Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ...

21
Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…

Transcript of Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ...

Page 1: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

Understanding English verb forms

∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…

Page 2: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

2

Some of the ideas we will cover in this book

§«“¡§‘¥∫“ߪ√–‡¥Áπ∑’ˇ√“®–°≈à“«∂÷ß„πÀπ—ß ◊Õ‡≈à¡π’È

This book is about English verb forms, a subject that gives so manylearners of English real headaches. Weûll move from easy forms like çWe godancing every Tuesdayé or çShe is giving her presentation right nowé tocomplex forms that most learners here in Thailand never master › like çHe saidhe would have gone to the meeting if someone had told him about ité.

Àπ—ß ◊Õ‡≈à¡π’È°≈à“«∂÷ß√Ÿªµà“ßÊ ¢Õߧ”°√‘¬“ (verb forms) ´÷Ë߇ªìπ‡√◊ËÕß™«πª«¥‡»’¬√

‡«’¬π‡°≈â“ ”À√—∫ºŸâ‡√’¬π¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…®”π«π‰¡àπâÕ¬ ‡√“®–‡√‘Ë¡¥â«¬√Ÿª∑’Ëßà“¬ Õ¬à“߇™àπ çWe godancing every Tuesdayé À√◊Õ çShe is giving her presentation right nowé ‰ª®π∂÷ß√Ÿª∑’ˬ“°∑’˺Ÿâ‡√’¬π™“«‰∑¬πâÕ¬§π®–‡¢â“„®·≈–„™â‡ªìπ› ‡™àπ çHe said he would havegone to the meeting if someone had told him about ité.

Weûll spend the much of the book focusing on the verb forms commonlyreferred to as çverb tensesé (Thatûs çtenseé and çaspecté in modern termino-logy). Weûll begin with the present simple and the past simple and then will wesee what kind of meanings the other, more complex forms allow English speak-ers to convey.

‡π◊ÈÕÀ“ à«π„À≠à¢ÕßÀπ—ß ◊Õ‡≈à¡π’È®–‡πâπ‡√◊ËÕß√Ÿª¢Õߧ”°√‘¬“ ÷Ëß‚¥¬∑—Ë«‰ª¡—°‡√’¬°°—π«à“

çverb tensesé (»—æ∑凩擖∑“ß ¡—¬„À¡à‡√’¬°«à“ çtenseé ·≈– çaspecté) ‚¥¬®–‡√‘Ë¡¥â«¬

present simple ·≈– past simple µàÕ®“°π—Èπ‡√“®–‰ª¥Ÿ§«“¡À¡“¬¢Õß√Ÿª°√‘¬“µ—«Õ◊ËπÊ ∑’Ë

´—∫´âÕπ¢÷Èπ ÷Ë߇®â“¢Õß¿“…“‡¢“„™â ◊ËÕ “√°—π

Here are some of the key ideas that we will cover in this section:§«“¡§‘¥À≈—°Ê ∫“ߪ√–‡¥Áπ∑’ˇ√“®–°≈à“«∂÷ß„π à«ππ’ȉ¥â·°à

The present simple and the past simple can convey a lot of differentmeanings but basically they focus on the facts of a situation.

present simple ·≈– past simple ◊ËÕ‰¥âÀ≈“¬§«“¡À¡“¬¥â«¬°—π ·µà‚¥¬æ◊Èπ∞“π·≈â«

®–„™â∑—Èß Õß·∫∫‡¡◊ËÕ°≈à“«∂÷ߢâÕ‡∑Á®®√‘ߢÕß ∂“π°“√≥å„¥ ∂“π°“√≥åÀπ÷Ëß ‡™àπ

The pyramids are one of Egyptûs biggest tourist attractions.

The ancient Egyptiansbuilt the pyramids.

Page 3: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

3

The progressive and perfect add other types of time-related information.Here are some of the things they can tell us:

à«π°√‘¬“√Ÿª progressive ·≈– perfect ®–‡æ‘Ë¡¢âÕ¡Ÿ≈Õ◊ËπÊ ∑’ˇ°’ˬ«°—∫‡«≈“ ¬°µ—«Õ¬à“ß

‡™àπ

‡√“„™â√Ÿª progressive ‡æ◊ËÕ ◊ËÕ«à“

That an event or situation is finished or unfinished

‡Àµÿ°“√≥åÀ√◊Õ ∂“π°“√≥åπ—ÈπÊ ®∫·≈â« À√◊Õ¬—߉¡à‡ √Á® ‘Èπ

She has lost a lot of weight. He has been trying to lose some weight.

‡√“„™â√Ÿª perfect ‡æ◊ËÕ ◊ËÕ«à“

That one event happened before another

¡’‡Àµÿ°“√≥åÀπ÷Ë߇°‘¥¢÷Èπ°àÕπÕ’°‡Àµÿ°“√≥åÀπ÷Ëß

I had given up all hope, when Helen arrived.

Page 4: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

4

‡√“„™â√Ÿª progressive ‡æ◊ËÕ ◊ËÕ«à“

That something happened over a period of time, not an instant of time

∫“ß ‘Ëß∫“ßÕ¬à“߇°‘¥¢÷ÈπÕ¬à“ßµàÕ‡π◊ËÕ߉ª√–¬–Àπ÷Ëß ‰¡à„™à‡°‘¥·≈–®∫≈ß„π∑—π∑’

Iûve spent six monthson this plan andI assure you it will work.

