was still writing letter when Eva left.
(iii) To show that an activity was continuous over a certain period of time in the past.
Example: - My sister was arranging books all day.
- We were reading through our notes all night.
Key words.
-while
-when
-as
-still
Formula
I
He was + verb + ing
She
It
We
You were + verb + ing
They
Example: I was reading my notes.
You were reading my notes.
EXERCISE:
Change the verbs in brackets into past continuous tense.
1. I fell down while I to school. (run)
2. As we the visitors left. (dance)
3. When I met her, she a basket. (carry)
4. The teacher came into the class when we . (shout)
Note: The past continuous tense is very often used to show that an action was on (or continuing) at a time when something else happened. The thing that suddenly happened is expressed by using the simple past tense.
Example:
Past Continuous Tense (action going on)
|
Simple Past (for new action)
| |
01.
|
As I was coming to school this morning .……..
|
I saw a car run into a bus.
|
02.
|
The teacher was giving us a lesson,
|
when a little dog walked into the room.
|
03.
|
While we were having supper,
|
all the lights went out.
|
04.
|
The fire was still burning
|
when I passed the house the next day.
|
05.
|
While the man was looking in the shop window,
|
the thief picked his pocket.
|
06.
|
When I was walking to school,
|
it started raining.
|
07.
|
When I was walking to school this evening,
|
I saw a snake.
|
Sometimes the sentences may be the other way around, i.e we may mention the new action first before mentioning the action that was going on.
Simple Past
|
Past continuous
| |
01.
|
All the lights went out,
|
while we were having supper.
|
02.
|
When I passed the house today,
|
the fire was still burning.
|
03.
|
Harry did his homework
|
while the other boys were playing football.
|
04.
|
When a little dog walked into the room,
|
the teacher was giving us a lesson.
|
Affirmative sentences.
(i) Singular form
a) I was writing a letter when it started raining yesterday morning.
b) You were writing a letter when we arrived.
c) She was cooking the evening meal when I went to her house.
d) He was cleaning the blackboard when the teacher came in.
e) It was barking when we arrived.
(ii) Plural form
a) We were writing letters when it started raining yesterday morning.
b) You were writing letters when we arrived.
c) They were cooking the evening meal when we went to their house.
d) They were cleaning the blackboard when the teacher came in.
e) They were barking when we arrived.
Negative form
|
Insert “NOT” immediately after was / were of your affirmative sentence and add “ing” form to their verb of the first action.
Thus:
Example:
Singular form.
a) I was not writing a letter when it started raining yesterday.
b) You were not writing a letter when we arrived.
c) She was not cooking the evening meal when I went to her house.
d) She was not cleaning the blackboard when the teacher came in.
e) It was not barking when we arrived.
Plural form
a) We were not writing letters when it started raining yesterday morning.
b) You were not writing letters when we arrived.
c) They were not cooking the evening meal when we went to their house.
d) They were not cleaning the blackboard when the teacher came in.
e) They were not barking when we arrived.
Interrogative / Questions form
Questions start with the modal auxiliary was/were and end up with a question mark.
Examples:
Singular form
a) Was I writing a letter when it started raining yesterday morning?
b) Were you writing a letter when we arrived?
c) Was she cooking the evening meal when I went to her house?
d) Was he cleaning the blackboard when the teacher came in?
e) Was it barking when we arrived?
Plural form
a) Were we writing letters when it started raining yesterday morning?
b) Were you writing letters when we arrived?
c) Were they cooking the evening meal when we went to their house?
d) Were they cleaning the blackboard when the teachers came in?
e) Were they barking when we arrived?
PAST PERFECT TENSE
This tense is used to show that one event took place before another, but in the past. It is also used to indicate that an event took place before a certain fixed time.
Points to remember:
(i) The only helping verb used in this tense is “had”.
(ii)
|
The main verb is written or said in the past participle.
Formula
Example:- He had left for India when my father died.
- The students shouted after the teacher had left the class.
- I had written three letters when she arrived.
- You had taken the breakfast when I came to your house.
- She had broken the glass when you came.
- He had bought a car when you met him last year.
- The bus had left for Dodoma when we arrived.
- We had written three letters when they arrived.
- You had taken breakfast when we came to your house.
- They had bought car when you met them last year.
- They had bought two cars when you met them last year.
- They had broken the glasses when you came.
- The buses had left for Dodoma when we arrived.
PAST PERFECT TENSE
Normally, this tense shows actions which took place. One action must have been completed before the other action was completed.
Formula:
(i) Singular
I
You
He had + verb in past participle
She
It auxiliary
|
A cow
Or
(ii) Plural
We
You had + verb in past participle
They
Cows auxiliary
Uses;
It is used to show a past action that has been completed at a certain time. One action was completed first before the second.
Key words.
- before
- after
- already
- yet
Examples:
1. (a) It rained ……………………… (1)
(b) We second seeds …………….. (2) ………. (had)
It is clear that rain fell first before sowing took place. If we join together these sentences into one sentence, it would be.
(a) We sowed seeds when it had rained, or
(b) It (had) rained before we sowed seeds.
2. (a) She ate two bananas ………….…...(2)
(b)She bought seven bananas ……….. (1) …….. (had)
Sentence (b) took place before sentence (a).
