The Principal Parts of
Verbs, Irregular Verbs,
and Verb Tenses
The Principal Parts of Verbs
Verbs take different forms in order to
indicate time. These forms of verbs are
tenses.


“She talks about her plans” expresses action
in the present.
“She talked about her plans” expresses action
that occurred in the past.
To use the tenses correctly, you must
know how to form the principal parts of
verbs.
The Principal Parts of Verbs
The Principal Parts of the Verb Talk
Present: talk
Present Participle: (am, is, are, was,
were) talking
Past: talked
Past Participle: (have, has, had) talked
The Principal Parts of Verbs
The Principal Parts of Regular Verbs
Present: most basic form of the verb

save
Present Participle: helping verb am, is, are, was,
or were + verb with –ing ending

am saving
Past: verb with –ed ending

saved
Past Participle: helping verb have, has, or had +
verb with –ed ending

have saved
The Principal Parts of Verbs
The Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs do not follow the same
pattern as regular verbs when forming the
past and past participle.
You will need to memorize these
exceptions.
When in doubt in your writing, look up the
correct way to form the past and part
participle of any verb.
Using Irregular Verbs
To Run
Present: run
Present Participle: am
running
Past: ran (not
runned)
Past Participle: have
run (not have runned)
To Write
Present: write
Present Participle: am
writing
Past: wrote
Past Participle: have
written
Two Troublesome Irregular Verbs
To Lay
Present: lay
Present Participle: am
laying
Past: laid
Past Participle: have laid
Use to mean “to put
something down” or “to
place (something)”
Almost always followed
by a direct object
The sailors laid their
uniforms on the bed.
To Lie
Present: lie
Present Participle: am
lying
Past: lay
Past Participle: have lain
Use to mean “to rest in a
reclining position” or “to
be situated”
Never followed by a direct
object
The sailors lay down on
the narrow bunk.
Two Troublesome Irregular Verbs
To Sit
Present: sit
Present Participle: am
sitting
Past: sat
Past Participle: have sat
Use to mean “to be
seated” or “to rest”
Usually not followed by a
direct object.
We sat on the floor.
To Set
Present: set
Present Participle: am
setting
Past: set
Past Participle: have set
Use to mean “to put
something in a certain
place or position
Usually followed by a
direct object.
He set the glasses
gingerly in the sink.
Verb Tenses
In verbs, the tense shows the time of action
or state of being.
Use the principal parts of verbs to form the
six basic tenses.
The Basic Verb Tenses
Present





I eat pizza often.
I always order from Pizza Hut.
Indicates action that happens over and over.
Principal part: present
Uses no helping verbs.
Verb Tenses
The Basic Verb Tenses
Past
 I ate pizza last night.
 I ordered from Pizza Hut.
 Indicates action that happened in the past.
 Principal part: past
 Uses no helping verbs
Future
 I will eat pizza tonight.
 I will order from Pizza Hut.
 Indicates action that will happen in the future.
 Principal part: present
 Uses helping verb will
Verb Tenses
The Perfect Verb Tenses: indicate that an action
has been completed.
Present Perfect

I have eaten pizza many times.

He has ordered from Pizza Hut.

Indicates action completed often.

Principal part: past participle

Uses helping verbs have or has
Past Perfect

I had eaten pizza before you called.

He had ordered from Pizza Hut.

Indicates action completed in the past.

Principal part: past participle

Uses helping verb had
Verb Tenses
The Perfect Verb Tenses: indicate
that an action has been completed.
Future Perfect
 I will have eaten pizza many times by the end of
the year.
 Indicates action that will be completed in the
future.
 Principal part: past participle
 Uses helping verbs will and have
Verb Tenses
The Progressive Forms: indicate an action that
is in progress.
Present Progressive

I am eating pizza.

He is ordering from Pizza Hut.

Indicates action in process of being completed.

Principal part: present participle

Uses helping verbs am, is, are
Past Progressive

I was eating pizza when you called.

You were ordering from Pizza Hut.

Indicates action that was in the process of being completed in the
past.

Principal part: present participle

Uses helping verb was or were
Verb Tenses
Future Progressive
 I will be eating pizza for dinner tonight.
 Indicates action that will be in process in the
future.
 Principal part: present participle
 Uses helping verbs will and be
Verb Tenses
The Progressive Perfect Forms: indicate
completion of an ongoing action.
Present Perfect Progressive
 I have been eating pizza since I was little.
 Indicates action often in the process of being
completed.
 Principal part: present participle
 Uses helping verbs have and been
Past Perfect Progressive
 I had been eating pizza, but I stopped
 Indicates action was in process, but now is completed.
 Principal part: present participle
 Uses helping verb had and been
Verb Tenses
Future Perfect Progressive
 On my net birthday, I will have been eating
pizza for eleven years.
 Indicates action that has been completed before
but will be in progress in the future.
 Principal part: present participle
 Uses helping verbs will, have, and been
Verb Tenses
Now, why did we just learn all of this?
Because in your writing, you need to keep your
tenses consistent.
Choose the best tense for the situation (past,
present, or future) and be consistent throughout
the entire piece.