The verb is the grammatical center of the sentence. The verb has The three types of verbs are transitive, intransitive, and linking verbs.

TENSE Tense means ‘time’. The tense of a verb indicates and establishes time and its relationship to events in a sentence. Conceptually the time can be devided into three basic categories: the past, the present, and the future. Accordingly, the basic classification of the tenses in English is based on those three time references: the past tenses, the present tenses, and the future tenses. Each of these tenses are then further devided into a number of subcategories such as simple tenses, continuous tense, and perfect tenses. These tenses take different patterns of verb phrases.

26. Principal partsforms of a verb phrase

It is necesary to know the principal parts of a verb in order to know how to form the various tenses. For regular verbs, the present is the same as the infinitive talk, to talk, the past is made by adding –d or –ed to the present talked, the present participle the progressive or continuous is made by adding –ing to the present talking, the past participle has the same form as the past. There are many irregular verbs, however, that form their principal parts in an irregular manner. In many grammar books or dictionaries there is a list of this irregular verbs and their principal parts. Knowing the parts will make it possible for a learner to form different kinds of tenses.

27. Simple tenses

The simple present tense is used to expressed: a. present time or continued, habitual action. I hear you. We need food. b. general truth The sun rises in the east. c. historical present Jefferson ranks as one of our great presidents. d. the future We leave for Miami on Tuesday; our plane arrives at 09.00. The simple past tense is used to express an activity that ended sometime in the past. I got up this morning and ate breakfast. The simple future tense describes actions that have not yet happened. a. One way to express the future is to use will or shall + simple form of the verb. I will come on time. b. Another way to express the future is to use be going to + simple verb. We are going to meet him there next week.

28. Perfect tenses

These tenses present perfect, past perfect, future perfect are called perfect because they all refer to actions that have been completed perfected when the statement is made. The present perfect tense havehas + the past participle describes an action in one of four ways: a. an action that happened at some indefinite time in the past. Raul has learned many new words. b. an action that started in the past and is continuing into the present. Peggy has worked hard all her life. c. an action that was repeated several times prior to the present. It has rained everyday this week. d. an action completed so recently in the past that it still has an effect in the present. He is not coming with us; he has been sick all week. The choice between the simple past and the present perfect is one of intended meaning.