tenses
Past, present, future
Tenses are the forms verbs take to indicate when an action occurs—past, present, or future.
English has simple tenses (walked, walk, will walk), progressive tenses (was walking, is walking), and perfect tenses (had walked, has walked).
The word also refers to states of mental strain: muscles grow tense, situations become tense, a person tenses up before bad news.
Verb form variation system
- inflectionWord form alteration
- pastTime already gone
- presentGift or current moment
- futureTime still to come
perfect · imperfect · progressive · subjunctive · indicative · conditional · imperative · pluperfect
Time already gone
- presentGift or current moment
- futureTime still to come
- chronologyTemporal ordering of events
- timelineOrdered display of events
sequence · progression · continuity · anteriority · simultaneity · duration · moment · timeframe
Tense a muscle
- tightenMake more secure
- clenchSqueeze tightly shut
- strainExcessive stretching force
- contractEnforceable written agreement
brace · stiffen · coil · tautness · rigidity · stress · knot · cramp
Persistent apprehensive distress
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- uneaseMild persistent worry
edginess · agitation · strain · pressure · worry · anticipation · suspense · jitters
conjugation
Verb form variation system
- inflectionWord form alteration
- pastTime already gone
- presentGift or current moment
future · perfect · imperfect · progressive · subjunctive · indicative · conditional · imperative · pluperfect · preterite
past
Time already gone
- presentGift or current moment
- futureTime still to come
- chronologyTemporal ordering of events
timeline · sequence · progression · continuity · anteriority · simultaneity · duration · moment · timeframe · before
flex
Tense a muscle
contract · brace · stiffen · coil · tautness · rigidity · stress · knot · cramp · spasm
anxiety
Persistent apprehensive distress
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
unease · edginess · agitation · strain · pressure · worry · anticipation · suspense · jitters · butterflies
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- tense upBecome rigid from stress
- past tenseVerb form for before
- present tenseVerb form indicating now
- simple tensesUncompounded verb forms
- future tenseVerb form for later
- verb tenseTime form of action words
intense, tense, intensity, intensify, pretense, tensed, tensing, tenser, tensest