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The Verb 2  2 Principal Parts of the Verb The principal parts of the verb are the four forms of the verb from which all forms of the verb can be made. The four principal parts in English are: The infinitive: to walk The past...

The Verb 2  2 Principal Parts of the Verb The principal parts of the verb are the four forms of the verb from which all forms of the verb can be made. The four principal parts in English are: The infinitive: to walk The past tense: walked The past participle: walked The present participle: walking  3 Technical Note The Participle The participle is a non-finite (no tense) verb form ending in –ing or –ed/en, and used as: An adjective - the running water, the broken bottle Part of a periphrastic (multi-word) finite verb – has been broken, will be running.  4 Tense and Aspect The tense of a verb indicates the time when an action or condition took place. The tense could also provide emphasis and may express whether or not an action or condition was continuous or repetitive. There are three key tenses: present (it’s happening now.) past (it’s already happened.) future (it’s about to happen.)  5 Tense and Aspect The concept of aspect in grammar helps us to see how the flow of time is viewed in the sentence, and the tenses function with aspect. The tenses in English are sorted according to four aspects: The Simple (or Zero) Aspect The Progressive (or continuous) Aspect The Perfect Aspect The Perfect-Progressive Aspect  6 Tense and Aspect The simple (or zero) aspect simply states whether or not the action takes place Ndubisi lives in Lagos.  7 Tense and Aspect The progressive (or continuous) aspect views the action as ongoing and uncompleted. Kemi is preparing breakfast in the kitchen.  8 Tense and Aspect The perfect aspect views the action as having been completed at a specific moment in time before another action. John had fallen asleep by the time the food was ready.  9 Tense and Aspect The perfect-progressive aspect combines the qualities of the progressive and perfect aspects. It views the action as an ongoing one that has been going on until a certain point in time and that has been completed up to that point. By 1980, the country had been suffering a serious economic depression and subsequently the poverty level increased.  10 Verb Tenses: The Perfect Tenses Present Perfect – The present perfect consists of a past participle (the third principal part) with "has" or "have." It designates action which began in the past but which continues into the present or the effect of which still continues. Betty taught for ten years. (simple past) Betty has taught for ten years. (present perfect)  11 Verb Tenses: The Perfect Tenses Past Perfect The past perfect tense designates action in the past just as simple past does, but the action of the past perfect is action completed in the past before another action. John raised vegetables and later sold them. (past) John sold vegetables that he had raised. (past perfect) Renee washed the car when George arrived (simple past) Renee had washed the car when George arrived. (past perfect)  12 Verb Tenses: The Perfect Tenses In sentences expressing condition and result, the past perfect tense is used in the part that states the condition. If I had done my exercises, I would have passed the test. I think George would have been elected if he hadn't sounded so pompous.  13 Verb Tenses: The Perfect Tenses Future Perfect Tense The future perfect tense designates action that will have been completed at a specified time in the future. On Saturday, I will finish my housework. (simple future) By Saturday noon, I will have finished my housework. (future perfect)  14 Verb Tenses: The Perfect Tenses Review Judy saved thirty dollars. (past) Judy will save thirty dollars. (future) Judy has saved thirty dollars. (present perfect) Judy had saved thirty dollars by the end of last month. (past perfect) Judy will have saved thirty dollars by the end of this month. (future perfect)  15 Fill the gaps with the appropriate tense (simple past/present perfect) 1. A: Did you like the seventh episode of the movie "Star Wars?" B:I don't know. I have (never, see) ______________ that movie. 2. Sola (arrive) ______________ in Lagos a week ago. 3. Jason and I (know) ______________ each other for over fifteen years. We still get together once a week. 4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write) ______________ ten very creative short stories in the last year. One day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway. 5. I (have, not) ______ this much fun since I (be) ________ a kid. 6. Things (change) _______ a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first (start) _________ working here three years ago, the company (have, only) ________ six employees. Since then, we (expand) _______ to include more than 2000 full-time workers. 7. I (tell) __________ him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he (wander) ________ off into the forest and (be) ________ bitten by a snake. 8. Listen Dotun, I don't care if you (miss) ______ the bus this morning. You (be) _______ late to work too many times. You are fired!  16 Fill the gaps with the appropriate tense (simple past/present perfect) 1. A: Did you like the movie "Star Wars"? B: I don't know. I have never seen that movie. 2. Sola arrived in Lagos a week ago. 3. Jason and I have known each other for over fifteen years. We still get together once a week. 4. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He wrote ten very creative short stories last year. One day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway. 5. I have not had this much fun since I was a kid. 6. Things have changed a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first started working here three years ago, the company had only six employees. Since then, we have expanded to include more than 2000 full-time workers. 7. I told him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he wandered off into the forest and was bitten by a snake. 8. Listen Dotun, I don't care if you missed the bus this morning. You have been late to work too many times. You are fired!  