The Use of the Future Tense of the Common Aspect

1. The future tense of the common aspect is used to express actions which refer to a future time.

Ex.: ’He will think it over, Jolyon.’(Galsworthy)

2. The future tense is often associated with the following adverbial modifiers of time: to-morrow, next month, in a week, which indicate more precisely the future moment to which the action expressed by the future tense refers:

Ex.: ‘We shall have rain to-morrow…’ (Aldington)

3. The future tense of the common aspect may express actions of a general character or concrete actions depending on the context.

Ex.: ‘I’m afraid you will miss the last bus…’ (Aldington)

Depending on the context, the future tense of the common aspect may express recurrent actions:

Ex.: He will go to the swimming-pool every other day.

Occasionally the future tense is used to express general statements and universal truths.

Ex.: A flower will die without water.

The Use of the Future-in-the Past

The English language has a special form of the future, the future-in-the-past, to express a future action viewed from a past moment (sequence of tenses). The Future-in-the-past is formed by means of should (would) with the infinitive of the main verb.

Ex.: I said I should be delighted to see her. (Dickens).

The Continuous Aspect

The Present Tense (Continuous Aspect)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I am writing he is writing we are writing you are writing they are writing	I am not writing he is not writing we are not writing you are not writing they are not writing	Am I writing? Is he writing? Are we writing? Are you writing? Are they writing?

The shortened affirmative forms are: I’m writing, he’s writing, we’re writing.

The shortened negative forms are: He isn’t writing, we aren’t writing.

The negative- interrogative forms are: Am I not writing? Is he not writing? Are we not writing? Or Aren’t we writing? etc.

The Use of the Present Tense of the Continuous Aspect

1. As the continuous aspect shows a concrete action in its development at a given moment, the present tense of that aspect represents an action going on at the moment of speaking.

Ex.: Snow is still falling. To- morrow it will be thick upon my garden. (Gissing)

2. When the present tense of the continuous aspect is used, there is usually no indication of time in the sentence as it is clear from the form of the verb itself that the action refers to the moment of speaking. Sometimes such adverbs or adverbial expressions as now, at the present moment, etc. are used.

Ex.: I am quite sure she is working in her garden now.

3. Sometimes the present tense of the continuous aspect expresses an action characteristic of the subject at the given period. This is by the context:

Ex.: “I am also practising hard on my violin. I have a new one with a lovely tone.” (Gordon)

4. The present tense of the continuous aspect is sometimes used with reference to an action in the future, especially with the verbs to go, to come, to stay, to leave, to start.

Ex.: We are leaving to-morrow.

5. The present tense of the continuous aspect may be used to express actions permanently characterizing the subject. In this function it acquires emotional colouring. This use is closely connected with the progressive character of the continuous aspect. When we contemplate an action unfolding before our eyes, it naturally arouses in us certain feelings.(praise, blame, impatience, etc.)

Ex.: You are always finding fault with me. (Jesperson.)

Ex.: He is (constantly) laughing at everything.(Jesperson.)

The Past Tense(Continuous Aspect)

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I was writing he was writing we were writing you were writing they were writing	I was not writing he was not writing we were not writing you were not writing they were not writing	was I writing? was he writing? were we writing? were you writing? were they writing?

The shortened negative forms are: I wasn’t writing, he wasn’t writing, we weren’t writing, etc.

The negative-interrogative forms are: Was I not writing? Or Wasn’t I writing? Was he not writing? Or Wasn’t he writing? Were we not writing? Or Weren’t we writing?