Structure: Tenses

Verb tenses are changes or additions to verbs to show when the action took place: in the past, present, or future.

More on Tenses

1. Present Continuous Tense:

The present continuous tense expresses an action that is happening now.

Examples:

a. The woman is running.

b. Doris is sweeping the classroom.

c. The girl is writing on the board.

2. Present Perfect Tense:

The present perfect tense refers to a recently completed action that is still relevant at the moment (time of speaking).

Examples:

a. I have swept my kitchen.

b. John has written his name.

c. Uche has washed her clothes.

3. Past Perfect Tense:

The past perfect tense is used to show that one action happened before the other in the past.

Examples:

a. I had finished my assignment before the arrival of our physics teacher.

b. Shola had written to me twice before I could give a reply last week.

c. Our teacher had finished his lesson before Tinu asked a question.

4. Past Continuous Tense:

The past continuous tense is used to show an action continuing in the past.

Examples:

a. We were sleeping when our teacher came.

b. She was copying her note when the thieves broke into her room.

c. Chinwe was making a lot of noise when I entered.

5. Future Continuous Tense:

The future continuous tense is used to represent an action which is expected to continue in the future.

Examples:

a. By 10 a.m. tomorrow, I shall be eating my breakfast.

b. The Principal of Queen’s College will have been promoted to the post of Director by next November.

c. By next week Saturday, Dosumu will have been celebrating his 42^nd birthday.

Reference: Contemporary English Grammar by Murthy, J. D.