USING TENSES APPROPRIATELY

English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)

USING TENSES APPROPRIATELY

PAST TENSE:
The past tense performs three major functions:

1. It expresses a past action:
   I ate yam yesterday.
2. It is used to express politeness:
   Can you please step out (grammatical; less polite)?
   Could you please step out (grammatical; more polite).
3. It is also used to express hypothetical past (subjunctive):
   It’s time we go. ✖️
   It’s we went. ✔️
   I would rather you do it. ✖️
   I would rather you did it. ✔️

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
This tense performs four functions:

1. It talks about ongoing actions:
   I am reading my “English for Today” now.
2. It talks about an action that is going on at about the period but not necessarily at the time of speaking:
   We are preparing for our harvest.
3. It is used with the adverb, always, to express habitual actions:
   She is always coming home late.
4. It is also used to express a future action:
   We are playing Madrid next weekend.
   GAB