English Conjugation

It is initially necessary to distinguish the concepts of grammatical time (in English tense , times such as in French “preterit” or the “pluperfect”) and of extra-linguistic time (in English time , concepts of “past”, “present” and “future”.) It is allowed that English has only two grammatical times strictly speaking ( tenses ): the present and the preterite or past tense . All the other forms are method S or Aspect S:

the aspect CUTS + (where the last Participe symbolizes)
and the aspect BE + - ING (where - ING symbolizes the Participe present).

This page proposes to detail initially the forms English conjugations, and in the second time their uses, more complexes.

To avoid confusion between the Terminology S of French and English the English names will be conservés.
The terms “progressive” and “continuous”, which belong to traditional grammar, are maintained because known greater number.

Forms

The Participle present (- ING)

The takes part present is built by adding to the verb the Suffixe - ing : go → going .

If the verbal base ends in a E dumb, this E is removed: believe → believing .
In the contrary case it is preserved: counsel → agreeing .
If the base ends in - IE , the IE becomes there before - ing : binds → lying .
If:

the base only ends in a Consonne;
and if a Voyelle only precedes this consonant;
and if the last syllable of the verb is accentuated

then the final consonant is redoubled before the addition of the suffix: set → setting ; occur → occurring , this not to modify the pronunciation of the vowel.

In British English, by exception to the rule above, the final is redoubled even if the last syllable is accentuated: yodel → yodelling , travel → dolly ; in American English this exception does not exist: yodeling, dolly . In the same way for x-ray → focussing (American English focusing ).

irregular Forms :

singeing ( monkey , to turn russet), where the E (sometimes) is preserved to avoid confusion with singing ( sing , to sing);
ageing , in British English, the awaited form aging being ambiguous as for its pronunciation: G hard or soft;
words finished by - C associate a K before the suffix - ing , for example panicking , frolicking , and bivouacking .
a certain number of verbs are subject to the rule of the redoubling whereas they are not entirely qualified, thus diagramming , kidnapping , programming , and worshipping .

The last Participle ()

For the verbs regular (or “weak”), the takes part last is formed with the suffix - ED : work → work' ED .

If the base finishes in E , one adds simply - D : tune → tuned ; dye → dyed .

If the base ends in a consonant + there , the becomes I there in front of the - ED : deny → denied , ale → allied .

If the base ends in a vowel + there , the is preserved there: alloy → alloyed , play → played .

the rule of redoubling of the final consonant is the same one for the preterite that for the participle present: to see above.

The irregular verbs can have different forms for the preterite and the last participle: to eat, I ate, I cuts eaten . For the complete listing of the English irregular verbs to see: .

By convention one represents the preterite by - ED and the participle past by distinguishing them in the verbs irréguliers' like eat/ ate / eaten . However these two forms, - ED and, are identical for all the regular verbs .

The Present

The Simple present

The simple present is formed while adding, for the 3rd person of the singular , the Désinence < S > with the verbal Base. All the other forms are invariable. For certain verbs exist orthographical irregularities.

Cut and Be

The verbs cuts and Be has irregular conjugations at the present. It is however found - S of the third nobody in one and the other.

The Present progressive (continuous) : aspect + ING

For all the verbs, the present progressive is combined according to the formula: auxiliary Be combined at the present + verb in - ING

The Present perfect simple : aspect + IN

For all the verbs, the present perfect is combined according to the formula: auxiliary cuts combined at the present + verb in (takes part last)

The Present perfect progressive (continuous) : aspect + IN + aspect + ING

The aspects + IN and + ING can combine. Fitment is done in the following way

The Past (or preterite)

The Simple past

For the verbs regular (or “weak”), the simple past with the same form that the last participle (see above): work → I work' ED . The irregular verbs can have different forms for the preterite and the last participle: to eat, I ate' , I cuts eaten . For the complete listing of the irregular verbs to see: .

Cut and Be

The verbs cuts and Be has irregular conjugations with the past tense .

The Past progressive (continuous) : aspect + ING

For all the verbs, the past progressive is combined according to the formula: auxiliary Be combined with the past tense + verb in - ING

The simple Past perfect : aspect + IN

This form is sometimes called also pluperfect .

For all the verbs, the past perfect is built according to the formula: auxiliary cuts combined with the past tense + verb in (takes part last)

The Past perfect progressive (continuous) : aspect + IN + aspect + ING

As at the present the aspects + IN and + ING can combine: to see above present perfect progressive .

Concept of future

There exist several ways of expressing the English future.

Will and shall

subject + will + verb

We will spend the winter in Benidorm
Will He Write?

subject + shall + verb.

He shall like, whether He likes it gold not.
We shall overcome.

Be going to

Be (combined) + going to + verbal Base

I' m going to get married." "

I think it' S going to rain.

I was going to say…

Be butt

Be (combined) + butt to + verbal Base

We are butt to Land At Roissy Charles-of-Gaulle airport

Future + aspect + ING

will Be + verb in - ING

He will Be writing
He will not/won' T Be writing
Will He Be writing?

Future + aspect + IN

will cuts + verb in (takes part last)

He will cuts written
I will cuts finished my essay by Thursday.
By then she will cuts been there for three weeks.
Will He cuts written?