That a previous event or situation is in some way relevant or impor-

tant to the present (or to another time in the past or future)

‡Àµÿ°“√≥åÀ√◊Õ ∂“π°“√≥å∑’ˇ°‘¥¡“°àÕπ·≈â«π—Èπ ¡’§«“¡‡°’ˬ«¢âÕßÀ√◊Õ¡’§«“¡ ”§—≠µàÕ

‡Àµÿ°“√≥å„πªí®®ÿ∫—π (À√◊Õ‡ªìπ‡Àµÿ°“√≥å„πÕ¥’µÀ√◊ÕÕ𓧵°Á‰¥â)

He was bouncing down the road.

Francis is living in JapanÇ(but she lives in France).

That a situation is temporary, not permanent

∂“π°“√≥åÀπ÷Ë߇°‘¥¢÷Èπ™—Ë«§√“« ‰¡à„™àµ≈Õ¥‰ª

Page 5: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

5

Goodbye I’llsee you nextmonth

The flight leaves at: pm

English verb forms perform many other functions as well and weûll spendthe rest of the book looking at some of the most important.

√Ÿª¢Õߧ”°√‘¬“„π¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…∑”Àπâ“∑’ËÕ¬à“ßÕ◊Ëπ¥â«¬ ÷Ë߇√“®–°≈à“«∂÷߇©æ“–∑’Ë ”§—≠Ê

µàÕ‰ª„πÀπ—ß ◊Õ‡≈à¡π’È

Weûll look at various ways of talking about the future:‡™àπ ‡√“®–°≈à“«∂÷ß«‘∏’°“√查·∫∫µà“ßÊ ‡æ◊ËÕ ◊ËÕ∂÷߇Àµÿ°“√≥å„πÕ𓧵

Weûll change the focus of the sentence by using the passive voice:°“√„™â√Ÿª passive voice ‡æ◊ËÕ‡ª≈’ˬπ®ÿ¥‡πâπ¢Õߪ√–‚¬§

We sold our house That house has been sold

Watch I’mgoing to jump

Page 6: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

6

Weûll add our own opinion or point of view using modal auxiliaries:°“√„™â°√‘¬“™à«¬ (modal auxiliaries) ‡æ◊ËÕ· ¥ß§«“¡§‘¥‡ÀÁπÀ√◊Õ¡ÿ¡¡Õß à«πµ—«

If she eats all thatshe’ll get a stomachachefor sure

If I could I’d love to meeta Martian

Weûll also look at conditionals about both real and unreal situations.‡√“®–¥Ÿ√Ÿªª√–‚¬§‡ß◊ËÕπ‰¢ ∑—Èß∑’Ë„™â„π ∂“π°“√≥å®√‘ß·≈– ∂“π°“√≥å ¡¡µ‘

It might be somekind of beetle

He should have beenmore careful

Page 7: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

7

No way!I’m keeping it all formyself

Finally, weûll look at forms used every day in the news business: directand indirect speech:

·≈– ÿ¥∑⓬ ‡√“®–¥Ÿ√Ÿªª√–‚¬§∑’Ë«ß°“√¢à“«„™â°—πÕ¬Ÿà‡ ¡Õ › direct ·≈– indirect speech

You said you were goingto give part of yourwinnings to the poor

Page 8: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

8

çTimeé and çTenseé are not the same

çTimeé ‰¡à‡À¡◊Õπ°—∫ çTenseé

Three underlying ideas

§«“¡§‘¥ ”§—≠ “¡ª√–°“√

Weûll begin this book with a lengthy overview of what are commonlyknown as English verb tenses. Here, there is a common misunderstanding andmuch of it has to do with confusing tense with time.

Àπ—ß ◊Õ‡≈à¡π’È®–‡√‘Ë¡¥â«¬°“√Õ∏‘∫“¬§àÕπ¢â“߬“«∂÷߇√◊ËÕß∑’ˇ√’¬°°—π∑—Ë«‰ª«à“ English verbtenses ¡’§«“¡‡¢â“„®º‘¥„π‡√◊ËÕßπ’È°—πÕ¬Ÿà∫àÕ¬§√—Èß à«π„À≠à¡“®“°§«“¡‡¢â“„® —∫ π√–À«à“ߧ”

«à“ tense ·≈– time

We all know what time is, but few of us really understand what tense is.Actually, tense, is quite easy. It simply refers to the forms English verbs take.Strictly speaking, there are only two tenses, present (She cooks...) and past (Shecooked...). All the other verb forms we commonly refer to as tenses requireadding auxiliary verbs (helping verbs) like be+ing (She was cooking...) or has/have (She has cooked...). In linguistics this is referred to as aspect, not tense.Weûll cover both in this book.

