Tense Flashcards
When is the present simple used?
The present simple is used when writing about things happening now and that won’t be affected over the passing of time. (e.g She writes a lot of papers for her classes.) It is the most common tense used in English grammar.
It is mainly used when:
-describing facts as they are always true so time wouldn’t effect them generalisations and truths that wont be affected by time passing.
-when using generalisations and explanations as they are based on facts so follow the same rules
-when describing/refering to context of a text even in fiction writing and apply it to the events/actions that are your main focus
What is past simple used for?
Past simple is used for events that have been in the past and are now over/completed. (e.g.She wrote the papers for all her classes last week.)
It would mainly be used for-
-reporting past steps in research that have been completed whether you are referring to your own or someone else’s
-describing historical events and providing background information of events that took place and ended in the past
When is future simple used?
Future simple is used for events that will be completed in the future. e.g.She will write papers for her classes next week.
It is mainly used in:
-making predictions or stating intentions
-in research proposals when describing your intentions
-when discussing the possibilities within the future implications of your research
What is present perfect used for?
Present perfect is used when you describe events that happened in the past and are expected to continue, or to emphasise the relevance of past events to the present moment. (e.g.She has written lots of papers, but she still has some left to write.)
It is mainly used for-
-summarising a whole body of research (studies have shown a link between red meat and cancer)
-describing the history of an ongoing debate (identity politics has been a topic of heated debate since the 1960s)
-when mentioning research that took place over an unspecified time period in the past as a-pose to a specific step of conduct of the research (green et al. have conducted extensive research on the ecological effects of wolf reintroduction)
-emphasising the present relevance of past work
What is the past perfect used for?
The past perfect is used to describe distinctions between events that happened in the past prior to other events. It isn’t commonly used in English academic.
e.g. She had written several papers for her classes before she started at a new university
When is future perfect used?
Future perfect is used to describe events that will happen between now and a certain point in the future. e.g.-She will have written many papers for her classes between now and semester.
When is present continuous used?
Present continuous is used to describe usually temporary actions that are currently ongoing.
e.g. -She is writing a paper for her class.
What is past continuous used for?
Past continuous is used to describe ongoing past events, often in relation to another event.
e.g. -She was writing a paper for her class when her pencil broke.
What is future continuous?
Future continuous is used to describe events that are expected to continue over a period of time.
e.g- She will be writing a lot of paper for her classes next year.
What is present perfect continuous?
Present perfect continuous is used to describe events that started in the past and are continuing into the present, or were completed recently emphasising their relevance to the current moment.
e.g. She has been writing papers all night, and now she is going to get some sleep.
What is past present continuous?
Past present continuous is when events began, continued and ended in the past emphasising their relevance to the past moment.
e.g. She had been writing a paper all night and needed to get some sleep.
What is future present continuous?
Future present continuous is used to describe events that will happen up to a certain point in the future, emphasising there expected duration.
e.g. She will have been writing this paper for three months when she hands it in.
When is the main times any of the continuous tenses would be used?
Continuous tense is the least used tense in academic writing but it may be used in:
-certain types of academic writing (literary and historical etc…) in narrative descriptions or accounts of past events+ is useful for positioning events next to each other
E.G. The country was still recovering from the recession when Donald trump was elected.
