Verb Tenses

1. Verb Tenses

2. What you need to know… • Tense = TIME • There are six tenses that you use every day in your speaking and writing. These six tenses are: • present tense • past tense • future tense • present perfect tense • past perfect tense • future perfect tense.

3. Simple Tenses – Present Tense Definition: tells what happens now. How it is identified: –s or –esendings or no endingExample – He climbs over the rocks. They eat dinner. How it is identified: –s or –es endings (climb, eats) • Simple present tense verbs have a singular form and plural form. • No helping verbs are used with the simple present tense verbs.

4. Simple Tenses – Past Tense Definition: tells what already happened. How it is identified : –ed, -d, -t endings (climbed) or by their irregular past tense spelling (ate). Example: He climbed over the rocks. Theyate dinner. • Past tense verbs do not have a singular or plural form. • No helping verbs are used with the simple past tense verbs.

5. Simple Tenses – Future Tense Definition: tells what will happen later. How it is identified : will/shall + verb Example: He will climb over the rocks. Theywill eat dinner. • Future tense verbs do not have a singular or plural form. • Only the helping verbs will or shall can be used with the simple future tense.

6. Principal Parts of Verbs The four basic forms: present, the present participle, the past, and the past participle.

7. Regular VerbsA regular verb is a verb whose past and past participle are formed by adding –ed or –d to the present. The present participle is formed by adding –ing to the present.

8. Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs are verbs whose past and past participle forms are not made by adding –ed or –d to the present.

9. Group 1: • the forms of the present, the past, and the past participle are all the same. • Example: • Present: burst • Past:burst • Past participle: burst

10. Group 2 • only the forms of the past and the past participle are the same • Example: • Present: bring • Past: brought • Past Participle: has brought

11. Group 3 • the past participle is formed by adding –n or –en to the past. • Example: • Present: bite • Past: bit • Past Participle: has bitten

12. Group 4 • The past participle is formed from the present, usually by adding –n or –en. • Example: • Present: blow • Past: blew • Past Participle: has blown

13. Group 5 • A vowel in the verb changes from I in the present to a in the past and to u in the past participle. • Example: • Present: begin • Past: began • Past Participle: begun

14. Group 6: Forms of “Be” Present: am, is, are Past: was, were Past Participle: has been

15. Perfect Tenses When you tell about something that is happening in two time periods, one earlier than the other, you will use the perfect tenses. The word perfect means something which is completed. Therefore, allperfect tenses tell about something that began at an earlier time and that is completed in a present, past, or future time.

16. Perfect Tenses To form the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect tense of a verb, add the present, past, or future form of have to the past participle.

17. Perfect Tenses – Present Perfect Definition: tells about an action that has begun in the past but is completed in the present. How it is formed: Has or Have + past participle Example: He has finished his homework. Theyhave eaten our dinner. • The helping verb has is singular, and the helping verb have is plural. • Use has or have with a main verb.(has finished, have finished – has eaten, have eaten)

18. Perfect Tenses – Past Perfect Definition: tells about an action that was completed before another event, which was also in the past. How it is formed: Had + past participle Example: He had finished his homework before Mom came home. Theyhad eatentheirdinner before company arrived. • The helping verb had does not have a singular or plural form because it is past tense. • Use had with a main verb.(had finished – had eaten)

19. Perfect Tenses – Future Perfect Definition: tells about an action that will be completed at a certain time in the future. How it is formed: Will have + past participle Example: By Friday, he will have finished his homework. Theywill have eatentheir dinner by game time. • Future perfect tense verbs do not have a singular or plural form. • Use will/shall have with a main verb, (will have finished, shall have finished – will have eaten, shall have eaten)

20. Perfect Tenses • The present perfect tense places an action in a stretch of time leading up to the present. • The scientist has created a monster. • The scientist created the monster at some unspecified time before the present. • The past perfect tense places a past action before another past action. • When the scientist had tinkered with him, the monster awakened. • The tinkering occurred before the awakening. • The future perfect tense places the action before another future action. • The monster will have escaped before the scientist notices. • The escaping will occur before the scientist’s noticing.

21. Progressive A progressive form of a tense expresses an action or condition in progress. These show that actions or conditions are, were, or will be in progress. ** To make a progressive form of the simple tenses, add the present, past, or future form of be to the present participle.