Tenses or Verb Aspect

Apart from expressing action and state of being, a verb also tells when the action
or state of being occurs.

By changing form, verbs can indicate past time, present time or future time.
These changes in form to indicate time are called tenses or Verb Aspect.

The Simple Present Tense

We use the simple present tense to talk about repeated actions or habits, or
situations that are permanent (continuing for a long time) and to talk about the
general truth.

Form

With the third person, singular, (He, she, it) we form the present simple in the
following ways:

Verbs ending in – ch, - sh – s – x or – z, we add – e before – s

Verb Present
simple
Watch Watches
Mix Mixes
Fix Fixes
Box Boxes
Wash Washes

Slash Slashes

Verbs – do and – go, also add – e before – s

Go goes
Do does

If a verb ends in one – e, we normally add - s

Verb Simple
Present
Live lives
Write Writes
Love loves
Make Makes
Serve Serves
Write Writes
Dance Dances
Ride Rides

Verbs ending in – ee, also add – s.

See - Sees agree - agrees.

If a verb ends in a consonant + y, we change the – y to – ie before – s:

Verb Simple
present
Carry Carries
Cry Cries
Hurry Hurries
Study Studies
Try Tries
Burry Buries
Fly Flies
Fry Fries

We do not change – y to – ie if a verb ends in a vowel + y:

Play plays
Pray prays
Lay lays
Enjoy enjoys
Delay delays
Annoy Annoys
Pay pays
Say says
Buy buys

Verbs die and lie, add – s in the simple present.

Verbs ending in a consonant, add – s:

verb Simple
Present
Want wants
Walk walks
Belong belongs
Ring rings
Talk talks
Wind winds
Rob robs
Dig digs
Feed Feeds

Below are examples of sentences using some of the verbs in the table above:

1. John wants his money.

2. One of the longest rivers in the world flows through Africa.
3. This dog barks every evening.
4. Namusisi looks pretty in her new dress.

Exercise: 2.1

Choose the correct form of the verbs brackets to fill the blanks.

1. Does the government….Laws? (make, makes)

2. Thunder does not …anybody. (harm, harms )

3. Does the teacher ever…late? (come, comes)

4. My father always…his letters in ink. (writes, write)

5. The teacher often…the right dates. (forget, forgets)

6. Lightning can…people. (kills, kill)

7. Does the sun often…in your village? (shine, shines)

8. My son does not …Kiswahili very easy. (find, finds)

9. The teacher does not… to go to school at weekends. (have, has)

10. Does your grand mother…your baby every evening? (bath, baths)

2.3 The Present Continuous Tense

It is also called the progressive tense. We use the present continuous tense to
talk about something which is in progress or going on at the moment of
speaking.

The progressive tense is also used to talk about something which is in progress
around the present, but not necessarily exactly at the moment of speaking.

It can also be used to talk about something which is in progress for a limited
period of time – around the present.

It can also be used to talk about situations which are changing or developing
around the present.

Form

We form the present continuous tense with, be +...ing, with all persons, that is
first person, second and third persons.

If a verb ends in one – e, we normally drop the – e before – ing. See the table
below:

Live living
Dance dancing
Write writing
 Love loving
Close closing
Like liking
Choose choosing

With the verb, be, we do not drop the - e.

Be - being

If a verb ends in – ee, do not drop – e before – ing:

See Seeing
Agre Agreeing
e

If a verb ends in a consonant or vowel + y, add – ing:

Study Studying
Hurry Hurrying
Fry Frying
Dry Drying
Cry Crying
Destro Destroyin
y g
Enjoy Enjoying
Play Playing

If a verb ends in – ie, we change the – ie to – y before – ing:

Die Dying
Lie lying
Tie Tying

If a one syllable verb ends in one vowel + one consonant, we double the final
consonant before – ing. Study the verbs in the table below:

Sit Sitting
Hit hitting
Put Putting
Drop dropping
Shed shedding
Swim swimming
Trek trekking
Travel travelling
Cancel cancelling
Consol consolling

If a verb of two or more syllables ends in one vowel + one consonant, we double
the final consonants only if the final syllable is stressed.

Begin (be ‘gin) beginning

Admit (ad ’mit) admitting
If the final syllable is not stressed, the final consonant is not doubled.

