Unit3 - Subjective Questions

Definition:
Tense is a grammatical category that locates a situation in time, to indicate when the situation takes place. It is the form of a verb which shows the time of an action or state.

Classification:
There are three main tenses, and each is subdivided into four aspects:

1. Present Tense
   • Simple Present
   • Present Continuous
   • Present Perfect
   • Present Perfect Continuous
2. Past Tense
   • Simple Past
   • Past Continuous
   • Past Perfect
   • Past Perfect Continuous
3. Future Tense
   • Simple Future
   • Future Continuous
   • Future Perfect
   • Future Perfect Continuous

Formation Rule:
The structure is:

• Use the base form of the verb ().
• Add 's' or 'es' if the subject is Third Person Singular (He, She, It, or a singular name).

Usage Scenarios:

1. Habitual Actions: Actions done repeatedly or as a routine. (e.g., She drinks coffee every morning.)
2. Universal Truths: Facts that are always true. (e.g., The sun rises in the east.)
3. Fixed Future Events: Schedules or timetables. (e.g., The train leaves at 6:00 PM.)

Structure:

Usage:

1. Actions happening now: To describe an action that is currently in progress at the time of speaking.
   • Example: I am writing a letter.
2. Temporary situations: Actions happening around now, but not necessarily at this exact moment.
   • Example: She is reading 'War and Peace' these days.
3. Planned near future: Fixed arrangements for the immediate future.
   • Example: We are meeting them tonight.

Present Perfect Tense:

• Usage: Connects the past to the present. It is used for actions that happened at an unspecified time or have an effect on the present.
• Structure:
• Example: I have lost my keys. (I don't have them now).

Simple Past Tense:

• Usage: Used for actions completed at a specific time in the past.
• Structure:
• Example: I lost my keys yesterday. (Focuses on the specific past event).

Key Difference: If a specific time marker (yesterday, last year, in 1990) is used, you generally must use Simple Past. If the focus is on the result or experience, use Present Perfect.

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense () describes an action that started in the past and is still continuing.

Usage of 'Since':

• Used to denote a point of time when the action started.
• It refers to the starting point.
• Examples: Since morning, since 1990, since Monday, since 2 o'clock.
• Sentence: He has been sleeping since 2 PM.

Usage of 'For':

• Used to denote a period of time (duration).
• It measures how long the action has lasted.
• Examples: For two hours, for five years, for a long time, for three days.
• Sentence: He has been sleeping for two hours.

1. Affirmative Sentences:

• Rule:
• Example: She wrote a letter.

2. Negative Sentences:

• Rule:
• Note: When 'did' is used, the verb reverts to the base form.
• Example: She did not write a letter.

3. Interrogative Sentences:

• Rule:
• Example: Did she write a letter?

The Past Continuous Tense () is often used with the Simple Past Tense to show that a longer action was interrupted by a shorter action.

Logic:

• Longer Action: Uses Past Continuous (background action).
• Shorter Action: Uses Simple Past (interruption).

Example:
"I was watching TV when the phone rang."

• Was watching = The continuous action happening in the past.
• Rang = The specific event that interrupted the watching.

Structure:

Sequence of Events:
The Past Perfect Tense is used to make it clear that one action happened before another action in the past. It is often called the "past of the past."

• Earlier Action: Uses Past Perfect ().
• Later Action: Uses Simple Past ().

Example:
"The train had left before we reached the station."

• Action 1 (First): The train left (had left).
• Action 2 (Second): We reached the station (reached).

Definition:
The Past Perfect Continuous Tense shows that an action started in the past and continued up until another time in the past.

Formula:

Example:
"He had been driving for ten hours when he finally arrived."

• This indicates the duration of the driving activity that occurred prior to the moment of arrival in the past.

Structure:

Usage:
Used for actions that will happen in the future.

Will vs. Shall (Traditional Rules vs. Modern Usage):

1. Traditional Rule:
   • Shall: Used with First Person (I, We).
   • Will: Used with Second (You) and Third Person (He, She, It, They).
2. Modern Usage:
   • Will is generally used for all persons.
   • Shall is now mostly used in formal offers or suggestions with 'I' and 'We' (e.g., Shall we go?).
3. Emphasis/Determination:
   • Swapping them (Will for I/We, Shall for others) indicates determination, promise, or threat (e.g., I will do it implies a promise).

