INTRODUCTION
Time is a universal non linguistic concept with three divisions: present, past and future. Time is not language specific. Whatever the language you speak, you must relate an event to the time of occurrence to be understood. Tense is used to relate an event or happening expressed by the verb to a time scale in the present or past. According to Eka (1996) tense refers to changes in the form of the verb to correspond with our own concept of time (p.97). Aspect on the other hand, refers to the way the action of the verb is perceived; whether it is in progress or is completed at the moment of speaking. Tense and aspect are therefore related and the expression of time, present or past, cannot be considered separately from aspect. The expression of future time is also connected to tense, aspect and mood. Mood relates the action of the verb to such conditions as certainty, obligation, necessity, possibility and futurity. (See NCE/DLS Course Book on English Language. The rest of the discussion in this unit shall be based on Module 2, Unit 4. See also Semmelmeyer and Bolander, 1984, Chapter 13).
3.1 Tense
Tense is a property of the verb. In grammar tense refers to the time an action took place or the time of the state or condition. Every verb has certain forms which show the time the action occurred. Aspect, as already explained, refers to how the action of the verb is perceived or regarded; for instance whether the action is in progress at the moment of speaking or completed. Tense and aspect often interrelate to communicate meaning. In this unit, the three basic forms of the verb: the present tense, past tense and the past participle with which other tenses can be built are examined. The expression of other tenses and aspect, for instance, the future in the present, the present in the past and the progressive and perfective aspects in the present and past are also dealt with in this unit.
3.1.1 The Simple Tenses
Verbs have six tenses which show differences in the time of action or the time of the state of being:
1. I see a car in the garage.
2. I saw a car in the garage yesterday.
3. I shall see a number of cars on the road when I go to work.
The above three sentences do not mean the same. The difference in meaning depends largely on the verb form that is used to show the time of the action. The first sentence means that the action expressed by the verb see is going on at the moment of speaking. The second sentence shows that the action expressed by the verb saw took place at some time in the past (yesterday). The third sentence means that the action expressed by the verb shall see will take place at some time in the future.
The verbs used in Sentences 1-3 are forms of the verb see. The form of the verb see used in the first sentence is the form used in the present tense. It expresses or refers to present time. The verb saw in the second sentence is the form used to express past time. The verb shall see is the form used to express future time.
Recall that there are six tenses in English (although some grammarians talk about two or three and assign the perfect tenses to aspect): present and past with future time. The three tenses which we have just used are called the simple tenses. The other three are called the perfect tenses. The only difference between the simple tenses and the perfect tenses is that the perfect tenses include the idea of completion. The word perfect refers to an action or state of being that is completed at the moment of writing or speaking.
Simple Tenses
Perfect Tenses
Present tense
Present perfect tense
Past tense
Past perfect tense
Future tense
Future perfect tense
The present tense denotes present time. It is also used to express habitual actions or an idea that is a universal truth (generally accepted as true).
4. I speak Ibibio. (present tense)
5. Aisha walks to school everyday (habitual action)
6. The sunrises in the east. (universal truth)
The present tense is often used to express future time. Examine the following:
7. The plane leaves in half an hour.
8. If it rains, the football match will be postponed.
The past tense denotes past time. The past tense of regular verbs is formed by the addition of d or ed to the present tense form as in dance, danced; want, wanted.
We danced at the birthday party. (addition of d)
9. I wanted to collect my transcript.(addition of ed)
Sometimes the d in the present tense form changes to t as in:
10. The parents built a fence round the school. (d changes to t)
The past tense of irregular verbs is formed in various ways. Sometimes, the middle vowel changes as in run - ran; begin - began; drive - drove.
At other times the same form is used in both the present and the past tense as in: cut – cut, put - put; hurt – hurt.
In some cases the past tense can be used to refer to the present as in:
11. Did you want to see me? (Do you want...)
12. I wondered whether you would help me. (= I wonder)
The past can also be expressed in the future. This is expressed by “will”+ perfect infinitive as in the following:
13. Next January I will have taught in the university for seventeen years.
14. By midnight today, she will have been missing for three days
The future tense denotes future time. Note that there is no verb form in English corresponding to the future time as we have the present or past tense form. Other ways of expressing the future are discussed later. The future tense is formed by combining the auxiliary- shall and will- with the present tense form of the verb. It is conventional to use shall with the pronoun I and we and will with the other pronouns: you, he/she/it and they.
15. We shall visit you tomorrow. ( shall, first person)
16. He will certainly succeed in his plans. (will, third person)
17. You will travel with me to Lagos next week. (will, second person)
Note that to express future time, will is used for first person - singular and plural; and shall for second and third persons - singular and plural.
Sometimes future time can be seen from a viewpoint in the past. This is expressed with “was going to’ and “was about to”. Such a meaning often implies that the expected happening did not take place;
18. The car was about to hit the tree but the driver saved it.
19. She was going to receive a prize but her name was omitted from the list.
3.1.2 The Perfect Tenses
The three perfect tenses are the present perfect tense, the past perfect tense and the future perfect tense. You can easily identify the perfect tenses if you recall that the word perfect is always used in identifying them.