‡√“∑ÿ°§π√Ÿâ«à“ time §◊ÕÕ–‰√ ·µà¡’‰¡à°’˧ππ—°∑’ˇ¢â“„®®√‘ßÊ «à“ tense §◊ÕÕ–‰√ Õ—π∑’Ë®√‘ß

tense ‡¢â“„®‰¥âßà“¬ ‡æ√“– tense °Á§◊Õ√Ÿªµà“ßÊ ¢Õߧ”°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…π—Ëπ‡Õß ∂â“®–°≈à“«

°—π®√‘ßÊ ·≈â« ¡’ tense Õ¬Ÿà‡æ’¬ß Õß tense ‡∑à“π—Èπ §◊Õ present (She cooks...) ·≈– past(She cooked...) à«π√Ÿª°√‘¬“Õ◊ËπÊ ∑ÿ°√Ÿª∑’ˇ√“‡√’¬°«à“ tense π—Èπ ‡√“‡æ’¬ß·µà‡µ‘¡°√‘¬“™à«¬

(auxiliary verbs/helping verbs) ‡¢â“‰ª‡∑à“π—È𠇙àπ be+ing (She was cooking...) À√◊Õ

has/have (She has cooked...) »—æ∑å∑“ß¿“…“»“ µ√å‡√’¬°«à“ aspect ‰¡à„™à tense Àπ—ß ◊Õ

‡≈à¡π’È®–«à“¥â«¬‡√◊ËÕß∑—Èß Õßπ’ȥ⫬

One reason why learners of English often become confused is that they(and, often their teachers) are forced to study a long list of so-called verb tensesand they try to associate each with particular times. That is bound to beconfusing because it is not true. The present tense, for example, is not alwaysabout the present time and the past is not always about a time in the past.

Page 9: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

9

“‡Àµÿª√–°“√Àπ÷Ëß∑’˺Ÿâ‡√’¬π¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…¡’§«“¡ —∫ π‡°’Ë¬«°—∫‡√◊ËÕßπ’È°Á§◊Õ ºŸâ‡√’¬π (√«¡

∑—Èߧ√Ÿ¥â«¬) ∂Ÿ°∫—ߧ—∫„Àâ‡√’¬π ‘Ëß∑’ˇ√’¬°°—π«à“ verb tense ¡“°¡“¬À≈“¬ tense ¥â«¬°—π ·≈–

欓¬“¡‚¬ß tense ‡À≈à“π’ȇ¢â“°—∫‡«≈“„¥‡«≈“Àπ÷Ëß ÷Ëß∑”„Àâ —∫ π‡æ√“–‰¡àµ√ß°—∫§«“¡‡ªìπ®√‘ß

‡™àπ present tense ‰¡à®”‡ªìπ®–µâÕ߇°’ˬ«°—∫‡«≈“„πªí®®ÿ∫—π‡ ¡Õ‰ª ·≈– past tense °Á‰¡à

‡°’ˬ«°—∫‡«≈“„πÕ¥’µ‡ ¡Õ‰ª

We will not cover all the verb forms (tense and aspect) that are commonlycovered in English courses. We wonût have to. As we work through the book,we will see that underneath these verb forms are three ideas: the simple tenses,the progressive (or continuous) aspect and the perfect aspect. Once you havethese ideas in mind, English verb forms will immediately begin to make sense,no matter if they look short and easy like çis cookingé or long and complicated,like çwill have been cookingé.

Àπ—ß ◊Õ‡≈à¡π’È®–‰¡à°≈à“«∂÷ß√Ÿª°√‘¬“∑ÿ°√Ÿª∑’Ëæ∫„πµ”√“‡√’¬π¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…∑—Ë«Ê ‰ª ‡æ√“–

‰¡à®”‡ªìπ ∑—Èßπ’ȇªìπ‡æ√“–«à“‡¡◊ËÕ‡√“»÷°…“µ“¡Àπ—ß ◊Õ‡≈à¡π’È ‡√“®–æ∫«à“¡’§«“¡§‘¥À≈—°Õ¬Ÿà “¡

ª√–‡¥Áπ∑’Ë·ΩßÕ¬Ÿà„π√Ÿª°√‘¬“∑—ÈßÀ≈“¬ ‰¥â·°à simple tenses, the progressive (À√◊Õ continu-ous) aspect ·≈– the perfect aspect ‡¡◊ËÕ∑à“π‡¢â“„®ª√–‡¥Áππ’È·≈â« ∑à“π°Á®–‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“

¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…‰¥â∑—π∑’ ‰¡à«à“®–ßà“¬Ê Õ¬à“ß çis cookingé À√◊Õ¬“«·≈– —∫ âÕπÕ¬à“ß çwill havebeen cookingé °Áµ“¡

Activity: Focusing on form

Before we get to meaning, letûs make sure we can recognise the threebasic verb forms: simple, progressive, and perfect (or, if you want to be com-pletely accurate çperfectiveé). Read the following sentences and look at theverbs they contain. Decide which group they fall in. Since it is possible to mixthe progressive and the perfect, weûll use four categories to avoid confusion:simple, progressive, perfect and perfect progressive. Several of the sentenceshave been done for you.