17 Fill the gaps with the appropriate tense (Present Perfect Continuous / Past Perfect Continuous / Past Perfect / Present Perfect) 1. It is already 9:30pm and I (wait) ______ here for over an hour. If John does not get here in the next five minutes, I am going to leave. 2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally arrived, I (wait) ________ for over an hour. I almost left without him. 3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He (work) ________ for that import company for more than ten years and he (work) ________ in almost every department. Nobody knew the company like he did. 4. I (see) ________ many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small. 5. Sarah (climb) ________ the Matterhorn, (sail) ________ around the world, and (go) ________ on safari in Kenya. She is such an ad venturous person. 6. Sarah (climb) __________ the Matterhorn, (sail) _______ around the world and (go) ___________ on safari in Kenya by the time she turned twenty-five. She (experience) _________ more by that age than most people do in their entire lives. 7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red and watery. I think she (cry) _______________.  18 Fill the gaps with the appropriate tense (Present Perfect Continuous / Past Perfect Continuous) 1. It is already 9:30pm and I have been waiting here for over an hour. If John does not get here in the next five minutes, I am going to leave. 2. I was really angry at John yesterday. By the time he finally arrived, I had been waiting for over an hour. I almost left without him. 3. Did you hear that Ben was fired last month? He had been working for that import company for more than ten years and he had worked in almost every department. Nobody knew the company like he did. 4. I had seen many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small. 5. Sarah has climbed the Matterhorn, has sailed around the world, and has gone on safari in Kenya. She is such an adventurous person. 6. Sarah had climbed the Matterhorn, had sailed around the world and had gone on safari in Kenya by the time she turned twenty-five. She had experienced more by that age than most people do in their entire lives. 7. When Melanie came into the office yesterday, her eyes were red and watery. I think she had been crying.  19 Verb Tense Consistency Controlling Shifts in Verb Tense Changes in verb tense help readers understand the temporal relationships among various narrated events. But unnecessary or inconsistent shifts in tense can cause confusion.  20 Verb Tense Consistency Controlling Shifts in Verb Tense Maintain one tense for the main discourse and indicate changes in time frame by changing tense relative to that primary tense, which is usually either simple past or simple present.  21 Verb Tense Consistency Controlling Shifts in Verb Tense General guideline: Do not shift from one tense to another if the time frame for each action or state is the same. The ocean contains rich minerals that washed down from rivers and streams. The ocean contains rich minerals that wash down from rivers and streams.  22 Verb Tense Consistency Controlling Shifts in Verb Tense About noon the sky darkened, a breeze sprang up, and a low rumble announces the approaching storm. About noon the sky darkened, a breeze sprang up, and a low rumble announced the approaching storm. Yesterday we had walked to school but later rode the bus home. Yesterday we walked to school but later rode the bus home.  23 Verb Tense Consistency Controlling Shifts in Verb Tense Do shift tense to indicate a change in time frame from one action or state to another. The children love their new tree house, which they built themselves. Before they even began deliberations, many jury members had reached a verdict. Workers are installing extra loudspeakers because the music in tonight's concert will need amplification.  24 Verb Tense Consistency Controlling Shifts in a Paragraph or Essay Hints: Rely on past tense to narrate events and to refer to an author or an author's ideas as historical entities. Use present tense to state facts, to refer to perpetual or habitual actions, and to discuss your own ideas or those expressed by an author in a particular work.  25 Verb Tense Consistency General guidelines for use of perfect tenses The use of perfect tenses is generally determined by their relationship to the tense of the primary narration.  26 Verb Tense Consistency General guidelines for use of perfect tenses If the primary narration is in simple past, then action initiated before the time frame of the primary narration is described in past perfect. By the time Tom noticed the doorbell, it had already rung three times.  27 Verb Tense Consistency General guidelines for use of perfect tenses If the primary narration is in simple present, then action initiated before the time frame of the primary narration is described in present perfect. By the time Tom notices the doorbell, it has already rung three times.  28 Verb Tense Consistency General guidelines for use of perfect tenses If the primary narration is in simple future, then action initiated before the time frame of the primary narration is described in future perfect. By the time Tom notices the doorbell, it will have already rung three times.  29 Verb Tense Consistency Summary of use of perfect tenses Past primary narration corresponds to Past Perfect (had + past participle) for earlier time frames Present primary narration corresponds to Present Perfect (has or have + past participle) for earlier time frames Future primary narration corresponds to Future Perfect (will have + past participle) for earlier time frames  30 Note The present perfect is also used to narrate action that began in real life in the past but is not completed, that is, may continue or may be repeated in the present or future. "I have run in four marathons" (implication: "so far... I may run in others"). This usage is distinct from the simple past, which is used for action that was completed in the past without possible continuation or repetition in the present or future. "Before injuring my leg, I ran in four marathons“ (implication: "My injury prevents me from running in any more marathons").  31 Note If a key word (such as before or after) establishes a clear time relation, then the past perfect form of the verb is not used. I was unable to follow current events, before Mrs. Okoye showed me how to read.