Present Perfect Continuous Tense

A. Definition of Present Perfect Continuous Tense

          Present perfect tense is one of the tensis used to show the present time where the events or events that have occurred have occurred in the past but still continue in the present time. Consider again the example above. In the example 'It has been raining all day. I am tired of it 'refers to the rain that happened in the past and still continues until the time it is discussed.

B. Present Perfect Contionuous Tense Formula

         Below is the present perfect continuous tense formula for three types of sentences, namely positive sentences, negative sentences and question sentences.

Positive (+)
Subject + Have / has + Been + Ving + Object
Example:
I have been sitting here since seven o'clock.
They have been studying English for five straight hours.
He has been working here for ten years.

Negative (-)
Subject + Have / has + Not + Been + Ving + Object
Example:
 I have not been sitting here since seven o'clock.
 They have not been studying English for five straight hours.
 He has not been working here for ten years.

Interrogative (?)
Have / has + Subject + Been + Ving + Object
Example:
Have you been sitting here since seven o'clock?
Have they been studying English for five straight hours.
Has he been working here for ten years.


*Information

 Subject is the doer
 Have / has is an auxiliary verb which 'have' is used for the subject 'They, we, I, you' and 'has' is used for the subject 'he, she, it'.
 Ving is a verb that gets the affix -ing; 'raining', 'reading', 'waiting' and so on.
 An object is something that is subject to a verb.


C. Use of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

           Returning to the explanation above regarding the meaning of present perfect continuous tense, in fact we have interesting when actually present perfect continuous tense is used.

1. Present perfect continuous tense is used to address an event or activity that began in the past and continues until the time it is discussed.
Example:

    I have been working very hard recently.
    It has been raining all day. I am tired of it.
    Petrol prices have been going up steadily all this year.


2. Present perfect continuous tense is used to state an event or activity that has just stopped but with the results that appear when discussed.
Example:

    You look hot. ~ Yes, I have been running.
    Sorry, I am late. Have you been waiting long?
    I must just go and wash. I have been gardening.


3. Present perfect continuous tense can also be used to state the events or activities that occur repeatedly with a more specific time.
Example:

    People have been calling me all day.
    I have been waking up in the night a lot. I think I will see the doctor


4. Present perfect continuous tense is usually used with time adverbs which indicate continuation such as 'recently, lately, this week, since, for.'
Example:

    The firm has been losing money recently.
    John has been walking in Scotland all this week.
    I have been doing a new job since January.
    It has been raining for the last three days.


5. Present perfect continuous tense is used to ask 'How long' (How long ...) the event or activity lasts.
Example:

    How long have you been studying English? (I have been studying English for five years.).
    How long have you been living here? (I have been living here since 1991.)

Sources

Read More

Present Perfect Tense

A. Explanation of Present Perfect Tense

          There are several opinions of Grammar experts regarding Present Perfect Tense, including those of Raymond Murphy (2003: 14) regarding Present Perfect Tense, he argues:

"When we use the present perfect there is always a connection with now. The action in the past has a result now. And when we talk about a period of time that continues from the past until now, we use the persent Perfect." 

Meanwhile, according to Jeffrey Coghill and Stacy Magendanz (2003: 96) also shared opinions about the Present Perfect Tense, they agreed:


Despite its name, present perfect tense normally does not refer to actions occurring in the present. Instead, it most often refers to actions completed in the past that have some consequence or effect on the present situation." 

B. Present Perfect Tense Formula

           Below is a Present Perfect Tense formula for three types of sentences, namely Positive Sentence, Interrogative Sentence, and Negative Sentence.

Positive (+)
S + Have / has + V III + O

Interrogative (?)
Have / has + S + V III + O

Negative (-)
S + Have / has + Not + V III + O

*Information:
  S: Subject
  Have / has: Is an auxiliary verb used in the Present Prefect Tense which means "already". "Have" is used for the subject they, we, I, you and "has" used for the subject he, she, it.
  V III: Is a third form of verb.
  O: object

C. Changes V III to the Present Perfect Tense

          As we know, there are some changes that occur in Verb Bare Infinitive (pure verbs that have not received a supplement), from V I to V II and V III. There are two types of changes involving changes in Verb (verb), there are changes that are regular (regular) and some are irregular (irregular).
Loading ...
1. Regular Verb
        For regular verb changes we only add the suffix "-ed" at the end of the verb. This applies to changes in V II and V III.

V I	V II	V III
Try	Tryed	Tryed
Work	Worked	Worked
Look	Looked	Looked
Finish	Finshed	Finished
Travell	Travelled	Travelled
Talk	Talked	Talked
Use	Used	Used

2. Irregular Verb
         In addition to regular changes, there are also irregular changes.

D. Form Present Perfect Tense

(+) I have worked
(-)  I have not worked
(?)  Have I worked?

