Modal auxiliaries : CAN and MAY

In this lesson we are introducing Modal Auxiliaries+

Auxiliaries are divided into Primary Auxiliaries and Modal Auxiliaries Primary auxiliaries are three in number--Have, Do and Be
They change their form according to the number and person of tje subject Examples;

*I am going to the school.

*She is going to the school.

*They are going to the school.


Modal Auxiliaries express the mood of the speaker They convey possibility, doubt,supposition , uncertainty. determination . surety and so on They do not change their form according to the subject of the sentence .


The use of CAN


*Can expresses ability, and this auxiliary is equivalent to "is able to "

I can play the violin.

I am able to play the violin.


Please note that when can denotes ability its future tense is "will be able to"
Example :

You will be able to drive a car when you are older.

*Can sometimes expresses permission .and it is equivalent to "is permitted to" Example:

You can leave now.

You are permitted to leave now.

Please note that when can is used in this sense the future tense is can itself . Example:

You can do it tomorrow .


* Another use of can is to show a latent possibility or a possibility that is conceded. Example:

Dogs can be dangerous>.


The past tense of CAN


CAN has two past forms : could and "was able to "Could is used when we refer to the ability or capacity. Example:


She could sing when she was young.

"Was able to " is used when we refer to the performance or achievement of something through the ability or capacity . Examples:

She was able to reach the finish line in time .

He was able to save her from drowning .

The modal auxiliary MAY

May is used to express Permission or possibility

You may go (permission)

Please note that when permission is denied we say "can't"In other words the opposite of may is can't ! Example

May I use your car?

No, you can't!(we don't say mayn't!)

When may shows possibility it is stressed in spoken English Example

The train may be late by a few minutes.

We will discuss the remaining modal auxiliaries in the next posts .

Thank you

Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the verb-form in Past Perfect Continuous Tense?


The verb-form is: had+ been+ -ing -form of the lexical verb Example: had been sleeping . Please remember that the first auxiliary had remains unchanged in form whatever may be the number, person or gender of the subject! In several European languages the auxiliary in past tense is inflected for number, person and gender of the subject. English is an exception


What is the context for using the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?


Past Perfect Continuous is used when there are two past actions in the sentence .The earlier action is of an extended or prolonged nature. The emphasis is on the continuity of the earlier action .Please look at this example:

Before he returned to India in 1914 , Mahatma Gandhi had been practising as a lawyer in South Africa.

In this sentence there are two actions : return and practise Both happened in the past . The earlier action practise lasted for quite a long time. Hence, it is put in the past perfect continuous . The other action return is put in the Simple Past


What is the difference between Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Tense?


In Past Perfect also there are two past actions One of them is earlier than the other. The emphasis is on the time gap between the two actions . Look at this example;

When I reached the station, the train had left .

There is a clear time gap between the two actions and this is highlighted by the Past Perfect Tense . But the emphasis in Past Perfect Continuous Tense is on the continuity of the earlier action . See these examples:

* She had been living in India for ten years before she emigrated to the US.

* He had been working as a teacher before he became a lawyer .


What about an extended earlier state?


The verb be is a stative verb and ,therefore, it does not have continuous form . When we have to express an earlier state of a continuous nature we have to make do with Past perfect. Examples:

* Ronald Reagan had been a Hollywood actor before he became the President.

8 He had been happy till he married her.

*Putin had beenthe President of the Russian Federation before he became the Prine Minister.


What is the difference between Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous ?


In Past Perfect Continuous there are two past actions and the earlier action is of a prolonged nature.
In Past Continuous one action happened while another action was going on .

* He came to my house while it was raining hard,(past continuous)

* It had been raining for several days before it cleared up suddenly.(Past Perfect Continuous)

Please note that the use of Past Continuous in the place of Past Perfect Continuous is a mistake in grammar This mistake is common among ESl learners

.Enough for Past Perct Continuous! Bye-bye till the next post!\

Thank you

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Past Perfect Tense--In Question-Answer Form

What is the verb-form in Past Perfect Tense?


