Tense and time What is the difference between tense and time? * Tense: classifies verbs as: o present tense o or past tense * Time: classifies situations described by verbs according to whether they occur at some time: o in the past, o in the present o or in the future Usually, the link between tense and time is very simple: * present tense for present or future time Usually, the link between tense and time is very simple: * present tense for present or future time Compound tenses are easy to recognise: * They involve a verb chain. * The verb chain contains the auxiliary verbs have and/or be. * The first auxiliary verb shows the 'basic' tense: o present o or past. * The compound tense may be: o perfect, consisting of have followed by a past participle continuous, consisting of be followed by a present participle or perfect continuous, a combination of perfect and continuous: have been + present participle Choosing a tense We normally choose the tense according to the time of the situation we are describing.

Hello, The tense is the conjunction of a verb to indicate "when" its action is taking place , whether in the past , present , right now ,future or anywhere between .