PRINCIPAL PARTS OF VERBS There are four principal parts/forms of a verb: the base verb form/the present, and the past tenses, and present, and past participles. These parts are used to form tenses. PRINCIPAL PARTS Base/Present Present Participle Past Past Participle talk talking talked talked walk walking walked walked play playing played played 1. Present Tense The base is the most basic (or root) form of a verb. It plays a very important role in most forms of the present tense, including the first person (I and we), second person (you), and third person plural (they). The only time the base changes is in the third person singular (he, she, it). To form the third person singular, just add the letter -s to the end of the base. PRESENT TENSE Person and Number First Person Singular & Plural (I and we) Second Person Singular & Plural (You can refer to one person or a group of people.) Third Person Plural (they) Third Person Singular (he, she, it) Example I play football once a week. We play football every day. You play football once a week. Do you boys play football every day? They play football on weekends. She/He plays football for two hours each day. 2. Past Tense To form the past tense, take the base form and add -ed. If the base ends in a silent e, just add -d, not -ed. Unlike the present tense, the past tense always uses the same form regardless of the number of subjects. PAST TENSE Base Walk Play Dance Hike Example I/we/you/she/he/they walked a kilometer to school yesterday. I/we/you/he/she/they played football last week. I/we/you/he/she/they danced until the end of the party. I/we/you/he/she/they hiked this trail last summer vacation. 3. Present Participles To form a present participle, take the base form of the verb and add ing. If the verb ends in a silent -e, drop the -e and add -ing. Present participles are used in the progressive tenses, which combine a form of to be (am, is, was, etc.) with a present participle. Examples: My sister is walking to school today. My brother was playing a video game when I came home. 4. Past Participles Past participles are formed the same way as the past tense—by adding ed to the base (or just -d if the base ends in a silent -e). Past participles are used in the perfect tenses, which combine a form of to have (have, has, had) with a past participle. Examples: 1. Most days students take the bus to school, but for the last two weeks he has walked to school. 2. I have finished my homework already. 3. Before leaving, we made sure we had walked the dog. TENSES OF VERBS TENSES –a form of a verb that tells us when an action occurs. -simple, progressive, and perfect tenses I. Simple Tenses The present, past, and future tenses are called simple tenses. SIMPLE TENSES Past Present Future talked talk(s) will talk walked walk(s) will walk Simple Past Tense The past tense is used to talk about actions, events, or feelings that happened at an earlier point in time. Examples: Janice opened the door for the person behind her. I saw Tom yesterday. Simple Present Tense Usually, the present tense is used for actions that are happening now, but there are several specific ways in which it is used: Actions that occur repeatedly These are the actions that happen on a regular basis, such as habits or routines. They have a specific or general time frame. Examples: I brush my teeth three times a day. John runs a kilometer every morning. We go for a vacation twice a year. Current facts, basic truths, or widely accepted beliefs Examples: Stealing is a crime. The weather is good. The sky is blue. Cats chase mice. Describing people or things Use the present tense to describe physical characteristics, personality traits, feelings, abilities, and likes and dislikes that are true in the present. Examples: She hates cats. He is the nicest person I ever know. I feel sick today. My friend loves to play football. The food smells so good. Future Tense The future tense is one of the easiest tenses to learn because it has no irregular forms. It is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. It is formed by combining the helping verb “will” with the base form of the main verb. Examples: I will walk home from school tomorrow. I will eat healthy foods from now on. II. Progressive Tenses (A.K.A. the Continuous Tenses) - is used to discuss ongoing or continuing actions. They can also be used to talk about an action that is, was, or will be occurring at the same time as another action. PROGRESSIVE TENSES Past Progressive Present Progressive Future Progressive was/were + -ing verb am/is/are + -ing verb will be + -ing verb was talking am talking will be talking was walking is walking will be walking were eating are eating will be eating Past Progressive - The past progressive describes an event that was in progress in the past. Example: I was studying late last night. - The past progressive is often used to describe an action that was occurring at the same time as another past action. Examples: 1. Yesterday, I was walking when you saw me. (Simultaneous actions: was walking and saw) 2. It was raining when we arrived in Philippines. (Simultaneous actions: was snowing and arrived) Note: Simultaneous means happening at the same time - The past progressive can also express an action interrupted by a second action. Examples: 1. I was running when I slipped on the stairs. 2. I was sleeping when you called up. in progress Present Progressive - This is the most common progressive tenses. The present progressive tense is typically used to talk about something that is happening right now. Now, at this time, and currently are common adverbs in the present progressive. Example: I am walking to school now. (Current action) - The present progressive can also express a scheduled event in the future. Example: She is starting school next school year. The example is the same as the sentence in the simple future: “She is going to start school next school year.” The present progressive and simple future (with be going to) sometimes have the same. - It can also be used to talk about an action that is occurring at the same time as another one. Example: Usually, I am walking to school when you see me. (Simultaneous actions: am walking and see) - You can also use present progressive with ‘always’ Example: My neighbor is always playing loud music early in the morning. Don’t be confused with the simple present and the present progressive. There’s a difference between “It snows in London” and “It is snowing in London”. “It snows in London” states that it snows in general. It does not necessarily mean that it is snowing at the moment of speaking. “It is snowing