°àÕπ∑’ˇ√“®–≈ß≈÷°‡√◊ËÕߧ«“¡À¡“¬ ≈Õß¡“∑∫∑«π§«“¡·¡à𬔇√◊ËÕß√Ÿª¢Õߧ”°√‘¬“°—π°àÕπ

´÷Ëß¡’Õ¬Ÿà “¡√Ÿª§◊Õ simple, progressive, ·≈– perfect (À√◊Õ çperfectiveé ∂â“∑à“πµâÕß°“√

®–„Àâ∂Ÿ°µâÕß∂àÕß·∑â®√‘ßÊ) „À⥟§”°√‘¬“„πª√–‚¬§µàÕ‰ªπ’È ·≈â«∫Õ°«à“Õ¬Ÿà„π√Ÿª„¥ ∫“ߪ√–‚¬§

¡’√Ÿª progressive º ¡°—∫ perfect ¥—ßπ—Èπ®÷ß√«¡‡ªìπ ’Ë√Ÿª¥â«¬°—π§◊Õ simple, progressive,perfect ·≈– perfect progressive ‰¥â∑”„À⥟‡ªìπµ—«Õ¬à“ß·≈â«„π∫“ߪ√–‚¬§

Page 10: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

10

1. She watched us go out. simple2. Iûm watching you. progressive3. How much have you finished? perfect4. We donût like raw fish.5. Were you coming or going?6. Youûve been working in the garden. perfect progressive7. I didnût see you come in.8. Whatûs been happening here?9. How much did you pay for that?

10. We were going to London ...11. We had never seen her before.12. Alice was going out ...13. I hadnût planned to go.14. The driver didnût see that train.15. Havenût you had enough?

Thatûs it. Our study of the structure of tense and aspect took only onepage. Weûll use the rest of this book to learn how these verb forms are used tocreate meaning. Youûll find it is a lot easier than you might think.

‡∑à“π’ȇÕߧ√—∫ ‡√“»÷°…“‚§√ß √â“ߢÕß tense ·≈– aspect ®∫‰¥â„πÀπⓇ¥’¬« „πÀπ—ß ◊Õ

à«π∑’ˇÀ≈◊Õ ‡√“®–‡√’¬π√Ÿâ°“√„™â√Ÿª°√‘¬“‡À≈à“π’ȇæ◊ËÕ ◊ËÕ§«“¡À¡“¬ §ÿ≥®–æ∫«à“¡—πßà“¬°«à“∑’˧ÿ≥§‘¥

A word on terminology

¢Õ查‡√◊ËÕß°“√‡√’¬°™◊ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ

The concepts of tense and aspect help make the meanings of English verbforms a lot easier to understand, but they can make the terminology much morecomplex. I want to keep things simple, so I will use terminology most of you arealready familiar with. The only difference is that I will drop the term çtenseéaltogether. Thus, for example, instead of the present simple tense or the pastprogressive tense, Iûll say çpresent simpleé and çpast progressiveé.

°√Õ∫§«“¡§‘¥‡√◊ËÕß tense ·≈– aspect ™à«¬„Àâ‡√“‡¢â“„®§«“¡À¡“¬¢Õß√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…

(of English verb forms) ‰¥âßà“¬¢÷Èπ¡“° ·µàÕ“®∑”„Àâ°“√‡√’¬°™◊ËÕ√Ÿª°√‘¬“¬ÿà߬“°¡“°¢÷Èπ º¡

Õ¬“°®–∑”‡√◊ËÕßπ’È„À⇪ìπ‡√◊ËÕßßà“¬ ¥—ßπ—Èπ®÷ߢՇ√’¬°™◊ËÕµ“¡∑’˧ÿ≥§ÿâπ‡§¬Õ¬Ÿà·≈â« ·µàº¡®–µ—¥§”«à“

tense ÕÕ°‰ª ¥—ßπ—Èπ ·∑π∑’Ë®–查«à“ present simple tense À√◊Õ past progressive tenseº¡®–查«à“ çpresent simpleé ·≈– çpast progressiveé

Page 11: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

11

The present simple

Itûs not really about time

®√‘ßÊ ·≈â« ‰¡à„™à‡√◊ËÕߢÕ߇«≈“

Easy to use, hard to explain„™âßà“¬ Õ∏‘∫“¬¬“°

There is no problem getting Thai learners of English to use the presentsimple. If fact, for many this is almost the only form of the verb they use. Onereason for this is that the present simple is very effective for getting a pointacross. Since it works reasonably well, many people see little need to use otherforms. Of course, you donût want to be in this group, since it will severelyrestrict how well you can communicate in English.

°“√®–„À⺟â‡√’¬π‰∑¬„™â present simple ‰¡à„™àªí≠À“‡≈¬ ‡æ√“–Õ—π∑’Ë®√‘߇°◊Õ∫®–°≈à“«

‰¥â«à“ ¡’§π‰∑¬®”π«π‰¡àπâÕ¬∑’Ë„™â present simple Õ¬Ÿà‡æ’¬ß√Ÿª‡¥’¬«‡∑à“π—Èπ ‡Àµÿº≈ª√–°“√

Àπ÷Ëß°Á§◊Õ present simple „™â ◊ËÕ§«“¡„À⇢Ⓞ®‰¥â¥’¡“°Õ¬Ÿà·≈â« ·≈–¥â«¬‡Àµÿº≈¥—ßπ’È®÷ß∑”„Àâ

À≈“¬§π‰¡à‡ÀÁ𧫓¡®”‡ªìπ∑’Ë®–„™â√ŸªÕ◊ËπÊ ·µà§ÿ≥§ß‰¡àÕ¬“°Õ¬Ÿà„π°≈ÿà¡π’È·πàπÕπ ‡æ√“–§«“¡§‘¥

¥—ß°≈à“«®–‡ªìπÕÿª √√§„À≠à∑’Ë∑”„Àâ§ÿ≥ ◊ËÕ “√„π¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…‰¥â‰¡à¥’

While the present simple may be easy to use, it is very difficult to explain.We donût seem to have adequate words. For example, consider how MichaelLewis tries to explain the present simple in his excellent book The English Verb.

