08 November, 2008
05 November, 2008
Lecture Notes: Present Tense
Lecture Notes: Present Tense
Simple Present
A. Meaning:
1. The simple present tense is used to describe an action or an idea that is always true, such as scientific facts and physical laws.
(a) Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.
(b) The average person breathes 21,600 a day.
(c) The world is round.
These are facts that were, are and always will be true, unless scientists discover otherwise.
2. You can also use the simple present tense to describe something that happens habitually. This means that you can use adverbs such as always, usually, often, sometimes, never, etc. If you feel uncertain whether you should use the simple present tense or not, ask yourself if you can add one of these adverbs and the sentence still makes sense.
Americans (often) work very hard.
Mary (sometimes) drinks 7up with dinner.
The teacher (always) gives a lot of homework.
Nurses (usually) wear white uniforms.
There are many verbs that usually cannot be in the simple present tense:
(a) * I decide to go to school.
(Do you usually decide to go to school? No, a decision is usually made in a moment. It starts and ends very quickly. So you should say "I have decided to go to school" or "I decided to go to school.")
(b) *Dan becomes a good student.
Can someone usually become a good student? Become means to change from one thing to another, and the change usually happens in a moment. So again, you should say "Dan has become a good student" or "Dan became a good student."
B. Form:
1. Affirmative Statements: Subject + Verb
*Add -s or -es to the verb when the subject is 3rd person singular (he, she, it, Mary, book, house, etc.). Use the base form of the verb (no change) with all other subjects.
I work. We work.
You work.
He works. They work.
She works.
It works.
2. Negative Statements: Subject + Do/Does + Not + Verb
2. Negative Statements: Subject + Do/Does + Not + Verb
I do not work. We do not work.
You do not work.
He does not work. They do not work.
She does not work.
It does not work.
*There is no -s or -es ending on the verb. It remains in its base form.
3. Questions: Do/Does + Subject + Verb
Do I work? Do we work?
Do you work?
Does he work? Do they work?
Does she work?
Does it work?
*There is no -s or -es ending on the verb. It remains in its base form.
Present Progressive
Present Progressive
A. Meaning:
The present progressive tense is used to describe an action or an event that is happening at the moment of speaking, or right now. The action is in progress; it started some time in the past and is not finished.
(g) John is sleeping.
(John started sleeping some time ago and he has not woken up yet.)
(g) John is sleeping.
(John started sleeping some time ago and he has not woken up yet.)
(h) I need an umbrella because it is raining.
(It started raining in the past and it is still raining now. It will stop in the future.)
(It started raining in the past and it is still raining now. It will stop in the future.)
You can also use the present progressive tense to express something that is temporary, although it is not happening at the moment of speaking. Temporary means that it is true for a while but will not always be true. It will end soon. You should be able to add this week, this month, this year, this semester, etc. to the sentence and still make sense.
(j) I am taking five courses this semester.
(This is true for this semester. I took 6 courses last semester and will take 4 courses next semester. This is only temporary.)
(k) John is trying to improve his work habits (this month).
This is true only this month. Perhaps he realized last month that he needed to improve his work habits. Once he improves in the future, he will stop trying.
B: Form
Affirmative Statements: Subject + Be + Verb-ing
*The Be auxiliary must agree with the subject in person and in number.
I am talking. We are talking.
You are talking.
He is talking. They are talking.
She is talking.
It is talking.
**Don't forget to include the BE auxiliary. If you do, the sentence will not be complete:
wrong She talking to the teacher.
right She is talking to the teacher.
wrong We looking for an apartment.
right We are looking for an apartment.
Negative Statements: Subject + Be + Not + Verb-ing
I am not talking. We are not talking.
You are not talking.
He is not talking. They are not talking.
She is not talking.
It is not talking.
Questions: Be + Subject + Verb-ing
Am I talking? Are we talking?
Are you talking?
Is he talking? Are they talking?
Is she talking?
Is it talking?
Stative Verbs
Stative verbs are those that do not describe an action but rather conditions or situations. They express mental activities or observations. You cannot see the verb happening with your eyes because it describes a mental state (action of the mind), emotional state (feelings), possession, sense perception, or other existing states. These verbs must be in the simple tense but never in the progressive:
wrong I am liking this food very much.
right I like this food very much.
wrong My sister is knowing my teacher.
right My sister knows my teacher.
The only exceptions are the sense perception verbs when they describe an action rather than a quality of something.
a. My mother is smelling the soup.
(I am describing my mother's action of putting her nose close to the soup.)
a. My mother is smelling the soup.
(I am describing my mother's action of putting her nose close to the soup.)
b. My mother smells nice.
(I am describing my mother's condition. She has put some perfume on and has a fragrant smell.)
When in doubt, just ask yourself, "Is someone or something doing something, or am I describing a condition?"
Am/Is/Are Being + Adjective
Adjectives are words that describe nouns (people, places, things, ideas). (see examples on p. 17) It is common to use BE + adjective to describe a state of something:
BE adjective
The joke is funny.
