VERB Flashcards
Present Tense Simple (absolute & contextual value)
Absolute value: It represents actions happening at the present moment. (habitual actions) (current action) (general truth)
Example: ‘‘I drink water every day.’’
Contextual value: To express a future action
Example: ‘‘If your cousin comes here tomorrow, we will go to the cinema.’’ (in a conditional clause)
Historical present: “In 1969, Neil Armstrong steps onto the moon and says, ‘That’s one small step for man…’” (Here, the present tense “steps” is used to describe a past event.)
Finite & Non-Finite forms
- Finite Verbs: Finite verbs are conjugated with the subject in a sentence. Agree with the subject in a sentence in terms of person (first, second, or third) number (singular or plural), tense and mood. They indicate tense and typically carry the main meaning of the sentence. Examples of finite verb forms include:
- Present tense: ‘‘I eat,’’ ‘‘You talk,’’ ‘‘He runs.’’
- Past tense: ‘‘She danced,’’ ‘‘We played,’’ ‘‘They laughed.’’
- Future tense: ‘‘I will eat,’’ ‘‘You shall go,’’ ‘‘They will arrive.’’
- Present perfect tense: ‘‘She has seen,’’ ‘‘We have finished,’’ ‘‘They have arrived.’’
- Past perfect tense: ‘‘He had left,’’ ‘‘We had studied,’’ ‘‘They had seen.’’
- Future perfect tense: ‘‘I will have gone,’’ ‘‘You will have finished,’’ ‘‘They will have arrived.’’ - Non-finite Verbs: Non-finite verbs do not indicate tense, mood, or agreement with the subject. They are not conjugated to match the subject and are typically used in conjunction with auxiliary verbs or as verb phrases. Non-finite verb forms include:
- Infinitive: The base form of the verb, usually preceded by ‘‘to.’’ Examples: ‘‘to run,’’ ‘‘to eat,’’ ‘‘to sleep.’’
- Gerund: A verb form ending in ‘‘-ing’’ that functions as a noun. Examples: ‘‘Running is good for health,’’ ‘‘I enjoy swimming,’’ ‘‘He hates waiting.’’
- Participle: A verb form that can function as an adjective (e.g. working woman) or a part of another verb tense like the perfect or continuous tenses. There are two types: present participle (ending in ‘‘-ing’’ e.g. going, being) and past participle (usually ending in ‘‘-ed’’ or irregular forms: gone, been). Examples: ‘‘The running water,’’ ‘‘The broken window,’’ ‘‘The spoken word.’’
Present Tense Progressive (absolute & contextual value)
Absolute value: It represents ongoing actions in the present.
Example: ‘‘I am currently working on a project.’’
Temporary actions: She is living in New York for the summer.
Contextual value: It can also express temporary or planned future actions.
Example: ‘‘I am meeting my friend tomorrow.’’
To express futurity (vbs of movement like ”to come”, ”to arrive”, ”to go”, ”to leave”): He is going to London on Friday.
Expressing Annoyance or Emphasis: “He is always interrupting me during meetings!”
Simple Past (absolute & contextual value)
Simple Past:
Absolute value: It represents completed actions in the past.
Example: ‘‘She visited China last year.’’
Past States: She was a doctor.
Contextual value: It can also be used to narrate stories or express past habits.
Example: ‘‘When I was young, I played tennis every day.’’
Future action, in a time clause, which is simultaneous with another one expressed by Future-in-the-Past: He promised me that he would tell me the truth when he knew it.
Past Progressive (absolute & contextual value)
Past Progressive (also known as Past Continuous; was, were + ing):
* Absolute value: It represents ongoing actions in the past.
Example: ‘‘She was walking to the store’’
- Contextual value: It can express interrupted actions or background information in the past.
Example: ‘‘I was sleeping when the phone rang.’’
Future arrangement seen from a past moment: ”our neighbours did not come to our place that evening because they were taking the night train to London.”
Repeated, annoying action in the past: The 2 Ss were always laughing during my classes.
Present Perfect Simple (absolute & contextual value)
Absolute value: It represents actions or events that started in the past and have a connection to the present.
Example: ‘‘I have finished my homework.’’ (I started to work on my homework in the past and finished it in the present time)
When we are no longer interested in the time when the past action took place, but in its result into the present: I have visited an interesting museum. (= I still remember the things seen there).
Contextual value: Future Action, in a time clause, prior to another one represented by a future tense.
”I shall ring you up as soon as/after mother has come back.
Present Perfect Progressive (absolute & contextual value)
Absolute value: It represents ongoing or repeated actions that started in the past and have a connection to the present.
Example: ‘‘She has been working on that project for weeks.’’
- Contextual value: It can express duration or emphasize the continuity of an action.
Example: ‘‘I have been waiting for hours.’’
Actions which have just stopped, but still have present results: ”Ah, here you are! Have you been waiting long?
Past Perfect Simple (absolute & contextual value)
Absolute value: It represents actions or events that occurred before another action or point in the past.
Example: ‘‘They had already left when I arrived.’’
Sequence of events where one was completed before another: “He had finished his homework before he watched TV.”
Contextual value: It can express regrets or unrealized intentions.
Example: ‘‘I wish I had studied harder for the exam./ I wish I hadn’t come to this university!’’
Past Conditional in a conditional clause: If only you hadn’t lied to her!
Past Perfect Progressive (absolute & contextual value)
Indicative mood, absolute value, contextual value
Tenses in English are used to indicate the time of an action, event, or state.
The indicative mood is used to express facts, statements, or beliefs. Within the indicative mood, different tenses convey different temporal aspects.
The absolute value of a tense = refers to its primary or fundamental purpose in expressing a specific time relationship. Each tense has a main function that is commonly associated with a particular time frame.
The contextual value of a tense = refers to additional ways in which a particular tense can be used to convey other meanings or situations beyond its primary time relationship. These additional uses often depend on the specific context in which the tense is used.
