There are certain languages where verb tenses are not important neither do they exist but in English, tenses are very important. We will teach you how to avoid confusing tense with time and how to structure the 12 basic tenses, with examples using a regular verb, an irregular verb, and the verb "be".
A basic model sentence is structured as following :-
(1) Subject– "A noun, noun phrase or pronoun representing the person or thing that performs the action of the verb, about which something is stated or, in a passive sentence, that is affected by the action of the verb is called subject."
Generally Noun, Pronoun or Adjective words act as a subject of an action. Subject may be singular or plural in number. The subject word in a sentence can be compared exactly like the head of a family or the engine of a train. In other words the subject word decides the use of verb or helping verb form in a sentence.
(2) Verb –"Words used for predicating (that is, saying something about some person or thing) are called verbs."
This is the most essential element in a sentence. There is no existence of a sentence without a verb. Due to its pivotal importance the verb has a quality of changeability, using which can generate various kinds of sentences and hence the language excels.
(a) Main Verb – Those action words which have both the individual meanings and identity are called main verbs.
e. g. appreciate your performance.
Here the word' appreciate' does not change its meaning even when it is used as an individual word.
(b) Helping verb or auxiliary – Those words which in association with the main verbs provide a definite meaning and identification to the sentence are called helping verbs or auxiliaries.
e.g. She is reading a book.
In this sentence the word 'is' is a helping verb and its use with the main verb 'reading' shows the continuity of the action. This sentence is in the Present Continuous Tense form.
(a)Transitive Verb – Those main verbs which are accompanied with some director indirect object or which affect something directly, or indirectly are called Transitive verbs.
e.g. A lecturer delivers lectures.
S V O
Here the verb 'delivers, is attached to the word 'lectures'. If the word'lectures' is not used in the sentence, the meaning of the sentence remainsunclear. So the use of the word 'lectures' (object) is quite obligatory here.
(b) Intransitive Verb – Those verbs which are not accompanied with any object whether direct or indirect or the verbs which do not affect anything directly or indirectly or the verbs whose effect is confined with the subject only are called Intransitive verbs.
e.g. Smita laughs.
In this sentence the verb 'laughs' is not attached to any object, yet the meaning of the sentence is clear. So 'laugh' is an example of the Intransitive verb.
(1) Verbs are classified as Strong and Week according to the manner in which they form the Past Tense and the Past Participle.
(a) Strong Verbs – Such verbs whose three forms are quite different from each other, are called strong verbs. e.g.
There are three tenses in English.
In order to show at what stage the action is, both the tenses are sub-divided into four heads.
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