THE FUTURE

•  There are several ways of talking about the future in English: The Simple Future Tense, the going to form, the Simple Present Tense, etc.

A.Simple future tense

• The Simple Future Tense is used to talk about things which we cannot control. It expresses the future as fact.

1. I shall be twenty next Saturday.
2. It will be Diwali in a week.
3. We will know our exam results in May.

•  We use this tense to talk about what we think or believe will happen in the future.

1. I think Pakistan will win the match.
2. I'm sure Helen will get a first class.

• As in the above sentences, we often use this tense with I think, and I'm sure. We also sayI expect ---, I believe ---, Probably ---, etc.
•  We can use this tense when we decide to do something at the lime of speaking

1. It is raining. I will take an umbrella.
2. “Mr. Sinha is very busy at the moment.” – “All right. I'll wait.”

B.Going to

•  We use the going to form (be going to + base of the verb) when we have decided to do something before talking about it.

1. “Have you decided what to do?” – “Yes. / am going to resign the job.”
2. “Why do you want to sell your motorbike?” – “I'm going to buy a car.”

• Remember that if the action is already decided upon and preparations have been made,we should use the going to form, not the Simple Future Tense. The Simple Future Tense is used for an instant decision.
•  We also use the going to form to talk about what seems likely or certain, when there is something in the present which tells us about the future.

1. • It is going to rain; look at those clouds.
2. • The boat is full of water. It is going to sink.
3. • She is going to have a baby.

•  The going to form may also express an action which is on the point of happening.

1. Let's get into the train. It's going to leave.
2. Look! The cracker is going to explode.

C.Be about to

•  Be about to + base form can also be used for the immediate future.

1. Let's get into the train. It's about to leave.
2. Don't go out now. We are about to have lunch.

Exercise in Composition 48

Choose the correct or more suitable forms of the verbs to fill in the blanks:-

1. The plane --- at 3.30. (arrives, will arrive)
2. I will phone you when he --- back, (comes, will come)
3. When I get home, my dog --- at the gate waiting for me. (sits, will be sitting)
4. I --- the Joshis this evening, (visit, am visiting)
5. Look at those black clouds. It ---, (will rain, is going to rain)
6. The train --- before we reach the station, (arrives, will have arrived)
7. Perhaps we --- Mahabaleshwar next month, (visit, will visit)
8. Unless we --- now we can't be on time, (start, will start)
9. I --- into town later on. Do you want a lift? (drive, will be driving)
10. The next term --- on 16th November, (begins, is beginning)
11. Oh dear! I --- (will sneeze, am going to sneeze)
12. By 2005, computers --- many of the jobs that people do today, (will be
taking over, will have taken over)
13. I'm sure she --- the exam, (passes, will pass)
14. I --- home next Sunday, (go, am going)
15. I --- you one of these days, I expect, (see, will be seeing)
16. Help! I --- fall, (will fall, am going to fall)
17. She has bought some cloth; she --- herself a blouse, (will make, is going to make)
18. I --- your house this afternoon. It is on my way home from work, (will be passing, am
passing)
19. Hurry up! The programme --- (will start, is about to start)
20. This book is not long. I --- it by lunch time, (will be reading, will have read)

THE PAST
A.Simple Past Tense

•  The Simple Past is used to indicate an action completed in the past. It often occurs with adverbs or adverb phrases of past time.

1. The steamer sailed yesterday.
2. I received his letter a week ago.
3. She left school last year.

•  Sometimes this tense is used without an adverb of time. In such cases the time may be either implied or indicated by the context.

1. I learnt Hindi in Nagpur.
2. I didn't sleep well (i.e, last night).
3. Babar defeated Rana Sanga at Kanwaha.

• The Simple Past is also used for past habits; as,

1. He studied many hours every day.
2. She always carried an umbrella.

B.Past Continuous Tense

•  The Past Continuous is used to denote an action going on at some time in the past.

1. The time of the action may or may not be indicated.
2. We were watching TV all evening.
3. It was getting darker.
4. The light went out while I was reading.
5. When I saw him, he was playing chess.

• As in the last two examples above, the Past Continuous and Simple Past are used together when a new action happened in the middle of a longer action. The Simple Past is used forthe new action.
•  This tense is also used with always, continually, etc. for persistent habits in the past.

1. He was always grumbling.

C.Past Perfect Tense

•  The Past Perfect describes an action completed before a certain moment in the past;as,

I met him in New Delhi in 1996. I-had seen him last five years before.

If two actions happened in the past, it may be necessary to show which action happened earlier than the other. The Past Perfect is mainly used in such situations. The Simple Past is used in one clause and the Past Perfect in the other; as,

1. When I reached the station the train had started (so I couldn't get into the train).
2. I had done my exercise when Han came to see me.
3. I had written the letter before he arrived.

