Tense shows the time of an action, whether the action takes place now, took place before, or will take place in the future. This article will focus on myriad forms of “refer”.
“Refer” means to direct the focus of someone toward something; to allude to; to make a citation of; to link to; to allocate a ground of clarification, or to look for consideration (someone or some group). ‘Refer(s)’,‘ referred’, and ‘will refer’ are the basic forms of ‘refer’ in the present, past, and future tense.
This draft shows the usage of the verb “refer” in various tense forms, namely the present, past, and future.
“Refer” in present tense
The present tense portrays the happenings for the time being. Here we will show various forms of “refer” in the present tense.
The forms of the verb “refer” in the present indefinite, present progressive, present perfect, and present perfect continuous tenses are, ‘refer/refers,’ ‘am/is/are referring,’ ‘have/has referred,’ and ‘have/has been referring,’ respectively.
When is “refer” used in the present tense?
The verb “refer” is mentioned in the present tense to indicate the actions of directing the focus of somebody to something, making a citation, allocating a cause of clarification, or looking for consideration of someone or some authority which happens in the present moment.
Examples of “refer” in the present tense
| Examples | Explanations |
|---|---|
| 1. I refer him to a book to see some innovative designs. 2. The designer refers him to a book to see some innovative designs. | In these instances in a present indefinite tense the base verb “refer” and the inflected form, “refers” have been used. The verb forms “refer” and ‘refers’ imply that the subject alludes to another book in the present for innovative designs. |
| 3. I am referring the matter to my boss. 4. Mr. Brook is referring the matter to his boss. | These references in a present continuous tense portray that the base verb “refer” has emerged here as am/is/are referring. The suffix ‘-ing’ represents the norm of the present continuous tense which displays that the subject is clarifying or explaining a matter which is happening right now. |
| 5. Mr. Strong has referred the man to the clerk’s office. | Referred is the past participle form of the verb “refer”. In the present perfect tense, the form ‘has/have referred’ clearly denotes that the subject has directed the man to the clerk’s office. The present perfect tense exemplifies that the act of directing the man has already taken place but the effect continues in the present. |
| 6. Prasanth’s teacher has been referring to this book to improve his grammar for the last two years. | The structure of the present perfect continuous tense appears as ‘has/have been referring.’ Here, the subject has been alluding to a certain book for the last two years which means the action started two years back and is still going on. |
“Refer” in past tense
The past tense interprets the happenings of before. Here we will portray various forms of “refer” in the past tense.
The forms of the verb “refer” in the past indefinite, past progressive, past perfect, and past perfect continuous tenses are, ‘referred,’ ‘was/were referring,’ ‘had referred,’ and ‘had been referring,’ respectively.
When is “refer” used in the past tense?
The verb “refer” in the past tense shows the actions of directing the focus of somebody to something, making a citation, allocating a cause of clarification, or looking for consideration of someone or some authority which occurred in the past or kept on occurring in the past.
Examples of “refer” in the past tense
| Examples | Explanations |
|---|---|
| 1. I referred him to a book to see some innovative designs. 2. The designer referred him to a book to see some innovative designs. | These illustrations in simple past tense depict that the inflected form, “referred” (by adding ‘ed’ to the root verb) has been used to form the structure. The verb form “referred” shows that the subject alluded to another book in the past for innovative designs. |
| 3. Mr. Brook was referring the matter to his boss. | This instance in a past continuous tense shows that the action word “refer” has appeared here as was/were referring. The suffix ‘-ing’ signifies the structure of the past continuous tense in which the subject was clarifying or explaining a matter which is taking place in the past. |
| 4. Mr. Strong had referred the man to the clerk’s office. | In past perfect tense, the form ‘had referred ’distinctly displays that subject has directed the man to the clerk’s office. The past perfect tense is used to show that the act of directing the man to the clerk’s office is already taken place or is over. |
| 5. Prasanth’s teacher had been referring to this book to improve his grammar for the last two years. | The root verb “refer” in the past perfect continuous form, has been used as ‘had been referring.’ Here, the subject kept on alluding to a different book for two years which means the action kept on taking place for a certain time frame in the past. |
“Refer” in future tense
The future tense signifies the happenings of future or upcoming events. Here we will discuss various forms of “refer” in the future tense.
The forms of the verb “refer” in the simple future, future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous tenses are, ‘will refer,’ ‘will be referring,’ ‘will have referred,’ and ‘will have been referring,’ respectively.
When is “refer” used in the future tense?
The verb “refer” in the future tense represents the actions of directing the focus of somebody to something, making a citation, allocating a cause of clarification, or looking for consideration of someone or some authority which has not yet taken place but will happen in the future or upcoming time.
Examples of “refer” in the future tense
| Examples | Explanations |
|---|---|
| 1. The designer will refer him to a book to see some innovative designs. | This example in future indefinite tense points out that the base verb “refer” is utilized as “will refer” as per the grammatical norms. The form signifies that the subject is yet to allude to a book for innovative designs. |
| 2. Mr. Brook will be referring the matter to his boss. | The root verb “refer” is coined here as will be referring. The structure indicates that the subject will continue to explain or clarify the matter to his boss in the future. |
| 3. Mr. Strong will have referred the man to the clerk’s office by an hour. | The future perfect form of the verb ‘will have referred’ shows that the subject will direct the man to the clerk’s office in an hour. Precisely the act of directing the man to the clerk’s office will be completed or over in an hour. |
| 4. Prasanth’s teacher will have been referring to this book to improve his grammar for the next two years. | The future perfect continuous form has been constructed as ‘will have been referring’. Here the subject will predominantly focus on the timeline of alluding to or referring to the book. The act of alluding to the book will go on for the next two years. |
Conclusion
Refer as a verb assimilates ample meanings and utilizations. The article focuses on divergent forms of the verb “refer” in varied contexts of all tense forms, namely present, past, and future.
Hello…I am Kamalika Nag, an assistant teacher and Subject Matter Expert by profession. I have done my post-graduation in English Literature. To comply with all the norms and knowledge to be a teacher, I also completed a Bachelor of Education (B.ed). I have 8 years of experience in teaching literature. My purpose here is to deliver my expertise in a cogent and comprehensive approach to all the readers. Being a vivid learner and a passionate teacher, I love to do experiments with new approaches to learning. I’m more than glad to be part of such an amazing community.