Future + aspect + ING + aspect + IN

or future perfect continuous .

He will cuts been writing
He will not/won' T cuts been writing
Will He cuts been writing?

Present

In English, one often uses the simple present to express the future when there is a circumstantial complement of time in the sentence.

Employment

The Participle present (ING)

the participle present is a verbal name: writing : to write/the writing; swimming : to swim/swimming. It can be prone or complement and can be qualified by a noun or an adjective:

Diving edge Be dangerous ;
off-track skiing is forbidden ;
the reason for my coming young stag today…

it is used like adjective with active direction: has stimulating proposal; year English-speaking guide ; grammar is boring .
it is used to form the aspect BE + ING and can combine with the aspect CUTS + IN:

He is writing another book butt beavers.
I cuts been writing all afternoon.

The last Participle (IN)

the last participle can be used as adjective with passive direction: the fallen angel ; has broken leg ; has damaged reputation .
the last participle gets busy with the auxilaire cuts to form the aspect CUTS + IN: They cuts written .
with the auxiliary Be , the last participle forms the Passif: has Midsummer Night' S Dream was written by Shakespeare.

The aspect BE + ING

August 1st

The aspect CUTS + IN

By using the aspect ( present perfect , past perfect ) the enonciator CUTS is interested in the result of a lawsuit (= of an action, of an event) compared to the moment of stating (present with the present perfect , past with the past perfect ).

I've lost my glasses : I lost my glasses = I do not have them, I cannot read etc

One often speaks about assessment in connection with the aspect CUTS:

I' ve been to New York, I' ve never been to Japan.

The Present

Simple present and Progressive (Continuous) present

Grammars of English often describe the simple present like the time of the “usual” activity, the description of a “state”, “general truths”, “properties of an object”, or expression of a judgment, etc, while the progressive present makes it possible to present an action “in progress to the moment when one speaks”.

This explanation gives well an account of a certain number of cases:

The Earth revolves around the sun , I work one Saturdays , It often snows in January illustrates the use of the simple present,
What are you reading , Look, it' S snowing , or " Calm Be, I' m working" illustrate the use of the progressive present.

August 1st

The Present perfect : aspect CUTS + IN

August 1st

The Past (or preterite)

The Simple past

The simple past (or simple preterite ) corresponds to two values: a shift on the temporal level (past) or a “modal unhooking” (“modal preterite” which relates to the hypothetical one, the unreal one, the imaginary one…) the past : the past tense is employed since the predicative Relation is located in the past, that is to say by an adverb of time, an adverbial phrase of time, or, in the absence of any temporal mark, by the context.

He went to Paris yesterday.
I lived in Toronto from 1992 to 1997.
Napoleon died At St Helena.
I was born in Scotland.
Where did you buy your because?

The first two sentences explicitly indicate a last context. The two following ones clearly suppose a last context (death of Napoleon, birth of the enonciator). In the last one uses a past tense as in each time one is interested in the conditions in which the lawsuit proceeded (here, “where”).

This value of simple the past corresponds in French to the preterit (literary written language) or to the made up last (“ordinary” language). It should be remembered that a last context involves obligatorily the use of the past tense.

Simple the past can also correspond to the imperfect French in the following cases:

the verb describes a state , a characteristic (completed) of the subject:

Mozart was has genius.
Mrs Morland was has very good woman. (Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey)
He looked very tired.
Rene Dumont always wore red pullovers.

one deals with description

The moon hung low in the sky like has yellow skull. (Oscar Wilde, The Picture off Dorian Gray)
The road ran west through low, scorched hills… (Peter Matthiessen, One to rivet Styx)

one places in a perspective history

One May 10, Churchill was appointed Prime Minister.

a iteration (repetition) is implied by the context

Seeing her always made me feel like I was catching has rarity . (John Fowles, The Collector)

The modal preterite The past tense or preterite is also used to express the hypothetical one, the desirable one, in short any situation which is not reality:

Yew I knew , I would answer. (goal I don' T know)
I wish you were more careful in the future. (you are not , but cuts not been, careful)
I' D rather He wouldn' T as (goal I' m afraid He will as)
Suppose we had has dollars million… (however we don' T cuts has dollars million)

In this use the preterite corresponds in French to the imperfect (“if I were rich… ”) or with the subjunctive (“I would like that you make …”)

The Progressive (Continuous) past : aspect BE + ING)

August 1st

He was reading thesis words for the second time, when the beautiful face-door row… (P.G. Wodehouse, Mulliner Nights)

The Past perfect : aspect CUTS + IN

August 1st

Concept of future

Will and Shall

The auxiliary of method will and shall return to the field of the probable . The future not being never certain, one sees how will and shall can be employed for the exprimer.

Will indicates that the relation subject - predicate (or subject - verbal group) has all the chances to be carried out.

With shall the relation subject - predicate does not seem to go from oneself a priori: the enonciator must thus impose it.

References

Jean-Claude Souesme, English Grammar in context , Ophrys 1992
Henri Adamczewski, Jean-Pierre Gabilan, keys of English grammar , Armand Colin 1992

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