What is Tense?

Read the following sentences:-

1. I write this letter to please you.

2. I wrote this letter to his very presence.

3. I shall write another letter tomorrow.

*In sentence 1, the verb write refers to present time.

*In sentence 2, the verb wrote refers to past time.

*In sentence 3, the verb shall write refers to future time.

Thus a verb may refer

(1) to present time,(2) to past time,(3) to future time.

A verb that refers to present time is said to be in the present Tense; as,

*I write, I love etc.

[The word tense comes from the Latin tempus, time.]

A verb that refers to past time is said to be in the Past Tense; as,

*I wrote, I loved etc.

A verb that refers to future time is said to be in the Future Tense; as,

*I shall write, I shall love etc.

Thus there are three main Tenses

The present, the past, the future.

The tense of a verb shows the time of an action or event.

Note: Sometimes a past tense may refer to present time, and a present tense may express future time; as,

I wish I knew the answer. (Past tense –Present time)

Let’s wait till he comes. (Present tense-Future tense)

Below we give the chief Tenses (Active voice, Indicative mood) of the verb to love.

Present Tense
Name	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I love	We love
2nd Person	You love	You love
3rd Person	He loves	They love

Past Tense
Name	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I loved	We loved
2nd Person	You loved	You loved
3rd Person	He loved	They loved

Future Tense
Name	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I shall/will love	He shall/will love
2nd Person	You will love	You will love
3rd Person	He will love	They will love

Read these sentences:-

1. I love. (Simple present)

2. I am loving. (Present continuous)

3. I have loved. (Present Perfect)

4. I have been loving. (Present Perfect continuous)

The verbs in all of these sentences refer to the present time, and are therefore said to be in the present tense.

*In sentence 1, however, the Verb shows that the action is mentioned simply, without anything being said about the completeness or incompleteness of the action.

*In sentence 2, the Verb shows that the action is mentioned as incomplete or continuous, that is, as still going on.

*In sentence 3, the Verb shows that the action is mentioned as finished, complete, or perfect, at the time of speaking.

*The tense of the Verb in sentence 4 is said to be Present Perfect Continuous, because the verb shows that the action is going on continuously, and not completed at this present moment.

Thus we see that the Tense of a verb shows not only the time of an action or event, but also the state of an action referred to.

Just as the Present Tense has four forms, the Past Tense also has the following four forms:-

1. I loved. (Simple Past)

2. I was loving. (Past Continuous)

3. I had loved. (Past Perfect)

4. I had been loving. (Past Perfect Continuous)

Similarly the future Tense has the following four forms:-

1. I shall/will love. (Simple future)

2. I shall/will be loving. (Future Continuous)

3. I shall/will have loved. (Future Perfect)

4. I shall have been loving. (Future Perfect Continuous)

We may now define Tense as that form of a Verb which shows the time and the state of an action or event.

 

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What is Mood?

The simplest use of a Verb is to make a statement of fact or ask a question; as,

* I write to my brother every week.

* Who wrote that letter?

But a Verb may also be used to express a command; as,

* Write neatly.

Or a Verb may be used to express a mere supposition; as,

* If I were you, I would not do it.

These different modes or manners in which a Verb may be used to express an action are called 

Moods. ((Latin Modus, manner.)

Definition: Mood is the mode or manner in which the action denoted by the Verb is represented.

There are three Moods in English:-

Indicative, Imperative, Subjunctive.

# Indicative Mood

The indicative Mood is used:

(1) To make a statement of fact; as,

* Rama goes to school daily.

* We are taught Arithmetic.

* He writes legibly.

* Napoleon died at St. Helena.

* The child is alive.

(2) To ask a question; as,

* Have you found your book?

* Are you well?

In each of these sentences the Verb in italics is said to be in the indicative mood.

The indicative mood is also used in expressing a supposition which is assumed as a fact; as,

* If [Assuming as a fact that] I am to be a beggar, It shall never make me a rascal.

* If it rains, I shall stay at home. [Assuming as a fact  that it will rain,etc.]

* If my friend wants it, I shall give it to him. [Assuming as a fact that my friend wants it, etc.]

* If he is the ring-leader, he deserves to be punished. [Assuming as a fact that he is the ring leader, etc.]

A Verb which makes a statement of fact or asks a question, or expresses a supposition which is assumed as a fact, is in the Indicative Mood.

# Imperative Mood

 The imperative Mood is used to express-

(1) A command; as,

* Wait there.

* Come here.

* Open your book at page 7.

(2) A exhortation; as,

* Be steady.

* Take care of your health.
* Try to do better.

(3) An entreaty or prayer; as,

* Have mercy upon us.

* Give us this day our daily bread.

In each of these sentences the Verb in italics is said to be in the Imperative Mood. A verb which expresses a command, an exhortation, an entreaty or prayer, is in the Imperative Mood.

Note1.The Imperative mood can strictly be used only in the Second person, since the person commanded must be the person spoken to. But in the First and Third persons a like sense is expressed by the use of the Auxiliary Verb let; as,

* Let me go.

* Let us go.

* Let him go.

* Let them go.

Note2.The Subject of a verb in the Imperative Mood (you) is usually omitted.

# Subjunctive Mood

The following are the forms of the Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive		Past Subjunctive
The Verb ‘be’	Other Verbs	The Verb ‘be’	Other Verbs
I be	I speak	I were	I spoke
We be	We speak	We were	We spoke
You be	You speak	You were	You spoke
He be	He speak	He were	He spoke
They be	They speak	They were	They spoke

The Subjunctive Mood scarcely exists in present-day English.

The present Subjunctive occurs

(1) In certain traditional phrases, where it expresses a wise or hope; as,

* God bless you!

