Verbs are tense Locating ideas in time

Six verb tenses TensesExamples PresentI go. PastI went. FutureI will go. Present perfectI have gone. Past perfectI had gone. Future perfectI will have gone.

Four principal parts of the verb The infinitiveTo do (do), to go (go), to think (think), to dream (dream) The present participle Doing, going, thinking, dreaming The pastDid, went, thought, dreamed The past participleDone, gone, thought, dreamed

Auxiliary or helping verbs Helping verbs combine with main verbs to express tense, mood, voice, or condition. In a simple tense the verb stands alone, as a single word: John chortled. In a compound tense the principal part is supplemented by an auxiliary or helping verb to construct the tense: John has chortled, or John will have chortled.

Types of helping verbs There are three types of helping verbs: primary, modal, and marginal.

Verbs, like pronouns, have person and number Present tenseSingularPlural First personI protestWe protest Second personYou protest Third personHe, she, it protestsThey protest

Perfect tenses have finished. The three perfect tenses are “have” tenses; they all make use of the verb to have as a helping verb. The perfect tenses are tenses of things that are finished—either finished in the past, present, or future.

Present perfectI have returned Past perfectBy then I had returned Future perfectBy tomorrow, I will have returned.

Have, not of Sometimes we use contractions like should’ve instead of should have. This has lead to the mistaken idea that we are saying should of, but it is should have. As a matter of style, we do not use contractions in academic writing.

Progressive forms are in progress. Each of the six tenses also has a progressive form or aspect, an –ing variation using the present participle- the -ing form of a verb- indicating action still in progress. The progressive form is made with the present participle and one or more auxiliary verbs.

First person singular examples of progressive form: Present progressiveI am protesting. Past progressiveI was protesting. Future progressiveI shall be protesting. Present perfect progressive I have been protesting. Past perfect progressive I had been protesting. Future perfect progressive I shall have been protesting.