VERBS: PAST, PRESENT, AND
FUTURE TENSE
By :Alexis Kitchens
Verbs
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A verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or
occurrence , and forming a main part of the predicate
of a sentence, such as, hear, become, and happen
A verb can express a physical action, a mental action or
a state of being
These are examples of some verbs…
Abide ,accelerate ,accept, accomplish ,achieve acquire,
acted, back ,bake ,balance ,ban , bang, bare,
drop,end,escape,fasten,fix,gather,grab..etc
Verbs are perhaps the most important part of speech in
the English language.
Verbs that express physical actions
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Many verbs express physical actions.
She sells pegs and lucky heather.
(In this example, the word sells is a verb. It expresses
the physical activity to sell.)
The doctor wrote the prescription.
(In this example, the word wrote is a verb. It expresses
the physical activity to write.)
Alison bought a ticket.
(The word bought is a verb. It expresses the physical
activity to buy.)
Verbs that express mental actions
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She considers the job done.
(The word considers is a verb. It expresses the
mental activity to consider.)
Peter guessed the right number.
(The word guessed is a verb. It expresses the mental
activity to guess.)
I thought the same thing.
(The word thought is a verb. It expresses the mental
activity to think.)
Verbs that express a state of being
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A small, but extremely important group of verbs do not
express any activity at all. The most important verb in this
group being the verb to be.
this is seen in forms like is, are, were, was, will be, etc.
Edwina is the largest elephant in this area.
(The word is is a verb from the verb to be.)
It was a joke.
(The word was is a verb from the verb to be.)
I am.
(The word am is a verb from the verb to be.)
(I am is the shortest sentence in English.)
Cart of the verb to be
Subject
Verb to be in the
past tense
Verb to be in the
present tense
Verb to be in the
present tense
I
was
am
Will be
You
were
are
Will be
He/she/It
was
is
Will be
We
were
are
Will be
You
were
are
Will be
They
were
are
Will be
Helping verbs
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Helping verbs, also called auxiliary verbs, do not stand
alone or express action but are apart of verb phrases
that “help” the main verb.
Helping verbs define the tense (past, perfect, future) or
change the meaning of the main verb
Do you need a tissue?
( do is the helping verb)
We are helping the third-grade class.
( are is the helping verb)
Hank might have been driving the wrong way.
(have is the helping verb
Helping verbs
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These are some common helping verbs…
May, might, must, be, being, been, am, are, is, was, were, do, does,
did, should, could, would, have, had, has, will, can, shall
The three primary helping verbs are be, do, and have
Be is used .. to make continuous tenses (He is watching TV.)
to make the passive (Small fish are eaten by big fish.)
Have is used .. to make perfect tenses (I have finished my
homework.)
Do is used… to make negatives (I do not like you.)
to ask questions (Do you want some coffee?)
to show emphasis (I do want you to pass your exam.)
to stand for a main verb in some constructions (He speaks faster
than she does.)
Linking verbs
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Linking verbs do not express action. Instead, they
connect the subject of the verb to additional information
about the subject.
Some words can function both as a linking verb and an
action verb
My sister is smart.
( is is the linking verb)
The picture appeared blurry.
( appeared is the linking verb)
Your supper smells delicious.
(smells is the linking verb)
Linking verbs
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The following are some linking verbs..
Am, are, are, being, appear, be, become, feel, get,
grow, have/has, been, is, lie, look, might be, might
have been, prove, remain, seem, sit, smell, sound,
stay, taste, turn, were
Forms of to be are sometimes used as linking verbs
such as is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been etc.
Linking verbs can describe and rename the subject
Irregular verbs and regular verbs
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Irregular verbs are unlike regular verbs whose conjugation
follows the typical pattern of the language it belongs to.
Therefore irregular verbs’ conjugation follows a different
pattern
Some irregular verbs are..
Awake, be, beat, become, bend, bite, blow, buy, come, dig, do
,draw, drink, eat, fall, feel, fight, forget, get, go, grow, hang,
have, hit, keep, lay, lead, make, read..etc
With regular verbs the past simple and past particle always
end in –ed
With irregular verbs, there is no rule.
Irregular verbs and regular verbs
chart
Regular verbs
Irregular verbs
Base
Form
Past
Simple
Past
Participle
finish
finished
finished
stop
stopped
stopped
work
worked
worked
Past
Simple
Past
Participle
Base
Form
sing
sang
sung
buy
bought
bought
cut
cut
cut
Conjugation of verbs
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A verb will change it’s form depending on the subject
Ex: I write / He writes
Ex: The camel laughs / The jackals laugh
When verbs change in this way it is called conjugation.
