The Present tense form and the three times

The Present tense form helps talk about

actions and states in the

i. present time 

ii. future time 

iii. three times (inclusive)  

iv. past times.

i. present time

1. explains a process:

         First I boil fresh water.

          Second I rinse the teapot with boiling water.

          Next I put four teaspoonfuls of tea into the pot.

          Then I pour rapidly boiling water into the teapot.

          Last I let it brew for five minutes before serving it.

2. describes on-going activities in running commentaries:

         The President arrives. The Prime Minister welcomes her. He leads the President on to the

         Dais …  

         Raju passes the ball to Cheenu, Cheenu slips past the defence and shoots!     

        Here comes Zaheer, he bowls, Ponting misses the line of the ball completely and is bowled,

         and the whole crowd erupts! 

3. describes feelings (exclamations):

         Here comes the bride!   There goes the bell!   There comes the bus!  

     There she goes, goes right out of the park! (she=cricket ball) 

4. expresses activities related to verbs of ‘speaking’:

     I advise you to withdraw from the contest.

            We have an announcement to make.

            I apologize.

            We thank you for the hospitality.

            I reject your offer.    

5. describes ‘states’:      

          He’s rich.

          She has a headache.

          The boy is unhappy.

          He’s upset.

          They are worried.

    I see what you mean. 

    Everyone likes the new Principal.

          I believe in hard work.

          We live near Chennai.

          Sumathi is tall.

          My God! You weigh 90 kilos!

          This soup tastes delicious.  

6. expresses experience through ‘senses’:

         I don’t see anyone there.

           Do you hear that noise?

           I smell something burning.

           I feel a sharp pain in my chest.

           This fruit tastes sour.

7. expresses different ‘states’:     

           (i) mental states and processes     

                 (dis)agree, (dis)believe, differ, doubt, feel, find, foresee, forget,

                   imagine, know, mean, notice, recall, recognize, recollect,

                   remember, suppose, think(=opinion), (dis)trust, understand

          (ii) states of emotion or attitude                

                 desire, detest, feel, forgive, hate, hope, intend, (dis)like,

                   love, mind(=object to), (dis)please, prefer, want, wish 

          (iii) miscellaneous

                   appear(=seem), belong to, consist of, contain, depend, deserve,

                   equal, find, hold, matter, possess, resemble, result, seem,

                   suffice, have(=possess or obligation)

Note: These verbs are not used in present progressive tense forms.

             Some of these verbs can occur in the progressive tense to mean ‘temporariness’

             or ‘tentativeness’ (implying politeness):

                      What were you wanting?   I was hoping you’d give me some advice.

                       I’m hoping to borrow some money. I was wondering if you could help me.

8. talks about your knowledge of recent events:    

          I hear you’re getting married. Congrats!

           I gather there’s trouble in the hills again.

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ii. future time 

9. expresses pre-determined schedules and timetables:

           The train leaves in another half an hour.

             The ship arrives in Beirut tomorrow afternoon.

             My train reaches Delhi tomorrow evening.

             Even Semester Exams begin in April. 

10. refers to pre-determined activities of individuals (including itinerary):

           I leave for Singapore tonight.

             We meet again the same day next quarter.

             We leave Chennai at six tomorrow morning, arrive at Salem at 2 p.m.,

                Stay overnight and then leave for Kerala.

11. describes actions planned now to occur in future time:

          The Centenary Celebrations begin next week.

12. expresses ‘condition’:

          If you agree we shall proceed further.

            He’ll do it if you pay him.

            If I take the four o’clock flight, I can be in Chennai in time for the wedding.  

13. expresses future actions in ‘time’ clauses:

            Please inform him as soon as he arrives.

            You’ll have to wait until she phones.

            I’ll ask him to give you a ring after he returns from the tour.

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iii. three times   

14. expresses timeless actions and states or so-called eternal truths:

        Honesty is the best policy.

        Birds fly.

        Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.

        Two and two makes four.

        The earth moves round the sun.