The verb-form is had + past participle of the lexical verb The auxiliary had does not change according to the number , person or gender of the subject as in some European languages


What is the context for using Past Perfect Tense?


Past Perfect Tense is used when there are two past actions in the sentence. One of these two actions is earlier than the other The earlier action is put in the Past Perfect Tense and the later action is put in the Simple Past Have a look at this sentence:

When the police arrived on the scene, the thief had escaped

The two actions are arrived and escaped The earlier action , escaped, is put in the Past Perfect Tense.The later action , arrived , is put in Simple Past. See other examples:


* When I reached his house . he had already left for Bangalore.

*When the doctor arrived , the patient had already died.

*When I reached the station . the train had already left.


Please note that the adverb already is used to emphasize the time-gap between the two actions .


If the conjunction before is used , is Past Perfect a must?


Past Perfect is not strictly required when the time-gap between the two actions is already indicated with the conjunction before The use of Past Perfect would be redundant.But languages do not always follow logic! Usage justifies the use of Past Perfect even when conjunction before is present in the sentence See the example :

He met her several times before he married her


When be is used what is the verb_form?


The Past Participle form of be is been Therefore , the verb-form would be had + been Example

He had been a movie actor before he became the President

Enough for Past Perfect! Bye-bye till the next post

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Past Continuous Tense : Frequently Asked Questions

What is the verb-form in Past Perfect Tense?


Past Continuous Tense makes use of a compound verb-form ,taat is, the verb-form consisting of an auxiliary and the obligatory main verb.The main verb is in the -ing form . The auxiliary verb is was for singular subjects and were for plural subjects .


What is the context in which Past Continuous is used ?


Generally speaking, Past Continuous expresses an extended action or activity as opposed to a momentary action .This tense is used when the speaker wants to say that some action occurred while another was in progress . The action in progress is put in the Past Continuous verb-form and the momentary action is put in the Simple Past verb-form
examlpe:

I was speaking on the phone when the door-bell rang

In this sentence there are two actions One of them -the door-bell rang- occurred while another -was speaking -was going on . See other examples:

*He saw her when she was plucking flowers in her garden

*He went out when it was raining outside

*He stumbled over a stone while he was running to catch a bus.

*She fell off the footboard while she was boarding the bus

These examples could be split up into shorter sentences or re-phrased suitably in conversational English Examples:

*She was plucking flowers in her garden . Then he happened to see her

*He went out , but it was then raining hard outside.

*He was running to catch a bus .Then he stumbled over a stone

*Hard luck She was boarding the bus . Then she fell off the footboard.


Is Past Continuous used in any other context ?


Yes ! There needn't be two actions in the sentence in order to use Past Continuous> Sometimes Past Continuous verb-form merely indicates the continuity of an action in the pastThe speaker wants to emphasize the continuity of the acti on and not the action itself See these examples:

*I feel dead tired. I was working all day yerterday

*Look! The ground is flooded. It was raining hard last night.



Does Past Continuous imply any interruption in the action?


No! This tense need not imply any interruption of any action .However, in some situations the verb in the Simple Past may interrupt the action in the Continuous form Example:

The telephone rang when I was having my lunch .

Here the action in the continuous form(was having) is interrupted by the action in the Simple Past(rang) But look at the following sentence:

He went out when it was raining outside

Here the continuous action is in no way inerrupted by the action in the simple past.!


When there are two past actions in the sentence , need we put one of them in the Past Continuous ?


No! We need put the extended action alone in the continuous form . If both the actions are extended actions , we can put both of them in the Past Continuous tense, If both the actions are consecutive actions in the past , both of them can be expressed in Simple Past . Examples:

* He was reading and she was writing all the morning.

*He slept and she sat by his bedside during his long illness

*The child played and the baby_sitter watched while his parents were away.

* He came in and sat next to her,.

