Subscribe (RSS)Tense primarily denotes the time of an action or an event in its relation to the moment of speaking or writing. In reference to this time an action or an event may be present, past, or future.
For example
I rode.
I shall ride
The tense of the verb denotes also the state of an action or an event with reference to its continuance or completion.
An action or an event is:
- Indefinite
- Progressive
- Perfect or completed
- Perfect progressive
An event is indefinite when it is viewed at the commencement as one event, complete in itself, without reference to its progress or completion.
For example
I loved.
I shall love.
An event is progressive when it is contemplated in its progress as going on, without regard to its commencement or completion.
For example
I was writing.
I shall be writing.
An event is perfect or completed when the attention is directed to its end or completion, without reference to its commencement or progress.
For example
I had written.
I shall have written.
An event is perfect progressive when regard is had to both the progress and the completion, and not to the commencement.
For example
I had been writing.
I shall have been writing.
Note
As the passive voice denotes the reception of an act, it expresses an event which may be regarded as indefinite, progressive, or completed.
Divisions of Time
In each of the three divisions of time, past, present, and future, both a point in time and a period of time is indicated.
Note
Here a point does not mean the least possible division of time, but any portion of time taken without regard to its duration.
Thus, the time of speaking may really be a period. The point is referred to by when as, or the moment.
A period is referred to by while, during which, or how long.
The point of time of the verb denotes is either the time of speaking/writing, as the first and principal point of reference or a specific date in either of the periods.
For example
I have written a letter today since twelve o’clock.
the time of speaking/writing in this sentence is past as to the writing of the sentence. It is, however, today,the present in its completion in the act.
In the sentence:
I had written a letter last month before the 15th.
the action, the writing of a letter is a past event, indicated by the verb had written. The verb phrase tense also indicates that the completion of the act of writing happened in a past period, last month.
In the sentence:
I shall have written a letter before the mail leaves.
the action, writing the letter, is to happen at an indefinite future time.
The period of time is a definite or an indefinite portion of time, either past, present, or future.
For example
last month
last year
Present
this century
this age
Future:
next hour
next week
next quarter
The indefinite present is any assumed portion of time. The indefinite past or indefinite future extend from the present without limit. Observe that a present period includes the time of writing or speaking and also the time of the completion of an act. The past or the future period excludes the time of speaking/writing, but includes the time of the completion, and usually a second date to which the latter is referred.
Tenses that receive this second point of reference are called relative tenses. Tenses that have only a single reference to the writer/speaker are called absolute tenses.
Each time division has two tenses, an absolute and a relative. There are, therefore, six tenses, three absolute and three relative.
The absolute tenses take their names from the division of time to which they belong. Thus, we have the present, the past, and the future tenses.
The relative tenses affix to the name of the tense the word perfect, which refers not so much to the time of the act but to the time of the completion of the act. Thus, we have the present perfect, the past perfect, and the future perfect tenses.
The absolute tenses of to write are:
- Present I write
- Past I wrote
- Future I shall write or I will write.
The relative tenses of to write are:
- Present Perfect I have written
(The act is completed some time today or this year.) - Past Perfect I had written
(The act was completed before some past event like a boat sailing.) - Future perfect I shall have written
(The act will be completed by some future time, such as at noon.)
Strict analogy gives the three progressive forms. These forms are called
- the present progressive tense
- the past progressive tense
- the future progressive tense
Note
These tenses are also called the imperfect tenses.
The progressive tenses of to write are:
- Present Progressive I am writing
(The act is being done at some present time such as some time today or this year.) - Progressive I was writing
(The act was beginning done at some past time.) - Future Progressive I shall be writing
(The act will be being done at some future time.)
Tenses in the Indicative Mode
The indicative tenses are:
- present
- present perfect
- past
- past perfect
- future
- future perfect
These tenses have their characteristic significations only in the indicative mode.
Present Tense
The present tense represents what takes place in present time.
For example
I am seen
I do see
I am seen
Present here means the present time of the writing or speaking. The present of the hearer is the same as that of the speaker,
but the present of the reader is not the same as that of the writer.
The tense may denote an action or an event complete at the precise moment of speaking.
For example
They feel the heat.
We understand your meaning.
The present tense is used when an event is instantly perceived and mentioned:
- as compared to or with events incomplete at the precise moment of speaking or writing.
For example
I am reading.
The boy is studying. - as a habit or custom in a limited period assumed as present but not, necessarily, at the time of speaking or writing.
For example
He reads seven languages.
- as a truth that applies to an unlimited period of time regardless of the time of speaking or writing.
For example
Vice produces misery.
God is just.
Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense represents a past event as completed in present time.
For example
I have seen.
I have been seeing.
I have been seen.
In the present perfect tense, observe that the present period is this day, this year, this present age, or some other extended present time. It is because of this that the prefix present is used. The present perfect tense embraces the time of finishing an act that is of the acts completion. The present perfect tense also indicates a subsequent time of speaking of it, therefore a present and a past instance period.
Note
Be careful to distinguish present meaning the period, from present meaning the time of speaking.
The present perfect tense may be used:
- to denote an act completed in the assumed present, with only an implied reference to the time of speaking or writing.
For example
He has learned his lesson.
(Notice that the act remains done until the present.) - to denote an act spoken of as completed, but continuing till the time of speaking, either in itself or in its effects
For example
Jupiter has revolved around the sun for ages.