Japanese are polite.
The party is noisy
The law is unfair
In most cases, the BE verb is in the simple present tense, as in the above sentences. However, the BE verb can be in the progressive tense when describing a temporary state:
a. The children are being so rude today.
(They are usually very polite. This is a temporary condition.)
b. You are being illogical.
(You are usually very logical, but right now, you are not.)
c. Patricia is not being responsible with her money.
(She is usually very responsible, but perhaps she is experiencing a temporary financial trouble these days.)
25 October, 2008
Lecture Notes: An Overview of Verb Tenses
FIRST LECTURE: 21 Oct.2008
Lecture Notes: An Overview of Verb Tenses
Oftentimes, students of the English language are taught the forms, meanings and usage of verb tenses but not the reasons why verb tenses are so important. Why does English have so many tenses and how do they affect the overall meaning of the discourse? Why do English instructors and other native speakers demand correct verb tenses? So before we focus on the specific forms or meanings, we should look at the reasons for such a heavy emphasis on the correctness of verbs.
A. First of all, verbs are action words. Verbs explain what happened (or is happening, or will happen, etc.). Read the following sentences:
1. The students opened their books.
In the first sentence, "opened" is the verb. It tells what the students did. In the second sentence, the verb "will stop" tells us what the bus will do. In the third sentence, the verb "has traveled" tells us what Sally has done.
As in the verbs above, we can actually see the action of the verbs with our eyes (e.g. we can see the students opening their books.). We can see the motion. However, there are many verbs which are not active at all, but are considered "stative". These verbs describe conditions or situations that exist. These verbs explain the state of the subject. Consider the following verbs:
4. Jeffrey likes playing with Gameboy.
In sentence 4, the verb "likes" describes the emotional state of Jeffrey: How does Jeffrey feel about playing with Gameboy? In the fifth sentence, the verb "believes" describes the mental state of the subject, Laura. We can't see Laura believing in God because it is the condition of her mind and heart. In sentence 6, the verb "has" describes the father's work situation.
So in summary, verbs describe what is happening or what the condition or situation is. For English native speakers, it is most important to know the precise action or the condition of the subject. For example, if the subject is "my mother", people would want to know, "What about your mother? What happened with her? What does she do? What is her situation or condition?" So you can say, "My mother works as a computer programmer" or "My mother purchased a new car" or "My mother thinks that I should go to college."
B. English native speakers not only need to know the precise action of the subject, but also the exact time and manner of the action. It is important to say not only what happened but also when it happened and whether the action was completed or not. This is due to the fact that the Western way of thinking is linear; in other words, all events must be on a time line:
past<-------------------------------X----------------------------->future present
7. I eat pizza. (present habit)
C. So far, we have talked about verbs in individual sentences. But what is more important is using correct verb tenses in a full discourse, such as conversation or a paragraph. Remember that English native speakers must be able to place all actions or states on a time line. But if verbs jump from one time to another with wrong tenses, native speakers will become very confused and will not be able to follow the ideas. Read the following paragraph:
1 The members of my family have done some interesting things in the last few years. 2 I start playing the piano. 3 I got the piano from my parents when they move to Florida a few years ago. 4 I bought some piano instruction books, and 5 I teach myself how to play. 6 My wife loves to travel, and 7 her job requires her to do that from time to time. 8 In the past few years she has traveled to Tokyo, London and Bangkok. 9 My daughter has been working in a children's theater group. 10 My younger daughter has begun taking art lessons and 11 is becoming quite a good artist. It is exciting to see everyone involved in such interesting activities.
Notice the time orientation determined by the first sentence. The paragraph begins with what the members of the family have done in the last few years, which implies activities done some time between the past and the present time. So the reader will expect to place all family activities in the rest of the sentences to fall somewhere between past and present. But because the verb in the second sentence "start" is in the present tense, the reader will be confused and ask "Why are we in the present? I thought we were going to talk about past activities." The third sentence is also confusing because the time indicated by the verb "move"(present) does not match with the time indicated by the first verb "got"(past) and the time expression "a few years ago"(past). The reader will not be able to place the action "move" on the time line because of the confusion. Sentence 4 is fine because the verb indicates that it happened in the past (in accordance with the time set by the first sentence), but sentence 5 suddenly jumps to the present. He bought the books in the past, so he must have started teaching himself in the past. If he is still teaching himself to play the piano, then it should read "I have been teaching myself how to play."
Sentences 6 and 7 should be in the present tense because these statements are true today, not just in the past. If the sentences said "My wife loved to travel, and her job required her to do that from time to time," then the reader would assume that the wife no longer loves to travel and that she does not travel anymore.
The important thing to remember is that once you establish the time frame (past, present, future), you must move back and forth linearly and logically; you must not make sudden jumps from one time to another. Always ask yourself how the verb is related in time to the verb(s) in the previous sentences. Always ask yourself, "Does the reader know where I am?" and make the answer clear to the reader with the verb tenses.
