ENGLISH VERB TENSES

MEANING * FORM * AUXILIARIES * LEXICAL ASPECT

PRACTICE: Labor Day * Martin Luther King, Jr. Day * Miss America * FIFA/Fathers' Day * Chicago

ENGLISH VERB TENSES -- TIME and ASPECT = MEANING

There are three times that can be indicated by verb tenses in English:

These times refer to the relationship of the "story" to the speaker (or writer).

There are three "aspects" that can be expressed:

These aspects refer to the relationship between the events inside the "story."

MEANING

These three times and three aspects (four, including perfect progressive) can be combined to express 9 (or 12) "verb tenses:"

The verb tense is also affected by the meaning of individual verbs (lexical aspect), by time expressions, and psychological factors, but the basic idea is as described above.

ENGLISH VERB TENSES -- FORMS of the VERB

There are theoretically 6 forms of the verb in English:

V("no-s" form) We like pizza
I eat pizza
I am/ they are hungry.		 (simple present)
Vs("s"-form) He likes pizza.
She eats pizza.
He is hungry.
Ved("past" form) They liked pizza.
She ate pizza.
He was/they were hungry. 		(simple past)
V
(simple or "dictionary" form)
like
eat
be
 (require auxiliaries
to form finite verb phrases)
Ving
 ( "-ing form" or present participle)
liking
eating
being
Vdtn
( past participle)
liked
eaten
been

For most verbs the "no-s" form and the simple form are identical in form. All verbs form the "s-form" and the "ing-form" predictably from this simple form. For "regular" verbs, the past and past participle forms are the same, and are formed by adding "ed" to the simple form. So, if you learn the spelling rules for adding "s" "ed" and "ing" to the simple form of verbs, and memorize three forms of "irregular" verbs:

the simple form * * the past form * * the past participle

you will be able to form all of the verb forms. (test yourself here).

(For a few verbs, the "no-s", "simple", past, and past participle are all the same! The verb be has two different "no-s" forms, a different simple form, and two different past forms.)


FORMS OF THE VERB and AUXILIARIES

Simple negatives and questions and all passive, progressive, and perfect verb phrases are formed by combining one of the following three auxiliary verbs or a modal auxiliary verb with either a simple verb form, a present participle, or a past participle. The auxiliary shows the time (and number) and the combination of the auxiliary and the verb form show the aspect:

BE (main verb) + adj
+noun
+ prep.phrase (or place)		 DO (main verb) + noun HAVE (main verb) + noun
(auxiliary) + Ving (pres.particip.) = progressive (auxiliary) + V = simple tenses (auxiliary) + Vdtn
(past part.)		 = perfect
+ Vdtn
(past particip.)		 =passive

Therefore, each verb (including be, do and have when they are main verbs)
can form the following verb tenses:
I/He/They _______ pizza.


(F=E)

SIMPLE
 F
|
E--> |
PERFECT
F
|
E <---->E
PROGRESSIVE
PRESENT**
eat
eats
have eaten***
has eaten**
am eating
is eating
are eating
have been eating
has been eating
PAST**
ate***
had eaten***
was eating
were eating
had been eating
FUTURE**
will eat
will have eaten***
will be eating
will have been eating

BE as a main verb
 (I/He/They _______ hungry.

(F=E)

SIMPLE
 F
|
E--> |
PERFECT
F
|
E <---->E
PROGRESSIVE*
PRESENT**
am
is
are
have been
has been
am being
is being
are being
have been being
has been being
PAST**
was
were
had been
was being
were being
had been being
FUTURE**
will be
will have been
will be being
will have been being

* (rare for be as an active main verb)
** in relation to the speaker/writer
*** some verbs have REGULAR past and past participle forms (+ed) and others have IRREGULAR past and past participle forms, which must be memorized.
F = focus
E = event or situation described

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Ann Salzmann
Intensive English Institute
University of Illinois