Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Now compare your answers with those of your partner and discuss the
following questions and write your observations in the given space.
a. Is the time referred to in the sentences always the same as the tense of
the verb? What conclusion can you draw from your observation? Write
your observation below.
...............................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
b. How have you found the tense of the verbs in the sentences above? Are
there any indicators or markers that reveal the tense of the verb? Write
your observation below.
...............................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
c. Did you find any verb form that could be called 'future form'? (You will
learn more about the different ways of talking about future later in this
unit.)
...............................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
d. Why do you think verb forms are often labelled as 'simple' or 'indefinite', 'progressive' or 'continuous', 'perfect' and 'perfect continuous'?
...............................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
Advertisements
Solution
(a) The time referred to in the sentences is not always the same as the tense of the verb. It is because some verbs or tenses act differently. For instance, simple present tense also acts to show future time.
(b) I found the tense of the verbs from its usage. The various verb forms are the indicators and markers that reveal the tense of the verb.
(c) Yes, in sentence 1 ‘are planning’ is of present continuous, but it refers to future time.
(d) Verb forms are often labelled as ‘simple’ or ‘indefinite’, ‘progressive’, or ‘continuous’, ‘perfect’ and ‘perfect continuous’ because of the action or time referred to by them.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Present Perfect vs. Simple Past
a. Explain the difference in the meaning of the following pairs of
sentences. You may like to use the given hints.
1. a. I have been a teacher for five years.
b. I was a teacher for five years.
(Hint: Is the speaker still a teacher?)
2. a. I always got good marks in English.
b. I have always got good marks in English.
(Hint: Is the speaker still studying?)
3. a. Geeta has never met her cousin.
b. Geeta never met her cousin.
(Hint: Is Geeta's cousin alive?)
4. a. I have never been to Timbuktu.
b. I never went to Timbuktu.
(Is the speaker talking about a particular journey or his travels so far?)
5. a. Jose has completed seven assignments today.
b. Jose completed seven assignments today.
(Hint: Is the day over? Has Jose more assignments to write?)
Look at the incomplete sentences below. Using the information provided, complete each sentence using a suitable tense. Follow the examples:
1947 until now India I has been (be) independent since 1947.
1947 India became (become) independent in 1947.
1. 1947 until now l There --------- (be) manywars.
2. 1991 There ------- (be) a war in the Persian Gulf.
3. 1953 -------- Edmund Hilary and Tensing first (climb) Everest.
4. 1953 until now Many people ________ (climb)Everest.
5. 1983 India --------- (win) the Prudential Cricket World Cup in England.
6. 1983 until now India -------- (win) many limited-overs cricket trophies.
Simple Past Tense-Past Perfect Tense
Underline the main verbs in the sentences below. Then, rewrite the sentences in the correct order of events.
1) The people began to starve.
2) In 1925, a disease destroyed the crops in one village.
3) Later, the village people came to retrieve their children
4) The chief decided to send the children of the village to live in a settlement in the next valley.
5) However, they had married outside the village.
6) This caused a war between the two villages.
__________________
__________________
Now work with your partner and tick (✓) the sentence in which a different tense has been used. In pairs, discuss why this has been done.
Sentence No: 5 uses a different tense because ..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
What has been the situation of your village/town/city five to ten years ago and how has it changed since then? Write a short paragraph describing the changes in its size, population, traftlc, buildings, lifestyle etc. Which verb forms would you mainly use to describe the changes? (Hint: Simple Past and Present Perfect forms.)
Find the incorrect sentences and then rewrite them correctly. Put a tick mark (✓)against the sentences that you think are correct.
1) By 2005, the singer recorded ten albums.
2) When I got to the bank, it had closed.
3) Timothy, the tiger, had killed five calves yesterday.
4) When Rehman met Mini ten years later, she grew up into a young girl.
5) By the time we reached the airport, the flight had left.
6) We hardly went a kilometre or so when the car broke down.
Working with the same partner, use the information given below and
discuss the reasons for choosing a particular verb form in F .1. Then match
the information in the bubbles below with the sentences, and put the
sentence number in the space provided, as shown in the example.
| 1. e.g. Something is expected to happen before a particular time in the future. (Sentence No 2) |
2.Statement of a universal truth or fact. ( ) |
|
3.Something is expected to ( ) |
4.Simple statement of future ( ) |
|
5.Sure to happen at a particular time in the future, as arrangements for it ( ) |
6.Statement of a planned event expected. ( } |
Read this sentence.
M. Hamel had said that he would question us on participles.
In the sentence above, the verb form “had said” in the first part is used to indicate an “earlier past.” The whole story is narrated in the past. M. Hamel’s “saying” happened earlier than the events in this story. This form of the verb is called the past perfect.
Pick out five sentences from the story with this form of verb and say why this form has been used.
Name the Tense of the Verb underlined to include Time (Past/Present/Future) and Aspect (Simple/Continuous/Perfect/Perfect Continuous).
I slept on the floor.
Name the Tense of the Verb underlined to include Time (Past/Present/Future) and Aspect (Simple/Continuous/Perfect/Perfect Continuous).
I shall be telling you three stories.
Change the Tense as instructed.
I got fired. (Future Perfect)
Change the Tense as instructed.
I started the company. (Present Continuous)
Spot the error and correct the following sentence.
My grandparents laid down for an afternoon nap.
Rewrite the sentence as per the instruction given along with it.
The mother langur looked straight into my eyes.
(Rewrite the sentence in the Simple Present Tense)
Read the following sentence carefully, underline the verb and find out the tense in the sentence.
She is standing on a little high hump on the plateau.
Read the following sentence carefully, underline the verb and find out the tense in the sentence.
He leaned out eagerly.
Read the following sentence carefully, underline the verb and find out the tense in the sentence.
He just felt dizzy.
Rewrite the sentence in simple future tense.
He has been playing since afternoon.
