Verb Tense
What Does Verb Tense Do?
The tense of a verb indicates the time (past, present or future) of the action or state the verb
expresses. English has many tenses which allows for a nuanced expression of time. Try to take
full advantage of the many verb tenses English has and don’t just confine yourself to the simple
present, past and future. In the following brief overview of Verb Tenses, notice the ones
marked with an asterisk (*). These are the most commonly used verb tenses. Try to use them
regularly in your speech and in your writing.
Simple Forms for Third Person Singular
Progressive Forms for Third Person Singular
*Past
she sang
*Past Progressive
she was singing
*Present
she sings
*Present Progressive
she is singing
*Future
she will sing
Future Progressive
*Past Perfect
she had sung
she will be
singing
Past Perfect Progressive
she had been
singing
Present Perfect Progressive
she has been
singing
Future Perfect Progressive
she will have
been singing
*Present Perfect
she has sung
Future Perfect
she will have sung
Two Common Verb Tense Errors
1. Using the simple present when the present progressive is correct.
Progressive tenses refer to actions which are in progress or which relate to a specific moment
in time rather than to a general state. Many other languages use the simple present tense to
refer to action in progress in the present specific moment. Check your writing to ensure you are
using the present progressive tense, instead of the simple present, when it is appropriate.
What are you doing?
I am singing. I am working. I am watching tv.
not
I sing. I work. I watch tv.
Usually, we choose the simple present to refer to an action that is habitual, occurs regularly or
is an action that the subject has the ability to do:
I sing. This means that the subject can sing, or that the subject sings every week,
professionally etc., depending on context.
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Trent University
www.trentu.ca/academicskills
acdskills@trentu.ca
2. Using the simple past when the present perfect is correct.
Use the simple past to refer to a completed action which occurred in the past:
She sang last Saturday at The Pig’s Ear.
Use the simple present when referring to action which began in the past, usually the recent
past, is not yet over and continues in some way into the present:
She has sung at The Pig’s Ear many times this year.
The above sentence indicates a period of singing which began in the recent past and which is
not yet over – the sentence tells us it is still “this year”, so there is a chance that more singing
will take place. If the year were over and she was not going to be singing at The Pig’s Ear
anymore, the simple past would be correct:
She sang at The Pig’s Ear many times last year.
The present perfect tense is translated from English into many languages’ present tense. Try to
understand this tense as a combination of past and present.
In English, we use the present perfect tense often. When reviewing your writing, check the
sentences in which you have used the simple past to see if the present perfect would be correct.
Practice:
Choose the correct verb tense from the following choices: simple present, simple past, present
perfect, present progressive. Choose each tense only once. Put the verb in parentheses into the
correct verb tense you chose for the sentence. Name the verb tense at the end of the sentence.
1.
2.
3.
4.
This morning, the students (take) an exam in Room 105.
Busy students often (study) late at night.
The teacher (punish) him for being late yesterday morning.
I (love) cats since I was a child.
Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
The students are taking an exam in Room 105. (present progressive)
Busy students often study late at night. (simple present)
The teacher punished him for being late yesterday morning. (simple past)
I have loved cats since I was a child. (present perfect)
Academic Skills Centre
Trent University
www.trentu.ca/academicskills
acdskills@trentu.ca