Tenses: An Intrinsic Part of English Language

Introduction:

No one can deny this fact that the English language has become a predominant and commanding language around the globe. Effective communication skills of English language are important for the general population. One ought to consistently remember that English is a sequential language where the speakers need to know when some move or action took place. Sequence, or occasions and dates are arranged in order of their occurrence, are communicated by English speakers through verb tenses. Therefore, idea of English verb tenses is imperative in setting up compelling correspondence.

What is a Tense?

The term, tense, has been derived from the Latin word “tempus” meaning time.  Tenses can be classified as the part which enables one to frame short/long sentences, write stories, essays etc. English tenses are devices that are there to assist speakers with expressing time in the language. They are of incredible use and significance in the two different ways of communication, verbal and written. They can be utilized to express a variety of meanings from similar verbs and help the audience comprehend the significance and meaning behind your story. In this manner, English has a great deal of verb tenses with some communicating an association between two time periods while others show the specific time of an action taking place or even the progress of an action. Further, the profundity of the English tenses ought not to be undermined. We can, in fact, express altogether different things by just changing the tense of the verb; or using tenses as rhetorical devices.

Types:

The common Tenses in English are

	positive	negative	question
present simple	subject + verb (+ s ) I eat. She eats toast.	subject + do / does + not + verb I don’t eat toast. She doesn’t eat fish.	(question word +) do / does + subject + verb? Do you eat breakfast every day? When does she eat lunch?
present simple with ‘be’	subject + am / is / are I am hungry. She is in a cafe.	subject + am / is / are + not I’m not hungry. She isn’t happy.	(question word +) am / is / are + subject…? Is he at home? Why are you hungry?
present continuous	subject + am / is / are + verb-ing She’s eating toast. They are eating lunch now.	subject + am / is / are + not + verb- ing He isn’t eating. We are not eating at home.	(question word +) am / is / are + subject + verb-ing? When are they eating? Is he eating now?
present perfect	subject + have / has + past participle I’ve eaten breakfast. He has eaten lunch.	subject + have / has + not + past participle We haven’t eaten yet. She hasn’t eaten the chocolate.	(question word +) have / has + subject + past participle? What have you eaten today? Has she eaten lunch?
present perfect continuous	subject + have / has + been + verb- ing I’ve been eating. She’s been eating biscuits all day.	subject + have / has + not + been + verb-ing They haven’t been eating. He has not been eating toast.	(question word +) have / has + subject + been + verb-ing? What has she been eating? Have they been eating breakfast?
past simple	subject + past simple (verb +ed) I ate an apple. She ate some rice.	subject + did + not + verb She didn’t eat anything. They did not eat breakfast.	(question word +) did + subject + verb? Did you eat the chocolate? What did they eat for lunch?
past simple with ‘be’	subject + was / were I was hungry. They were in a restaurant.	subject + was / were + not We weren’t hungry. She wasn’t at home.	(question word +) was / were + subject…? Why was she hungry? Were you hungry?
past continuous	subject + was / were + verb-ing I was eating. They were eating lunch.	subject + was / were + not + verb- ing You weren’t eating. She wasn’t eating a sandwich.	(question word +) was / were + subject + verb-ing? Where were you eating? Was she eating an apple?
past perfect	subject + had + past participle I had eaten. She’d eaten lunch.	subject + had + not + past participle We hadn’t eaten. He had not eaten an apple.	(question word +) had + subject + past participle Why had you eaten? Had they eaten fish before?
past perfect continuous	subject + had + been + verb-ing I had been eating chocolate all day. She’d been eating breakfast.	subject + had + not + been + verb- ing I hadn’t been eating. She hadn’t been eating an apple.	(question word +) had + subject + been + verb-ing? Why had he been eating? Had they been eating enough fruit?
future simple	subject + will + verb I will eat later. She will eat at home.	subject + will + not + verb We won’t eat anything tonight. He will not eat fish.	(question word +) will + subject + verb? What will you eat for lunch? Will she eat meat?
future continuous	subject + will + be + verb-ing I will be eating at 8pm. She will be eating a sandwich.	subject + will + not + be + verb-ing They won’t be eating. He will not be eating anything.	(question word +) will + subject + be + verb-ing? What will you be eating? Will they be eating at 6pm?
future perfect	subject + will + have + past participle I will have eaten lunch by 3 o’clock. She’ll have eaten all the chocolate.	subject + will + not + have + past participle He won’t have eaten lunch yet. They will not have eaten their sandwiches.	(question word +) will + subject + have + past participle? When will you have eaten? Will she have eaten dinner by nine?
future perfect continuous	subject + will + have + been + verb-ing They will have been eating fruit. We’ll have been eating all day.	subject + will + not + have + been + verb-ing I won’t have been eating fish. They will not have been eating lunch.	(question word +) will + subject + have + been + verb-ing? What will she have been eating? Will you have been eating chocolate?

