TEACHING TENSES

TEACHING TENSES

By: Jati Handayani

Teaching tenses consist of seven parts. They are present section, past section, future section, conditional section,

1. Present section

When we use present? Sometimes it can us confuse. The book has strategies to make easily to remember for using the present.

Present continuous

We can use present tense when used as a present tense as a dealing with action which began before the moment of speaking, are expected to continuo past it, but are essentially transitory. Beside that we can use present tense to verbs of hoping and future action.

Present simple

It is used to express daily activity; habitual truths, general truths, permanent truths, for giving instructions or demonstration. And then, it is used also to a narrative device to describing feelings and sense.

Present perfect

The present perfect shows the present situation in relative in relation to pass action; that is, how the past is relevant to now. Present perfect is used for uncompleted action where both actor and results remain; for an action which took place in an identified period of time, which is not yet over.

Usually, the time marker of present perfect are “ just”, “already”, “yet”, “still”, but sometimes the present perfect is followed by future tense like as when or before.

Present perfect tense

It is used as an explanation for the present situation or the appearance of the speaker, it can also be used accounted a period of time now finishing, used to draw attention to the repeated or continuous nature of an action or habit resulting in present expertise or knowledge, and the last it can be used to verb of wishing/hoping.

2. Past section

There are six parts of past section. They are past simple, past continuous, past perfect, past perfect, past perfect continuous, used to, and were going to.

Past tense

It is used for an action in the past with the marker “when” or “while”. It can also be used to polite conversation marker, with verbs of thinking, wishing.

Past continuous

The past continuous usually places an action in relation to a point or period of time in the past.

Past perfect

The past perfect is used for action previous to and affecting a nominated time in the past. The time markers are “before”, “after”, “when”. In other hand, it can be used to report speech.

Past perfect continuous

The past continuous is used to explain the action took place in the time leading up to the identified moment, and was temporary, or expected to be temporary.

Used to

Used to be used to explain discontinued or presumed discontinued habit and used modest disclaimer.

Was going to

It used to indicate a plan formed in the past and later a ban don.

3. Future section

There are 5 parts of future. They are “diary future”, going to future, will/shall future, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous. Usually, the simple future is used to express daily activity or something shall do next time like as wishing or willing or planning the explaining each parts.

Diary future

It is used for pre-arranged plan and for refusing invitations.

Going to future

It is used to indicate a general plan or intention, or to predict future events, based on present concrete evidence or to express intention

Will/shall future

It is used to volunteer and instant decision or just prediction. It can also be used to express determination or express commitment. Beside that can be used for logical deduction.

Future continuous

It is used to denote an action which is expected to cross a point or fill a period of future time or be used for reassuring arrangements, threatening or promising future action and can be used for logical deduction too like as pattern before it.

Future perfect

It is used to explain a point in future time is indicated in the sentence usually with ‘by’ and is implied or stated.

Future perfect continuous

It is used to explain the predicated duration of an event, viewed from a future time or a predicated mental or physical state.

4. Conditional section

It is pattern expressing the relationship between two actions/activities, they are reason and occasion.

There are four conditional verb patterns.

The general conditional which expresses a general rule, where the conditional is or could be repeatedly fulfilled.

The first condition where to explain to predict what will happen if a likely future condition is fulfilled, or to make offers. It can also be used to describe repeated habitual action in the past.

The second condition where to explain to predict the results of unlikely future conditions, to make contingency plans for unlikely future event, or to express dreams and unfulfilled ambitions.

The third condition where to explain a tracking cause and effect in the past chains of actions, or expressing fate and chance, be used too to explaining past actions.