Uses of The Present Tense

THE USES OF THE PRESENT TENSE

THE PRESENT Simple Present Tense

The Simple Present is used: -

(1) To express a habitual action; as, He drinks tea every morning.

I get up every day at five o'clock. My watch keeps good time.

To express general truths; as, The sun rises in the east. Honey is sweet.

Fortune favours the brave.

In exclamatory sentences beginning with here and there to express what is actually taking place in the present; as,

Here comes the bus ! There she goes !

In vivid narrative, as substitute for the Simple Past; as,

Soharab now rushes forward and deals a heavy blow to Rustam.

Immediately the Sultan hurries to his capital.

To express a future event that is part of a fixed timetable or fixed programme The next flight is at 7,00 tomorrow morning.

The match starts at 9 o'clock. The train leaves at 5.20.

When does the coffee house reopen?

Note also the other uses of the Simple Present Tense.

(1) It is used to introduce quotations; as,

Keats says, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’.

It is used, instead of the Simple Future Tense, in clauses of time and of condition; as, I shall wait till yon finish your lunch.

If it rains we shall get wet.

As in broadcast commentaries on sporting events, the Simple Present is used, instead of the Present Continuous, to describe activities in progress where there is stress on the succession of happenings rather than on the duration.

Present Continuous Tense

     The Present Continuous is used

For an action going on at the time of speaking ; as, She is singing (now).

The boys are playing hockey.

For a temporary action which may not be actually happening at the time of speaking;

as,

I am reading ‘Davit! Copperfield’ (but I am not reading at this moment).

For an action that has already been arranged to take place in the near future; as,

I am going to the cinema tonight.

My uncle is arriving tomorrow.

It has been pointed out before that the Simple Present is used for a habitual action. However, when the reference is to a particularly obstinate habit-something which persists, for example, in spite of advice or warning- we use the Present Continuous with an adverb like always, continually, constantly.

My dog is very silly: he is always running out into the road.

The following verbs, on account of their meaning, are not normally used in the continuous form:

(1) Verbs of perception, e.g., see, hear, smell, notice, recognize.

(2) Verbs of appearing . e.g., appear, look, seem.

(3) Verbs of emotion, e.g., want, wish, desire, feel, like, love, hate, hope, refuse, prefer.

(4) Verbs of thinking, e.g., think, suppose, believe, agree, consider, trust, remember, forget, know, understand, imagine, mean, mind.

(5) have (= possess), own, possess, belong to, contain, consist of, be (except when used in the passive), e.g.

Wrong -- Right

                                        

These grapes are tasting sour -- These grapes taste sour.

I am thinking you arc wrong -- I think you are wrong.

She is seeming sad -- She seems sad.

He is having a cellular phone -- He has a cellular phone.

However, the verbs listed above can be used in the continuous tenses with a change of meaning:

She is tasting the soup to see if it needs more salt.

(taste= lest the flavour of )

I am thinking of going to Malaysia.

(think of = consider the idea of)

They are having lunch, (have = eat)

Present Perfect Tense

 The Present Perfect is used

(1) To indicate completed activities in the immediate past (with just): as;

            He has just gone out.

            It has just struck ten.

To express past actions whose time is not given and not definite; as, Have you read "Gulliver's Travels'?

I have never known him to be angry. Mr. Hari has been to Japan.

To describe past events when we think more of their effect in the present than of the action itself; as,

Gopi has eaten all the biscuits (i.e., there aren't any left for you). I have cut my finger (and it is bleeding now).

I have finished my work (= now I am free).

To denote an action beginning at some time in the continuing up to the present moment (often with since- and/or-phrases); as,

            I Have known him for a long time.

            He has been ill since last week.

            We have lived here for ten years.

            We haven't seen Padina for several months.

The following adverbs or adverb phrases can also be used with the Present Perfect (apart from those mentioned above): never, ever (in questions only), so far, till now, yet (in negatives and questions), already, today, this week, this month, etc.

        Note that the Present Perfect is never used with adverbs of past time. We should not say, for example, 'He has gone to Kolkata yesterday'. In such cases the Simple Past should be used ('He went to Kolkata yesterday').

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The Present Perfect Continuous is used for an action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing; as,

He has been sleeping for five hours (and is still sleeping). They have been building the bridge for several months. They have been playing since four o'clock.

This tense is also sometimes used for an action already finished. In such cases the continuity of the activity is emphasized as an explanation of something.

'Why are your clothes so wet?' - 'I have been watering the garden'.