The present perfect tense describes an action that is completed at the moment of speaking or writing. It may also indicate an action that is continuing into the present. The present perfect tense is formed by combining the auxiliary have or has with past participle of the principal verb. The auxiliary has is always used in the third person singular. Examine the following:
20. I have spoken with the vice chancellor. (have spoken, first person)
21. You have worked for your promotion. (have worked, second person)
22. The driver has washed the car. (has worked, third person).
The past perfect tense describes an action that was completed before some definite time in the past. The past perfect tense is formed by combining the auxiliary had with the past participle of the principal verb as in: had gone, had washed, had spoken, had been, had fainted as in the following examples;
23. Before the doctor arrived, the accident victim hadfainted.
24. I understood the lecture better after I had read over it.
25. All copies of the book had been sold before I got to the bookshop.
Note that the past perfect describes an action in the remote past; two actions occurred in the past, the one that happened first is put in the past perfect tense while the one that happened last is put in the simple past tense.
The future perfect tense describes actions that will be completed at some definite time in the future. The future perfect tense is seldom used in informal speech or writing. Shall have is used in the first person and will have is used in the second and third persons.
26. The plane will have left by two o’clock .
27. Your committee will have completed its work by the next senate meeting.
28. I shall have crossed the River Niger by noon.
Many errors occur because the writer or speaker is not familiar with the correct forms of the past tense or past participle. Whenever you are not sure of any of these forms, consult a reliable dictionary. You will find these forms listed after the verb. You can also avoid errors if you know the auxiliaries that indicate the tense: Note that
shall and will are used for the future tense,
have and has are used for the present perfect tense had for the past perfect tense,
shall have or will have for the future perfect tense.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1
Explain the following terms: tense and aspect
Which are the (a) simple and (b) perfect tenses?
How are the tenses formed?
3.2 Aspect
In addition to the forms which show tense English verbs have special verbs to show aspect. There is the progressive form which shows that the action is in progress at the time indicated by a particular tense. There is also the perfective aspect which shows that the action indicated by the verb is completed at the time indicated by a particular tense.
3.3 Progressive Aspect
The progressive aspect refers to activity or event in progress and therefore suggests that the activity is temporary or of limited duration but that it need not be complete; it is not necessary;
He was building a house some years ago.
(I do not know whether he finished it)
29. I have been writing the minutes this morning.
(but this may not be finished)
Also consider the following:
The boy was drowning. (But he was quickly rescued)
30. When I visited them, they were (already) having dinner.
The meaning in the last sentence is that dinner had started before I visited them and that it continued after that time.
When combined with always or any other adverb of high frequency to convey the idea of continuity or repetition:
31. He is always drinking with a silver cup. (continuity)
32. She is always coming late to work. (continuity)
The students are reading their books whenever I see them (repetition) The verbs that take the progressive aspect are verbs that express activity - walk, read, write, run etc, or processes - grow, change, improve etc.
Verbs that suggest momentary events e.g jump, knock, kick, nod - if used with the progressive suggest repetition:
33. He was knocking/jumping/nodding (suggest repeated movement). Verbs that do not normally appear in the progressive include Verbs of perception: hear, see, smell, taste, feel. We often use these verbs with can or could e.g.
34. I can see you NOT I am seeing you; I can hear the teacher NOT I am hearing the teacher.
Verbs referring to a state of mind or feeling such as believe, adore, desire, dislike, forget, love, hate, hope, imagine, know, suppose, want, remember, mean wish; we say:
35. I forget/remember his name NOT I am forgetting or remembering his name.
Verbs referring to a relationship or a state of being: belong to, be, concern, cost, depend on, remain, resemble, equal, fit, involve etc. We say I remain grateful to you NOT I am remaining grateful to you.
The present progressive is used for future happening resulting from a present plan, arrangement or programme:
36. We are having rice and stew for lunch.
37. She is travelling by air to Abuja this evening.
The present progressive is common with verbs which refer to transition between two states or positions such as: arrive, come, go, travel, fly, land, start, stop, etc.
38. The examination is starting at 3.o ‘clock.
39. The governor is arriving in a few minutes.
The present progressive also indicates temporary habit;
40. This year we are cooking our meals with cooking gas.
41. The Vice Chancellor is visiting al departments this year.
The present progressive is also often used to express the immediate future:
42. The bus is leaving in the next five minutes.
43. He is leaving for London tomorrow.
3.4 The Perfect Aspect
Four uses of the present perfect aspect can be identified:
•State leading up to the present time:
44. The post has been declared vacant for sometime now. •Indefinite events in a period leading up to the present.
45. All the children have had measles in the last one year. •Habit in a period leading up to the present time.
46. She has visited her mother more regularly this year. •Past event with results in the present time.
47. The plane has landed (it is here now).
48. My car has broken down (it is not yet repaired).
The Perfect Progressive Aspect
Has a similar meaning to the present perfect aspect except that the period leading up to the present is of limited duration and does not continue up till the present. Examine the following:
49. I have done my homework (already- present perfect)
50. I have been doing my homework (all evening - I have just finished)
51. You have been fighting (you have a swollen face and torn clothes)
In Nos. 49 and 50 above the activity has continued up to the recent past, not up till the present as with the present perfect progressive aspect which, unlike the perfect, usually suggests that the activity continued up till the present. Compare:
52. I have read Twelfth Night. (I have finished it)
53. I have been reading Twelfth Night. (I am still reading it)
3.5 The Past Perfect Aspect
The past perfect aspect (simple and progressive) indicates past- in- the past, a time further in the past as seen from a specific point in the past.
