DEVELOPING A SENSE OF PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

DEVELOPING A SENSE OF

 PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

According to Palmer (1974), ‘For almost any language the part that concerns with the verb is the most difficult’ (p.1).

When speak any language, we either speak about past time, present time or future time. We make references to time through the use of appropriate forms of verbs and other lexical items (adverbs and prepositions of time).

For example,

1. When we want to talk about something that we do everyday, we use present simple

 ( I/ we/ you/ they/ students  come

   He/ She / It/ Reena comes)

I come to college everyday.

He comes to college everyday.

2. When we want to talk about something that we did in the past (e.g. yesterday), we change the verb into its past tense form.

I came to college yesterday.

3. When we want to talk about something we will do in future (e.g. tomorrow), we change the verb into its future tense form.
I will come to college tomorrow.

Time = Simple

	Past	Present (habit)	Future
Question	When did you come yesterday? When did she come yesterday?	When do you come everyday? When does he come everyday?	When will you come tomorrow? When will Tina come tomorrow?
Signal words	Yesterday, on Monday, ago.	Everyday, always, usually, sometimes, never.	Tomorrow …
Sentence	I came at 10 o’clock yesterday. She came at 10 o’clock yesterday	I come at 10 o’clock everyday. He comes at 10 o’clock everyday.	I will come at 10 o’clock tomorrow. Tina will come at 10 o’clock tomorrow.
Negative	I didn’t come at 10 o’clock yesterday.	I don’t come at 10 o’clock everyday. He doesn’t come at 10 o’clock everyday.	I will not come at 10 o’clock tomorrow.

Regular Verbs	Present Simple	Past simple	Future simple
Walk	walk / walks	walked	will walk
Play	play / plays	played	will play
Ask	ask / asks	asked	will ask
Finish	finish / finishes	finished	will finish
Work	work / works	worked	will work
Watch Irregular Verbs	watch/watches Present Simple	watched Past simple	Will watch Future simple
Speak	speak / speaks	spoke	will speak
Buy	buy / buys	bought	will buy
Eat	eat / eats	ate	will eat
Send	send / sends	sent	will send
See	see / sees	saw	will see

      Following are the most commonly used verbs in English. Try to change them into their present tense, past tense and future tense forms.

accept allow ask believe borrow break bring buy cancel change clean comb complain cough count cut dance draw drink drive eat explain fall fill find

finish fit fix fly forget give go have hear hurt know learn leave listen live look lose make/do need open close/shut  organise pay play put

see rain read reply run say sell send sign sing sit sleep smoke speak spell spend stand start/begin  study succeed swim take talk teach tell

think translate travel try turn off turn on type understand  use wait wake up want watch work worry write

      Speaking on the following topics:

1. What do you do everyday?
2. What did you do yesterday?
3. What will you do tomorrow?