Universidade Católica de Moçambique

Instituto de Educação à Distância

Tema: Tenses

Nome da Estudante: Albertino Fernando Prestra

Curso: Licenciatura em Ensino de Biologia

Disciplina: Inglês
Ano de Frequência: 1° Ano

Nampula, Setembro, 2023

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Index
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3

CHAPTER II: DEVELOPMENT.................................................................................................... 4

PRESENT SIMPLE ......................................................................................................................... 4

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE ........................................................................................................ 8

FUTURE SIMPLE TENSE ............................................................................................................. 9

DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES ................................................................................ 12

RELATIVE CLAUSES ................................................................................................................. 15

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 17

BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 18

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 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Verbs are the backbone of any language, providing the action and context to our sentences. In
English, verb tenses play a crucial role in conveying when an action occurs and whether it's
ongoing, completed, or anticipated. Understanding verb tenses is essential for effective
communication and clear expression.

English has several verb tenses, each serving a specific purpose. These tenses can be broadly
categorized into three main groups: past, present, and future. Within these groups, there are
various forms and nuances that allow us to pinpoint the exact timing and duration of an action.

In this introduction, we'll explore the basics of English verb tenses, starting with the simple
present, past, and future tenses. We'll also delve into more complex tenses like the present
continuous, past perfect, and future perfect, giving you a foundation to express yourself
accurately in different situation.

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 CHAPTER II: DEVELOPMENT

PRESENT SIMPLE

Usage of present simple

According to Moffett (2014) simple present is used

1. To talk about habits or routines, schedules, and facts.

2. for things that are always true or happens regularly.

We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens
regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite).

According to Hassan (2019) present simple tense is used.

 To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and
wishes:
I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large
city (general truth)
 To express something that is fixed in the present or in a near future.

a) My mother arrives tomorrow.

b) Her exam starts at 7:00.

c) Christmas' holiday is on December 25th.

d) The next bus leaves at 04:40 this afternoon.

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How to form the simple present

In the present simple tense we have to pay attention with the conjugation of the third person (he,
she, it) because the original form of the verb changes following the rule:

1. Add -s to most verbs. close–closes love–loves stop–stops

dance–dances open–opens take–takes
exercise–exercises play–plays write–writes
feed–feeds put–puts work–works
2. Add -es to verbs ending in -sh, -ch, -s, -x, wash–washes dress–dresses buzz–buzzes
and -z. teach–teaches relax–relaxes
3. Change -y to -i and add -es to verbs carry–carries copy–copies study–studies
ending in a consonant + y

Examples of present simple

1. I study Maths
2. the salespeople sell products for a company.
3. You and Anita work on weekends.
4. Nurse helps people
5. She writes science books
6. Your office closes at 7:00 p.m

There are some verbs that they have their own conjugations or that don’t follow the rule showed
above, these verbs are: to be and to have.

Structures

The present simple tense has as structure:

Subject + Verb + infinite or object

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Positive, negative and interrogative form

 To make positive sentences using verb to be we must the rule:

Subject + verb+ object
 To make negative sentences using verb to be we must put not after verb to be:
Subject + (don’t/doesn’t) or (does not, do not) + object
 To make interrogative sentences using verb to be we must change the position of verb to
be and subject and add (?) in the end of the sentence:
Do/Does + Subject + object +?

Positive form Short Negative form Long Negative Interrogative

form

.I do I do not I don’t Do I you?

You do You do not You Do you?

He/ She/ it does He/ she/it does not He/ she/it doesn’t Does he/she.it?

We do We do not We don’t Do we?

They do They do not They don’t Do they?

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Exercises

Complete with the missing form

Positive form Negative form Interrogative form

You like banana

Do you read books?

She loves me

John don’t have a car

Positive form Negative form Interrogative form

.You like You don’t like Do you like

banana banana banana?

You read You don’t read Do you read books?

books books

She loves me She doesn’t love me Does she love me?

John has a car John doesn’t have a Does John have a

car car?

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PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Rules

The present perfect tense is an English verb tense used for past actions that are related to or
continue into the present. It’s easily recognized by the auxiliary verbs (or helper
verbs) have and has, as in, “I have gone fishing since I was a child.”

Of all the English verb tenses, the present perfect is one of the most complicated because there’s
not always a direct translation in other languages. So in this guide, we explain everything you
need to know to use it perfectly, including how and when to use it, with plenty of present perfect
tense examples.