(Notice that the action continues.)
The culprit has been imprisoned for ten years.
(Notice that the act was completed, and the condition remains into the present.) - to denote an act completed in a future period, to correspond with a future event
For example
They will be dissatisfied before they have remained a month.
The past tense represents actions or states that took place in time wholly past.
For example
I saw.
I was seeing.
I was seen.
In this tense, the time of writing/speaking is the present. The time of the act or the event is in a wholly past time.
The past tense is used to denote an act or an event:
- as in itself complete, begun and ended in a past period absolutely, or with reference to a specified time.
For example
He wrote a letter.
He wrote a letter at noon yesterday.
(In this sense, the English past tense has the same sense as the Latin perfect tense.) - as incomplete at, before, or after a mentioned past time.
For example
He was riding, at, before, or after noon.
(In this sense, the English past tense has the same sense as the Latin imperfect tense.) - as a custom or habit belonging to a past period
For example
He braided lace at intervals.
Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense represents a past event as completed at a wholly past time.
For example
I had seen.
I had been seeing.
I had been seen.
The past perfect tense is used only when the present, the time of speaking/writing, is separated from a period wholly past, and the time of the act represented by the verb is at or before a specified time in this past period.
For example
He had written his letter before noon.
That is,
He had (in a past period) written (finished the act) before noon (specified time in the period).
Future Tense
The future tense represents an act or event that will take place in future time.
For example
I shall see.
I shall be seeing.
I shall be seen.
Note
In the past and still in the most formal English usage, the future tense with first and second person subject is formed using shall. In most usage since the middle of the twentieth century, will is used with all subjects. Shall in all but the most formal usage is used as a more emphatic form.
In the future tense, as in the others, an event may be represented as in itself complete, incomplete, or as a custom.
For example
He will write.
He will write before noon.
They will be marching before the dawn.
The lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense represents an event that will be completed in future time.
For example
I shall have seen.
The future perfect tense differs from the simple future in the same way that the past perfect differs from the past. It represents an act as completed, and refers to a specified time in some future period.
For example
I shall have written a letter by noon tomorrow.
Tenses in All the Modes
The subjunctive mode has six tenses. They are the same six tenses as the indicative mode tenses.
The potential mode has four tenses, the present, the present perfect, the past, and the past perfect.
The infinitive has two tenses, the present and the perfect.
The imperative has only one tense, the present.
Tense in the Subjunctive Mode
Tense in the subjunctive mode does not usually mark time with the same exactness as is marked in the indicative mode. Thus:
- In conditional clauses, if the action or event spoken of denotes something actual or taken as actual, the tense form usually denotes the true time.
For example
If it rained, I did not know it.
- In conditional clauses, if the verb refers to something merely hypothetical or supposed, the past tense represents present time, and the past perfect represents past time.
For example
If I were going now (but I cannot), I should ride.
If I had had an opportunity yesterday (but I had none), I should have spoken to him.
In the most formal usage, the verb to be has a distinct form for the present and the past tense used hypothetically and denoting present time.
For example
if it be true
If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.
Note
In most current usage, the normal tense forms of the to be verb are used. Thus, the prhase and sentence above would normally be:
If I was not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.
In the most formal usage, had, can be used for would, or would have.
For example
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, than such a Roman.
Shakespeare
It had been better for him if he had pursued the opposite course.
Tense in the Potential Mode
Tenses in the potential mode do not have the signification that their names denote.
The present denotes a present possibility, permission, ability, or necessity to perform an act. The time of the act may be either the present or the future.
For example
We may (now) go (tomorrow).
You can (now) write (now).
He must (now) leave (now, tomorrow, next week).
The present perfect in the potential mode generally denotes a present possibility or necessity that a past act was performed.
For example
I must have written.
meaning
It is now undeniable that I wrote (yesterday).
The past denotes:
- a past possibility to perform an act
For example
Can you write?
I could write yesterday. - a custom
For example
He would often sit the entire evening without uttering a word.Note
Would and might are now seldom, if ever, used to denote past time.
- the present possibility when followed by a conditional clause
For example
I must or could go (now) if I would. I should or could go (now) if I could.
- a future possibility
For example
I shall not go; but if I should go (hereafter), I could (hereafter) walk.
- a universal duty without reference to time
For example
Children should obey their parents.
The past perfect in the potential mode denotes usually a past possibility but not a past completed act. It usually implies the non-performance of the act.
For example
I could have assisted you (yesterday) if you had desired it.
meaning
I was able to assist you, but you did not desire it, and I did not do it.
Tense in the Infinitive Mode
The infinitive mode has but two tenses
- present
- perfect
The present denotes an indefinite or a progressive. The perfect denotes a completed, state of the act.
For example
to write
to be writing
to have written
to have been writing
The infinitive, like the participle, may be connected with any mode or tense of the principal verb.
The present infinitive denotes a time either present or future with reference to that of the principal verb, and not necessarily present with the speaker.
For example
I intend to write.
I intended to write.
I had intended to write.
I shall begin to write.
The perfect denotes a past act completed at the time denoted by the principal verb.
For example
She is said to have sung.
She was thought to have written.
She will be known to have done it.
Tense in the Imperative Mode
The imperative mode has only the present tense. The imperative present tense denotes the time of giving a command. The time of the performance of the commanded act is future.
