Present tense (Aspect) - JSS2 English language Lesson Note

"Tense" refers to the grammatical category that indicates the time when an action or state described by a verb occurs. In English, there are three primary tenses: past, present, and future. Each tense has different forms and is used to convey actions or states in relation to the time of speaking or another reference point.

Present tense in English can be used in several aspects to convey different meanings:

1. Simple Present: Used for habitual actions or general truths.

• Example: "She reads books every night."

Present Progressive (Continuous): Describes actions happening at the moment of speaking or ongoing actions.

• Example: "They are studying for their exams."

Present Perfect: Indicates actions that happened at an unspecified time before now or actions that have relevance to the present moment.

• Example: "I have finished my homework."

Present Perfect Continuous: Emphasizes the duration of an action that started in the past and is still ongoing.

• Example: "He has been working on this project for weeks."

Examples of each tense:

1. Simple Present Tense:
   - Example: "She plays tennis every Saturday."
   - In this sentence, "plays" is the simple present tense form of the verb "play." It describes a habitual action or a general truth. The action of playing tennis occurs regularly on Saturdays.

2. Present Continuous (Progressive) Tense:
   - Example: "They are watching a movie right now."
   - In this sentence, "are watching" is the present continuous tense form of the verb "watch." It describes an action that is happening at the moment of speaking, indicating ongoing activity.

3. Present Perfect Tense:
   - Example: "I have finished my homework."
   - In this sentence, "have finished" is the present perfect tense form of the verb "finish." It indicates an action that was completed at an unspecified time before now, with relevance to the present moment.