Verb Tenses

Using verb tenses to convey time frames
By Ken Blake, Ph.D.
Middle Tennessee State University

If you think verb tenses are confusing, try imagining life without them. What if "A rattlesnake is under your chair" meant the same thing as "A rattlesnake was under your chair a few minutes ago" and "A rattlesnake will be under your chair in just a few minutes"? You wouldn't know whether to run away, sit very still, or breathe a sigh of relief. As you can see, time frames can be pretty critical. Verb tenses allow you to communicate those time frames.

Let's start with the easy verb tenses, the ones you probably already know: past, present and future.

Past tense let's you indicate that something happened sometime in the past.

Jones talked.
Means that sometime before right now, Jones said something.

Present tense let's you indicate that something is happening right now.

Jones talks.
Means that Jones is talking right now.

Future tense let's you indicate that something will happen sometime in the future.

Jones will talk.
Means that sometime after right now, Jones will say something.

Important: Never use the present tense where the past tense or future tense is appropriate. It's getting trendy to tell every story in the present tense, regardless of whether the action in the story took place in the past or will take place in the future. Even some journalists have started doing it, especially broadcast journalists. I blame comedians, who say things like, "So, this guy walks into a bar and orders a drink ..." Grammar like that makes me cringe, so you'd be wise to avoid it. Because both the walking and the ordering obviously took place in the past, the comedians should use past tense, as in: "This guy walked into a bar and ordered a drink ..."

The "perfect tenses" are especially useful for indicating the order of two or more events completed in the same time period -- either past, present or future.

Past perfect tense lets you show that each of several actions was completed in the past while indicating the order in which those actions were completed. For example:

Smith had pleaded guilty and had gone to jail, so police ignored the new evidence.

See how the verb tense suggests the order in which these events occurred?
First, Smith pleaded guilty and went to jail. These actions took place in the past.
Then, police ignored the new evidence. This action also took place in the past, but it happened in a more recent time frame than the pleading guilty and going to jail.

To form this tense, place "had" before the participle of each verb that represents an action completed in the earlier time frame.

Present perfect tense lets you indicate that an action has just been completed and that additional action is about to occur. For example:

The students have read chapters one through nine of the book. (Notice how the verb tense "have read" suggests there are additional chapters yet to be read).
The driver has driven 10 miles. (Again, notice how the verb tense suggests the driver has more driving to do).
To form this tense, add "has" or "have" to the verb's participle.

Future perfect tense lets you show that two actions will be completed in the future and that one will be completed before the other.

By the time this course ends, you will have learned to write well.

Sometime in the future, the course will end.
You also will learn to write well sometime in the future, and the learning will take place before the course ends.

participle

The "progressive tenses" are useful for showing that an action was, is or will be ongoing during a period in the past, present or future.

Past progressive tense lets you show that an action began in the past, continued for a time, and then ended sometime prior to the present.

Jones was lying the whole time he was on the stand.

Jones was on the stand during some period in the past.
During that period, he lied continuously.

People were jumping from the burning building.

At some point in the past, people started jumping from the burning building.
The jumping went on for a while.
Then the jumping ended sometime prior to the present.

To form this tense, add "-ing" to the present tense of the verb and put either "was" or "were" in front of it.

Present progressive tense lets you show that an action is ongoing, that it began sometime in the past but that it is continuing right now and will continue into the future.

The FBI is investigating the case.
Visitors are flocking to the new museum.
I am hoping for a good grade.

Notice how the verb tense indicates that the investigating, flocking and hoping are all going on right now.
Each of the actions began at some undefined point in the past and have been going on uninterrupted since then.

To form this tense, add "-ing" to the present tense of the verb, then put "am," "is" or "are" in front of it.

Future progressive tense lets you show that an action will start at some point in the future and will continue indefinitely.

Astronauts will be conducting several experiments during the flight.

Sometime in the future, the experiments will begin.
The experiments will continue into the future.

To form this tense, add "-ing" to the present tense and precede it with "will be."

The "perfect progressive tenses" let you show the order of two or more events, some ongoing and some not, that take place either in the past, the present or the future.

Past perfect progressive tense lets you show that two actions took place in the past, one an ongoing action and the other a one-time action, and that the ongoing action preceded the one-time action.

Police had been tracking him for years and finally caught him.

The tracking went on for some time in the past.
The catching was a one-time action that also occurred in the past.
Furthermore, the tracking preceded the catching.

Jones, who had been running, arrived out of breath.

The running went on for some time in the past.
The arriving was a one-time action that also occurred in the past.
Furthermore, the running preceded the arriving.

To form this tense, add "-ing" to the present tense and precede it with "had been."

Present perfect progressive tense lets you show that an action began sometime in the past, continued uninterrupted up to the present, but probably won't continue into the future.

I have been telling you all along that you need to brush up on your grammar.
She has been trying to get a quote from the mayor all morning.

Both the telling and the trying began sometime in the past.
Both actions continued up to the present, but have now halted.

To form this tense, add "-ing" to the present tense of the verb and place "have been" or "has been" in front of it.

Future perfect progressive tense lets you show that two actions will take place in the future, one an ongoing action and one a one-time action, and that the ongoing action will precede the one-time action.

By the time crews plug the hole, the tanker will have been leaking oil for weeks.

The leaking is an ongoing action that will take place in the future.
Sometime after the leaking begins, crews will plug the hole.

To form this tense, add "-ing" to the resent tense verb expressing the ongoing action, then precede it will "will have been."