Category: Australia

The sentence formation follows:

	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I had eaten = I’d eaten	We had eaten = We’d eaten
2nd Person	You had eaten = You’d eaten	You had eaten = You’d eaten
3rd Person	He had eaten = He’d eaten
	She had eaten = She’d eaten	They had eaten = They’d eaten
	It had eaten = It’d eaten

Uses of The Past Perfect Tense:

1. The past perfect tense is used for actions completed before a certain moment in the past:

Present: My brother has just left for airport. If you hurry you will catch him.

Past: When he arrived, my brother had just left for airport.

I met her father in Canada last year. I had seen him the last ten years before.

• When two actions happen in the past, it may be necessary to describe which action happened earlier than the other.

When he arrived, my brother had just left for airport.

The child had begun crying before her mother reached the nursery school.

• The past perfect tense can be used with since/for/always etc. for an action which began the time of speaking in the past, and
  • was still in progression at that time or
  • ended at that time or just before it.
• He had been a police officer for ten years, and decided to stay in the police department till he reached the retirement.

We had lived in this small village for five years before moving to a big city.

• The old banyan tree, which had stood in the middle of the garden for 40 years/since before the garden was developed, suddenly crashed to the ground.

The sentence formation follows:

	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I have eaten = I’ve eaten	We have eaten = We’ve eaten
2nd Person	You have eaten = You’ve eaten	You have eaten = You’ve eaten
3rd Person	He has eaten = He’s eaten
	She has eaten = She’s eaten	They have eaten = They’ve eaten
	It has eaten = It’s eaten

Uses of The Present Perfect Tense:

1. It indicates completed actions in the immediate past: She has just gone out = She went out a few minutes ago.   We have just had supper = We had supper a few minutes ago.
2. It is also used for an action which happened in the past, and its connection with the present is still maintained and possibly they could repeat in the present time, too: I have seen coyotes in that jungle. This implies that we could also see them in the present time. Daler Mehandi has sung many popular songs. This implies that Daler Mehandi is alive and can sing more.

In some case, the impact of action/result could stretch to the future: You have lost this golden opportunity. It implies that you may never get the same opportunity in the future.

3. Some actions that take place in the present perfect often results in the present: She has had a nightmare. (She is probably still in that trauma).

My car has broken down. (I have to call a taxi for my commuting).

I have completed my report for you. (It means my job is done, and you could now start yours by analyzing it).

4. It is used for an action beginning at some point of time in the past and continuing up to the present moment: We have not met for ages.   I have not received the repeat order for my produce since last month.   She has been sick since last two days.

5. The following adverb or adverb phrases can be used with the Present Perfect Tense:

Just

Often

Never

Ever (in question only)

So far

Till now

Yet (in question and negatives)

Already

Since

For

Today

This week

This month

Lately

Recently

All day

All my life

All the time

Always, etc.

It is a common sight that students (in some cases, teachers, too) worry about the ‘complex structures’ aspect of grammar score in their writing tests. It is nothing but a waste of time.

It makes no sense when students have several complex structures (joining clauses in one sentence using linkers) with full of errors. In the IELTS test, error-free sentences are of great importance if someone wants to achieve an 8-band score. Let us look at the marking parameters here:

Band 8: most sentences are error-free
Band 7: frequent error-free sentences

I explain this fact to students, and yet, they fall in the trap. I can see that most students can write sentences with more than one clause using linkers, such as while, where, when, because, yet and as among others. They are perfectly be categorized as complex structures and do connect ideas. So, why do we need to press the need for more complex structures? I guess we do not need more than that.

Test takers must concentrate on error-free sentences, and should focus on this aspect carefully rather than being experimental on something on which they may mess up their write-up. And, if someone is not able to produce such error-free sentences, they should rely on simple sentences. In the end, your grammar mistakes count!

Future Progressive Tense

The sentence formation follows:

	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I will/shall be eating	We will/shall be eating
2nd Person	You will be eating	You will be eating
3rd Person	He will be eating
	She will be eating	They will be eating
	It will be eating

Uses of The Future Progressive (Continuous) Tense:

1. It is used as an ordinary progressive tense. Generally, it has a time reference:
   1. There is no IELTS class on Sunday. So, on Sunday students will not be sitting in the classroom.
   1. By this time, I will be traveling to Mumbai
2. It expresses the future with or without intention.
   1. I will be seeing my professor tomorrow.
   1. I guess he will not be coming with us tomorrow.
   1. I will be writing an email to my boss and tell him about this update.

The sentence formation follows:

	Singular Number	Plural Number
1st Person	I was eating	We were eating = We’re eating
2nd Person	You were eating = You’re eating	You were eating = You’re eating
3rd Person	He was eating = He’s eating
	She was eating = She’s eating	They were eating = They’re eating
	It was eating = It’s eating

Uses of The Past Progressive (Continuous) Tense:

1. The past progressive tense is mainly used for past actions which continued for some time, but we may not have an idea about their exact limits. In other words, it is not important to learn the fact how long it went on. Look at the below-mentioned diagram:

. . . . . . ———————-. . . . . .

• It can be used without a time reference; indicates gradual development.: It was getting difficult.   The temperature was rising.
• It can also be used with a time reference; denotes that an action which began prior to that time and probably continued then after, too.
  • At nine I was having breakfast says indirectly that I was in the middle of breakfast at nine, i.e. that I started it before nine.
  • I had breakfast at nine would indicate that I started it at nine.
• With when and while time expression:
  • When I entered the room, my cat was whining.
• It is used in the indirect narration; a past equivalent of the present progressive tense:
  • Direct speech: She said, ‘I am leaving this place’.

Indirect speech: She said she was leaving that place.