Verb Tense Consistency:

Verb tense consistency alludes to keeping a similar tense all through a clause. We would prefer not to have one time period being described in two different tenses. Changes in verb tense help readers understand the transient relationships among different described events. Be that as it may, pointless or conflicting movements in tense can create confusion. If you have two or more time periods, start a new clause or a new sentence.

INCORRECT: 

 

CORRECT: 

                         

Since there is no indication that the actions happened apart from one another, there is no reason or need to shift the tense of the second verb.

By and large, writers maintain one tense for the main discourse and demonstrate changes in time frame by changing tense relative to that primary tense, which is typically either simple past or simple present. Even apparently non-narrative writing should employ verb tenses consistently and clearly.

Keep the following points in mind to maintain tense consistency

• Rely on past tense to narrate events and to allude to an author or an author's ideas as historical entities (biographical information about a historical figure or narration of developments in an author's ideas over time).
• Use present tense to state facts, to allude to perpetual or routine actions, and to discuss your own ideas or those expressed by an author in a specific work. Likewise, use present tense to talk about action in a literary work, movie, or other fictional narratives. Occasionally, for dramatic effect, you may wish to portray an event in present tense as though it were happening now. If you do so, use present tense consistently throughout the narrative, making shifts only where appropriate and required.
• Future action may be expressed in a variety of ways, including the use of will, shall, is going to, are about to, tomorrow and other adverbs of time, and a wide range of contextual cues.

Conclusion:

It must be borne at the top of the priority list that in a given circumstance or as per the time, one should utilize a proper tense in order to keep up compelling correspondence. Right now, is important to decide different viewpoints regarding English verbs, for example, the condition, proceeding with activity or activity finished. In doing as such, you have to realize how to conjugate action words appropriately by concentrating on the structures of tenses and modular tenses, with the goal that you can make clear and powerful sentences.

References:

“IMPORTANCE OF TENSES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE.” BijouLanguageTrainingCenter, bijoubltc.blogspot.com/2017/12/importance-of-tenses-in-english.html.

Https://Www.perfect-English-Grammar.com/Support-Files/all_tenses_form_cheatsheet.Pdf.

Purdue Writing Lab. “Verb Tense Consistency // Purdue Writing Lab.” Purdue Writing Lab, owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/verb_tenses/verb_tense_consistency.html.

“ Verb Tense Consistency.” HOME, webapps.towson.edu/ows/tenseconsistency.htm.

 

 

 

 

Fear of Errors-Common ones that can be avoided

Introduction:

How often do you make a mistake while you are communicating in English? Possibly you must have had some really embarrassing moments. Many of us are focused on romanticizing our language learning, and get disillusioned when we make botches and go through hours endeavoring to address those slip-ups. Shame and mortification disturbs us from time to time.

Regardless, while we may undertake to get ready for embarrassing instances, we can never totally prevent them. With a small amount of capacity, those blundering moments can change into opportunities for new learning, humor and maybe connection. 

It very well might be a relief for non-local English speakers to understand that even native speakers too make mistakes, so they don't have to feel embarrassed of their errors continually.

For example, on English-language TV programs, characters much of the time use expressions like, "Those are those kids' toys, right?" Actually, the sentence should be, "Those toys are of those kids, right?" 

Script writers for TV programs might be making efforts to use the right English language as being spoken in "the real world," but they end up making more mistakes than they could ever think of.

We should remember that various English language students watch a variety of TV shows/programs to get comfortable with the language and to understand the subtleties of syntax and structure. They utilize these shows/programs as a medium to further develop their understanding of sentence structure. Misinterpretations and bewilderment result from mix-ups that prevent clear correspondence and communication. Both written and spoken English can have such issues extensively.

What follows is a series of common English errors that English language students will in general make, and how they can avoid making them.