Sources

Read More

Present Continuous Tense

A. Explanation of the Present Continuity Tense

Present Continuous Tense or often also called Present Progressive is certainly no stranger to our ears. Present continuous Tense is Tenses that explain an event that is happening at the present time. Some Grammar experts also think about the same thing about what is the Continuous Tense Present. Raymond Murphy (2003: 2) for example, argues that the Present Continuous Tense

"I am doing something (Present Continuous Tense) = I am in the middle of doing something; I've started doing it and I haven't finished yet."

Meanwhile, according to Michael Swan (2005: 451) argues about the Present Continuous Tense that:

"We use the present progressive (Present Continuous Tense) to talk about temporary action and situations that are going on now or 'around now': before, during and after the the moment of speaking." 

Bety Azhar (2002: 13) also believes almost the same as the two opinions above, that:

"The present progressive (Present Continuous Tense) expresses an activity that is in progress at the moment of speaking. It is a temporary activity that began in the past, is continuing at present, and will probably end at some point in the future." 

B. Present Continuous Tense Formula

Below is a Present Continuous Tense formula for three types of sentences, namely positive sentences, positive sentences (Introgative Sentence), and negative sentences (Negative Sentence)

Positive (+)
S + To be + V-ing + O

Introgative (?)
To be + S + V-ing + O +?

Negative (-)
S + To be + Not + V-ing + O

*Information:

 -S: Subject
 -To be: The auxiliary verb for Present Tense is am / is / are. "Am" is used for "I". "Is" is used for "he / she / it". "Are" is used for "you / we / they".
 -V-ing: Verbs that get the suffix "-ing", for example "Write" gets the suffix "-ing" to "Writing".
 -O: Object  

C. V-ing changes in the Present Continuous Tense

There are some V-ing changes to the Present Cotinuous Tense that we must pay attention to when we want to add the suffix "-ing" to Verb (verb).

 1. For verbs ending in consonants which are preceded by vowels and read one to two syllables (pronunciation) such as cut, put, get, begin, occur etc., get the "-ing" end by multiplying letters the end of the verb. 

Cut	Cutting
Put	Putting
Get	Getting
Begin	Beginning
Occur	Occurring

2. For verbs (Verb) ending in consonants which are preceded by two vowels such as speak, and read, get the "-ing" suffix by adding them as usual. 


Speak-Speaking
Read-Reading
Dream-Dreaming
Rain-Raining
Fool-Fooling

 3. For verbs (Verbs) ending in "-e", for example, serve, give, leave, emphasize, etc. get the suffix "-ing" by removing the "-e".

Take	Taking
Give	Giving
Serve	Serving
Leave	Leaving
Emphasize	Emphasizing

4. For verbs (Verb) ending in "-ie" for example lie, die, etc. get the suffix "-ing" by changing the suffix "-ie" to "-y".

Die	Dying
Lie	Lying

5. In addition to the 4 criteria above, all verbs (Verb) can be added suffix "-ing" with no changes.

Tell	Telling
Ask	Asking
Study	Studying
Buy	Buying
Walk	Walking

But not all verbs can be used in Present Continuous Tense, there are some verbs that are not commonly used in Present Continuous Tense. The verbs (Verb) are in the form of non-action verbs called Stative Verbs, such as:

Belive, hear, know, please, see, think, feel, like, dislike, love, prefer, smell, understand, hate, gues, mean, recogenize, suppose, want, have, imagine, need, remember, taste, wish. 

D. Form of Present Continuous Tense

Affirmative : I am working.

Question : Am I working? Negative : I am not working. E. Use of Present Continuous Tense If we pay attention together, the explanation from the three Grammar experts above actually we can already draw some understanding about the use of Present Continuous Tense. 1. Present Continuous Tense is used to show events that occur around now. This event began in the past, is still ongoing in the present and is likely to end in the future. Example: a. Andi is watching TV. b. I am reading a novel. c. They are playing football. *Information Genesis a, "Andi is watching Tv" (Andi is watching TV) is an incident that is happening around now. The incident has begun in the past, is still ongoing in the present and is likely to end in the future. The same applies for events b and c. 2. Present Continuous Tense is used to show events that occur in the period around now, such as today, this morning, this week, etc. Example: a. You are studying hard today. b. They are palying basketball this afternoon. c. Susan is working hard this week. *Information Genesis a, "You are working hard today" (you worked hard today) is an event that is happening in the current period. "Today" on this event is considered by the author to be a form of present time as well as "now" and "at this moment". Likewise for events b and c. 3. Present Continuous Tense is used to show events that will occur in the future (future). Example: a. What are you doing tomorrow evening? b. I am going to cinema tomorrow evening. c. Come and see us next week if you are passing my home. *Information Genesis a, "What are you doing tomorrow evening?" (What are you going to do tomorrow afternoon?) Is a Present Continuous Tense sentence but has the meaning of future. Likewise for events b and c. 4. Present Continuous Tense is used to show temporary events. Example: a. I am living with some friends until I find a flat. b. You are working hard today. c. I am eating a bar of chocolate. *Information A incident, "I am living with some friends until I find a flat" (I lived with several friends until I found a boarding house) is a temporary event. I do live with a few friends now, but after finding a rented house I will move. So when I lived with a few friends it was only temporary. Likewise for events b and c. 5. Present Convictual Tense is used to show events that are very often done but not a habit. In the present Continuous Tense sentence usually add "Alaways" in it. Example: a. I have lost my key again. I am always losing my key. b. Andi is always comlaining. c. They are always wathching movie. *Information A incident, "I have lost my key again. I am always losing my key." (I have lost my key again. I have lost my key very often.) Is a very common occurrence but not a habit. Because if the incident is a habit, then the Continuous Tense Present is not appropriate to use the sentence, Simple Present Tense is the most appropriate. Likewise for events b and c.