The subject of the verb can be in six forms: I, You, He/she/it
, We, You ,and They
The first three forms are singular forms (first person, second
person and third person singular)
The second three are plural forms ( first person, second
person, and third person plural)
Conjugation of verbs
The infinitive form of a verbs is when a verb is preceded by
the word to it is said to be in it’s infinitive form or most basic
form
 I have to smoke that!
(to smoke - infinitive form of the verb)
 The infinitive form is the verb that Is modified to conjugate it.
 Therefore the infinitive form cannot have a -s, -es, -ed, or ing ending.
 Infinitives can lose their to when it follows certain verbs like
feel, hear, help, let, make, etc.
 Infinitives can be used as nouns adjective or adverbs
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Past tense verbs
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Past tense Is one of the three main tenses
Verbs whish express actions in the past are in the past
tense
It thus provides a grammatical means of indicating that
the event being referred took place in the past
The past tense of regular verbs is made by adding –d
or –ed to the base form of the verb
The past tense of irregular verbs is made in a various
ways that depend on which irregular verb you use
Past tense verbs
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He talked with more claret than clarity. (Susan Ertz)
(talked - past tense of the verb to talk)
I ran to the lake.(ran - past tense of the verb to run)
They were all there.(were - past tense of the verb to be)
The past tense is categorized further depending on whether
the action was in progress or has been completed. There are
four parts of past tense.
These four parts are simple past tense, past progressive
past tense, past perfect tense and past perfect progressive
tense.
The four past
tenses
Examples
Past
tense
simple past tense
•I went.
•The Martians landed near
the aqueduct.
Uses
The simple past tense is used to
describe a completed activity
that started in the past and
ended in the past.
past progressive
tense
•I was going.
•He was painting the door
when a bird struck the
window.
past perfect tense
•I had gone.
The past perfect tense is used to
•Bob had taken the pill
emphasize that an action was
before the team reached him. completed before another took
place.
past perfect
progressive
•I had been going.
•She had been painting the
door before the dog
scratched it.
The past progressive tense is
used to describe an on-going
activity in the past. Often, it is
used to set the scene for
another action
The past perfect progressive
tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has
ended.
Present tense verbs
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Present tense is another one of the three main tenses
Verbs that express actions present are said to be present tense.
Present tense is often used to refer to future events (I am seeing James
tomorrow; My train leaves at 3 o'clock this afternoon).
John jumps out the window.
(jumps - present tense of the verb to jump)
Who is ill?
(is - present tense of the verb to be)
He is the kind of a guy who lights up a room just by flicking a switch.
(is - present tense of the verb to be)
(lights up - present tense of the verb to light up)
The four present tenses are simple present tense, present progressive tense,
present perfect tense, and present perfect progressive
The 4 Present Tenses
Examples
Uses
simple present tense
•I go.
•I like chocolate.
•The train gets in at 5 o'clock.
•A horse walks into a bar, and
the barman says, "why the long
face?"
(1) To describe facts and habits.
(2) To describe scheduled events in
the future.
(3) To tell stories to make your
listener or reader feel more
engaged with the story.
present_progressive tense
•I am going.
•Barny is looking for the latest
brochure.
The present progressive tense is us
for an on-going action in the prese
present perfect tense
•I have gone.
•David has worked .
The present perfect tense is used t
describe actions that began in the
past and are still continuing into th
present.
present perfect progressive
•I have been going.
•Amanda has been relying on a
pay rise to pay her student loan.
(1) a continuous activity that began
in the past and continues into the
present, or
(2) a continuous activity that began
in past but has now finished (usuall
very recently).
Present tense verb
Future tense verbs
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Verbs which express actions in the future are said to be in the future
tense. These are usually formed by preceding the verb with the
word will.
I will take the blame.
(will take - future tense of the verb to take)
They will surrender.
(will surrender - future tense of the verb to surrender)
Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth. (Archimedes,
287-212 BC)
(will move - future tense of the verb to move)
The four future tenses are simple future tense,future progressive
tense, future perfect tense, and future perfect progressive.
The 4 Future Tenses
Examples
Future tense verbs
Uses
simple future tense
•I will go.
•We will celebrate our
anniversary by flying to
New York.
The simple future tense is
used for an action that will
occur in the future.
future progressive tense
•I will be going.