* God save the King!

* Haven helps us!

(2) In formal English, in a noun clause dependent on a verb expressing desire, intention, resolution, etc.; as,

* I move that Mr.Gupta be appointed Chairman

* It is suggested that a ring road be built to relieve the congestion

* We recommended that the subscription be increased to ten Rupees.

The Past Subjunctive is used

(1) After the Verb wise, to indicate a situation which is unreal or contrary to fact; as?

* I wish I knew his name. (I’m sorry I don’t know his name.)

* I wish I were a Millionaire.

* She wishes the car belonged to you.

(2) After if, to express improbability or unreality in the present; as,

* If I were you I should not do that. (but I am not you, and never can be).

* If we started now we would be in time. (but we cannot start now).

(3) After as if/as though, to indicate unreality or improbability; as,

* He orders me about as if I were his wife(but I am not).

* He walks as though he were drunk. (But he is not).

(4) After it is time +Subject, to imply that it is late; as,

* It is time we started.

(5) After would rather+Subject, to indicate preference; as,

* I would rather you went by air. (I should prefer you to go by air).

* They would rather you paid them by cheque.

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Kinds of Adjective

Adjective may be divided into the following classes:-

1. Adjectives of Quality or Descriptive Adjective

These Adjectives show the kind or quality of a person or thing; as,

* Kolkata is a large city.

* He is an honest man.

* The foolish old crow tried to sing.

* This is a grammar of the English language.

[Adjectives formed from Proper Nouns (e.g. French wines, Turkish tobacco, Indian tea etc.) are sometimes called Proper Adjectives. They are generally classed with Adjectives of Quality.]

Adjectives of Quality answer the question: Of what kind?

2. Adjectives of quantity

These Adjectives show how much of a thing is meant; as,

* I ate some rice.

* He showed much patience.

* He has little intelligence.

* We have had enough exercise.

* He has lost all his wealth.

* You have no sense.

* He didn’t eat any rice.

* The great care of your health.

* He claimed his half share of the body.

* There has not been sufficient rain this year.

* The whole sum was expended.

Adjectives of Quantity answer the question: How much?

3. Adjectives of Number (or Numeral Adjectives)

These Adjectives show how many persons or things are meant, or in what order a person or thing stands; as,

* The hand has five fingers.

* Few cat’s like cold water.

* There are no pictures in this book.

* I have taught you many things.

* All men must die.

* Here are some ripe mangoes.

* Most boys like cricket.

* There are several mistakes in your exercise.

* Sunday is the first day of the week.

Adjectives of Number answer the question: How many?

Adjectives of Number (or Numeral Adjectives) are of three kinds:-

Definite Numeral Adjectives

Definite Numeral Adjectives denote an exact number; as,

* One, two, three etc. (These are called Cardinals)

*  First, second, third etc. (These are called Ordinals)

[A Cardinal denotes how many, and an Ordinal the order of things in a series. It will be seen that Ordinals really do the work of Demonstrative Adjectives.]

Indefinite Numeral Adjectives

Indefinite Numeral Adjectives do not denote an exact number; as,

* All, no, many, few, any, certain, several, sundry.

Distributive Numeral Adjectives

Distributive Numeral Adjectives refer to each one of a number; as,

* Each boy must take his turn.

* India expects every man to do his duty.

* Every word of it is false.

* Either pen will do.

* On either side is a narrow lane.
* Neither accusation is true.

The same Adjective may be classed as of quantity of Number, according to its use.

Adjectives of Quantity	Adjectives of Number
I ate some rice.	Some boys are clever.
He has lost all his wealth.	All men must die.
You have no sense.	There are no pictures in his book.
He did not eat any rice.	Are there any mango trees in his garden?
I have enough sugar.	There are not enough spoons.

4. Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative Adjectives point out which person or thing is meant; as,

* This boy is stronger than Hari.

* That boy is industrious.

* These mangoes are sour.

* Those rascals must be punished.

* Yonder fort once belonged to Shivaji.

* Don’t be in such hurry.

* I hate such things.

Demonstrative Adjectives answer the question: Which?

[It will be noticed that this and that are used with Singular nouns and these and those with Plural Nouns.]

What, which and whose, when they are used with nouns to ask questions, are called Interrogative Adjectives; as,

* What manner of man is he?

* Which way shall we go?

* Whose book is this?

[It will be seen that what is used in a general sense and which in a selective sense.]


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What is Adjective?

The Adjective

Read the following sentences:-

1. Sita is a clever girl. (Girl of what kind?)

2. I don’t like that boy. (Which boy?)

3. He gave me five mangoes. (How many mangoes?)

4. There is little time for preparation. (How much time?)

* In sentence 1,’clever’ shows what kind of girl Sita is; or, In other words, ‘clever ‘describe the girl Sita.

* In sentence 2,’that’ points out which boy is meant.

* In sentence 3,’five’ shows how many mangoes he gave me.

* In sentence 4,’little’ shows how much time there is for preparation.

A word used with a noun to describe or point out, the person, animal, place or thing which the nouns names, or to tell the number of quantity, is called an adjective.

So we may define an Adjective as a word used with a noun to add something for its meaning.

[Adjective means added to.]

Look at the following sentences:-

1. The lazy boy was punished.

2. The boy is lazy.

* In sentence 1, the adjective lazy is used along with the noun boy as an epithet or attribute. It is, therefore, said to be used attributively.

* In sentence2, the adjective lazy is used along with the verb is, and forms part of the Predicate. It is, therefore, said to be used predicatively.

Some Adjectives can be used only predicatively; as,

1. She is afraid of ghosts.

2. I am quite well.

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