Sentence (b) use the past participle tense.
We can re-write these sentences using these alternatives.
(i) After she had bought seven bananas, she ate two of them.
(ii) She ate two bananas after she had bought seven bananas.
(iii) Before she ate two bananas, she had bought seven bananas.
NB: Instead of using after, before can replace it.
First Action
|
Second Action
| |
After
|
After he had eaten an egg
After we had written a letter
|
He wanted more
We posted it
|
Second Action
|
First Action
| |
Before
|
Before he wanted more eggs,
Before we posted a letter
|
He had eaten an egg
We had written it
|
Past Perfect tense with
a) already
b) yet
Examples:
1. She had already learnt how to read and write when she started standard one.
2. She had not yet learnt how to read and write when she started standard one.
|
Negative form
Formula
Example:
Singular form
i) I had not (hadn’t) written any letters when she arrived.
ii) You had not taken the breakfast when I came to your house.
iii) She had not broken the glass when you came.
iv) She had not bought a car when you met him last year.
v) The bus had not left for Dodoma when we arrived.
Plural form
i) We had not written any letters when they arrived.
ii) You had not taken the breakfast when we came to your house.
iii) They had not broken any glasses when you came.
iv) They had not brought any cars when you met them last year.
v) The buses had not left for Dodoma when we arrived.
|
Interrogative form.
Formula
Singular form
i) Had I written any letters when she arrived?
ii) Had you taken the breakfast when I came to your house?
iii) Had he bought a car when you came?
iv) Had he bought a car when you met him last year?
v) Had the bus left for Dodoma when we arrived?
Plural form
i) Had we written any letters when they arrived?
ii) Had you taken the breakfast when we came to your house?
iii) Had they broken the glasses when you came?
iv) Had they bought any cars when you met them last year?
v) Had the buses left for Dodoma when we arrived?
EXERCISE
1. Change these sentences into the past perfect tense.
a) A donkey carries a lot of maize.
b) You shot a lion and a zebra.
c) I shall brush my shoes.
d) They rarely open the gate for the poor.
e) A dog barks.
2. Re-write these sentences in the past perfect tense using the verbs from the brackets.
a) A hen (lay) an egg daily.
b) They (give) people a lot of help.
c) The story (begin) already.
d) You (not see) in your life a Punjabis.
3. Join these sentences by using after or before.
a) Neema cook food. We ate it.
b) The family sold a cow. They paid school fees.
c) We took medicine. We felt better.
d) He warned Adam. He misbehaved
e) They scored many goals. They played well.
PAST PERFECT TENSE
This is a tense that indicates an completion of the action in the past before another action started.
Example:
a) He had washed his clothes before my arrival.
b) They had gone home before the bell rang.
c) When the President arrived, ht rebels had already kidnapped two girls.
d) She had come.
|
Formula for making sentences.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE / PAST PROGRESSIVE TENSE
This tense is used to show that an action had been in progress up to another action began.
It is used to express a linkage between two actions, one denoting a previous action which had been taking place in this tense. The later action uses the simple past tense.
NB: -The first auxiliary verb is “had” in all persons.
- The second auxiliary verb is “been” in all persons
-The verb has – ing form showing a continuous action.
Key words used with tense are:-
-when
-before
-because
|
Formula for making sentences.
Examples: Singular
1. He had been dancing for seven minutes.
2. The workman had been making a lot of noise.
3. I had been drinking juice.
4. You had been drinking juice.
5. He had been drinking juice.
6. She had been drinking juice.
7. It had been drinking juice.
Plural
1. We had been drinking juice.
2. You had been drinking juice.
3. They had been drinking juice.
FIRST (PREVIOUS ACTION)
|
SECONDARY (LATER ACTION)
| |
a.
|
He had been crying three days
|
When he came here.
|
b.
|
We had been studying since Monday
|
Before the examination started.
|
c.
|
They had been training
|
Before they were tired in the evening.
|
d.
|
They had been training
|
When the coach praised them afterwards.
|
e.
|
Teachers had been correcting
|
Because students did their test school at 2:30 am.
|
REFERENCES 1
Sesnan, B. (2003). How to Teach English: Oxford University Press (Pg. 68-74)
Forrest, R. (2005). Revision English.New Edition.Longman (pg. 1).
Ogundipe, P.A., et al. (2006). Brighter Grammar Book 2 (New Ed. Pg. 34-38). Longman.
Murthy, J.D. (2015). Contemporary English Grammar. Book Palace: New Delhi-India (pg.101).
Kinunda, J.E. (2010). English Language For Secondary Schools Book Three; NyambariNyangwine Publishers. Dar Es Salaam-Tanzania.
REFERENCES 2.
Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary, (2013). Fourth Edition (pg. 1855-1857).
Fitikides, T.J. (2006). Common Mistakes in English; Longman (pg. 198-201).
Forrest, R. (2005). Revision English.New Edition. Longman (pg. 169-173).
Murthy, J.D. (2015). Contemporary English Grammar. Book Palace: New Delhi-India (pg.99-108).
Mwanga, A.K. (2004). Tenses and Their Uses.Ruvu Publishers Co. Ltd. DSM (pg. 129-133)
Nchimbi, B.R. (1991). The Structures of the English Tense Book Two. O & ES. Dodoma (pg. 83-86).