Transcript Verb Tense Advice

Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
Wacky World of Verb Tenses
Or, why does english need to be so complicated?
This presentation will describe:
 why it is really easy to make verb tense mistakes
 why simple definite verb tenses are the best to use
 what specific situations require more complicated tenses
 how you can recognize and fix verb tense shift mistakes
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
Why tense mistakes are common
There are LOTS of verb tenses in english
 twelve “simple” verb tenses
 three additional “conditional” tenses
 even more specialized tenses (infinitives, etc)
 18-26 different tense forms (depending on who’s counting)
 even MORE ways to use verbs (adverbs, linking verbs, etc)
As a result, there are literally HUNDREDS of ways
to use verbs incorrectly in english writing
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
therefore . . .
. . . why make things more complicated than
they need to be?
REDUCE the chances of making a verb
tense mistake by sticking to SIMPLE tenses
 easier to edit
 easier to read and understand
 harder to make mistakes
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
Common tenses are best
We generally talk about one thing at a time
Each of these things generally are definitely
happening, have definitely happened, or will
definitely happen
Therefore, this covers MOST ALL situations:
 it happened, it was happening (past definite)
 it happens, it is happening (present definite)
 it will happen, it will be happening (future definite)
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
why make things complicated ?
SIX basic “definite” verb tenses cover MOST ALL situations
 it happened (occurred in past, complete)
 it was happening (occurred in past, maybe still going on)
 it happens (occurs now, isolated event)
 it is happening (occurs now, ongoing event)
 it will happen (occurs in future, isolated event)
 it will be happening (occurs in future, ongoing event)
If you want to be really clear, then stick to using just
THESE SIX DEFINITE TENSES !
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
simple tense rules are easy !
Simple present: “I run to you.”
Progressive present: “I am running to you.”
Simple past: “I ran to you.”
Progressive past: “I was running to you.”
Simple future: “I will run to you.”
Progressive future: “I will be running to you.”
To use these tenses correctly, just decide if the thing is
complete or still going on (still progressing)
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
When to use complicated tenses
Situation ONE: perfect tenses
You are talking about more than one occurrence
in a single sentence
 must indicate the order of the occurrences
 “perfect tense” makes order of occurrence perfectly clear
Example:
 I began to feel fit , so I began to exercise. (what happens first?)
 I had begun to feel fit , so I began to exercise.
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
perfect tenses -- definition
They’re called “perfect” because they make the
order of occurrences PERFECTLY clear
This is pretty intuitive:
 I exercised, so I felt tired
But this is sometimes easier to understand:
 I had exercised, so I felt tired
And sometimes the info is counterintuitive:
 I had been feeling tired, so I exercised. (I felt tired, so I exercised.)
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
perfect tenses -- the forms
there are SIX forms, and some can be confusing
 it had begun (occurred in past, complete)
 it had been beginning (occurred in past, maybe still going on)
 it has begun (occurs now, isolated event)
 I have begun (doing it now, isolated event)
 it has been beginning (occurs now, ongoing event)
 I have been beginning (doing it now, ongoing event)
 it will have begun (occurs in future, isolated event)
 it will have been beginning (occurs in future, ongoing event)
If you MUST talk about two actions in one sentence, then perfect
tenses can help make the order of occurrences clear
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
perfect tenses -- examples
using perfect tenses can be tricky -- they require THINKING
 I had begun to run, so I began to get fit
 I had been beginning to run, so I was beginning to get fit
 I have begun to run, so I am beginning to get fit
 I have been beginning to run, so I have begun to get fit
 I will be beginning to run, so I will have begun to get fit
 I will have been beginning to run, so I will begin to get fit
In general, stick to SIMPLE DEFINITE PERFECT tenses if
you must use them at all -- perfect progressive can be sticky
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
When to use complicated tenses
Situation TWO: conditional tenses
You are talking about an occurrence that is not
definite -- it might be real but might not, or might
be entirely hypothetical
 must indicate that the occurrence is conditional
 “conditional tense” makes this uncertainty clear
Example:
 I study, therefore my grade is high
 I should study, because my grade could be higher
Copyright 2012 by Art Fricke
conditional tenses -- the forms
Use “could”, “would”, “should”, or “might” modifiers
before the verb
 it should have happened (should have occurred in past, did not)
 it might have happened (might have occurred in past, maybe did)
 it would be happening (could have occurred now)
 it could be happening (could have occurred now)
 it should happen (should occur in future, might not)
 it might happen (might occur in future, perhaps won’t)