Read More

Simple Present Tense

A. Explanation of Simple Present Tense

           There are several explanations about Simple Present Tense which of course we must understand together. According to Raymond Murphy (2003: 4) says that "We use the simple present to talk about things in general. We use it to say that something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general." We use Present Simple to talk about things in general. We use Simple Present to state something that happens all the time or repeatedly, or to state something that is generally true.

           Meanwhile according to Michel Swan (2005: 448) said "When we talk about permanent situations, or about things that happen regularly or all the time (not just around now), we usually use the simple present tense". When we talk about permanent situations, or about things that happen regularly or all the time (not just now), we usually use simple present.

           Even clearer is the explanation of Betty's (2002: 2) simple present tense which states "in general, the simple expression of events or situations that exist always, usually, habitually; they exist now, have existed in the past, and probably will exist in the futur ". Generally, simple present states events or situations that are always, usually, habitually present; simple prente is present now, has existed in the past, and is likely to be in the future.

B. Simple Present Tense Formulas

S + Vbi + e/es + O.

*Information:

 -S: Subject
 -Vbi: Verb Bare Infinitives (Verbs that have not experienced suffixes such as do (not does), call (not called), etc.
 -e / es: This is the suffiex that must be added if the subject of the sentence is he / she / it (third-person singular).
 -O: Object 

C. Changes to Suffix e / es in Simple Present Tense

          There are changes that occur in Verb (verb) when we use simple present tense that is affected by numbers (numbers) and people (persons). Changes that occur in Verb (verbs) if you find the suffix e / es are:

-Verb (verb) ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -z, or -o getting the -es suffix.
*Miss-Misses      
*Wash-Washes
*Watch-Watches
*Fix-Fixes
*Buzz-Buzzes
*Do-Does

-Verb (verb) ending in -y, which is preceded by consonants get suffix -esby changing the suffix -y to -i. 
*Cry-Cries
*Hurry-Hurries
*Reply-Replies

But for Verb (verbs) ending in -y, which is preceded by vowels, get suffix -s by not changing the -y to -i
*Enjoy-Enjoys
*Stay-Stays

In addition to the Verb (verb) criteria above, getting the -s suffix.
*Work-Works
*Sit-Sits
*Get -Gets

Exceptions to the three criteria above.
*Have-Has

D. Simple Present Tense Forms
         Simple Present Tense can be formed into three forms of sentences, affirmative, question, and negative, as below: 
Affirmative: I work
Question    : Do I work ?
Negative    : I do not work

E. . Use of Simple Present Tense
        If we pay attention together, from the explanations of the three grammar experts above, we can actually draw some understanding about the use of simple presnet tense.

1. Simple presnt tense is used to declare events that occur in general (general) whose truth is not in doubt. These general events are not related to the present time but can also occur in the past time or even possibly in the future.

Example:
a. The earth goes arround the sun.
b. Bees make honey.
c. Water boils at 100 centigrade. 

2. Simple present tense is used to state events that are always (always), usually (usually), accustomed to (habitually) done. Usually in present tense sentences use time adverbs like: always, usually, habitually, permanently, repetedly, every day / week / month / year, etc. These events are also not tied to the present (present) alone but can also occur in the past lamapu (past) or even possibly can occur in the future (future)

Example:
a. Rini always reads grammar books in the library.
b. Jhon plays football every Sunday afternoon.
c. I usually eat omelette as my breakfast. 

3. Simple present tense is used to declare the sequence of events that are usually used when demonstrating (demonstration), giving commentsar (commentaries) or giving instructions (instructions).

Example:
a. How to make an omlet - First I take a bowl and break two eggs into it. Next ...
b. Iniesta passes to Messi, Messi shoots, and it's goal!
c. How to get the station - You go stright on the traffic light, then you turn left ...


Sources 

Read More