Tenses

[brooksy1]

Arghhh, please help me, I am so frustrated and I am going insane.

I am currently studying and have to determine the Tense of the following sentences. I am going around and around in circles and probably confusing myself more. Most examples I find don't seem to allow for the out of the norm. I am stuck on the following (among others, but I'll limit it to three). We were to focus on the highlighted words only: I don't think they are the future tense even though we are talking about the future because they don't seem to fit the rules. I've eliminated all the past tenses obviously.

We are also supposed identify the "time" of each sentence. I have chosen respectively, Future, Future and Present.

1. We've got the next lesson in the language laboratory.
2. I am to give a speech at the conference next week.
3. I wish I had more time to finish this exercise (I chose simple present).

My choices are:

Present simple
Present continuous
Present Perfect
Present perfect continuous
Future continuous
Future perfect
Future perfect continuous

Thank you

[Margy]

Very tough question. Are you studying linguistics or something? As a native English speaker, I have never learnt about these different tenses. Only briefly touched on them many years ago when I tried to learn German.

Did you try looking up the definition of each of these tenses? Try Simple vs Progressive Tenses for some good examples.

Sorry.

[Mikeskragge]

I wish I had more time to finish this exercise (I chose simple present).This tense is called the unreal past

"The past tense is sometimes used in English to refer to an 'unreal' situation. So, although the tense is the past, we are usually talking about the present"

English Grammar and Writing : English language courses, English Grammar Online

Thank Google for God

[AdvantageEnglish]

1. We've got the next lesson in the language laboratory.

This breaks down to WE HAVE GOT... the operative word being HAVE, which is SIMPLE PRESENT. The word NEXT was supposed to confuse you into thinking it was a future tense...but of course we weren't fooled by that !

2. I am to give a speech at the conference next week.

Well...this is the same as number one, SIMPLE PRESENT, with a similar trick.


3. I wish I had more time to finish this exercise

As the previous writer noted, this is an UNREAL tense... meaning that it is impossible to change the past, hence the statement is a wish which cannot become real... Similar to UNREAL CONDITIONAL --> "If I had more time, I could (would) finish this exercise."
However... that's not a choice option.

This would also be SIMPLE PRESENT (albeit UNREAL)

[brooksy1]

Thank you all so much.

No, I'm not studying Linguistics, merely an Advanced Specialist Certificate in Grammar as part of my TEFL course. I must say I'm not feeling like a specialist at the moment. If anything this subject is beginning to scare me into thinking I won't be able to teach.

Thank you all again for taking the time. I did pass the subject although I was not told where I may have gone wrong. That can be a bit frustrating, it's always good to get feedback.

[Raphael]

Hi

1. We've got the next lesson in the language laboratory.
2. I am to give a speech at the conference next week.
3. I wish I had more time to finish this exercise (I chose simple present).

mmm...I'd say that number 1. on a purely mechanics of language level looks like an obvious present perfect tense, as in "we've hit the jackpot" or, "we've run out of time" and it refers to something that is about to take place in the near future

with the same logic as above, 2. has a present simple form, albeit used to express a future action

finally 3. is a past simple tense in a conditional hypothetical present.