Verb Tenses
The chart below lists the standard verb tenses with examples.
Simple tenses show that an action happens in the present, past, or future.
Present
Singular
Plural
1st Person I prosper/grow
we prosper/grow
2nd Person you prosper/grow
you prosper/grow
3rd Person he/she/it prospers/grows they prosper/grow
Past
Singular
Plural
1st Person I prospered/grew
we prospered/grew
2nd Person you prospered/grew
you prospered/grew
3rd Person he/she/it prospered/grew they prospered/grew
Future
Singular
Plural
1st Person I will prosper/grow
we will prosper/grow
2nd Person you will prosper/grow
you will prosper/grow
3rd Person he/she/it will prosper/grow they will prosper/grow
Perfect tenses show that an action was or will be completed before another time or action.
Present Perfect Singular
Plural
1st Person
I have prospered/grown
we have prospered/grown
2nd Person
you have prospered/grown
you have prospered/grown
3rd Person
he/she/it has prospered/grown
they have prospered/grown
Past Perfect
Singular
Plural
1st Person
I had prospered/grown
we had prospered/grown
2nd Person
you had prospered/grown
you had prospered/grown
3rd Person
he/she/it had prospered/grown
they had prospered/grown
Future Perfect Singular
Plural
1st Person
I will have prospered/grown
we will have prospered/grown
2nd Person
you will have prospered/grown
you will have prospered/grown
3rd Person
he/she/it will have prospered/grown they will have prospered/grown
Progressive tenses show continuing action.
Present Progressive Singular
1st Person
I am prospering/growing
2nd Person
you are prospering/growing
Plural
we are prospering/growing
you are prospering/growing
3rd Person
Past Progressive
1st Person
2nd Person
3rd Person
Future Progressive
1st Person
2nd Person
3rd Person
he/she/it is prospering/growing
they are prospering/growing
Singular
Plural
I was prospering/growing
we were prospering/growing
you were prospering/growing
you were prospering/growing
he/she/it was prospering/growing they were prospering/growing
Singular
Plural
I will be prospering/growing
we will be prospering/growing
you will be prospering/growing
you will be prospering/growing
he/she/it will be prospering/growing they will be prospering/growing
Perfect progressive tenses show the length of time an action is, was, or will be in progress.
Present Perfect
Progressive
1st Person
Singular
Plural
I have been prospering/growing
2nd Person
you have been prospering/growing
3rd Person
he/she/it has been
prospering/growing
we have been prospering/growing
you have been
prospering/growing
they have been
prospering/growing
Singular
Plural
I had been prospering/growing
you had been prospering/growing
he/she/it had been
prospering/growing
we had been prospering/growing
you had been prospering/growing
Future Perfect
Progressive
Singular
Plural
1st Person
I will have been prospering/growing
Past Perfect
Progressive
1st Person
2nd Person
3rd Person
2nd Person
3rd Person
you will have been
prospering/growing
he/she/it will have been
prospering/growing
they had been prospering/growing
we will have been
prospering/growing
you will have been
prospering/growing
they will have been
prospering/growing
Irregular Verbs
Most verbs in English are consistent in how they form their tenses. Usually, just add -ed to the
end of a verb to create the simple past and past participle: he walked; he has walked.
There are, however, dozens of common verbs that are irregular verbs (including very common
verbs such as to be and to have) whose various forms have to be memorized.
The difference between a regular and an irregular verb is the formation of the simple past and
past participle. Writers usually make two frequent errors with irregular verbs. Writers either add
an incorrect -ed to the end of an irregular verb, or they accidentally mix up the simple past and
past participle.
The following is a list of irregular verbs that you should learn through practice or by
memorization:
Present
Tense
awake
be
become
begin
blow
break
bring
build
burst
buy
catch
choose
come
cut
deal
dig
do
dream
drink
drive
eat
Simple
Past
Past
Participle
awoke
awaken
was, were
been
became
become
began
begun
blew
blown
broke
broken
brought
brought
built
built
burst
burst
bought
bought
caught
caught
chose
chosen
came
come
cut
cut
dealt
dealt
dug
dug
did
done
dreamed / dreamt dreamed / dreamt
drank
drunk
drove
driven
ate
eaten
Present
Tense
fall
feed
feel
fight
find
fly
forbid
forget
forgive
freeze
get
give
go
grow
have
hear
hide
hold
hurt
keep
know
lay
lead
leap
Present
Tense
leave
let
lie
lose
make
mean
meet
pay
put
quit
Simple
Past
fell
fed
felt
fought
found
flew
forbade
forgot
forgave
froze
got
gave
went
grew
had
heard
hid
held
hurt
kept
knew
laid
led
leaped / leapt
Simple
Past
left
let
lay
lost
made
meant
met
paid
put
quit
Past
Participle
fallen
fed
felt
fought
found
flown
forbidden
forgotten
forgiven
frozen
gotten
given
gone
grown
had
heard
hidden
held
hurt
kept
known
laid
led
leaped / leapt
Past
Participle
left
let
lain
lost
made
meant
met
paid
put
quit
Present
Simple
Tense
Past
read
read
ride
rode
ring
rang
rise
rose
run
ran
say
said
see
saw
seek
sought
sell
sold
send
sent
shake
shook
shine
shone
sing
sang
sit
sat
slay
slew
sleep
slept
speak
spoke
spend
spent
spin
spun
spring
sprang
stand
stood
steal
stole
swim
swam
swing
swung
take
took
teach
taught
tear
tore
tell
told
think
thought
throw
threw
understand understood
wake
woke / waked
wear
win
write
wore
won
wrote
Past
Participle
read
ridden
rung
risen
run
said
seen
sought
sold
sent
shaken
shone
sung
sat
slain
slept
spoken
spent
spun
sprung
stood
stolen
swum
swung
taken
taught
torn
told
thought
thrown
understood
woken /
waked
worn
won
written
Also, you should also understand the difference between the simple past and past participle.
The simple past tense verb always has one part. For the simple past tense, you don't need a
helping (auxiliary) verb.
examples:

Audrey fed her cat.

The cat threw up on the couch.

Audrey grudgingly sought a roll of paper towels.
On the other hand, verbs with many parts need the past participle after one or more helping
(auxiliary) verbs.
examples:

After Clarice had eaten her salty jumbo pretzel, she became thirsty.
had = helping/auxiliary verb; eaten = past participle

Clarice had drunk her entire soda before leaving the mall.
had = helping/auxiliary verb; drunk = past participle
For regular verbs, knowing the distinction between the simple past and past participle is
unnecessary because both are identical.
examples:

At last night's game, Karen yelled so much that her throat hurt.
yelled = simple past

At last night's game, Karen had yelled so much that her throat hurt.
had = helping/auxiliary verb; yelled = past participle