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Verb Forms

Pattern

TENSE vs. TIME

Tense & Time are not directly correlated.

 

A. Tense = Form = the name that grammarians give to the structure of verb forms.

Example
present perfect continuous verb tense contains:
one present form = have
one perfect form = been
one continuous form = living

  Future Form Past Form Present Form Perfect Form Continuous Form
1. present     live    
2. present continuous     am   living
3. past   lived      
4. past continuous   was     living
5. future will live        
6. future continuous will be       living
7. present perfect     have lived  
8. present perfect continuous     have been living
9. past perfect   had   lived  
10. past perfect continuous   had   been living
11. future perfect will have     lived  
12. future perfect continuous will have     been living

B. Time = Function = the location of an action in the mind of speaker.
There are three times in the real world: past, present, or future.

Example

Present Tense = Same Form Time = Different Function
1. The plane arrives at 9 every evening. past, present, future time
2. The plane arrives at 9 tonight. future time
3. When the plane arrives, I'll be at the gate. future time
4. So the plane arrives & I run over to the gate. past time [used in vivid storytelling]

Conditionals

Type 1 If I have time, I'll help you. If I'm free in the future, I'll help you. future time
Type 2 If I had time, I would help you. I don't have time to help you now/later. present or
future time
Type 3 If I had had time, I would have helped you. I didn't have time to help you last week. past time