·¡â°“√„™â present simple Õ“®ßà“¬ ·µà°“√Õ∏‘∫“¬„À⇢Ⓞ®π—È𬓰¡“° ‡æ√“–¥Ÿ‡À¡◊Õπ«à“

‡√“®–À“§”∑’ˇ撬ßæÕµàÕ°“√Õ∏‘∫“¬‰¡à§àÕ¬‰¥â ¥—߇™àπ«‘∏’∑’ˉ¡‡§‘≈ ‡≈«‘ Õ∏‘∫“¬ present simple‰«â„πÀπ—ß ◊Õ The English Verb ´÷Ë߇ªìπÀπ—ß ◊Õ∑’Ë¥’¡“°¢Õ߇¢“«à“

He says our use of the present simple involves how we perceive an event.If we consider an event to be a çsingle, total entity,é ça matter of fact,é andçimmediate, rather than remote,é then we use the present simple.

‡≈«‘ Õ∏‘∫“¬«à“°“√„™â present simple ¢Õ߇√“π—Èπ‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕߢÕß∑—»π–∑’ˇ√“¡’µàÕ‡Àµÿ°“√≥å

Àπ÷ËßÊ §◊Õ∂Ⓡ√“‡ÀÁπ«à“‡Àµÿ°“√≥åπ—ÈπÊ ‡ªìπ‡Àµÿ°“√≥å∑’Ë ç¡’Àπ÷Ë߇¥’¬« ·≈–‡∫Á¥‡ √Á®„πµ—«é 燪ìπ

¢âÕ‡∑Á®®√‘ßé ·≈– 燪ìπ‡√◊ËÕß„°≈âµ—«é ‡√“°Á®–„™â present simple

Page 12: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

12

These may be useful ideas, but they are difficult for ordinary humanbeings like us to understand. I prefer to use examples, pictures and comparisonswith other verb forms.

§”Õ∏‘∫“¬¥—ß°≈à“«‡ªì𧫓¡§‘¥∑’Ë¡’ª√–‚¬™πå ·µà¬“° ”À√—∫§π∑—Ë«Ê ‰ªÕ¬à“߇√“®–‡¢â“„®

„π°“√Õ∏‘∫“¬‡√◊ËÕß√Ÿª°√‘¬“ º¡™Õ∫∑’Ë®–¬°µ—«Õ¬à“ߪ√–‚¬§ „™â¿“æ·≈–°“√‡ª√’¬∫‡∑’¬∫°—∫√Ÿª

°√‘¬“Õ◊ËπÊ ¡“°°«à“

Timelessness

‰¡à‡ª≈’ˬπ·ª≈ß ‰√â°“≈‡«≈“

The present simple is not really about time. You wouldnût, for example,ask the question çwhen?é about the statements below:

®√‘ßÊ ·≈â« present simple ‰¡à‡°’ˬ«°—∫‡«≈“‡≈¬ §ÿ≥§ß®–‰¡àµ—Èߧ”∂“¡∑’Ë¢÷Èπµâπ¥â«¬§”«à“

çwhen?é °—∫‡Àµÿ°“√≥åµàÕ‰ªπ’È ‡™àπ

(1) Water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen.Water has always been composed of oxygen and hydrogen and it always

will be. That is what makes it water. But even a statement that appears to betime-related may really be timeless.

πÈ”ª√–°Õ∫¥â«¬ÕÕ° ‘‡®π·≈–‰Œ‚¥√‡®πµ≈Õ¥¡“‡ ¡Õ ·≈–®–‡ªìπ‡™àππ’ȵ≈Õ¥‰ª π—Ëπ§◊Õ

Õߧåª√–°Õ∫∑’Ë∑”„À⇰‘¥πÈ”¢÷Èπ¡“ ·≈–·¡â«à“®–‡ªìπ‡Àµÿ°“√≥å∑’Ë¥Ÿ‡À¡◊Õπ®–‡°’ˬ«¢âÕß°—∫‡«≈“ ·µà

„𧫓¡‡ªìπ®√‘ß·≈⫇ªìπ‡Àµÿ°“√≥å∑’ˉ√â°“≈‡«≈“

(2) It rains a lot in October.This is a statement about climate and it is true about the month of

October, not just October this year or last.ª√–‚¬§π’È°≈à“«∂÷ß ¿“æÕ“°“» ·≈–‡ªìπ ¿“æ®√‘ß∑’ˇ°‘¥¢÷Èπ„π‡¥◊Õπµÿ≈“§¡ ‰¡à«à“®–‡ªìπ

