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Tense   /tɛns/   Listen
adjective
Tense  adj.  Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, a tense fiber. "The temples were sunk, her forehead was tense, and a fatal paleness was upon her."



noun
Tense  n.  (Gram.) One of the forms which a verb takes by inflection or by adding auxiliary words, so as to indicate the time of the action or event signified; the modification which verbs undergo for the indication of time. Note: The primary simple tenses are three: those which express time past, present, and future; but these admit of modifications, which differ in different languages.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Tense" Quotes from Famous Books



... terrifying result, for with a startled cry the undersized cow-man leaped as if touched by a living flame. Like a flash of light he whirled and poised on his toes, his long, evil-looking revolver drawn and cocked, his tense face vulturelike and fierce. His eyes glared through his spectacles, his livid features worked as if at the sound of his own death-call. His whole frame was tense; a galvanic current had transformed him. His weapon darted toward the spot whence the noise ...
— Going Some • Rex Beach

... Elmore, who had with difficulty realized the rapid change of tense. "I thought you said you ...
— A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories • William D. Howells

... now a free, and, in some tense, a confidential dialogue. Her manner towards me had entirely changed; for, while it maintained the modesty and retenue of her sex and station, it displayed much of that frankness which was the natural consequence of her great intimacy at the Nest, and; as ...
— The Redskins; or, Indian and Injin, Volume 1. - Being the Conclusion of the Littlepage Manuscripts • James Fenimore Cooper

... readily the following principles of method: First, use the past tense in telling a story except in direct quotation. The rules of grammar require this, and it is an aid to clearness and effectiveness. For example, do not say, "So he goes" or "Then he says"; but say, "So he went" or "Then he said" (or, for variety, replied, growled, ...
— Children's Literature - A Textbook of Sources for Teachers and Teacher-Training Classes • Charles Madison Curry

... and less violently. Silent and wondering he lay very still, conscious that by some subtle power she was exorcising the demons of pain. His hurried breathing became regular; his hands unclinched; his form, which had been tense and rigid, relaxed into a position of comfort. He felt that he was under some beneficent spell, and for an hour scarcely moved lest he should break it and his torment return. Annie was equally silent, but with a smile saw the effects of ...
— Opening a Chestnut Burr • Edward Payson Roe


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