Lesson 1: Pronoun and Tense

PRONOUN:  A pronoun is a word which is used in place of a noun.  E.g., I, we, you, they, my, our, your, he, him, she, her, mine, their, theirs, it, its, etc.  Also, whom, whose, which, what, who, this, that, these, those, ones, none, myself, himself, etc.

TENSE:  Tense is divided into three categories:

(1) Present tense.

(2) Past Tense.

(3) Future Tense.

Each of the tenses has been divided into four categories and those have been illustrated below.

PRESENT TENSE:

      Simple present or present indefinite

      Present continuous

      Present perfect

      Present perfect continuous

Simple present tense or present indefinite is used to indicate (a) habitual action and (b) universal truth.

Examples of habitual action:  I go to school every day.  She gets up at 6 a.m. every day.  She works hard.

Examples of universal truth:  Sugar is sweet.  The sun rises in the east.

The following tables will help you understand the tenses better.

Simple Present

Singular	Plural
I go to school every day	We go to school every day
You go to school every day	You go to school every day
He/she goes (not go) to school every day	They go to school every day

Note:  In Simple Present Tense, the verb normally does not change.  But if the subject is third person singular number, then we need to add ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end of the verb.  For example,

He/she likes coffee (not like).

We like coffee.

Mary comes here once every week (not come).

They come here once every week.

Examples:

I eat rice every day.

He draws nice pictures.

Tom does not read at home.

I always go for a morning walk.

They play football every evening.

Present continuous tense is used for actions at the time of speaking.

Present Continuous Tense

Singular	Plural
I am reading now	We are reading now
You are reading now	You are reading now
He/she is reading now	They are reading now

Examples:

The cow is grazing in the field.

The boys are playing outside.

My mother is cooking food.

It is raining now.

The dog is barking loud.

Present perfect tense is used for an action which began in the past and which has finished a while ago or which has continued up to the time of speaking.

Present Perfect Tense

Singular	Plural
I have finished my homework	We have finished our homework
You have finished your homework	You have finished your homework
He/she has finished his/her homework	They have finished their homework

Examples:

I have completed writing the letter.

She has just finished cooking.

They have gone for a picnic today.

My family has lived in California for ten years and are still there.

Sheila has taken the keys to the computer lab.  She must be there now.

Present perfect continuous tense is used for an action which began in the past and which has continued to the time of speaking.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Singular	Plural
I have been watching TV since morning	We have been watching TV since morning
You have been watching TV since morning	You have been watching TV since morning
He/she has been watching TV since morning	They have been watching TV since morning

PAST TENSE:

      Simple past

      Past continuous

      Past perfect

      Past perfect continuous

Simple past is used for actions that happened in the past at a particular time.  It is also used to talk about something that was a habit in the past.

Simple Past

Singular	Plural
I went to market yesterday	We went to market yesterday
You went to market yesterday	You went to market yesterday
He/she went to market yesterday	They went to market yesterday

Examples:

He ate his lunch at 1 this afternoon.

My father played a lot of football when he was in school.

Mary had a headache yesterday, so she stayed in bed.

He did not tell a lie.

I met all my friends at the party yesterday.

Past continuous tense is used for continuous actions in the past.

Past Continuous Tense

Singular	Plural
I was cooking yesterday	We were cooking yesterday
You were cooking yesterday	You were cooking yesterday
He/she was cooking yesterday	They were cooking yesterday

Examples:

Sheila was studying at 7 yesterday.

While I was studying, my mother was baking a cake.

My brother was reading the newspaper yesterday morning.

I was learning my lesson of English at 11 a.m. yesterday.

The postman was delivering letters.

Past perfect tense is used for an action which has already begun before another action which takes place in the past.

Past Perfect Tense

Singular	Plural
I had done this work	We had done this work
You had done this work	You had done this work
He/she had done this work	They had done this work

Examples:

He had left before I came.

We had reached the city before the sun set.

He went to market after I had come.

They had gone before I arrived.

After I had left the village, the villagers assembled there.

The doctor came after the patient had died.

Past perfect continuous tense is used for actions in progress in the past.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Singular	Plural
I had been watching TV whole day yesterday	We had been watching TV all day yesterday
You had been watching TV all day yesterday	You had been watching TV all day yesterday
He/she had been watching TV all day yesterday	They had been watching TV all day yesterday

Examples:

It had been raining here for three days.

I had been suffering from fever for a long time before I went there.

He had been living in New Jersey for two years before he died.

I had been waiting for him since morning.

John had been running this school since 1975.

FUTURE TENSE:

      Simple Future or Future Indefinite

      Future Continuous

      Future Perfect (no longer or rarely used in speaking)

      Future Perfect Continuous (rarely used in speaking)

Simple future tense is used to express actions which will take place in the future.

Simple Future Tense

Singular	Plural
I shall go to office tomorrow	We shall go to office tomorrow
You will go to office tomorrow	You will go to office tomorrow
He/she shall go to office tomorrow	They will go to office tomorrow

Note:  The auxiliary verb ‘shall’ is no longer or rarely used nowadays and ‘will’ is used in its place.

Examples:

Tom will go there by bus.

I will finish typing this book within four days.

Mary will give a speech tomorrow.

They will not play badminton tomorrow.

The farmers will reap their harvest before rains.

Future continuous tense is used for actions which will be in progress at some time in future.

Future Continuous Tense

Singular	Plural
I shall be working tomorrow	We shall be working tomorrow
You will be working tomorrow	You will be working tomorrow
He/she shall be working tomorrow	They will be working tomorrow

Examples:

They will be returning home in the evening.

We will be flying kites.

I will be taking the examination.

They will be playing chess that time.
She will be checking him from time to time.

QUOTES

People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.

Thinking is the hardest work.  This is the probable reason why so few engage in it.

Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself. – Thomas Paine

There is no man so poor, if he has a friend.  There is no man so rich, if he is without a friend.

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

Jim:  How does a frog feel when it has a broken leg?

Bob:  It feels unhoppy.

A man joined a big Multi National Company as a trainee.

On his first day, he dialed the kitchen and shouted into the phone: “Get me a cup of coffee, quickly!”

The voice from the other side responded: “You fool; you’ve dialed the wrong extension! Do you know who you’re talking to?

“No” replied the trainee.

“It’s the Managing Director of the company, you idiot!”

The trainee shouted back: “And do you know who YOU are talking to, you IDIOT?”

“No!” replied the Managing Director angrily.

“Thank God!” replied the trainee and kept the phone down…..

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