Pete
05-07-2006, 06:49 PM
Alma Portugal sent me e-mail asking if there is an easier way to remember the names of the English tenses than memorizing each of them individually.
I think the best way to think of the tenses in English is to think separately about (pure) tense and aspect. The (pure) tense is one of past, present, and future. The tense most usually places the action of the verb in time (but there are other uses as well). You do have to memorize those three tense names.
There are 4 different possible aspects of a verb: simple, continuous (also called progressive), perfect, and perfect continuous. The aspect of a verb describes the internal structure of the action, at whatever time the action takes place. You have to memorize the 4 different aspects.
Now every general tense (as opposed to a pure tense) is a combination of a pure tense and an aspect (where the simple aspect leaves the pure tense unchanged.) If you multiply 3 pure tenses by 4 aspects, you get 12 general tenses (= 12 tense-aspect combinations):
past
past simple
walked
past continuous
was walking / were walking
past perfect
had walked
past perfect continuous
had been walking
present
present simple
walk / walks
present continuous
is walking / are walking
present perfect
has walked / have walked
present perfect continuous
has been walking / have been walkng
future
future simple
will walk
future continuous
will be walking
future perfect
will have walked
future perfect continuous
will have been walking
By thinking of tenses this way, they fit into a logical pattern, and there is less to memorize. Good luck.
I think the best way to think of the tenses in English is to think separately about (pure) tense and aspect. The (pure) tense is one of past, present, and future. The tense most usually places the action of the verb in time (but there are other uses as well). You do have to memorize those three tense names.
There are 4 different possible aspects of a verb: simple, continuous (also called progressive), perfect, and perfect continuous. The aspect of a verb describes the internal structure of the action, at whatever time the action takes place. You have to memorize the 4 different aspects.
Now every general tense (as opposed to a pure tense) is a combination of a pure tense and an aspect (where the simple aspect leaves the pure tense unchanged.) If you multiply 3 pure tenses by 4 aspects, you get 12 general tenses (= 12 tense-aspect combinations):
past
past simple
walked
past continuous
was walking / were walking
past perfect
had walked
past perfect continuous
had been walking
present
present simple
walk / walks
present continuous
is walking / are walking
present perfect
has walked / have walked
present perfect continuous
has been walking / have been walkng
future
future simple
will walk
future continuous
will be walking
future perfect
will have walked
future perfect continuous
will have been walking
By thinking of tenses this way, they fit into a logical pattern, and there is less to memorize. Good luck.