When we narrate past events we use sentences like these. Past Continuous is used only when the speaker has in mind the continuity of th action. When the speaker has in mind the continuity of both the actions , he/she can put both the actions in Past Continuous .See this example:

She was crying and he was wiping her tears


Dear readers, I will continue the discussion in my next post


Thank you

Simple Past & Present Perfect :Common Errors in the Use of These Tenses

Hello, readers!

Many ESL learners make mistakes while they use Simple Past and Ptesent Perfect . French and German learners of English are more prone to make mistakes of this kind. In their languages the verb form have+ past participle is used where native speakers of English prefer to use Simple Past. Have a look at this French sentence:

Elle est allée à l'école hier.

This sentence can be literally translated as follows: She is gone to school yesterday. This is the French way of saying :She went to school yesterday.Thus the distinction between Simple Past and Present Perfect is lost on the French ESL learners. The same is the problem with the German ESL learners, and for the same reason,too. The same verb_form performs two different functions in English and other cognate languages of EuropeThis is the crux of the problem with English tenses for most ESL learners.

Simple Past Tense and its uses

Simple Past Tense ,as the name indicates, has no auxiliary in its verb-form In negatives and questions,however, the verb-form requires the presence of the dummy auxiliary did The dummy auxiliary carries the tense ,and ,therefore, the main verb is in the base form. Example:

She went to school yesterday(affirmative statement)

Did she go to school yesterday?(question)

Please note that the dummy auxiliary did carries the tense and ,therefore, the main verb go is left undisturbed in its base form, In order to make a statement negative not is inserted between the auxiliary and the main verb. Example:

She played tennis yesterday. (affirmative statement)

She did not play tennis yesterday(negative statement)

Here too the dummy auxiliary carries the tense and the main verb is in the base form. Please note that when the contracted form n't is used, it is always attached to the auxiliary and there is no space between the auxiliary and n't .Example:

He didn't come yesterday.

Uses of Simple Past Tense

Simple Past Tense indicates an action that occurred in the past .The speaker does not want to see the action in its relation to the present. He looks upon the action as something over and done with .The pastness of the action is often clinched with a past time reference like yesterday,two days ago, last week etc.Examples:

*He came back from the States in 2002

* India became free in 1947.

* Shakespeare died in 1616.

* Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales.

Sometimes Simple Past is used to indicate a habitual action in the past .It is then equivalent to would or used to Examples:

I read a lot of books when I was young

She played tennis when she was at college

It rained heavily when we were children

Distinction between Simple Past and Present Perfect

Many an ESL learner stumbles on this distinction>.Simple Past Tense ,as I have explained , indicates an action that occurred in the past .It is over and done with! It need not affect the present state of affairs .Present Perfect ,on the contrary, indicates an action that is just over , that is to say , no much time has passed between now and the occurrence of the action. The effect of the action is felt in the present. Hence, past time references are not permitted in Present Perfect.Past time references are necessary in Simple Present Tense It puts a seal on the pastness of the action

Dear readers, I will continue the discussion in my next post.

Thank you .

Present Perfect Continuous Tense: :Frequently Asked Questions

What is the verb-form of Present Perfect Continuous Tense?

Present Perfect Continuous is a hybrid tense in a way . It is a combination of Present Perfect and Present Continuous . Hence its verb-form is :have(has) +been + -ing form of the main verb Note that it has two auxiliaries.

Which of these two auxiliaries agrees with the subject?

There are tenses in English requiring two or more auxiliaries No matter how many auxiliaries there are in the verb_-form the first auxiliary (operator) always agrees with the subject in number and person .

What is the context in which Present Perfect Continuous is used?

* the action took place some time ago
* the action is still continuing at the time of speaking
* there is continuity in the action ,that is to say ,the action is an uninterrupted one
* the action is likely to continue

Present Perfect Continuous can be used only if all these elements are present Example:

It has been raining for three hours

The rain started three hours ago.It is still continuing. Itis a continuous rain .The rain will probably continue. Remember that the emphasis is on the continuity of the action and not on its duration or effect.