The present perfect tense for statements

For general statements, the most common use of the present perfect, use have or has plus the past
participle form of the main verb.

[have/has] + [past participle]

Charlotte has become friends with Wilbur.

We’ve broken up before, but this time feels different.

The present perfect tense for negatives

To use the present perfect tense in the negative, simply add the negative word
(like not or never) after the auxiliary verb but before the past participle.

[have/has] + [negative] + [past participle]

I have not slept well since exams started.

My Midwestern friend has never seen the ocean.

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This construction works for neither, nor sentences, too.

It’s 11 in the morning, and she has neither eaten breakfast nor gotten dressed.

Please note that it’s clearest to avoid contractions when using the present perfect tense with
the negative, at least in American English.

I’ve not seen the Eiffel Tower.

I have not seen the Eiffel Tower.

The present perfect tense for questions

When asking a question in the present perfect tense, the auxiliary verb comes first, followed by
the subject, and then the past participle of the main verb. This follows a similar construction as
questions with the auxiliary verb do, which also comes before the subject.

[have/has] + [subject] + [past participle]

Have you eaten dinner yet?

Has the party started?

FUTURE SIMPLE TENSE

How to form the simple future

The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb].

I will learn a new language.

Jen will read that book.

My brothers will sleep till noon if no one wakes them up.

You will see what I mean.

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It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula for the simple future doesn’t
change.

But, there is another way to show that something will happen in the future. It follows the
formula am/is/are + going to + [root form verb].

I am going to learn a new language.

Jen is going to read that book.

My brothers are going to sleep till noon if no one wakes them up.

You are going to see what I mean.

The going to construction is common in both speech and casual writing. Keep in mind, though,
that it’s on the informal side, so it’s a good idea to stick to the will + [root form] construction
in formal writing.

How to make the simple future negative

To make the simple future negative, the formula is will + not + [root form of verb].

Jen will not quit before she reaches her goal.

Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow, because the bus will not wait for you.

He will not say anything bad about his boss.

I will not finish my homework in time for class.

Using the going to construction, the formula is am/is/are + not + going to + [root form].

Jen is not going to quit before she reaches her goal.

Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow, because the bus is not going to wait for you.

He is not going to say anything bad about his boss.

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I am not going to finish my homework in time for class.

How to ask a question in the simple future

To ask a question in the simple future, the formula is will + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Will Jen finish War and Peace over the summer?

Will I have the discipline to study Spanish every day?

What will you buy with the money you found?

The formula for the going to construction is am/is/are + [subject] + going to + [root form of
verb].

Is Jen going to finish War and Peace over the summer?

Am I going to have the discipline to study Spanish every day?

What are you going to buy with the money you found?

Common verbs in the simple future

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The going to construction

DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES

In English there are three articles: a, an, and the. Articles are used before nouns or noun
equivalents and are a type of adjective. The definite article (the) is used before a noun to indicate
that the identity of the noun is known to the reader. The indefinite article (a, an) is used before a
noun that is general or when its identity is not known. There are certain situations in which a
noun takes no article.

As a guide, the following definitions and table summarize the basic use of articles. Continue
reading for a more detailed explanation of the rules and for examples of how and when to apply
them.

Definite article

the (before a singular or plural noun)

Indefinite article

a (before a singular noun beginning with a consonant sound)

an (before a singular noun beginning with a vowel sound)

Count nouns - refers to items that can be counted and are either singular or plural

Non-count nouns - refers to items that are not counted and are always singular

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For the purposes of understanding how articles are used, it is important to know that nouns can
be either count (can be counted) or noncount (indefinite in quantity and cannot be counted). In
addition, count nouns are either singular (one) or plural (more than one). Noncount nouns are
always in singular form.

For example, if we are speaking of water that has been spilled on the table, there can be one drop
(singular) or two or more drops (plural) of water on the table. The word drop in this example is
a count noun because we can count the number of drops. Therefore, according to the rules
applying to count nouns, the word drop would use the articles a or the.

However, if we are speaking of water in general spilled on the table, it would not be appropriate
to count one water or two waters -- there would simply be water on the table. Water is
a noncount noun. Therefore, according to the rules applying to noncount nouns, the
word water would use no article or the, but not a.

Following are the three specific rules which explain the use of definite and indefinite articles.

