Grammatical Use of Language: Using English Tenses Correctly

Jan 6, 2011David Kiarie

There are ways to use English grammatically. A good start is to use English tenses correctly to effectively communicate about the present, past and future

English is an important international language. It is perhaps the single most important language that unites the world because of its global reach. It can be found spoken by at least a few people in virtually every country in the world. Although different people might have varying accents when speaking English, the same grammatical rules apply and are required to use the language correctly and effectively to communication.

Correct use written and spoken English by the native English speaker or the non native English speaker ultimately results in effective communication. The benefits of grammatical use of English are seen in many situations; such as a medium of communication during international travels, correspondence between offices in different countries, education/studying/working abroad and even in accessing information on the Internet. In all these cases the English underscores its central role as a universal language. Mastering the English language can start by mastering use of the English tenses.

TheEnglishTenses

Time can be split into the present (what you are doing now), the past (what you did), and the future (what you are going to do). In English, tenses show the time of a verb's action or being, achieved by changing (conjugating) verb endings to show roughly what time a verb is referring to. Using tenses in the various time frames may initially appear complicated, but you can actually use English tenses correctly by keeping a few things in mind.

Ways to Use English Tenses Grammatically

Step 1

Use simple tenses to show the permanent characteristics of events and people or things that happen regularly, habitually or in single completed action. Simple tenses include simple present tenses as seen in the sentence: She plays hockey (verb tense = plays), simple past tenses as seen in the sentence: He played hockey (verb tense = played) and simple future tenses as in the sentence: I am going to play hockey next year (verb tense = going to play.)

Step 2

Talk about a particular point in time using continuous tenses. Continuous tenses include present continuous tenses as found in the sentence: I am swimming (verb tense = swimming), past continuous tenses as in the sentence: He was watching television (verb tense = watching) and future continuous tenses as seen in the sentence: You will be waiting for him when the bus arrives (verb tense = will be waiting.)

Step 3

Give more information about an action or situation in the present that is linked to a moment in the past to show things that have happened until and including now; but are not finished yet, or to emphasize that something happened but is not true anymore using perfect tenses. Perfect tenses include present perfect tenses as found in the sentence: She has seen that picture many times (verb tense = has seen), past perfect tenses as seen in the sentence: She had seen that picture before she came to the gallery (verb tense = had seen), and future perfect tenses as seen in the sentence: She will have perfected English by the time she comes back from England (verb tense = will have perfected.)

Step 4

Discuss the future using future tenses with verb forms such as “Shall,” “Will” or “Going to.” Future tenses include simple future tenses as found in the sentence: She will help him latter (verb tense = will help), and future perfect tenses as in the sentence: She will have cleaned the car by tomorrow (verb tense = will have cleaned).

Tips to Remember When Using English Tenses

Technically, there are no future tenses in English because future tenses are often called modal tenses. Modal tenses use modal verbs, including “Will,” “Can,” “May,” and “Must.” “Will” and "Shall' are very common modal verbs used in future tenses.

It is advised to regularly read, study, practice and listen to grammatical use of the English language to improve your grasp of the tenses and and be an effective English language user.

References:

  • Englishpage.com: Verb Tense Tutorial
  • E-grammar.org: English Grammar Exercises
  • TalkEnglish.com: Steps to English Fluency
  • Saching.com: Importance Of English