We used relaxed, informal English when we talk in a small group. Informal English is conventional English. But we also use it in a chatty, personal letter.
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The most basic difference in usage is the difference between standard and nonstandard English. Standard English is the English used in school, offices, and
the media. It is the English spoken by announcers, interviewers, or reporters on television program. Meanwhile, Nonstandard English is used by many Americans
at work, in their neighborhoods, or at home. The following table will draw about the Standard English.
a. Verb Tense
Tense is different from the time. Tenses are the forms of a verb that show when the action or condition expressed by the verb that show when the action or
condition expressed. People characteristically think of time in terms of present, past and future. More complex aspects of time relationships, such as ongoing or
completed actions or conditions, are expressed through progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive forms.
Present tenses give the idea about the habitual actions. Then, progressive tenses give the idea that an action is in progress during particular time. The tenses
say that an action begins before, is in progress, and continuous after another time or action. Moreover, the perfect tenses all give the idea that one thing happens
before another time or event. Then, the perfect progressive tenses give the idea that one event is in progress immediately before, up to, until another time or
event. The tenses are used to express the duration of the first event.
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1 Present Tense Form
The simple present indicates actions or conditions occuring at the time of speaking or writing. As well as those occuring habitually and those considered to
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Hans P. Guth, American English Today, New York: McGraw Hill, Inc, 1980, p.246- 248
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Betty Schrampfer Azar, Understanding and Using English Grammar, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, inc., 1989, p. 2-5
be general truths or scientific facts. In addition, with appropriate expressions of time, the simple present can be used to indicate a scheduled event in the future.
The examples of the use of the simple present tense are; “ I have breakfast every day at 08.00 a.m.”
“ He now lives in San Diego.”
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The Present Progressive indicates actions or conditions that are ongoing or continuous in the present. The examples of the present progressive are as follows;
“ The children are playing in the backyard this afternoon.” “ He is sleeping right now.”
The Present Perfect indicates actions or conditions begun in the past and either completed at some unspecified time in the past and continuing in the
present. The examples of this tense are as follows; “ My father has told me many stories of his childhood.”
“ I have already eaten.”
The Present Perfect Progressive indicates that an ongoing actions or condition begun in the past is very likely to continue into present. The examples
of this tense are as follows; “ I have been studying for two hours.”
“ Since I have been taking vitamins regularly, I have had no colds.”
2 The Past Tense Form
The Simple Past indicates actions or conditions that occured at a specific time and do not extend into the present. The examples of this tense are as follows;
“ It snowed yesterday.” “ I watched the television last night.”
The Past Progressive indicates continuing actions or conditions in the past, often with specific limits. The following examples will show the use of this tense;
“He was sleeping when i arrived.” “My brother was playing football when I came home.”
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Andrea Lunsford Robert Connors, The ST. Martin’s Handbook, New York: ST
Martin’s Press, p. 198-199.