D.Past Perfect Continuous Tense

•  The Past Perfect Continuous is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time; as,

1. At that time he had been writing a novel for two months.
2. When Mr. Mukerji came to the school in 1995, Mr. Anand had already been teaching there for five years.

Exercise in Composition 46

Choose the correct verb form from those in brackets:

1. The earth --- round the sun. (move, moves, moved)
2. My friends --- the Prime Minister yesterday, (see, have seen, saw)
3. I --- him only one letter up to now. (sent, have sent, send
4. She --- worried about something, (looks, looking, is looking)
5. It started to rain while we --- tennis, (are playing, were playing, had played).
6. He --- fast when the accident happened, (is driving, was driving, drove)
7. He --- asleep while he was driving, (falls, fell, has fallen)
8. I'm sure I --- him at the party last night, (saw, have seen, had seen).
9. He --- a mill in this town, (have, has, is having)
10. He --- here for the last five years, (worked, is working, has been working).
11. He thanked me for what I ---. (have done, had done, have been doing)
12. I --- a strange noise, (hear, am hearing, have been hearing).
13. I --- him for a long time, (know, have known, am knowing) '.
14. We ---,English for five years, (study, am studying, have been studying) .
15. Don't disturb me. I --- my homework, (do, did, am doing) .
16. Abdul --- to be a doctor, (wants, wanting, is wanting)
17. The soup --- good, (taste, tastes, is tasting)
18. He --- TV most evenings, (watches, is watch, is watching)
19. He --- out five minutes ago. (has gone, had gone, went)
20. When he lived in Hyderabad, he --- to the cinema once a week, (goes, went,
was going)
21. The baby --- all morning, (cries, has been crying)
22. I --- Rahim at the zoo. (saw, have seen, had seen)
23. I --- Kumar this week, (haven't seen, didn't see, am not seeing)
24. This paper --- twice weekly, (is appearing, appearing, appears)
25. Ashok fell off the ladder when he --- the roof, (is mending, was mending, mended)

Exercise in Composition 47 

Choose the correct alternative from those given in brackets:

1. The Headmaster --- to speak to you. (wants, is wanting, was wanting)
2. I --- a new bicycle last week, (bought, have bought, had bought)
3. Here are your shoes ; I --- them, (just clean, just cleaned, have just cleaned)
4. It --- since early morning, (rained, is raining, has been raining)
5. I --- a lot of work today, (did, have done, had done)
6. I --- something burning, (smell, am smelling, have been smelling)
7. Look ! The sun --- over the hills, (rises, is rise, is rising)
8. She --- unconscious since four o'clock, (is, was, has been)
9. He used to visit us every week, but he --- now. (rarely comes, is rarely coming,
has rarely come)
10. We --- for his call since 4.20. (are waiting, have been waiting, were waiting)
11. Every day last week my aunt --- a plate, (breaks, broke, was breaking)
12. I know all about that film because I --- it twice, (saw, have seen, had seen)
13. Our guests ---; they are silting in the garden, (arrived, have arrived, had
arrived).
14. I --- him since we met a year ago. (didn't see, haven't seen, hadn't seen)
15. We --- our breakfast half an hour ago. (finished, have finished, had finished)
16. She jumped off the bus while it ---. (moved, had moved, was moving
17. When we went to the cinema, the film --- (already started, had already started,
would already start)
18. I --- for half an hour when it suddenly started to rain, (have walked, have
been walking, had been walking)
19. Did you think you --- me somewhere before? (have .seen, had seen, were
seeing)
20. The town --- its appearance completely since 1980. (is changing, changed, has
changed)
21. Sheila --- her case, look. (packed, has packed, had packed)
22. When I was in Sri Lanka. I --- Negombo. Beruwela and Nilaveli. (visited, was visited,have visited)
23. 1 meant to repair the radio, but --- time to do it today (am not having, haven't
had. hadn't)
24. When I --- my dinner I went to bed. (had, have had, had had)
25. Men --- to abolish wars up to now, but maybe they will find a way in the future,
(never managed, have never managed, will have never managed)

Tenses English Grammar : Present with its all uses.

TENSES: INTRODUCTION

210. Read the following sentences:

1.  I write this letter to please you.
2.  I wrote the letter in his very presence.
3.  I shall write another letter tomorrow.

In sentence 1, the Verb write refers to present time.
In sentence 2, the Verb wrote refers to past time.
In sentence 3, the Verb shall write refers to future time.
Thus a Verb may refer

(1) to present time,
(2) to past time, or
(3) to future time.

