Tenses

Verbs are a category of words that describe an action that happens.

Unlike other type of words, they have a "time" quality. What this means is that by looking at the verb in the sentence, you can tell when the action happened. This means that the verb informs the reader if the action is being carried out NOW, has been carried out in the PAST, or will be carried out in the FUTURE.

Unfortunately, because of this, tenses can become complicated because we try to convey when it happened by changing just ONE word in the sentence.

For example:

Sports commentaries - (simple present tense)

"He passes the ball to Pele, who dribbles it past the defenders to score a GOAL! They win the game!"

Talking about the past for a completed action - (simple past tense)

"He passed the ball to Pele, who dribbled it past the defenders to score a GOAL! And that's how they won the game yesterday." (Simple past tense)

Something that happened in the past (but just only) - (present perfect tense)

"Good news! The principal has agreed to give us a half day holiday next Monday!"

OR:

"She is crying right now because her mother has scolded her."

Something in the past, in relation to something else that happened later in the past (sounds confusing?) - (past perfect tense)

"Bad news! The principal had agreed to give us a half day holiday but changed his mind when he heard about our bad results. The half day is off!"

OR:

"She cried all day yesterday because her mother had scolded her."

Something that is happening at the moment. RIGHT NOW. - (present progressive tense)

"She is crying."

OR

"I am working in this company."

OR

"They are studying in Tampines Secondary School."

Something that was ongoing in the past but was interrupted by another action, or stopped happening at a certain time - (past progressive tense)

"She was crying when her father came home."

OR

"I was working for the company in 2009."

OR

"They were studying in Tampines Secondary School before they graduated in 2009."

Something that was ongoing from the past until now. - (present perfect progressive tense)

"She has been crying a lot recently."

OR

"I have been working for this company for the past two years." (working for 2 years up till now.)

OR

"They have been studying in Tampines Secondary School since 2009." (studying from 2009 up till now)

Something that started in the past and continued for a duration up till another time in the past. - (Past perfect progressive)

"She had been crying when her father came home." (Similar to past progressive tense; however, notice that a duration is specified for PPP tense.)

OR

"I had been working for this company for 2 years when it went bankrupt in 2009."

OR

"They had been studying in Tampines Secondary School for 2 years when it underwent renovation."

Using the correct tense will unfortunately take a lot of time and practice - however, over repeated use, it will become natural, and you will not have to think about which tense to use.

Social Media: Picture Discussion

The picture shows a scene of four elderly people using a computer,perhaps for the first time. The elderly woman to the left seems to be giving instructions, as she is pointing to the screen and looking at the others as if to see whether they are doing the right things. All the people in the picture are leaning forward towards the laptop, showing their interest in what is going on in front of them. One of them even has her hands on the keyboard, typing in something gingerly. Perhaps she is not accustomed to using a laptop and so is carefully learning. The woman next to her is looking on in curiosity, learning by example. The man in the center is very excited about the goings-on. He has a wide smile on his face. This could be because he is enjoying learning more about how to use a computer, or even the Internet. The older generation is often left behind these days because of the speed of advancements, and sometimes they appreciate it when someone takes the time to explain to them the use of new technology, especially in social media because this allows them to keep in contact with their friends and family, which is particularly valuable to retirees.

Social Media: The need for affirmation

The dangers of Facebook's 'like' button
The internet was supposed to set us free, says Neil Strauss at The Wall Street Journal, but "like" culture has made it a prison of conformity

Just as stand-up comedians are trained to be funny by observing which of their lines and expressions are greeted with laughter, so too are our thoughts online molded to conform to popular opinion by these buttons. A status update that is met with no likes (or a clever tweet that isn't retweeted) becomes the equivalent of a joke met with silence. It must be rethought and rewritten. And so we don't show our true selves online, but a mask designed to conform to the opinions of those around us. ...

So let's rise up against the tyranny of the "like" button. Share what makes you different from everyone else, not what makes you exactly the same. Write about what's important to you, not what you think everyone else wants to hear. Form your own opinions of something you're reading, rather than looking at the feedback for cues about what to think.

Read the full article

Natural Disasters - Reading Articles

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2010/08/30/five_years_after_katrina_an_im/

Natural Disasters Picture Discussion

This picture depicts the aftermath of a flood. Several people are wading through waist-high water, possibly in order to get to higher land where it is dry. Their belongings seem to have been packed hastily and messily, as they probably were not prepared for this flood. Some are not carrying much with them - perhaps most of their belongings were swept away by the flood waters, or they did not have time to save everything. It is also possible that they might have made strategic choices in what to rescue because they were in a hurry, and only brought the barest necessities. Others, like the woman in the center, appears to be carrying as much as she can.

The woman in the center of the photo appears resigned, as if she has already come to terms with what has happened. She is unhappy and looks tired, but seems to have accepted what has happened and is making the effort now to move on with her life and do what she can to salvage what's left of it. Her belongings have all been packed into plastic bags and buckets in order to prevent the water from further damaging them.

In the background, other people are trudging along with their own burdens. One of the men at the right hand corner appears to be carrying a bag made for a child. He is possibly a father and thus has the added responsibility of having to carry necessities for his child. The things he is carrying are clumsily stacked, as if he did not have much time to organize them before leaving. These people are possibly headed for higher ground where the flood waters cannot touch them. Hopefully they will be given help by charitable organizations and given support to rebuild their homes which have been destroyed by this natural disaster.

Flood Experience