‡¥◊Õπµÿ≈“§¡¢Õߪïπ’ÈÀ√◊Õªï∑’Ë·≈â«

What is important with both of the above statements is that the speakerperceives them to be facts which are valid or relevant at this time. The actualtime of these events or situation is usually so obvious we never have to mentionthem. Thatûs why I said we seldom ask the question çwhen?é about presentsimple statements. If we did, we would get answers like çNow, of course,éçalways,é or çregularly.é Here are some more examples:

Page 13: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

13

ª√–‡¥Á𠔧—≠®“°∑—Èß Õߪ√–‚¬§∑’ˬ°¡“°Á§◊Õ ºŸâ查¡Õß«à“‡Àµÿ°“√≥å∑—Èß Õ߇ªìπ¢âÕ‡∑Á®

®√‘ß ÷Ëß∂Ÿ°µâÕß À√◊Õ —¡æ—π∏å°—∫‡«≈“¥—ß°≈à“« ·µà‡«≈“∑’Ë·∑â®√‘ߢÕ߇Àµÿ°“√≥åÀ√◊Õ ∂“π°“√≥å∑—Èß

Õ߇ªìπ‡√◊ËÕß∑’Ë∑√“∫°—πÕ¬Ÿà·≈â«®π‰¡à‡§¬µâÕß°≈à“«∂÷ß ¥â«¬‡Àµÿπ’ȇÕߺ¡®÷ß°≈à“««à“‡√“‰¡à„™â

çwhen?é ∂“¡°—∫¢âÕ§«“¡∑’ˇªìπ present simple ·≈–À“°‡√“‡°‘¥∂“¡¢÷Èπ¡“ ‡√“°ÁÕ“®‰¥â

√—∫§”µÕ∫¥—ßµàÕ‰ªπ’È ‡™àπ çNow, of course (°Á‡«≈“π’Èπ—Ëπ·À≈–)é çalways (µ≈Õ¥‡«≈“)éÀ√◊Õ çregularly (‡ªìπª√–®”)é µàÕ‰ªπ’ȇªìπµ—«Õ¬à“߇æ‘Ë¡‡µ‘¡

She lives in Hong Kong,but she sometimes works in Paris.She is very fit becauseshe plays tennis regularly.

frogs hopchimpanzees climbsnails crawldeers runbirds flysnakes slither

What are some of the ways animals move? Well...

Page 14: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

14

One of the few situations where the present simple is often used to speakabout something happening at this moment is in sports reporting:

∂“π°“√≥åÀπ÷Ëß„π‰¡à°’Ë ∂“π°“√≥å∑’ˇ√“¡—°„™â present simple 查∂÷߇Àµÿ°“√≥å∑’Ë°”≈—ß

¥”‡π‘πÕ¬Ÿà¢≥–π—Èπ§◊Õ °“√√“¬ß“π¢à“«°’Ó

Nash moves to his right.He stops, shoots, SCORES!Itûs 95-93 Phoenix withten seconds to go!The Lakers call time out.

Activity: Itûs not about time

The present simple is often described as being çtimelessé. We use it totalk about facts where the time is obvious or thought to be unimportant. Answerthe questions below. Donût be fooled by the pictures. The questions are notasking about what is happening in the pictures.

∫àÕ¬§√—Èß∑’ˇ√“Õ∏‘∫“¬«à“ present simple ‡ªìπ‡√◊ËÕß∑’ˉ¡à¡’°“≈‡«≈“ ‡√“®÷ß„™â presentsimple 查∂÷ߢâÕ‡∑Á®®√‘ß∑’ˇ√◊ËÕߢÕ߇«≈“‡ªìπ ‘Ëß∑’ˇÀÁπ‰¥â™—¥‡®πÕ¬Ÿà·≈â«À√◊Õ‰¡à„™àª√–‡¥Á𠔧—≠

¢Õ„Àâ§ÿ≥µÕ∫§”∂“¡µàÕ‰ªπ’È‚¥¬‰¡àµâÕߧ”π÷ß∂÷ß¿“æ ‡π◊ËÕß®“°‰¡à‰¥â∂“¡«à“‡°‘¥Õ–‰√¢÷Èπ„π¿“æ

1. Does it fly?

2. Does it eat meat?Do tigers usually live with people in their homes?

Page 15: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

15

3. Does it climb trees?

4. Does it fly?Does it swim?

6. 2X + 6 = 12Does X = 4?

5. Is Pisa the capital of Italy?Is Italy in Europe?

7. a.Which one of these contains the most animal fat?b.Which one of these contains the most carbohydrates?c.Which one or ones would you most likely put sugar on?d.Which one is a green vegetable?e.Which one of these do you eat the most often?f. Which one of these do you like the best?

hamburger strawberries

broccoli

potatoes bananas

Page 16: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

16

Activity: Tell me about Mr Willis

From these pictures, tell some things about Mr Willis. What kind of workdoes he do? What does he appear to enjoy?, etc.

The present simple in the Bangkok Post

present simple „πÀπ—ß ◊Õæ‘¡æå∫“ß°Õ°‚æ µå

Check out the headlinesÕà“πæ“¥À—«¢à“«

You will, of course, find the present simpletense used in many stories in the Bangkok Post. Oneof the quickest places to find examples is in news-paper headlines. The present simple has a feeling offreshness or immediacy to it. Since we at the BangkokPost sell çfreshé news, the present simple in theheadline is a good way of conveying it.