54. The room had been vacant for several months (when I got it)
55. The doctor had fallen ill and could not perform the operation.
56. The rain had been falling and the streets were still wet.
When describing two events in the past, one following the other, their relationship can be shown by using the past perfect for the earlier event.
Alternatively, we can use the past tense for both and rely on the conjunction (e.g when, after) to show which one happened first.
Examine the following:
57. The lecture ended before I arrived (the past tense + conjunction, before)
58. The lecture had ended when I came in (first action in the past perfect).
59. The patient had died for three hours (when the doctor arrived).
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2
Supply the correct tense/aspect of the verbs in parenthesis
1 When I arrived they (to go) to school.
2 I (never to see) this woman before.
3 My friend (to travel) to Kaduna next week.
4 The prisoner (to escape) a month ago.
5 My parents (to arrive) in a few minutes
4.0 CONCLUSION
The importance of the functions performed by the verb in the English sentence makes it compulsory to master all aspects of the English verb. Tense and aspect as discussed in this unit account for many of the errors committed by second language learners of English.
5.0 SUMMARY
The following main points have been made in this unit:
i. In grammar, tense refers to changes in the form of the verb to
correspond with our own concept of time. Tense indicates the time of occurrence of an action, state or condition.
ii. Aspect on the other hand, refers to the way the action of the verb
is perceived; whether it is in progress or is completed at the moment of speaking.
iii. Tense and aspect are related and the expression of time, present
or past, cannot be considered separately from aspect.
iv. There are six tenses in English: present, past, future, present
perfect, past perfect and future perfect.
v. In addition to the forms which show tense English verbs have
special verbs to show aspect.
vi. There is the progressive form which shows that the action is in
progress at the time indicated by a particular tense.
vii. There is also the perfective aspect which shows that the action
indicated by the verb is completed at the time indicated by a particular tense.
viii. Present time can be expressed by past tense and future time can
also be expressed by the present tense, past tense and progressive aspect.
ANSWER TO SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
Explain the following terms: tense and aspect
1. Tense is used to relate an event or happening expressed by the verb to a time scale in the present or past. Aspect on the other hand, refers to the way the action of the verb is perceived; whether it is in progress or is completed at the moment of speaking. Tense and aspect are therefore related and the expression of time present or past, cannot be considered separately from aspect.
2. Which are the (a) simple and (b) perfect tenses?
(a) The simple tenses are: present, past and future tenses.
(b) The perfect tenses are present perfect, past perfect and future perfect.
How the Tenses are Formed
•Perfect Tenses are formed by combining the auxiliary have or has/had/ will or shall have with past participle of the principal verb.
•Simple Tenses
•The present tense is formed by using the base form of the verb with the appropriate pronoun. The morpheme {s} is added to the base form to form the third person singular
•The past tense denotes past time. The past tense of regular verbs is formed by the addition of d or ed to the present tense form as in dance, danced; want, wanted
•The future tense is formed by combining the auxiliary- shall and will- with the present tense form of the verb. It is conventional to use shall with the pronoun I and we and will with the other pronouns: you, he/she/ it and they.
ANSWER TO SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 2
Supply the correct tense/aspect of the verbs in parenthesis
1 When I arrived they(to go) to school.( had gone)
2 I (never to see) this woman before.(have never seen)
3 My friend (to travel) to Kaduna next week.(will travel/travels)
4 The prisoner (to escape) a month ago.(escaped)
5 My parents (to arrive) in a few minutes (will arrive/are arriving))
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
Supply the correct tense/aspect of the verb in brackets
1. The woman said she (to be) in a hurry.
2. He promised he (to go).
3. If it (to rain), the match will be postponed.
4. The sick man groaned so much that I thoughthe (to die).
5. I left early because I did not think you (to come).
6. It was clear that they (not to want) me.
7. The nurse said she (to call) again the next day.
8. He asked the teacher why the lecture (to be) so long.
9. He once said he (never, to drink) beer.
10. Before the ambulance (to arrive) the accident victim (to collapse).
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
Eka, D. (1996). Elements of Grammar and Mechanics of English. Uyo: Samuf Educational.
Quirk, P. and Greenbaum, S. (1975). A University Grammar of English. London: Longman.
Semmelmeyer, M. and Bolander, D. (1984). Instant English Handbook. Illinois: Career Publishing Inc.
NCE/DLS (1990). Coursebook on English Language. Module Two, Kaduna: National Teachers’ Institute.
Udofot, I. and Ekpenyong, B. (2004). A Comprehensive English Course for Schools and Colleges. Lagos: Quantum Co. Ltd.
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