1. Parts of Speech
"Parts of speech" are the basic types of words that English has. Most grammar books say that there are eight parts of speech:
nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions and interjections. We will add one more type: articles.
Noun
A noun is a naming word. It names a person, place, thing, idea, living creature, quality, or action.
Examples:
cowboy, theatre, box, thought, tree, kindness, arrival
Verb
A verb is a word which describes an action (doing something) or a state (being something).
Examples:
walk, talk, think, believe, live, like, want
Adjective
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It tells you something about the noun.
Examples:
big, yellow, thin, amazing, beautiful, quick, important
Adverb
An adverb is a word which usually describes a verb. It tells you how something is done. It may also tell you when or where
something happened.
Examples:
slowly, intelligently, well, yesterday, tomorrow, here, everywhere
Pronoun
A pronoun is used instead of a noun, to avoid repeating the noun.
Examples:
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
2. Conjunction
A conjunction joins two words, phrases or sentences together.
Examples:
but, so, and, because, or
Preposition
A preposition usually comes before a noun, pronoun or noun phrase. It joins the noun to some other part of the sentence.
Examples:
on, in, by, with, under, through, at
Interjection
An interjection is an unusual kind of word, because it often stands alone. Interjections are words which express emotion or
surprise, and they are usually followed by exclamation marks. Examples:
Ouch!, Hello!, Hurray!, Oh no!, Ha!
Article
An article is used to introduce a noun. Examples:
the, a, an
TENSES AND THEIR USES
Verb Tense
Verb tenses are verb forms (went, go, will go) which English speakers use to talk about the past, present, and future in their
language. There are twelve verb tense forms in English as well as other time expressions such as used to.
The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three main tenses are as follows:
The Past Tense (e.g., I walked.)
The Present Tense (e.g., I walk.)
The Future Tense (e.g., I will walk.)
The tense of a verb can also tell us things like whether the action is habitual, ongoing, or completed. This is called the aspect of the
verb, which is part of tense.
3. Each of these tenses is further subdivided into four types, viz. (a) Simple/Indefinite tense. (b) Continuous/ Progressive tense (c)
Perfect Tense. (d) Perfect Continuous Tense.
Past Tense: walked, was/were walking, had walked, had been walking
Present Tense: walk, am/is/are walking, has/have walked, has/have been walking
Future Tense: will walk, will be walking, will have walked, will have been walking
Many modern grammar books assert that here Is No Future Tense in English
You can speak about the future time in the English language, and this is usually called the future tense. But many linguists (people
who study languages) will tell you that the English language does not actually have a future tense.
A tense is the way we speak about time. So, why would anyone say that there is no future tense?
This is because there is no special way to change the verbs (action words) themselves for the future tense. When we look at the verb
conjugation, commonly called three forms of the verb, we find that an action word or verb has Present, Past and Participle forms.
There is no form which represents future time. So how do we speak about the future?
We commonly use “Will/Shall” and “going to” to talk about future. However, for our purposes in this course, we shall consider Future
as a tense.
The following table illustrates the proper use of verb tenses:
4. Tense Usage Example
Simple Present
Sumit goes to school.
Sub.+ vb.1st
+ Predicate
a) Expresses habitual action
b) Expresses permanent verifiable truths or
facts
c) Expresses a fact that is true at the time of
speaking
d) Describes aevents asthey are atually going on
e.g. running commentaries
e) Routine happening/fixed truth at the time
speech
f) *Expresses a planned future action
g) *Describes a past event in a vivid or
dramatic manner i.e., historic present
The boy gets up at six in the morning.
The river Yamuna passes through the city of Delhi.
The sun sets a little after five these days.
Rajat passes the ball to Ravi and Ravi hits it.
I go to a university.
He leaves for Bangalore tonight by 9.30 train.
Hamlet planned to kill his uncle, the King when he
came to his bedroom. As soon as his uncle came
Hamlet was ready with a dagger in his hands, waiting
for him. The king now kneels down in prayer and
Hamlet drops the dagger for he finds he cannot kill a
man when he prays.
Present Progressive/Continuous
Sumit is going to school.
Sub.+ be+ vb. ing+ pred.
Be=is/am/are
a) expresses an action that is in progress;
attention being drawn to the continuity of the
action
b) expresses an action that is in progress and
will continue, but not necessarily going on at
the moment of speech.
c) Expresses an action that has been arranged to
take place in future.
d) With ‘ always, constantly, repeatedly,
regularly’ conveys disapproval.
e) Verbs of perception (see, hear, smell,
notice); verbs expressing feelings or states of
mind (want, desire,wish, forgive, care, hate,
adore, like, dislike, admire); verbs involving
the process of thinking (know, mean,
suppose,remember, realize,
recollect,forget,recall, mind); and verbs
denoting possession ( have,own, owe,
The children are playing outside.
I am reading a novel these days.
I am meeting the Vice Chancellor tomorrow
My son is constantly watching television.
5. Tense Usage Example
belong,possess) do not take Present
Progressive with them. Also the verbs ‘
contain,consist, keep, cost, seem’ do not take
this tense.
Present Perfect
Sumit has gone to school.
Sub.+ has/ have+ vb. 3rd+ pred.
a) expresses an experience in the past
b) expresses an action which began in the past
and is still continuing
I have read this novel.
He has lived in Hisar for ten years.
Some adverbs which are commonly used with
Present Perfect : already, yet, just, still.
Present Perfect Progressive/
Continuous
Sumit has been going to school for
three years.