·πàπÕπ«à“ §ÿ≥®–‡ÀÁπ°“√„™â present simple „πÀ≈“¬Ê ¢à“«„πÀπ—ß ◊Õæ‘¡æå∫“ß°Õ°‚æ µå

·≈–Àπ÷Ëß„π∑’Ë∑’˧ÿ≥®–æ∫‰¥â‡√Á«∑’Ë ÿ¥°Á§◊Õ æ“¥À—«¢à“« present simple „À⧫“¡√Ÿâ ÷° ç ¥Ê √âÕπÊé

À√◊Õ ç„°≈âµ—«é ·≈–‡π◊ËÕß®“°«à“∫“ß°Õ°‚æ µå‡√“¢“¬¢à“« ç ¥„À¡àé ®÷ß„™â present simple„π°“√æ“¥À—«¢à“«‡æ◊ËÕ ◊ËÕ§«“¡„À¡à ¥π’ÈÕÕ°¡“

I really enjoy being with Jane

I think I love her Maybe

I should ask her to marry me

Page 17: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

17

News stories generally report events that happened the previous day, soafter the headline, you will usually see the past simple used.

‚¥¬∑—Ë«‰ª·≈â« ¢à“«®–√“¬ß“π‡Àµÿ°“√≥å∑’ˇ°‘¥¢÷Èπ‡¡◊ËÕ«—π°àÕπ ¥—ßπ—Èπ §ÿ≥¡—°®–æ∫ pastsimple „π à«π∂—¥‰ª®“°æ“¥À—«¢à“«

Jet crashes into icy NY river, all rescued

NEWYORK: A US Airways pilot ditched his disabled jetliner into thefrigid Hudson river in full view of New York City skyscrapers on Thursdayafter a collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines.

Officials said rescuers pulled all 155 people on board into boats as theplane sank. One victim suffered two broken legs, a paramedic said. Paramedicstreated at least 78 patients, most for minor injuries, fire officials said. AP

ditch › to land an airplane in the water during an emergency / ≈߮ե„ππÈ”

frigid › extremely cold / ‡¬Áπ®—¥

skyscraper › a very tall building / µ÷°√–øÑ“

collision › an accident in which a person or vehicle that is moving crashesinto something / °“√™π°—π, °“√ª√– “πß“

paramedic › someone who is trained to give medical treatment to peopleat the place where an accident has happened / ‡®â“Àπâ“∑’ËÀπ૬°Ÿâ™’æ

patient › a person who is receiving medical treatment / §π‰¢â

Timeless stories

‡√◊ËÕß∑’ˉ√â°“≈‡«≈“

Most stories in the Bangkok Post have a mix of tenses and verb forms.Some types of stories, however, will be almost entirely in the present simple.These are stories about timeless subjects, like cooking food, for example.

¢à“« à«π„À≠à„π∫“ß°Õ°‚æ µå®–„™â tenses ·≈–√Ÿª°√‘¬“ªπ‡ª°—π‰ª ·µà°Á¡’¢à“«∫“ß

ª√–‡¿∑∑’Ë„™â present simple ‡°◊Õ∫∑—ÈßÀ¡¥ ‡√◊ËÕߪ√–‡¿∑π’ȉ¥â·°à‡√◊ËÕß∑’ˉ¡à¡’°“≈‡«≈“‡¢â“¡“‡°’ˬ«

‡™àπ °“√∑”Õ“À“√ ‡ªìπµâπ

Page 18: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

18

Below is the introduction to such a story. Be careful, it might make youhungry.

¢âÕ§«“¡¢â“ß≈à“ßπ’ȇªì𧫓¡π”‡°’ˬ«°—∫‡√◊ËÕß°“√∑”Õ“À“√ √–«—ßπ–§√—∫ Õà“π·≈â«Õ“®∑”„Àâ

§ÿ≥À‘«‰¥â

Tarts with a heart

People generally choose notto make their own pastry, insteadbuying the ready-made stuff, of-ten frozen, from supermarkets.Contrary to popular belief, how-ever, making pastry yourself is notas difficult as you might think andit is always very satisfying.

There are a couple of rules to follow but other than that there is reallynothing to it. Find a recipe that suits you and stick to it. There is nothing likerepetition in cookery to achieve good results.

The sweet pastry recipe below is very reliable and the one I use mostoften. It was given to me almost 20 years ago by a chef in Paris. It is butteryand rich, it works with almost any sweet filling and is still my favourite.

All the recipes here serve eight and the quantity of pastry is enough fortwo tarts, but if you want to make only one, donût worry, it wonût be wasted.Pastry keeps in the fridge for a couple of days and also freezes well.

pastry › a food made by mixing flour, fat and water. The mixture isrolled flat and used for making pies and other food / ¢π¡Õ∫

recipe › a set of instructions for cooking or preparing a particular food /µ”√“Õ“À“√

reliable › dependable; something that always works well / ‡™◊ËÕ∂◊Õ‰¥ârich › containing a lot of things such as butter, eggs, or cream that make

your stomach feel full very quickly / √ ™“µ‘‡¢â¡¢âπ, À«“π¡—π

Page 19: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

19

The past simple

Use it!

