Smokers are more likely ... lung cancer compared to non-smokers. (1) to develop (See Other modal expressions)
Here ... (3) comes the bus. (See Subject-verb inversion)
It ... have been Carla you saw this morning. She is away on holiday. (2) can't (See Categories of meaning expressed by modals)
... as compensation. (3) The customer was paid $500 (See Passive voice)
The student apologised ... the professor ... being late. (1) to / for (See Common reporting verbs, The use of the gerund)
We haven't heard from him for ten years. He ... (3) might have died. (See Categories of meaning expressed by modals)
... this morning. (3) I had my hair cut (See Causative structures)
By next week, they ... painting the rooms. (3) will have finished (See Future time)
It's high time I ... a new pair of jeans. (2) bought (See Conditionals and unreal tenses)
I took the phone back to the shop, but they ... me a replacement. (1) wouldn't give (See Categories of meaning expressed by modals)
Mike insisted ... his new muffin recipe. (3) that I should try (See Common reporting verbs, The use of the gerund)
Mr Jones ... at the meeting, but he had to cancel because of his illness. (3) was to have spoken (See Other modal expressions)
Knowing a little Russian, I had no difficulty ... myself understood. (2) making (See The use of the participle)
If you ... smarter, you ... money in the first place. (1) were / wouldn't have borrowed (See Conditionals)
Not only ... the speed limit, but he had also consumed alcohol. (2) did he exceed (See Subject-auxiliary inversion)
If only it ... snowing. (1) would stop (See Conditionals and unreal tenses)
You ... that again. (3) are not to do (See Other modal expressions)
Where would you rather ... (3) I slept? (See Conditionals and unreal tenses)
Chapter 1: Time, tense and aspect
Guiding questions: time, tense and aspect
The difference between times and tenses
Aspects
State verbs and action verbs
Past time
Present time
Future time
Tenses in indirect speech
Guiding questions: time, tense and aspect
How many tenses are there in English?
How many aspects are there in English?
Can a present tense refer to past or future time?
What kind of verbs can not be used in continuous tenses?
The difference between times and tenses
Time is a concept which is related to our perception of reality. There are three times: past, present and future. Tense is a grammatical category which is marked by verb inflection and expresses when an event or action happens in the flow of time.
Strictly speaking, only two English tenses are marked by the inflection of the verb:
past (talked)
present (talks)
Other tenses are marked by auxiliaries (be, have):
past continuous (was/were talking)
past perfect (had talked)
past perfect continuous (had been talking)
present continuous (am/are/is talking)
present perfect (have/has talked)
present perfect continuous (have/has been talking)
As future time is expressed with the modal will + infinitive and not with inflection, the forms with will (will talk, will be talking, will have talked, will have been talking) are not considered to be tenses. However, for the sake of convenience, we refer to them as such throughout this book.
Therefore, the twelve basic tenses in English are:
Past
Present
Future
Simple
Past simple
Present simple
Future simple
Continuous
Past continuous
Present continuous
Future continuous
Perfect
Past perfect
Present perfect
Future perfect
Perfect continuous
Past perfect continuous
Present perfect continuous
Future perfect continuous
Note that certain tenses in English may refer to a different time than that expressed by their names. For example, the present continuous tense may refer to either present or future time:
"What are you doing?" "I'm reading."
(present reference)
"What are you doing on Wednesday evening?" "I'm visiting my grandma."
(future reference)
Aspects
The aspect of a verb does not indicate when an action takes place in time; it rather shows the relationship between the action and the passage of time as seen from the speaker's point of view.
There are two aspects in English: the continuous (also called the progressive) aspect expresses duration; the perfect aspect expresses completion. The combination of these two aspects makes the perfect continuous.
The continuous aspect
The perfect aspect
The perfect continuous aspect
The continuous aspect
BE + PRESENT PARTICIPLE (VERB-ING)
The continuous aspect is expressed with the auxiliary be and the present participle -ing form of the verb. Depending on the time of the action, we use the past (was, were), present (am, are, is) or modal + infinitive (e.g. will be) form of be.
The continuous aspect focuses on the duration of an event. It expresses that the action was, is or will be in progress at a specific point in time or over a period of time. The point in time may be defined by a time expression (now, at 5 o'clock yesterday, this time tomorrow) or a clause (when I came home, when I come home). For the period of time, we can also use a time expression (all day yesterday) or a clause (while she was reading).
Examples of the continuous aspect:
Are
you
enjoying
yourself?
(now)
At 9 o'clock, I
was sitting
on the train.
When I came home, he
was sleeping
.
She
must be waiting
for me.
(now)
Rob
was hiking
all day yesterday.
While she
was reading
, Bill
was working
on the computer.
In January, I
'll be living
at my brother's.