Verb Tenses It is not what you thought!

Verbs. What is a verb? A verb is a word which describes the action in a sentence (the doing word) Examples I play football. They skip quickly. We eat spaghetti. Bob is seven today.

Verb Tenses Verb tenses describe WHEN the action is happening. PRESENT (it’s happening NOW.) PAST (it’s ALREADY happened.) FUTURE (it’s ABOUT to happen.)

Present tense to past tense. The following sentences are written in the present tense. Try changing them to the past tense by putting Yesterday at the beginning of each. I eat spaghetti. They skip quickly. Bob is seven. I play football. How have the verbs changed?

How did you do? Yesterday I ate spaghetti. Yesterday they skipped quickly. Yesterday Bob was seven. Yesterday I played football. (Did you remember to double the consonant in skipped?)

Past to present These sentences are in the past. Change them to the present by putting today at the front of each. Sarah felt hot. The cow jumped over the moon. John sat outside in the garden. The mouse ran up the clock.

How did you do? Today Sarah feels hot. Today the cow jumps over the moon. Today John sits outside in the garden. Today the mouse runs up the clock.

The future tense. The future tense is used to describe what will or could happen. Change these sentences to the future tense by adding tomorrow at the start of each. Jack and Jill went up the hill. Thomas chased the mouse. Lucy entered the wardrobe. Bo Peep lost her sheep.

How did you do? Tomorrow Jack and Jill could/will go up the hill. Tomorrow Thomas could/will chase the mouse. Tomorrow Lucy could/will enter the wardrobe. Tomorrow Bo Peep could/will lose her sheep.

More Verb Tenses Simple Present: is happening Now Present Perfect: started in the past and is still happening Simple Past: happened before Past Perfect: started in the past and finished in the past before something else Future: happens in the future Future Perfect: the action will start and finish in the future

Progression Simple Present: They walk Present Perfect: They have walked Simple Past: They walked Past Perfect: They had walked Future: They will walk Future Perfect: They will have walked

Present Perfect: started in the past and is still happening The dog has had fleas for three years. I have gone to school on the bus for years. He has been visiting Vietnam. He has been studying grammar for an hour. She has been cooking all day. She has been living in Taiwan for the last two months.

Your turn Change the simple present tense to present perfect: She rides her bike. He exercises. They learn their multiplication facts.

Check yourself: Change the simple present tense to present perfect: She rides her bike. She has been riding her bike. He exercises. He has been exercising. They learn their multiplication facts. They have been learning their multiplication facts.

Your turn Change the simple past tense to present perfect: She jumped on the bed. He drove to DC. They ate lunch.

Check yourself: Change the simple past tense to present perfect: She jumped on the bed. She has been jumping on the bed. He drove to DC. He has been driving to DC. They ate lunch. They have been eating lunch.

Future Perfect: the action will start and finish in the future The vet will have given all the puppies a flea collar two months after they are born. I will have gone to school for three months before we get a break. We will have finished the exam by the time class ends tomorrow. By the time he finishes law school, we will have been living in the U.S. for eight years.

Your turn. Future Perfect: the action will start and finish in the future Change the simple future tense to future perfect: I will go to the store. She will drive home. They will clean their bedroom.

Check Yourself: Future Perfect: the action will start and finish in the future Change the simple future tense to future perfect: I will go to the store. I will have gone to the store before cooking dinner. She will drive home. She will have driven home before dinner time. They will clean their bedroom. They will have cleaned their bedroom by bed time.

Past Perfect: started in the past and finished in the past before something else The dog had had fleas for two years before he stopped scratching. I had gone to fourth grade before I started fifth grade. She had been driving around the city for three hours before she finally found the right office. The Titanic had received many warnings before it hit the iceberg. I had already eaten when my friend stopped by to visit.

Your turn: Change the simple past tense to past perfect: I walked and then I read a book. I had been walking before I read a book. I studied and then I ate dinner. I fished and then I went for a hike.

Your turn: Change the simple past tense to past perfect: I walked and then I read a book. I had been walking before I read a book. I studied and then I ate dinner. I had been studying before I ate dinner. I fished and then I went for a hike. I had been fishing before I went for a hike.