THOSE PESKY VERBS!
Knowing which tense you want, how to make it, and why you want to use it
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
 Looks like:
• I/you/we/they talk
• She/he/it talks
 Tricky things:
• A few irregular verbs (is, does, has, goes)
• That “s” ending!!! [Error correction symbol: AGR]
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
 Habits & Facts
• I usually come to class on time.
• She has a dog.
 Summaries of texts!
•
In his essay, Lederer claims that short words are powerful.
P R E S E N T P RO G R E S S I V E T E N S E
 Looks like:
•
•
•
•
“be” and “verb+-ing” ending
I am talking
She is talking
They are not talking
 Tricky things:
• You must have both parts!
• Some verbs can’t be progressive (feeling, thinking, etc verbs)
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
 To describe something happening at the moment
• Right now, you are reading a PowerPoint slide.
• The world is rotating on its axis.
• We are not playing soccer at the moment.
 FYI, You won’t often use this tense in academic essays for this class.
PA S T P RO G R E S S I V E T E N S E
 Looks like:
•
•
•
•
Past tense of “be” and “verb+-ing” ending
I was talking
She was talking
They were not talking
 Tricky things:
• You must have both parts!
• You must have the –ing ending on the main verb!
• Some verbs can’t be progressive (feeling, thinking, etc verbs)
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
Situation 1:
 To emphasize that two events were in progress at the same time time in the past.
• Last week, you were practicing writing paragraphs while you were
learning about appositives and adjective clauses. It was a lot of work to
juggle at one time!
 We choose past progressive here because they were two long, difficult processes
happening at the same time in the past(not one after the other).
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
Situation 2:
 Past progressive is often juxtaposed with simple past tense to emphasize that
something was in progress at some time in the past when the other thing interrupted it.
•
•
They were driving downtown when they ran out of gas.
Marcie was still talking when the teacher for the next class came into the room.
 Tricky! Students often use past progressive when simple past would be better.
Ask me (or a tutor) if you’re not sure!
S I M P L E PA S T T E N S E
 Looks like:
•
•
•
•
verb + -ed ending
He talked
They cooked
I didn’t walk
 Tricky things:
• Irregular past tense verbs are numerous!!!
* link to a list
* link to Quizlet flashcards
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
 To describe something finished in the past.
• She got her bachelor’s degree in 2002.
• Last week, we listened to a presentation about academic success.
• She went home, played with the dog, and did her homework.
 You will probably use this verb a lot when you write narratives (stories) about the
past. You will also use it when you summarize something you experienced (an event, not a
text).
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
 Looks like:
• “have” + past participle of the main verb
•
Past participle looks like a past tense verb or it’s irregular
• I have read
• She has talked
• They have written
 Tricky things:
• You must have both parts!
• Don’t use “be” with this!
• Don’t interchange with simple past tense.
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
Situation One:
 To describe something that happened in the past, but we don’t know when (and
when it happened is not important). We just know it happened before now.
• I have graded your homework.
 It doesn’t matter when I did it – it just matters that I did it so you can get it
back and learn from your mistakes and my comments.
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
Situation Two:
 To describe something that started in the past, but we don’t know when, and it is
continuing. This happens with some special verbs.
• I have lived in Seattle since 2007.
• I have lived in Seattle for 7 years.
• She has worked for the company since 2010.
P R E S E N T P E R F E C T P RO G R E S S I V E
TENSE
 Looks like:
•
•
•
•
“have” + “been” + “verb + -ing” ending
I have been reading
She has been talking
They have been writing
 Tricky things:
• You must have all parts!
• Don’t interchange with simple past tense or present perfect*
• *Special verbs only
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
 Again, the progressive form is used to emphasize duration:
• They have been writing for two hours!
• She has been sleeping for nineteen hours. She must be really, really
tired.
• If you’re not wanting to emphasize how much time something is taking, don’t use it.
PAST PERFECT TENSE
 Looks like:
• I/you/we/they/she/he had talked
 Tricky things:
• Isn’t the same as simple past
• Isn’t the same as present perfect
WHEN DO WE USE IT?
 The past perfect tense is used to describe the first of two actions that were
completed in the past. Note that the second action has a simple past tense verb.
The tenses tell us which action happened first in time and which happened second.
• I had come to class when I realized my backpack was on the bus.
• You had written a journal entry before I asked you to write your
paragraph.
• Past perfect tense verb clauses often come with simple past tense
verb clauses in complex sentences.
RESOURCES
 Simple vs. Progressive verb chart
 Perfect Tenses verb chart
 Present Perfect and Present Perfect Progressive PPT