        Oil floats on water.

        The Nile is the longest river in Africa.

        India shares a border with Bangladesh.     

15. expresses events that happen regularly (habits, customs, routines):

        We go to Ooty every summer.

        Deva drinks heavily.

        The newspaper arrives at seven o’clock.

        People buy new dresses for Deepavali.

        Sri Krishna’s birth is celebrated all over India.

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iv. past time

16. describes past events to provide ‘drama’:    

         I couldn’t believe it! Just as we arrived, up comes Srinath,

           slaps me on the back as if we were life-long friends, ‘Come on,

           old pal,’ he says, ‘let me buy you a drink !’ I tell you, I nearly

           fainted on the spot.

           Last night, at about nine o’clock, this chap next door

           staggers into my room and falls dead on the floor.

Note: The use of present tense form helps the hearer feel the impact of surprise/shock.

         Replace the present tense forms of the verbs in bold with past tense and read it,

         it’ll be just a narration minus the emotion. 

17. expresses actions in the past time said by verbs of ‘communication’:

           The breakfast news says there’s going to be a storm around noon.

             The Book of Genesis speaks of the terrible fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.

             Macbeth, a great Shakespeare play, narrates the tragic consequences of ‘ambition’.

             The Bhagavd Gita warns us against temptation through the senses.

             I hear/I’m told you’re getting married.

             You’re looking for a house, I gather.

           You’re leaving the country, I understand.

Note:  The last three sentences are indirect (polite) ways of enquiry about information received by the

            speakers. If the speakers were informal, they’d be saying:

                You’re getting married?      You’re looking for a house?   You’re leaving the country?  

18. expresses the thoughts of leaders in literature, religion etc.:

            Jesus says, ‘ Treat thy neighbour as thyself!’

              In his Solitary Reaper, Wordsworth brings to life the tragic mood of the reaper.

              There is a flaw in all Shakespeare’s tragic heroes.

19. expresses past time events in movies/dramas:

            The hero enters the hall. Everything is quiet. Only the wall clock is ticking.

               He looks around. ‘Raise your hands!’ orders a voice from behind. He raises

                  his hands and turns around slowly………

20. expresses quotations without change:

             Speaking of life, Shakespeare says, ‘Life is a tale told by an idiot……’

               My Sales Manager tells me the sales will improve this year.  

21. describes past events to provide ‘drama’:    

         I couldn’t believe it ! Just as we arrived, up comes Srinath,

           slaps me on the back as if we were life-long friends, ‘Come on,

           old pal,’ he says, ‘let me buy you a drink !’ I tell you, I nearly

           fainted on the spot.

           Last night, at about nine o’clock, this chap next door

           staggers into my room and falls dead on the floor.

Note: The use of present tense form helps the hearer feel the impact of surprise/shock.

         Replace the present tense forms of the verbs in bold and read it, it’ll be just a

         narration minus the emotion. 

22. expresses actions in the past time said by verbs of ‘communication’:

           The breakfast news says there’s going to be a storm around noon.

             The Book of Genesis speaks of the terrible fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.

             Macbeth, a great Shakespeare play, narrates the tragic consequences of ‘ambition’.

             The Bhagavd Gita warns us against temptation through the senses.

             I hear/I’m told you’re getting married.

             You’re looking for a house, I gather.

           You’re leaving the country, I understand.

Note:  The last three sentences are indirect (polite) ways of enquiry about information received by the

            speakers. If the speakers were informal, they’d be saying:

                You’re getting married?      You’re looking for a house?   You’re leaving the country?  

23. expresses the thoughts of leaders in literature, religion etc.:

            Jesus says, ‘ Treat thy neighbour as thyself!’

              In his Solitary Reaper, Wordsworth brings to life the tragic mood of the reaper.

              There is a flaw in all Shakespeare’s tragic heroes.

24. expresses past time events in movies/dramas:

            The hero enters the hall. Everything is quiet. Only the wall clock is ticking.