Ways to avoid Common Errors

Understand the difference between the given to avoid making errors

• I vs Me- Both are first person personal pronouns but I is a subjective pronoun and Me is an objective pronoun.                                                                                                                              Example-                                                                                                                                            Incorrect- You and me are friends. (informal; can be used for speaking but is wrong in written form)                                                                                                                                                        Correct- You and I are friends. (formal)                                                                                          Incorrect- He is taller than I.                                                                                                         Correct- He is taller than me/ He is taller than I am.
• Your vs You're-  Your is a possessive pronoun used to show the possession whereas You're is a contracted form of 'you are', used while speaking or writing informally.                            Example-                                                                                                                                      Your dress is beautiful.                                                                                                              You're beautiful.                                                                                                                           Note the difference-First sentence refers to the dress of the person and second refers to the person itself.
• There vs Their vs They're- There can be used as a noun, a pronoun, an adjective, an adverb or an interjection. Their is used as a possessive pronoun. They're is the contracted form of 'they are'. Example-                                                                                                                                          You can buy the book from there.                                                                                                      Their brother is not here.                                                                                                              They're trying to steal the goat.
• It's vs Its-  It's is a contracted form of 'it is' where as Its is a possessive pronoun.             Example-                                                                                                                                        It's difficult to handle old people.                                                                                                    Its cover got tattered.
• Using Apostrophes- Apostrophe is used in contractions, like Isn't and possessive nouns like Ram's. Many people tend to use apostrophe in plural nouns which is wrong. Plural nouns take an apostrophe if they are showing possession like people's or boys'.
• Then vs Than- Then is generally used as a noun, an adjective or an adverb. It is used to show direction or refer to time. Than is used as a conjunction for comparisons.                         Example-                                                                                                                                     Then he left.                                                                                                                                   He works harder than his brother.
• Affect vs Effect- Most of us tend to get confused with them but the one with 'A' means influence and the one with 'E' means result.                                                                                        Example-                                                                                                                                        The drought affected many.                                                                                                           The effect of drought was exodus to cities. 
• Good vs Well-  Good modifies a noun or a pronoun whereas well modifies a verb.          Example-                                                                                                                                    Rachel is good.                                                                                                                              Rachel is feeling well.
• To vs Too- To is a preposition used to state a direction. Too is an adverb meaning in addition or to refer to the degree of something.                                                                                          Example-                                                                                                                                         He went to market.                                                                                                                       The coffee is too hot to drink.

Subject Agreement- The habit of re-reading can save you many errors. The subject of the sentence should always agree with the verb and pronoun (if any) of the sentence.

Example-                                                                                                                                             Randy and Brandy are friends. (Randy and Brandy is the subject of this sentence so plural verb is required)                                                                                                                                         Everyone needs his or her own book. (Everyone is the subject of this sentence which is singular in nature so singular verb is required. Also, it is applicable to both genders so his and her both will be used to refer to it)

Quotation Marks and __Underlining__- Quotation marks are used for short pieces (such as poems, song titles, and short stories) whereas longer pieces of work (such as book titles, movies, and epic poems) need to be underlined.

Example-                                                                                                                                               "Ode to the West Wind" by P B Shelley                                                                                                Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat                                                                                                 The Baby Boss, the movie 

Commas and Semicolons. Commas and semicolons are mostly misused. It will be helpful to know how exactly they are used.

• Incorrect: She makes pasta, it's her specialty.
• Correct: She makes pasta; it's her specialty.
• Incorrect: I bought a beautiful dress, and went to meet my friend.
• Correct: I bought a beautiful dress, and I went to meet my friend.

• (Commas are often used as another form of parenthesis (). By using a set of commas like in the correct sentence above, a run-on sentence can be avoided. To make sure you're using this trick correctly, remove the phrase in between the two commas, remove the commas, and read the sentence to make sure it makes complete sense.)
• This thing right here; is called a semicolon often recognized as the winky-eyes. A semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses. An independent clause is a statement that can stand alone.
• "I am new here; I have shifted yesterday only; I have hardly met anybody yet."
• An incorrect way to use a semicolon is to use it like a comma: "If you are new here; maybe you should try meeting your neighbours."

Capitalization. This is one of the simplest, and yet most common, mistakes made by people. Proper nouns such as holidays, days of the week, places, and names get capitalization.

• "Thomas Edison invented the light bulb."
• "The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776."
• "Ruby Tuesday's is located on Pine Street in Fake City."
• Improper capitalization can also lead to some really bizarre sentences:                                 Correct: "Can you help your friend Jack off the horse?"                                                 Incorrect: "Can you help your friend jack---" (Well, you see where that one is going. Though this is an extreme example, it could happen very easily!)

Run-on Sentences- A run-on is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation.

·         Incorrect: I am a woman and I am a good mother and I am an office worker.

·         Tip: If you can’t say it in one breath, you shouldn’t write it like that either.  The example is missing a period after “woman,” and the example should contain two separate sentences.

·         Correct: I am a woman. I am a good mother and an office worker.

The Dangling Participle. This is little difficult to make out if one is not good at grammar but if one reads certain sentences carefully, one might be able to pick up on such errors.

• "After crying constantly for an hour, the mother finally picked up the child." (Why was the mother crying constantly for an hour?) The opening phrase should always modify what immediately follows.
• Instead, the sentence should read, "After the child was crying constantly for an hour, the mother finally picked him up."

Conclusion:

If you adhere to the above rules while writing, you will be able to deliver grammatically appropriate sentences effortlessly. Also, the dictionaries and the Internet can be used to twofold check your silly, common errors. Further you can work on your spoken errors too.

Just take a deep breath and admit to yourself that failure is part and parcel of the learning procedure. Accept the responsibility for your errors, yet don't make yourself go insane after them.