Tense is the linguistic term for handling time in the English language. By extension, mastery of the different tense forms and their appropriate usages is a precondition for fluency in any language. The primary tenses in English are the present, past and future tenses. However, with recourse to the linguistic term for discussing the completeness or incompleteness of an action, a number of other tense forms, such as present continuous, present perfect, past continuous, past perfect, present perfect continuous and whatnot, further emerge. Considering this reality, this treatise will demystify the usages of the present continuous and past continuous tenses, and the exceptions to their deployment.
Structurally, the present continuous tense comprises auxiliary (helping) verbs in the present tense (am, is, are) and the present participle (dancing, eating). The present continuous tense performs four major functions in English.
1. It is used to talk about an ongoing action: I am reading Dr GAB’s column now.
2. It is used to emphasise an action that is happening at about the time but not necessarily at the moment: Dr GAB is working on his second grammar textbook (He is not necessarily working on it as of the time of speaking).
3. It is used with the adverb, ‘always’, to mention a habit: Dr GAB is always teaching English.
4. It is also used to mention a definite arrangement in the future: I am taking a class at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
In marked contrast, the past continuous tense embodies auxiliary verbs in the past tense (was, were) and the present participle (singing, climbing). It is used to express the following:
1. An action that was going on in the past, at a specific time: We were preparing for the tests this time last month.
2. An action that was unfolding in the past and was interrupted by another action: I was eating when my father arrived.
Beyond these primary functions, the present participle is also used in a naming capacity. Consequently, it is called a gerund or a verbal noun, as adduced hereunder:
Teaching (gerund) is my hobby.
I love seeing (gerund) movies.
My teachings (verbal noun) are comprehensive.
The present participle also serves as a participial adjective when it qualifies a noun. Examples are: talking drum, moving vehicle, dancing shoes and so forth.
Moving on, there is a vast array of verbs, which are not deployed in the progressive/continuous tenses; they are called stative verbs. Owing to its static nature, a stative verb portrays a state/condition, rather than an action. The first category of stative verbs, comprising ‘love’, ‘hate’, ‘like’, ‘prefer’, ‘wish’ and ‘want’, expresses emotions and feelings thus:
I am loving you (non-standard).
I love you (standard).
Kunle is desiring something this month (non-standard).
Kunle desires something this month (standard).
Kelechi was preferring rice to beans (non-standard).
Kelechi preferred rice to beans (standard).
Likewise, verbs of mental activity, such as ‘understand’, ‘believe’ and ‘know’, are not applied in the progressive tenses, as demonstrated below:
Are you understanding me (non-standard)?
Do you understand me (standard)?
I am not knowing anything in that course (nonstandard).
I do not know anything in that course (standard).
She was believing God for a miracle (non-standard).
She believed God for a miracle (standard).
Furthermore, verbs like ‘have’, ‘belong’ and ‘owe’, which indicate possession and measurement, are static in nature. Consider these juxtapositions:
They were having headaches yesterday (non-standard).
They had headaches yesterday (standard).
How much are you owing me (non-standard)?
How much do you owe me (standard)?
Those houses are belonging to Jacob (non-standard).
Those houses belong to Jacob (standard).
Importantly, too, verbs portraying sense and perception (see, hear, smell, feel, taste, think, look) are stative verbs. Hence, peruse the accompanying comparisons:
I am not hearing you (non-standard).
I cannot hear you (standard).
She is seeing him from here (non-standard).
She can see him from here (standard).
Tolu is just seeing your message (non-standard).
Tolu has just seen your message (standard).
It was tasting like sour milk (non-standard).
It tasted like sour milk (standard).
Jasmine is looking ridiculous in those pyjamas (non-standard)
Jasmine looks ridiculous in those pyjamas (standard).
Was Bola smelling nice (non-standard)?
Did Bola smell nice (standard)?
We are thinking he is Spanish (non-standard).
We think he is Spanish (standard).
Notwithstanding, note that some stative verbs can sometimes be deployed in the dynamic sense; that is, they can be used in the progressive tenses when they depict actions, not states/conditions. For instance, when ‘see’ indicates an arrangement to meet with someone, it can be used in the progressive tense thus:
I am ‘seeing’ my doctor tomorrow morning (standard).
Moreover, when ‘hear’ expresses adjudication in the court of law, it can be used in the continuous tense, as in:
The court is ‘hearing’ his case tomorrow (standard).
In rounding off:
I am ‘having’ (eating) lunch (standard).
Are you ‘hearing’ (to maintain contact) from Musa (standard)?
Aminat was ‘thinking’ (to process one’s thoughts) when the teacher beckoned to her (standard).
The doctor is ‘feeling’ (to touch in order to ascertain something) Brenda’s pulse.
John and Victoria had been ‘seeing’ (to be in a romantic relationship) in 2009 before the latter met Frank (standard).
Although tense is intricate to handle, it is central to grammaticality. We, therefore, must keep learning the appropriate deployment of the different tenses in the English language.