Open Opening
Listen Listening

Exercise: 2.2

Write ten sentences in the present continuous tense.

2.4 Verbs not used in the continuous form

Verbs that describe states or feelings which are thought to continue indefinitely.
Such verbs are normally used only in the simple form and not in continuous
form.

Sometimes, they change in meaning if used in the continuous form. Study the
categories below:

Verbs of thinking

Think believe
(believe)
Understand remember
Imagine See(understand)
Mean Realize
Recognize suppose
know forget

Study the examples below:

1. I think you are right. (Not: I am thinking………….)

2. She can’t understand. (Not: She’ is not understanding.)

3. He knows as much about the subject as you do. (Not. He is knowing)

Verbs of feeling

In this category, we have verbs such as the following verbs:

Like hate Prefer

Dislike love want
Forgive detest wish
Despise trust distrust

Study the following items carefully:

1. He loves his children. (Not: He is loving his children)

2. I like the book I am reading. (Not: I am liking the book I am reading)

 3. Do you want to go now? (Not: Are you wanting)

Verbs of perception

See hea feel smel taste

r l

Look at the sentence below:

I see that it is raining. (Not: I am seeing)

See has several meanings if used in continuous. Consider the meanings in the
following expressions:

1. The headmaster is seeing the

applicants. (Interviewing)

2. The tourists are seeing Leopards

tomorrow. (Touring)

We can’t hear you, please. (Not: we’re not hearing you, please.)

Exercise: 2.3

Change the verbs in the brackets to the present continuous or the present
simple tense correctly to complete the sentences below:

1. Now, we……more about the

continuous tense. (know)

2. They no longer…… each other.

(understand)

3. The new computer which

she……today……to me. (use,
belong)

4. Now that it is too late, he ……to go

to the cinema. (want)

5. I ……if he will come. (doubt)

6. You ……what he is talking about.

(understand)

7. That student……punished for the

wrong he has done. (be)

8. The exercise we ……now is the

simplest of all that we have done this week. (do)

9. This room……very stuffy this

morning. (smell)
10. The food we …… taste very nice.
(eat)

2.5 The Past tense

The past tense is used to talk about the past.

2.7 The Simple past

We use the past simple to talk about actions and situations in the past. The form
of the past simple is the same for all persons- I, you, he, she, etc.

However, the full verbs takes – d or – ed, for the third person – singular, and –ed
is not added in the negative or question form.

2.8 The affirmative

The affirmative past simple of regular verbs end in – d or -ed.

If a verb ends in one – e, we normally add – d

Live – lived injure – injured

Dance – danced abuse – abused
Like – liked urge – urged

If a verb ends in – a consonant + y, we change the – y to – i.e. before – d.

Study studied
Deny denied
Fry fried
Hurry hurried
Cry cried
Carry carried

Marry married

Try tried

We do not change the – y to – i if a verb ends in a vowel + y.

Play played Destroy destroy

Enjoy enjoyed pray prayed

The following verbs are exception to this rule. Handle them with care:

Lay laid Pay paid

Say said
If a one syllable verb ends in one vowel + one consonant; we double the final
consonant before – ed.

Stop stopped
Fit fitted
Trap trapped
Knit knitted
We do not double x, y. w and Z

Slow slowed
Fix fixed
Mix mixed

If a verb of two or more syllables ends in one vowel + one consonant, we double
the final consonant only if the final syllable is stressed.

Admit (ad’ mit) admitted

Prefer (pre’ fer) preferred

But if the final syllable is not stressed, the final consonant is not doubled.

Open opened
Listen listened

Exceptions: In British English, we double – l at the end of a word even if the final
syllable is not stressed.

Travel travelled
Cancel cancelled
Consol consolled

Exercise: 2.4

Change the infinitives in the brackets to the past simple tense:

1. Did he ……his brother the right answer to the question? (tell…… )

2. He did not ……the duty accordingly. (do)

3. We ……the puncture yesterday. (mend)

4. Zainabu …… when he fell down. (laugh)

5. John ……football last night. (play)

6. Elizabeth …… to the party last night. (go)

7. I …… to my mother last week. (write)

1. He …… the cigarette this morning after breakfast. (smoke)

10. We …… mosquitoes in the class room last month. (kill)