Choosing among

Choosing among Past, Present, and Future
Verbs tell time with a quality known as tense. Before you reach for a tranquilizer, here’s the
lowdown on the basic tenses. You have three, and each has two forms — lo-carb and fatfree.
Sorry, I mean plain (called by its basic time designation — present, past, or future) and
progressive (the -ing form of a verb). Progressive places a little more emphasis on process or
on action that spans a time period, and the present progressive may reach into the future.
In many sentences, either plain or progressive verbs may be used interchangeably. Here’s a
taste of each:
Past tense tells what happened either at a specific, previous time or describes a pattern
of behavior in the past. (In the sentence “Diane tattooed a skull on her bulging
bicep,” tattooed is a past tense verb. In “During the Motorcycle Festival, Diane was flexing
her bicep,” was flexing is a verb in past progressive tense.)
Present tense tells you what’s going on now at the present moment, or more generally
speaking, what action is recurring. It also touches the future. (In the sentence
“Grace rides her Harley,” rides is a present tense verb. In “Grace is always polishing her
Harley” and “Grace is riding to Florida,” the verbs is polishing and is riding are in present
progressive tense.)
Future tense moves into fortune-teller land. (The verb in “Grace will give Diane a ride
around the block” is will give, which is in future tense. In “Grace will be bragging about
her new motorcycle for months,” will be bragging is in future progressive tense.)