Rule #1 - Specific identity not known: Use the indefinite article a or an only with a singular
count noun whose specific identity is not known to the reader. Use a before nouns that begin
with a consonant sound, and use an before nouns that begin with a vowel sound.

Use the article a before a consonant sound, and use an before a vowel sound.
a boy, an apple

◊ Sometimes an adjective comes between the article and noun:

an unhappy boy, a red apple

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 The plural form of a or an is some. Use some to indicate an unspecified, limited amount (but
more than one).
an apple, some apples

Rule #2 - Specific identity known: Use the definite article the with any noun (whether singular
or plural, count or noncount) when the specific identity of the noun is known to the reader, as in
the following situations:

 Use the article the when a particular noun has already been mentioned previously.
I ate an apple yesterday. The apple was juicy and delicious.

 Use the article the when an adjective, phrase, or clause describing the noun clarifies or

Additional Information Regarding the Use of Articles

 When indicating an unspecified, limited amount of a count or noncount noun, use some.
My cousin was seeking some advice from a counselor (not advice in general or advice about
everything, but a limited amount of advice).

I would love some coffee right now (not coffee in general, but a limited amount of coffee).

We might get rain tomorrow. Some rain would be good for the crops (a certain amount of rain, as
opposed to rain in general).

There are some drops of water on the table (a limited number, but more than one drop).

 Noncount nouns are those which usually cannot be counted. Following are some common
examples:
 Certain food and drink items: bacon, beef, bread, broccoli, butter, cabbage, candy,
cauliflower, celery, cereal, cheese, chicken, chocolate, coffee, corn, cream, fish, flour,
fruit, ice cream, lettuce, meat, milk, oil, pasta, rice, salt, spinach, sugar, tea, water, wine,
yogurt
 Certain nonfood substances: air, cement, coal, dirt, gasoline, gold, paper, petroleum,
plastic, rain, silver, snow, soap, steel, wood, wool

 Most abstract nouns: advice, anger, beauty, confidence, courage, employment, fun,
happiness, health, honesty, information, intelligence, knowledge, love, poverty,
satisfaction, truth, wealth

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  Areas of study: history, math, biology, etc.;
 Sports: soccer, football, baseball, hockey, etc.
 Languages: Chinese, Spanish, Russian, English, etc.
 Other: clothing, equipment, furniture, homework, jewelry, luggage, lumber, machinery,
mail, money, news, poetry, pollution, research, scenery, traffic, transportation, violence,
weather, work

RELATIVE CLAUSES

The relative pronouns are:

We use relative pronouns to introduce relative clauses. Relative clauses tell us more about
people and things:
Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
This is the house which Jack built.
Marie Curie is the woman that discovered radium.
We use:

 who and whom for people

 which for things
 that for people or things.

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There are two kinds of relative clause:
1. We use relative clauses to make clear which person or thing we are talking about:
Marie Curie is the woman who discovered radium.
This is the house which Jack built.
In this kind of relative clause, we can use that instead of who or which:
Marie Curie is the woman that discovered radium.
This is the house that Jack built.
We can leave out the pronoun if it is the object of the relative clause:
This is the house that Jack built. (that is the object of built)
2. We also use relative clauses to give more information about a person, thing or situation:
Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
We had fish and chips, which I always enjoy.
I met Rebecca in town yesterday, which was a nice surprise.
With this kind of relative clause, we use commas (,) to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

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CONCLUSION

During the realization of the English Work, I concluded that present simple is an important tense
in English because it teaches us how to form a sentence and how to conjugate any verb in
English and it is impossible to make negative and interrogative form without the auxiliary and it
is impossible to make negative and interrogative form without the auxiliary do, and we must pay
attention when we are conjugating a verb in the third person, cause the verb changes its normal
form. Past simple is used to talk about past habits, things that happened in the specific time in the
past, future simple is used to talk about things that will happen in the future, it can be made using
will, be going to and present continuous for future arrangement.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ellis, M. (25 de April de 2023). Obtido em 10 de Setembro de 2023, de

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/present-perfect-tense/

Hassan, T. (2019). BASIC English . USA.

Moffett, M. (2014). Simple Present part I. United Kingdon.

Tomais, C. (2019, Fevereiro 19). Retrieved August 30, 2023, from

https://www.preparaenem.com/ingles/simple-present.htm

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