Verb Tenses
Verb Tenses
Verb Tenses
VERB TENSES
OBJECTIVES
● Identify the rules of verb tenses
● Use the correct tenses in a sentence
● Use the verb tenses in various communicative tasks
Tense refers to the form a verb takes in a sentence, whether to express the present, past or future.
Examples
Progressive Tenses
Present progressive: I am learning.
Past progressive: I was
learning.
Future progressive: I will be learning.
Present perfect progressive: I have been learning.
Past perfect progressive: I had been learning.
Present
The present tense indicates that an action is taking place at the time you express it, or an action
that occurs regularly.
o We wear organic cotton shirts [an action taking place when it is expressed].
o I watch the documentary on PBS each Sunday night [an action that occurs
regularly].
Past
The past tense indicates that an action is completed and has already taken place.
o Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his most famous speech in 1963 [an action
completed in the past].
o As a girl, she wondered how her college degree would help her career [an
action that occurred once or many times in the past but did not extend to the
present].
Future
The future tense indicates that an action will or is likely to take place.
o Later today I will rinse the dishes [a future action that will definitely occur].
o The defendant probably will plead innocent [a future action that is likely
to occur].
Perfect Tenses
Perfect tenses designate actions that were or will be completed before other actions. You can
form the perfect tenses with the appropriate tense form of the helping, or auxiliary, verb have
plus the past participle.
Present perfect
The present tense indicates that an action is taking place at the time you express it, or
an action that occurs regularly.
o We have worn organic cotton shirts [an action that began in the past and is
finished at the present].
o She has donated extensively to UNICEF [an action that began in the past and
extends into the present].
Past perfect
The past perfect tense indicates an action occurring before a certain time in the past.
Future perfect
The future perfect tense indicates that an action will be finished by a certain time.
Progressive Tenses
The progressive tenses express continuing action. You can form them with the
appropriate tense of the verb be plus the present participle.
Present progressive
The present progressive tense indicates that something is happening at the time you
express it.
Past progressive
The past progressive tense indicates two kinds of past action.
o Poe’s writing was becoming increasingly bizarre and dark [a continuing action
in the past].
o The mob tackled Jean-Luc Goddard while he was introducing the film [an action
occurring at the same time in the past as another action].
Future progressive
o Before her promotion, Nico had been working on restoring open space on
campus.
The future perfect progressive tense indicates that an action will continue until a certain
future time.
o On Tuesday I will have been working on this paper for six weeks.
PRACTICE
Example:
PLAY We played dodge ball all afternoon.
MARRY 4. She _______________ him on Tuesday and played slots that night.
PLAN 8. Marty and Isabel ________________ their marriage simply and loosely.
TERRIFY 9. The fireworks __________________ the younger children.
3. Katerina studied all the time and so she graduate from college last year.
6. Until I started school, I work twenty hours per week and study the rest of the time.
Use the perfect tense to fill in the blank using the same time period (past, present,
future) as the sample.
6. Each egg will travel a thousand miles before it lands on her lap.
In the following sentences, change the simple tense verbs to progressive tense verbs
using the same time period (present, past, future). Avoid the perfect tense for this
exercise.
Example: Martians land on the planet Earth. (present)