Lecture Notes: An Overview of Verb Tenses
Oftentimes, students of the English language are taught the forms, meanings and usage of verb tenses but not the reasons why verb tenses are so important. Why does English have so many tenses and how do they affect the overall meaning of the discourse? Why do English instructors and other native speakers demand correct verb tenses? So before we focus on the specific forms or meanings, we should look at the reasons for such a heavy emphasis on the correctness of verbs.
A. First of all, verbs are action words. Verbs explain what happened (or is happening, or will happen, etc.). Read the following sentences:
1. The students opened their books.
2. The bus will stop at the corner.
3. Sandra has traveled to South America and Asia.
In the first sentence, "opened" is the verb. It tells what the students did. In the second sentence, the verb "will stop" tells us what the bus will do. In the third sentence, the verb "has traveled" tells us what Sally has done.
As in the verbs above, we can actually see the action of the verbs with our eyes (e.g. we can see the students opening their books.). We can see the motion. However, there are many verbs which are not active at all, but are considered "stative". These verbs describe conditions or situations that exist. These verbs explain the state of the subject. Consider the following verbs:
4. Jeffrey likes playing with Gameboy.
5. Laura believes in God.
6. My father has his own business.
In sentence 4, the verb "likes" describes the emotional state of Jeffrey: How does Jeffrey feel about playing with Gameboy? In the fifth sentence, the verb "believes" describes the mental state of the subject, Laura. We can't see Laura believing in God because it is the condition of her mind and heart. In sentence 6, the verb "has" describes the father's work situation.
So in summary, verbs describe what is happening or what the condition or situation is. For English native speakers, it is most important to know the precise action or the condition of the subject. For example, if the subject is "my mother", people would want to know, "What about your mother? What happened with her? What does she do? What is her situation or condition?" So you can say, "My mother works as a computer programmer" or "My mother purchased a new car" or "My mother thinks that I should go to college."
B. English native speakers not only need to know the precise action of the subject, but also the exact time and manner of the action. It is important to say not only what happened but also when it happened and whether the action was completed or not. This is due to the fact that the Western way of thinking is linear; in other words, all events must be on a time line:
past<-------------------------------X----------------------------->future present
All actions and states, i.e. verbs, must fall somewhere on this time line. In some languages, it is only necessary to add a time word at the end of a sentence to indicate the time of the occurrence, e.g. "I eat pizza yesterday." But in English, one must change the form of the verb in order to express time. For example:
7. I eat pizza. (present habit)
8. I am eating pizza. (right now and I am not finished)
9. I ate pizza. (past action; finished)
10. I will eat pizza. (future action)
11. I have eaten pizza. (sometime before the present time; finished)
C. So far, we have talked about verbs in individual sentences. But what is more important is using correct verb tenses in a full discourse, such as conversation or a paragraph. Remember that English native speakers must be able to place all actions or states on a time line. But if verbs jump from one time to another with wrong tenses, native speakers will become very confused and will not be able to follow the ideas. Read the following paragraph:
1 The members of my family have done some interesting things in the last few years. 2 I start playing the piano. 3 I got the piano from my parents when they move to Florida a few years ago. 4 I bought some piano instruction books, and 5 I teach myself how to play. 6 My wife loves to travel, and 7 her job requires her to do that from time to time. 8 In the past few years she has traveled to Tokyo, London and Bangkok. 9 My daughter has been working in a children's theater group. 10 My younger daughter has begun taking art lessons and 11 is becoming quite a good artist. It is exciting to see everyone involved in such interesting activities.
Notice the time orientation determined by the first sentence. The paragraph begins with what the members of the family have done in the last few years, which implies activities done some time between the past and the present time. So the reader will expect to place all family activities in the rest of the sentences to fall somewhere between past and present. But because the verb in the second sentence "start" is in the present tense, the reader will be confused and ask "Why are we in the present? I thought we were going to talk about past activities." The third sentence is also confusing because the time indicated by the verb "move"(present) does not match with the time indicated by the first verb "got"(past) and the time expression "a few years ago"(past). The reader will not be able to place the action "move" on the time line because of the confusion. Sentence 4 is fine because the verb indicates that it happened in the past (in accordance with the time set by the first sentence), but sentence 5 suddenly jumps to the present. He bought the books in the past, so he must have started teaching himself in the past. If he is still teaching himself to play the piano, then it should read "I have been teaching myself how to play."
Sentences 6 and 7 should be in the present tense because these statements are true today, not just in the past. If the sentences said "My wife loved to travel, and her job required her to do that from time to time," then the reader would assume that the wife no longer loves to travel and that she does not travel anymore.
The important thing to remember is that once you establish the time frame (past, present, future), you must move back and forth linearly and logically; you must not make sudden jumps from one time to another. Always ask yourself how the verb is related in time to the verb(s) in the previous sentences. Always ask yourself, "Does the reader know where I am?" and make the answer clear to the reader with the verb tenses.
23 October, 2008
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