Basically, there are only two (2) tenses of verbs: past and present. The future tense, with which we are all familiar, is just an aspect of verbs. There is no such thing as future-tense verb in the English structure. We can only say ate, eat and eating for the base verb eat. Aside from those three, we don't have anything more and they do not speak of anything about the future; just history (ate) and the time being (eat and eating).
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We also have two voices of verbs: the active and the passive voice. The active voice focuses the spot light over the doer of the action verb while the passive voice gives the floor to the object or the receiver of the action. To put it in a smaller box, look at the subject of the sentence. Did the action come from the subject? If yes, then that is an active sentence. Look again. Did the subject receive the action? If yes, then that is a passive sentence.
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Finally,verbs also have aspects: simple, simple-progressive, perfect, perfect-progressive and modal aspect.
The simple and the simple-progressive aspects denote that the action may either have been done already, done habitually or done naturally. Simple-progressive is more specific in time than the simple aspect. Notice the following sentences:
I eat cookies. (Natural)
I eat cookies everyday. (Habitual)
I ate cookies. (Done)
The perfect and perfect-progressive aspects talk of completion. They put a bracket between two periods of time. In these aspects, actions/verbs can be (#1) done from a point in time to another point in time until they were stopped or (#2) done from a point in time and is still continued until the present time. Notice the following sentences:
I had been eating cookies for two years until I came to know that they unhealthy.
I have been eating cookies for five years now.
The modal aspect gives verbs their degree of probability. This is why we were taught about the future tense of verbs during basic education years. Since we talk of probability with the modal aspect, the verb is more likely not yet performed.
Modals differ in probability. Notice the difference between "I may let you in" and "I will let you in." The first sentence gives a 60%-70% probability while the other one gives an assurance.
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Putting together the tenses, the voices and the aspects, we will arrive to twenty-four use or kinds of use of verbs in English. Please take note that these aren't tenses since we only have two tenses. Future is only an aspect because the future may not come.
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ACTIVE simple past
ACTIVE simple present
ACTIVE simple future
ACTIVE simple-progressive past
ACTIVE simple-progressive present
ACTIVE simple-progressive future
ACTIVE perfect past
ACTIVE perfect present
ACTIVE perfect future
ACTIVE perfect-progressive past
ACTIVE perfect-progressive present
ACTIVE perfect-progressive future
EAT
|
ACTIVE
| ||
PAST
|
PRESENT
|
FUTURE
| |
Simple
|
I ate the apple.
|
I eat apples.
|
I will eat apple.
|
Simple Progressive
|
I was eating the apple.
|
I am eating the apple.
|
I will be eating the apple.
|
Perfect
|
I had eaten apple.
|
I have eaten apple.
|
I will have eaten apple.
|
Perfect Progressive
|
I had been eating apple.
|
I have been eating apple.
|
I will have been eating apple.
|
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PASSIVE simple past
PASSIVE simple present
PASSIVE simple future
PASSIVE simple-progressive past
PASSIVE simple-progressive present
PASSIVE simple-progressive future
PASSIVE perfect past
PASSIVE perfect present
PASSIVE perfect future
PASSIVE perfect-progressive past
PASSIVE perfect-progressive present
PASSIVE perfect-progressive future
EAT
|
PASSIVE
| ||
PAST
|
PRESENT
|
FUTURE
| |
Simple
|
The apple was eaten.
|
The apple is eaten.
|
The apple will be eaten.
|
Simple Progressive
|
The apple was being eaten.
|
The apple is being eaten.
|
The apple will be being eaten.
|
Perfect
|
The apple had been eaten.
|
The apple have been eaten.
|
The apple will have been eaten.
|
Perfect Progressive
|
The apple had been being eaten.
|
The apple have been being eaten.
|
The apple will have been being eaten.
|
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