The Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is use for an action, which at some designate future time, will be a past action, the time markers generally used are : By, When, Till, Until, Before. S + shall/will + have + V3 + O (+)Shall/will + S + have + V3 + O (?)S + shall/will not + have + V3 + O (-) Note : for the future prefect tense “shall” and “will” are used. There are two forms : Which just states future time  Which states future time and expresses a promise, a command or determination. Example...

Read More

The Future Perfect Continuous Tense

The future prefect continuous tense emphasizes the duration of an activity that will be in progress before another time or event in the future S + shall/will + have + been + V1 + ing + O (+)Shall/will + S +have + been + V1 + ing + O (?)S + shall/will not + have + been + V1 + ing  + O (-) Reading Never too old to learn I have just received a letter from my old school informing me that my former head master,  Mr. Reginald Page, will be retiring next week. Pupils of the school, old and...

Read More

The Future Tense

The future tense is also expressed with to + going + to + verb. This time markers for this type of future tense are similar to those used in the future tense with “will”. This describes the action activities and condition in future. Time markers are used: Next,….tomorrow, soon, in the future. S + shall/will + V1 + O (+) shall/will + S +V1 + O (?)S + shall/will not + V1 + O (-) Listening It’ll work perfectly Neil : there! It’s readyLinda : it’s a clock work alarm-clock and tea-markerNeil : it’ll...

Read More

The Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is used in combination with an event in the past. Both the past continuous and the past tense are seldom used alone in sentences. They are generally tied to an event in the past which is stated or simply implied. The following are examples of the three uses of the past continuous tense. S + was/were + VI + ing + O (+)Was/were  + S + VI + ing + O (?)S + was/were not + VI + ing +  (-) Listening Mr. Johnson       : pass me the sugar...

Read More

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past prefect continuous tense emphasizes the duration of an activity that was in progress before another activity or time in the past S + had + been + V1 + ing + O (+) had + S + been + V! + ing + O (?) S + hand not + been + V1 + ing + O (-) Example The police had been looking for the criminal for two years before they caught him (+)Had the patient been waiting in the emergency room for almost an hour before a doctor finally treated her (?)Mrs. Handoko hadn’t been buying the new furniture for...

Read More

The Past Perfect Tense

The past prefect tense is used to show an action which has completed before a certain event in the past. In a sentence, the past prefect tense is generally combined with the past time, since both refer to two events in the past, this is often related with before and after. S + had + PP + O (+)Had + S + PP + O (?)S + Had not + PP + O (-) Example The nurse had taken the patient’s temperature before she went home (+)Had he smoked three cigarettes before she returned (?)We hadn’t drunk small cups...

Read More

The Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense describes present time, it is used for actions which are happening in the present, and for a period of time which includes the present, and for a period of time which includes the present. Sometime markers generally used for present time are ; now, to day, at this moment. Some words in combination with “this” such as this week, these days etc. S + is/am/are + V1 + ing + O (+)Is/am/are + S + V1 + ing + O (?)S + is/am/are not + V1 + ing + O (-) Example The baby is having...

Read More