Structure:

Usage:

1. Action in progress in the future: It describes an action that will be happening at a specific moment in the future.
   • Example: At 10 AM tomorrow, I will be flying to London.
2. Future routine: Something that will happen as a matter of course.
   • Example: I will be seeing John tomorrow at the office.

Structure:

Usage:
The Future Perfect Tense indicates that an action will have been completed (finished) at some point in the future. It is often used with time expressions starting with "by".

Expressing Deadlines:
It projects the speaker forward into the future and looks back at an action that will be finished by that time.

• Example: "I will have finished this project by next Monday."
  • This means that when next Monday arrives, the project will already be done.

Structure Derivation:

1. Future element: will/shall
2. Perfect element: have
3. Continuous element marker: been
4. Main verb continuous form: + ing

Formula:

Usage & Rarity:
It describes an action that continues up to a specific point in the future. It is rarely used because the sentence structure is cumbersome and complex. Speakers often prefer the Future Perfect or Future Continuous instead.

• Example: "By next year, I will have been working here for 20 years."

Imperative Sentences:
These are sentences used to give commands, orders, warnings, or instructions. They usually lack an explicit subject (the subject 'You' is implied).

Imperative Negative Formation:
To make an imperative sentence negative, place "Do not" or "Don't" before the base verb.

Rule:

Examples:

1. Positive: Open the door.
   • Negative: Don't open the door.
2. Positive: Talk loudly.
   • Negative: Do not talk loudly.

Definition:
Question tags are short questions added to the end of a statement to confirm information or ask for agreement.

Fundamental Rules:

1. Negative Tag for Positive Statement:

   • If the main sentence is positive (affirmative), the question tag must be negative.
   • Example: You are a student, aren't you?

2. Positive Tag for Negative Statement:

   • If the main sentence is negative, the question tag must be positive.
   • Example: He isn't coming, is he?

When a sentence contains an auxiliary verb (is, are, have, will), that verb is repeated in the tag. However, mostly in Simple Present and Simple Past tenses, there is no auxiliary verb in affirmative sentences.

Rules:

1. Simple Present (Singular - he/she/it): Use does (positive tag) or doesn't (negative tag).
   • Example: She likes pizza, doesn't she?
2. Simple Present (Plural/I/You): Use do (positive tag) or don't (negative tag).
   • Example: They play football, don't they?
3. Simple Past: Use did (positive tag) or didn't (negative tag) for all persons.
   • Example: He arrived late, didn't he?

1. Sentences with "I am":

• There is no contraction for "am not" (amn't is not standard). Therefore, we use "aren't I".
• Example: I am late, aren't I? (Note: If the sentence is negative "I am not", the tag is standard: "am I?")

2. Imperative Sentences:

• For commands or requests, the tag is usually "will you?" or "won't you?".
• Example: Open the door, will you?
• Example: Don't forget, will you?

3. Sentences with "Let's":

• When a sentence begins with "Let's" (Let us), the tag used is "shall we?".
• Example: Let's go for a walk, shall we?

Common Feature: All continuous tenses use the (Present Participle) form of the main verb.

1. Present Continuous:

• Helping Verbs: is / am / are
• Formula:
• Context: Action happening now.

2. Past Continuous:

• Helping Verbs: was / were
• Formula:
• Context: Action in progress in the past.

3. Future Continuous:

• Helping Verbs: will be / shall be
• Formula:
• Context: Action in progress in the future.

In Future Tense, the question tags are formed using the auxiliary verbs will and shall.

1. Sentences with 'Will':

• Positive Statement: Tag uses "won't" (contraction of will + not).
  • Example: He will come, won't he?
• Negative Statement: Tag uses "will".
  • Example: She won't lie, will she?

2. Sentences with 'Shall':

• Positive Statement: Tag uses "shan't" (contraction of shall + not), though rare in modern English, or the full form.
  • Example: We shall overcome, shan't we?
• Negative Statement: Tag uses "shall".
  • Example: I shall not waste time, shall I?

Definition:
Stative verbs (or state verbs) describe a state of being, feeling, thinking, or possession rather than a physical action.

Examples:

• Senses: hear, see, smell.
• Emotions: love, hate, like.
• Mental States: know, understand, believe.
• Possession: have, own, belong.

Rule for Continuous Tenses:
Stative verbs are generally not used in continuous (progressive) forms because a state does not usually have a start and stop point in the same way an action does. We use the Simple Tense instead.

• Incorrect: I am knowing the answer.
• Correct: I know the answer.
• Incorrect: She is owning a car.
• Correct: She owns a car.