„™â‡≈¬§√—∫

Here is verb form you should be using a lot if you are speaking or writingEnglish. We use it all the time, even for events or situations that happened onlyan instant ago. If you can use the past simple correctly, people will immediatelythink your English is quite good. If you canût, well...

§ÿ≥§«√„™â√Ÿª°√‘¬“π’È„Àâ¡“°Ê ‡«≈“∑’˧ÿ≥查À√◊Õ‡¢’¬π¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ… ‡æ√“–‡√“„™â tense π’È

µ≈Õ¥‡«≈“§√—∫ ·¡â®–‡ªìπ‡Àµÿ°“√≥åÀ√◊Õ ∂“π°“√≥å∑’ˇæ‘Ë߇°‘¥¢÷Èπ‡¡◊ËÕ —°§√Ÿàπ’ˇÕß À“°§ÿ≥„™â

past simple ‰¥âÕ¬à“ß∂Ÿ°µâÕß ºŸâøíß®–∑√“∫‰¥â∑—π∑’«à“¿“…“Õ—ß°ƒ…¢Õߧÿ≥¥’∑’‡¥’¬« ·µà∂â“„™â‰¡à

∂Ÿ°≈–°Á...

Recognising when to use it

√Ÿâ«à“„™â‡¡◊ËÕ‰√

I told Wilbur not to shoot hisbow and arrow in the house.Obviously, he didnût listen.

The first thing you need to do is recognise when to use the past simple.Here are some examples of how we might use it in ordinary situations aroundthe house, at school or at work.

‘Ëß·√°∑’˧ÿ≥®”‡ªìπµâÕß∑”°Á§◊Õ µâÕß√Ÿâ«à“®–„™â past simple ‡¡◊ËÕ‰√ µ—«Õ¬à“ßµàÕ‰ªπ’È

· ¥ß„Àâ‡ÀÁπ°“√„™â tense π’È°—∫ ∂“π°“√≥å∏√√¡¥“Ê ´÷Ë߇°‘¥¢÷Èπ∑’Ë∫â“π ∑’Ë‚√߇√’¬π À√◊Õ∑’Ë∑”ß“π

Page 20: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

20

The past simple should be automatic in situations like these:§«√„™â past simple „À⇪ìπÕ—µ‚π¡—µ‘„π ∂“π°“√≥å≈—°…≥–π’È

(1) Your brother has his TV on very loud in the next room and you arehaving problems speaking on the phone.

You: Turn down the TV!Your brother: What? I canût hear you.You: I said turn down the TV!!Your brother: OK. Sorry about that.

(2) You are in a classroom at school and you hear the sound of some-thing hitting the floor.

You: What was that?Your friend at the desk next to you: I dropped my mobile. I hope I didnût

break it.

(3) You arrive back at work a bit late at 2:30 after your lunch break.Your boss: Where were you?You: I had to go to the bank and the computer system there was down for

almost a half hour.

Activity: Answering using the past simple

Think of ways of answering these questions using the past simple. Noticethat verbs are suggested for you, but you will have to put them in the correctform.

≈Õߧ‘¥À“«‘∏’µÕ∫§”∂“¡µàÕ‰ªπ’È‚¥¬„™â past simple ‚ª√¥ —߇°µ«à“¡’§”°√‘¬“‰«â„Àâ·≈â«

·µà§ÿ≥µâÕ߇ª≈’ˬπ„À⇪ìπ√Ÿª∑’Ë∂Ÿ°µâÕß°àÕππ–§√—∫

What was that? (fall down) What happened to him? (get splashed)

Page 21: Understanding English verb forms ∑”§«“¡‡¢â“„®√Ÿª°√‘¬“¿“…“Õ ... · ¢Õ查‡√ ËÕß°“√‡√ ’¬°™ ËÕ tenses —ÈπÊ The

21

What happened? (spill) What happened to him? (cut or scrape)

Whatûs his problem? (lose) What was that? (sound like)

Getting specific

‡√‘Ë¡‡®“–®ß¢÷Èπ

In each of the previous examples, the time was obvious, so there was noneed to mention it. In other cases, however, we use the past simple to talk aboutevents that happened at particular times in the past, so obviously it is necessaryto specify the time we are talking about.

‡√◊ËÕ߇«≈“„πµ—«Õ¬à“ß∑’˺à“π¡“π—Èπ™—¥‡®πÕ¬Ÿà·≈â« ®÷߉¡à®”‡ªìπµâÕß°≈à“«∂÷ß ·µà„π°√≥’Õ◊ËπÊ

‡¡◊ËÕ‡√“„™â past simple 查∂÷߇Àµÿ°“√≥å∑’ˉ¥â‡°‘¥¢÷Èπ·≈â« ≥ ‡«≈“„¥‡«≈“Àπ÷Ëß„πÕ¥’µ ®”‡ªìπ

Õ¬à“߬‘Ëß∑’Ë®–µâÕß√–∫ÿ‡«≈“∑’ˇ√“°”≈—ß查∂÷ßÕ¬Ÿà≈߉ª¥â«¬

During the Middle Ages, warriorsdepended on great physical strengthto defeat their enemies.