               He looks around. ‘Raise your hands!’ orders a voice from behind. He raises

                  his hands and turns around slowly………

25. express quotations without change:

             Speaking of life, Shakespeare says, ‘ Life is a tale told by an idiot……’

               My Sales Manager tells me the sales will improve this year.  

In summary, the present tense form helps us to express action (activity and state) in

      (i) present time only (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

     (ii) future time only   (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

    (iii) all the three times (14, 15)

     (iv) past time only      (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)         

Note: you can clear all your doubts about how to form affirmative, negative statements and

          questions using regular and irregular verbs from Tables 4.57—4.80 in the post: Verb  

          Tenses—present posted on 21/9/2014.

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7 Tips on How to Improve Your Email Writing Skills.

Most of us in the business world use emails as the main, and in some cases, the only means of written communication.

For many students studying Business English, practising their email writing skills is an important part of their course.

While most of us are happy to write informal emails to friends that might have grammatical mistakes in them, the same is not true when writing to colleagues and clients with whom we want to make a good impression or where we need to be a bit more careful or more diplomatic than usual.

So, how can you ensure that your email writing skills are up to standard? Here are 7 general tips I’d like to share with you:

1. Subject Line:
Always have a subject line that summarises briefly and clearly the contents of the message.
For example -  Re: Summary of Our Meeting with ABC Suppliers

2. Short and Simple Sentences

Use short and easy sentences. Long sentences can often be difficult to read and understand. The most common mistake that I see my students making is to translate directly from their own language.

This can often lead to confusing sentences. I always tell my students to use theKISS Test - Keep It Short and Simple.

3. Think of who your reader is going to be.

Is it a colleague, a client or your boss? Should the email be informal or formal? Most business emails these days have a neutral tone. Note the difference between Informal and Formal:

Informal - Thanks for the email of 15 February
Formal - Thank you for your email received 15 February

Informal - Sorry, I can’t make it.
Formal - I am afraid I will not be able to attend

Informal - Could you…?
Formal - I was wondering if you could….?

Some emails to colleagues can be informal if they are friends. This is the style that is closest to speech, so there are often everyday words and conversational expressions that can be used.
For instance, ‘Don’t forget’, ‘Catch you later’, ‘Cheers’.

The reader will also accept bad grammar in informal emails. However, if the email is going to a client or senior colleague, bad grammar and an over-friendly style will not be acceptable.

4. Be very careful of capital letters, punctuation, spelling and basic grammar.
While these can be tolerated in informal emails, they are very important in business emails as they are an important part of the image you create.

Give yourself time to edit what you’ve written before you push that Send button. In today’s busy world, it’s very easy to send out many emails without checking them so make a conscious effort to edit.

5. Think about how direct or indirect you want to be
In some cultures it is common practice to be very direct in email correspondence. However, this can cause a problem if you’re writing to someone in another country and in a language that is not yours. They might find your directness rude, even offensive.

Consider these:

Direct - 'I need this in half an hour'.
Indirect - 'Could I have this in half an hour?'

Direct - 'There will be a delay'.
Indirect - 'I’m afraid there will be a slight delay'.

Direct - 'It’s a bad idea'
Indirect - 'To be honest, I’m not sure it would be a good idea'.

By adjusting your tone, you are more likely to get a more positive response from your reader.

6. Be positive!
Look at these words: helpful, good question, agreed, together, useful, I’d be delighted, mutual, opportunity.

Now look at these: busy, crisis, failure, forget it, I can’t, it’s impossible, waste, hard

The words you use show your attitude to life so choose your words wisely.

7. Get Feedback
Try and get some feedback on the emails that you write in real life. This could be from your English Teacher or someone you know whose English is better than yours.

Study the English in the emails you receive. If it is a well-written email, look carefully at some of the language used. Start your own phrase book and build a bank of phrases from the ones you receive and think would be useful in the future.

by

Shanthi Cumaraswamy Streat 

posted on her blog and on Linkedin Pulse