Have you ever come across a sentence and wondered if “was” or “is” fits the context? Or have you ever worried if “went” or “go” was the right choice for a sentence?
Don’t worry! We’ve all been there!
Knowing when to use present or past tense can sometimes be tricky. But look at it as riding a bike. Once you get a hang of it, it’s smooth sailing from there.
Think of tenses as time machines for words. The present tense puts you in the now, take for instance, “I’m reading this article.” On the other hand, the past tense takes you back to yesterday, like “I ate pizza last night.”
Tenses aren’t just strict rules. In this article, we’ll take you through how to make sentences with present and past tense.
Present Perfect Tense
Imagine a time machine that shows every stop on your timeline, ranging from lunch today, to that summer vacation. That’s what the present perfect tense is!
It uses “has” or “have” with a past participle verb to show actions done at any point in the past, even up to the present moment.
Let’s look at some examples:
- “I have read all the Harry Potter novels!” This means you finished the books sometime in the past, and you may reread them.
- “She has sung in the orchestral since she was five.” This means that she started singing then and still sings to this day.
Present Continuous Tense
Ever wanted to shine a spotlight on what’s happening right now? The present continuous tense does that for you.
It uses “are,” “is,” or “am” with a “-ing” verb to show actions happening while you’re speaking. Here are a few examples:
- “The dog is playing with a toy in my room.” That is, it is happening right now.
- “We are preparing for a surprise birthday party for Mark.” That is, the planning is ongoing.
Past Continuous Tense
Want to refer to a past event or action? The past continuous tense helps you with that.
It uses “were” or “was” with a “-ing” verb to refer to actions happening in the past. This is often alongside another past event.
For example:
- “It was raining heavily as I drove home from work.” This tells you that the rain was falling while you were driving.
- “They were singing karaoke when all the lights went out.” You can tell that they were singing when something else happened.
Mixing and Matching Tenses
Now, to the best part!
Tenses don’t need to be isolated. You can use them together.
Even more, you can blend present and past tense to create vivid narratives, hint at the future, and even jump back and forth in time.
Let’s look at some examples.
- “I remember when I first went to the beach, it was breathtaking!” We mix a present emotion with a memory.
- “If I had studied harder, I would have passed my mid-term tests.” This is a past hypothetical with a conditional future.
- “The movie starts with a thrilling scene, and the clues keep you guessing until the post-credits.” Here, we use the present tense to describe a future event.
Practice Makes Perfect
Remember, mastering tenses is like learning a new language. It becomes easier and smoother with more practice.
Write stories, chat with friends, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Have fun while at it.
Conclusion
There you have it — we’ve shown you how to make sentences with present and past tense. So, go ahead and take your storytelling to another level.
Check here for the JSS 1 English Language Scheme of Work for the second term.
