Introduction to Sequence of Tenses – SS2 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

Tense shows the time that the verb of a sentence refers to: past, present or future. Sequence of tenses is the rule that the verbs in your clauses and sentences must follow a logical time order. The past comes before the present, and the present before the future. English has three main tenses: present, past and future.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain what tense is;
• explain why the verbs in a sentence must follow a time order;
• name the three main tenses in English;
• state the uses of the present, past and future tenses;
• give their own examples of each tense.

What is tense?

We use tense to indicate the time of verbs in a sentence. In other words, tense shows what time the verb of the sentence refers to. It may show whether an action, event or state is in the past, present or future. Consider these conversations:

A: Where does she live?

B: She lives with relatives close to her workplace.

C: She is presently living with her aunt close by.

What is sequence of tenses?

In speaking or writing, the rules governing tenses require you to pay attention to the verb sequence of your clauses and sentences. This helps you to show when an action takes place. For instance, an action in the future obviously cannot happen before an action in the past. The past must come before the present, and the present before the future.

For example:

1. The man was begging because he had nothing left.
2. The robbers absconded after robbing the neighbourhood.

What are the three main tenses in English?

There are three main verb tenses in English: the present tense, the past tense and the future tense.

Present tense

The present tense is mostly used to express habitual actions, i.e. an action that happened in the past, may be happening now and will happen in the future. It also expresses statements of fact. For example:

• Dogs eat.
• Oil floats on water.
• The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Past tense

The past tense implies that an action happened in the past and was completed in the past. It is also used to describe a past habitual event that is no longer occurring. For example:

• The dogs ate his bone.
• The plane left Lagos airport at eleven o’clock on Friday last week.
• She broke her wrist during her gymnastic training.

Future tense

The future tense is used to express an action that is expected to happen in the future. It is often introduced by an auxiliary verb such as will, may or shall. For example:

• Now that you have a large firm, you will need
• I will see you at school tomorrow.
• I may decide to come over to your place next week.

Evaluation

1. What is tense?
2. Name the three main tenses in English.
3. State one use of the present tense and give an example.
4. Which auxiliary verbs often introduce the future tense?
5. Name the tense used in this sentence: She broke her wrist during her gymnastic training.

Assignment

Write down five more examples each of the tenses of the verb discussed today.

Words for the week

Propriety, Preclusive, Canvas, Exigent, Requisition, Carouse, Forestall, Tranquil, Heterogenous, Unctuous