in London” means that the snow started in the past, is happening now, and will probably continue into the future. Future Progressive - The future progressive tense describes an event that will be in progress in the future. To form the future progressive tense, use “will be” followed by an –ing verb. Example: I will be waiting for you. - The future progressive can be useful when you are making plans. Think about your friend who wants you to visit her when she arrived from vacation but you and your family have to go somewhere. You could tell her: I’m sorry, but we will be going to Cagayan when you arrive. Note: Notice how the verb see is in the present tense, not the future tense. When people talk about future simultaneous actions, usually one verb is in the future progressive and the other is in the simple present. - The future progressive is usually used to describe an action that will occur at the same time as another future action. III. Perfect Tenses - Perfect tenses show when an action happened in relation to another action. To form the perfect tenses, use a form of the helping verb ‘have’ plus the past participle of the main verb. The verb ‘have’ changes to show the tense—(have, has, had, will have) PERFECT TENSES Past Perfect Present Perfect Future Perfect had talked have talked will have talked had walked have walked will have walked had finished have finished will have finished Past Perfect An action in the past perfect began and ended before another past event. To form the past perfect, use the past tense of the verb to have plus the past participle of the main verb. Examples: 1. Yesterday I rode the bus, but the day before I had walked home. 2. I was playing video games because I had finished my homework already. 3. We had talked about having a house first before we got married. Present Perfect An action in the present perfect began in the past and continues in the present or has ended by the present. It can also be used to talk about past actions that happened multiple times. To form the present perfect, use the present tense of the verb to have plus the past participle of the main verb. Examples: 1. Most days I take the bus to school, but for the last two weeks I have walked to school. 2. I have finished my homework already. 3. We have talked a lot about you earlier. Future Perfect An action in the future perfect tense will be finished by a particular time in the future. To form this tense, use will + have + past participle. Examples: 1. By 8 p.m., I will have finished my homework. 2. By tomorrow night, we will have arrived in Japan. 3. I hope the researchers will have found cure for cancer. 4. By this time next week, I hope you will have talked to your parents regarding your problems at school. 5. If all goes well, by June 2025, I will have finished my university degree. IV. Perfect Progressive Tenses Perfect progressive tenses are a combination of perfect (completed before) and progressive (ongoing) tenses, which show that something began, continued, and ended before another action. The perfect progressive tenses combine the perfect (have, has, had, will have), the progressive (been) and the present participle of the main verb. -(have, has, had, will have) + been + present participle of the main verb PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSES Past Perfect Progressive Present Perfect Progressive had been talking have been talking had been walking have been walking had been finishing have been finishing Future Perfect Progressive will have been talking will have been walking will have been finishing Past Perfect Progressive (also known as the past perfect continuous tense) Use the past perfect tense to show that actions that started in the past continued up until another time in the past. This tense is frequently used in relation to another past action that occurred at a later time. The past perfect continuous tense is constructed using had been + the verb's present participle (root + -ing). Examples: 1. I had been walking to school daily but then the rainy season started. 2. Jane had been finishing her homework on time all month but then she got sick and missed school. 3. I had been working at the company for seven years when I got the promotion. 4. Jake had been playing the lead guitar for 5 years when he was asked to leave the band. 5. We had been talking a lot about you before you arrived. Present Perfect Progressive This tense is used for recent past actions that happened repeatedly. Examples: 1. I have been walking to school on sunny days. 2. He has been finishing his homework by 7 p.m. daily. 3. I have been studying well since I was young. It is also used for continuous past actions that are affecting the present in some way. Examples: 1. I have been walking to school a lot, so I'm in better shape than I was before. 2. He has been finishing all his homework and his grades have improved a lot. Future Perfect Progressive The future perfect progressive describes the duration of an action as it relates to a future event. This tense is used when you are anticipating a time in the future when a continuous action will be finished. Examples: 1. By tomorrow I will have been walking to school for six weeks straight. -There are two ways to form the future perfect progressive. Both require two actions. One is by using “will have been” plus a present participle, followed by “when” or “by the time” and the second action. Example: 1. I will have been working for 30 years by the time I retire. 2. The doctor will have been working for 24 hours by the time his shift is finished. Notice that the second planned action, retire, is in the simple present. The simple future tense is never used with the second action. -The other way to form the future perfect progressive is using “be going to have been” plus a present participle followed by “when” or “by the time” and the second action. The order of the actions can be reversed with either form. (be going to have been + present participle + when/by the time + second action) Example: I am going to have been waiting for five hours by the time you arrive. Emphatic Forms Emphatic form is not a tense, but it is included in this lesson is the emphatic form. The emphatic form emphasizes that an action happened. It is also used in questions and in negative statements. The emphatic form uses the verb do with the present form of the verb. PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSES Present Emphatic Past Emphatic do/does talk did talk do/does walk did walk do/does finish did finish There is no future emphatic because you can't emphasize something that hasn't happened yet.