•The Moscow State Circus
will be performing in
Cheltenham for the next 3
weeks
The future progressive
tense is used for an ongoing action that will occur
in the future
future perfect tense
•I will have gone.
•By the time you arrive, we
will have finished the meal
and the speeches.
The future perfect tense is
used to describe an action
that will have been
completed at some point in
the future.
future perfect progressive
•I will have been going.
•In July next year, you will
have been studying for 3
years.
The future perfect
progressive tense is used
for an on-going action that
will be completed at some
specified time in the future.
Gerunds
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A gerund is a verb form ending in –ing.
A gerund can be the subject, object of a verb ,subject
complements, direct objects, and indirect objects because
gerunds function as nouns. It can also act as the object of a
preposition.
Smoking can cause cancer. (Here the gerund smoking acts
as the subject of the verb.)
I am thinking of taking a break. (Here the gerund taking is
the object of the preposition of.)
She is confident of winning. (NOT She is confident of to
win.) (NOT She is confident to win.)
Subject of a verb
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The person or thing performing the action of the
verb is said to be the subject of the verb or
the subject of the sentence.
Tony stole the boat.
(Tony - subject of the verb to steal)
Tony is guilty.
(Tony - subject of the verb to be)
Who was that?
(Who - subject of the verb to be, i.e., was)
Direct object of a verb
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Many verbs perform an action on something. This is
called the direct object of the verb.
Terry kissed her hand.
(her hand - direct object of the verb to kiss)
Beverly will eat a whole chicken.
(a whole chicken - direct object of the verb to eat)
Indirect object of a verb
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Some verbs have two objects, a direct object (see
above) and an indirect object. The indirect object is the
person or thing for whom the action was performed.
Jamie read the children a story.
(a story - direct object; the children - indirect object)
I will bake him a cake.
(a cake - direct object; him - indirect object)
The postman gives Anne a letter everyday.
(a letter - direct object; Anne - indirect object)
Intransitive verbs
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Some verbs cannot have a direct object. These verbs are said to be
intransitive verbs.
The rain fell heavily.
(The rain fell, but it did not perform an action on anything. In this
example, the verb to fall is an intransitive verb.)
Jack protested in the street.
(Jack protested, but he did not perform an action on anything. In this
example, the verb to protest is an intransitive verb.)
Verbs that can have a direct object (most of them) are
called transitive verbs.
Barney copied the answer.
(the answer - direct object of the transitive verb to copy)
Passive sentence
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The subject of a sentence does not always do the action of the verb.
Sometimes, the action is done to the subject. Such sentences are called
passive sentences, because the subjects are being passive, i.e., not
doing anything.
Carl was arrested.
(Carl is not doing anything, but he is the subject of the sentence.)
(Note: Carl is the subject of the verb to be, i.e., was.)
Passive verbs always comprise two parts (was arrested in this
example). The person doing the action of the verb in a passive
sentence is usually shown with the word by.
Carl was arrested by PC Adams.
Passive verbs are said to be in the passive voice. Passive sentences are
quite useful:
The carpet was damaged. (< passive sentence - no blame)
We damaged the carpet. (< active sentence)
Active sentences
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Active sentences are the opposite to passive
sentences (see above). In an active sentence, the
subject of the verb performs the action.
We damaged the carpet.
(This is an active sentence. We is the subject.
We damaged the carpet.)
Jamie read a story.
(This is an active sentence. Jamie is the subject.Jamie
read a story.)
Sited courses
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"What Are Verbs?" What Are Verbs? N.p., n.d.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
"Punctuation." What Are Verbs? N.p., n.d. Web. 03
Nov. 2013.
"What Are Verbs?" English Grammar RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
"The Verb." The Verb. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov.
2013.
"MomsWhoThink -." List of Verbs. N.p., n.d. Web. 03
Nov. 2013.
Cited sources
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"The Linking Verb." The Linking Verb. N.p., n.d. Web.
03 Nov. 2013.
"The Linking Verbs." Linking Verbs. N.p., n.d. Web.
03 Nov. 2013.
"Linking Verbs Explained." Reading Worksheets
Grammar Comprehension Lesson Plans. N.p., n.d.
Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
"Irregular Verbs." Irregular Verbs. N.p., n.d. Web.
03 Nov. 2013.
"The Infinitive." The Infinitive. N.p., n.d. Web. 03
Nov. 2013
Cited sources
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"Punctuation." Past Tense (grammar Lesson). N.p.,
n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.