Can Present Perfect Continuous be used in any other contexts?

Yes! Sometimes this tense can be used to express the result of an action that is over now but was continuing for some time Prepositions since and for are not necessary in this context Examples:

My eyes ache . I have been reading for the exam

Do I look tired? I have been digging in the garden

In these sentences the emphasis is on the result of the action and not on its continuity

Can we use the stative verb be in this tense?

No! As be is a stative verb it does not take continuous form . English has to make do with Present Perfect in such contexts . Examples:

He has been our President for the last two years

She has been kind to me all these years

How can we ask questions using Present Perfect Continuous?

If it is a yes/no question the purpose of the questioner is to get confirmation of what he already knows. Example:

Have you been working in this company for ten years?

The structure of yes/no question follows the usual pattern -:auxiliary+subject+been+ ing-form of main verb+............. If an information question (Wh-question) is to be asked we have to use the question phrase-how long? Example:

How long has Dr.Manmohan Singh been serving as the Prime Minister of India ?

Dear readers, I will continue the discussion in my next post

Thank you

Present Perfect Tense for ESL Learners

Hello, readers!
Some people think that French and German learners of English are in a much more favored position than Indian learners of English . The reason is obvious . French and German are cognate with English . In other words English bears close similarity to German and French . But truth is sometimes stranger than fiction! . The truth here is that French and German learners of English are liable to make far more mistakes than Malayalam-speaking learners of Kerala , particularly when it comes to the use of English tenses! Present Perfect tense is a good example in point , It is true that there are corresponding verb-forms in French and German ,.The French call the tense Passé Composé .,and its usual verb-form is have+ past participle of the main verb . However, when the past participle has the force of an adjective ,the verb-form is ;is +past participle of the main verb . and the participle agrees with the subject in number and gender . But the French use their present perfect where the native speakers of English would like to use Simple Past . Besides , the French use past time reference with this tense which is not allowed in English For example

Elle est arrivée hier(this is permitted in French)

She has arrived yesterday(this is grammatically incorrect in English)

In German too this verb-form is put to applications different from those in English . Thus present perfect can be a real pitfall for French and German ESL learners! Students from Kerala who learn English from scratch make fewer mistakes in the use of English tenses!

Applications of Present Perfect

Present Perfect is used to indicate an action that is just completed . The word perfect implies that the action indicated by the verb is finished and it is not a progressive one Now a reasonable question might pop up :If the action is finished why is the tense called present perfect.?Strictly speaking, even if an action was completed a moment ago , it belongs to the past . Hence , we have got to find an answer to this question. A sensible answer would be as follows: The action belongs to the past OK, but the effect of the action belongs to the present. Thus this tense is a kind of bridge between the past and the present.There should be two actions to illustrate this tense. One action is the cause and the other the effect . The cause should be expressed in the present perfect tense and the effect can be expressed in present continuous or any other way appropriate to the context.

I am giving below a few sentences by way of illustration .Please remember that the clause representing cause is in red and the effect in blue

1 Shall I get you some tea?
No, thanks .I have had it .

2 We have won. Let us celebrate!

3You have finished your job.Now you can go home.

4. She has completed her course , so she can leave the school.

5 India is proud of him because he has won an Oscar.

6 He has completed 18 years .He is eligible to vote.

7 I have put in 10 years of service . I am now eligible for a promotion

. 8 Now that you have given up smoking ,your health will improve.

9 You have fully recovered..Yu can leave the hospital

10 All the guests have come .Now we can begin the party.

From the examples given you may have observed the following points:

*Present Perfect is a bridge connecting the past with the present

*The past is always a recent one .If the past is too remote the action's connection with the present would be lost .and, therefore, the use of PresentPerfect would not be justified.

* Past time references are avoided It is because Present Perfect points at present time and past time references would have a contradicting effect!

* Adverbs are placed between the auxiliary and the main verbs

. Dear readers, I will continue the discussion in my next post

Thank you