THE USES OF THE PRESENT 

THE SIMPLE  PRESENT TENSE

217. The Simple Present is used: -
(1) To express a habitual action; as,

1. He drinks tea every morning.
2. I get up every day at five o'clock.
3. My watch keeps good time.

(2) To express general truths; as,

1. The sun rises in the east.
2. Honey is sweet.
3. Fortune favours the brave.

(3) In exclamatory sentences beginning with here and there to express what is actually
taking place in the present; as,

1. Here comes the bus !
2. There she goes !

(4) In vivid narrative, as substitute for the Simple Past; as,

1. Soharab now rushes forward and deals a heavy blow to Rustam.
2. Immediately the Sultan hurries to his capital.

(5) To express a future event that is part of a fixed timetable or fixed programme

1. The next flight is at 7,00 tomorrow morning.
2. The match starts at 9 o'clock.
3. The train leaves at 5.20.
4. When does the coffee house reopen?

218. Note also the other uses of the Simple Present Tense.

(1) It is used to introduce quotations; as,

Keats says, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’.

(2) It is used, instead of the Simple Future Tense, in clauses of time and of condition; as,

I shall wait till yon finish your lunch.
If it rains we shall get wet.

(3) As in broadcast commentaries on sporting events, the Simple Present is used, instead
of the Present Continuous, to describe activities in progress where there is stress on the
succession of happenings rather than on the duration.

(4) The Simple Present is used, instead of the Present Continuous, with the type of verbs
referred to in § 221 on the next page.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS .

The Present Continuous is used

(1) For an action going on at the time of speaking ; as,

1. She is singing (now).

1. The boys are playing hockey.

(2) For a temporary action which may not be actually happening at the time of speaking;
as,

I am reading ‘Davit! Copperfield’ (but I am not reading at this moment).

(3) For an action that has already been arranged to take place in the near future; as,

1. I am going to the cinema tonight.

1. My uncle is arriving tomorrow.

220. It has been pointed out before that the Simple Present is used for a habitual action.
However, when the reference is to a particularly obstinate habit-something which
persists, for example, in spite of advice or warning- we use the Present Continuous with
an adverb like always, continually, constantly.

My dog is very silly: he is always running out into the road.

221. The following verbs, on account of their meaning, are not normally used in the
continuous form:

(1) Verbs of perception, e.g., see, hear, smell, notice, recognize.
(2) Verbs of appearing . e.g., appear, look, seem.
(3) Verbs of emotion, e.g., want, wish, desire, feel, like, love, hate, hope, refuse, prefer.
(4) Verbs of thinking, e.g., think, suppose, believe, agree, consider, trust, remember,
forget, know, understand, imagine, mean, mind.
(5) have (= possess), own, possess, belong to, contain, consist of, be (except when used in
the passive), e.g.

Wrong -- Right

These grapes are tasting sour -- These grapes taste sour.
I am thinking you arc wrong -- I think you are wrong.
She is seeming sad -- She seems sad.
He is having a cellular phone -- He has a cellular phone.
However, the verbs listed above can be used in the continuous tenses with a change of
meaning:

She is tasting the soup to see if it needs more salt.
(taste= lest the flavour of )
I am thinking of going to Malaysia.
(think of = consider the idea of)
They are having lunch, (have = eat)

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE 
is used
(1) To indicate completed activities in the immediate past (with just): as;

• He has just gone out.
• It has just struck ten.

(2) To express past actions whose time is not given and not definite; as,

Have you read "Gulliver's Travels'?
I have never known him to be angry.
Mr. Hari has been to Japan.

(3) To describe past events when we think more of their effect in the present than of the
action itself; as,

Gopi has eaten all the biscuits (i.e., there aren't any left for you).
I have cut my finger (and it is bleeding now).
I have finished my work (= now I am free).

(4) To denote an action beginning at some time in the continuing up to the present
moment (often with since- and/or-phrases); as,

• I Have known him for a long time.
• He has been ill since last week.
• We have lived here for ten years.
• We haven't seen Padina for several months.

223. The following adverbs or adverb phrases can also be used with the Present Perfect
(apart from those mentioned above): never, ever (in questions only), so far, till now, yet
(in negatives and questions), already, today, this week, this month, etc.

Note that the Present Perfect is never used with adverbs of past time.
We should not say,
for example, 'He has gone to Kolkata yesterday'. In such cases the Simple Past should be
used ('He went to Kolkata yesterday').

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS 
is used for an action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing; as,

He has been sleeping for five hours (and is still sleeping).
They have been building the bridge for several months.
They have been playing since four o'clock.

225. This tense is also sometimes used for an action already finished. In such cases the
continuity of the activity is emphasized as an explanation of something.
'Why are your clothes so wet?' - 'I have been watering the