Sub.+ has/ have+ been + vb. ing+
pred.( obj. + since/for+ time)
a) expresses an action or event that began some
time ago, has continued till now and is still
going on.
b) Expresses an action which was going on till a
very recent point of time and whose effect or
result is still present.
My parents have been staying in this house for
the last twenty years.
I am feeling cold because I have been swimming
for an hour.
Simple Past
Sumit went to school.
Sub.+ vb.2nd
+ Predicate
a) expresses a regular or habitual action of the
past.
b) Expresses an action which occupied a period
of time in the past, which has now ended.
c) Expresses events that occurred at a particular
time in the past.
d) * Expresses future in some situations with
to- infinitive construction.
Every morning he went for a walk at 5o’ clock.
He lived in Delhi for ten years. (He does not live
there now.)
I joined the university service in 1991.
I planned to tell you everything.
6. Tense Usage Example
Comparison with Present Perfect
a) He lived in Delhi for ten years. (He does not live there now)
He has lived in Delhi for ten years. (He still lives in Delhi at the time of speaking.)
b) My grandmother has been an invalid all her life. (She is still alive)
My grandmother was an invalid all her life. (She is now dead)
Some time expressions that go with
Simple Past Present Perfect
Yesterday so far
A week ago since
Last Tuesday hitherto
In the morning upto now
At 8o’ clock lately, recently
7. Tense Usage Example
Past Progressive/ Continuous
Sumit was going to school.
Sub.+ be+ vb. ing+ pred.
Be=was/were
a) Expresses an action that was in progress at a
point of timee in the past having begun
before that point and probably continuing
after that.
b) Expresses an action continuing over a period
of time in the past.
c) Expresses a continuing action at some point
in the past, when another event took place.
d) Expresses two or more actions going on at
the same time ( often the conjunction ‘while’
is used to connect the two clauses.
e) Expresses future time also in special cases.
At 8.30 in the morning I was getting ready to come to
office.
A: What were you doing yesterday evening?
B: I was watching T.V.
I was busy working for a training programme for the
administrative staff of the university.
He was having breakfast when I reached his home
Some people were working while others were
talking.
While the mother was working in the kitchen the son
was cleaning his room
I was going to tell you everything..
Some adverbs used with the Progressive Tenses:
always, continually,constantly, for ever.
She is/was always complaining about the load
of work.
He is/was constantly finding fault with
something or the other.
8. Tense Usage Example
Past Perfect
Sumit had gone to school.
Sub.+ had+ vb. 3rd+ pred.
a) expresses an action in the past that was
completed before another action, also in the
past , thus expressing past of the past or
before past.
b) Used when from a point of time in the past,
we look backward at an event that happened
earlier in the past. That point of time may be
expressed:
i. merely as a time phrase
ii. by a clause that refers to an action
that took place at a point of timein the
past
c) Expresses actions or events in the past
which denote causes or reasons for later
actions, also in the past.
d) expresses an unfulfilled wish in the past.
e) Expresses an unfulfilled condition in the past
He had gone back home by the time I reached my
office
The director had been apprised of the case before I
went through it.
When he had made his speech he sat down
By the evening of Monday I had finished all my
work.
When my father came home my brother had already
gone to bed.
The teacher found that the student was not writing
anything on the answer sheet because he had not studied
earlier.
The student did not write anything on the
answersheet for he had not studied earlier.
I wish I had accepted the job.
If I had come in a car I would not have got wet.
Note: When he made his speech he sat down.
Two Simple Past tenses indicate that the two actions
occurred together i.e., He sat down during his speech.
9. Tense Usage Example
Past Perfect Continuous
Sumit had been going to school for
three years.
Sub.+ had + been + vb. ing+
pred.( obj. + since/for+ time)
a) expresses an action or an event hat had begun
and was going on upto a given point of time in
the past.
He had been topping the merit list till last year
The telephone had been ringing for five minuteswhen I
picked up the receiver.
He had been waiting for his bus since 5o’ clock
Simple Future
Sumit will go to school.
Sub.+will/shall+ vb.1st
+ Predicate
a) Expresses some planned action in future
Note: In interrogative sentences denoting simple
future ‘will’ is used with all the three persons.
b) Simple Present
c) Present Progressive: Often time is mentioned
Note: The verbs ‘go’ and ‘come’ can however
be used without time expression
d) expressed by going to + verb other than
‘go’ and ‘come’
e) be about to + verb, when the happening is
imminent
f) be+to+verb(bare form) expresses duty,
necessity or planned action infuture.
I shall return your book on Monday.
He will come back tomorrow.
Our team leaves for Bombay day after tomorrow.
The Dean of the college is meeting the Vice Chancellor next
Tuesday.
We are going for a walk
He is coming with us
The association is going to present a memorandum
The movie is about to begin
I am to be at a meeting at 3o’clock today.
He is to complete the work today at evey cost.
10. Tense Usage Example
Future Progressive/
Continuous
Sumit will going to school.
Sub.+ will/shall+be+ vb. ing+
pred.
The future progressive tense is used for an ongoing
action that will occur in the future.
I will be running to the shops every day after today.
Future Perfect
Sumit will have gone to school.
Sub.+ will/shall+have+ vb.
3rd+ pred.
The future perfect tense is used to describe an action
that will have been completed at some point in the
future.
I will have run to work by 12 o'clock.
Future Perfect Continuous
Sumit will have been going to
school for three years.
Sub.+ will/shall+have+been + vb.
ing+ pred.( obj. + since/for+ time)
The future perfect progressive tense is used for an
ongoing action that will be completed at some
specified time in the future.
I will have been running for 3 hours by 12 o'clock.
