Verb Tense

Tense denotes the time of the action indicated

by a verb. The time is not always the same
as that indicated by the name of the tense.
6 Types

Verb Tenses

Present Past Future

Present Past Future
Perfect Perfect Perfect
Present Tense

 Present tense may express

action which is going on at the
present time or which occurs
always, repeatedly, or habitually.
 Examples: He sees the train.
He eats cereal for breakfast
every day.
Past Tense

 Past tense expresses action

completed at a definite time in
the past.
 Examples: He wrote the letter
yesterday. She lived to be 90
years old.
Future Tense

 Future tense expresses action

which will take place in the
future.
 It uses the helping verbs will or
shall* and the present tense
form of the verb).
 Examples: He will send the
letter tomorrow. I shall wait here
until you return.
 * Traditionally, shall is used for
1st person and will for 2nd and 3rd
persons.
Present Perfect Tense
 Present perfect tense expresses action
completed at the present time (perfect
means complete) or begun in the past and
continuing into the present.
 This tense uses the helping verbs has and
have and the past participle of the verb.
 Examples:
 He has written a letter to his uncle. (completed
action)
 The Waltons have lived here for seven years.
(continuing)
Past Perfect Tense

 Past perfect tense expresses

action completed before certain
time in the past. (This is the
before-past tense.)
 It uses the helping verb had and
the past participle of the verb.
 Example: She had written the
letter before I saw her.
Future Perfect Tense

 Future perfect tense expresses

action which will be completed
before a certain time in the
future. (This is the before-future
tense)
 It uses the helping verbs will
have or shall have and the past
participle of the verb.
 Example: He will have finished
the paper before next Friday.
Verb Forms

Verb Forms

Regular Irregular
Regular Verbs

 Regular verbs form their past

tense and past participle by
adding –ed or –d to their present
tense form.
 More than 95% of all English
verbs are regular.
 Regular verbs cause few
problems in speaking and
writing.
 Regular verbs and their
Principal Parts

Principal Present Present Past Past

Parts:
Tense Participle Tense Participle

Verb:
To call call, calling called (have)
calls called

To dust dust, dusting dusted (have)

dusts dusted
Irregular Verbs

 Irregular verbs can form their

past tense and past participle
forms in various way.
 These forms cause even native
speakers innumerable
problems.
 The most irregular verb of all is
the verb to be.
 Another irregular verb that is
important for its use with other
verbs is the verb to have.
 Four Principal/Main Parts
Principal Present Present Past Past
Parts:
Tense Participle Tense Participle

Verb:
To Be be, am, being was, (have)
are, is were been

To Have have, having had (have)

has had
 Other Common Irregular
Verbs and their Principal Parts
Principal Present Present Past Tense Past
Part Tense Participle Participle

Verb
To see see, seeing saw (have)
sees seen
To do do, does doing did (have)
done
To fly fly, flies flying flew (have)
flown
To run run, runs running ran (have)
run
Conjugation

 A conjugation of a verb is the

correct arrangement of its form
through its tenses, persons, and
numbers.
 Person means the speaker, the
person spoken to, and the
person or thing spoken of.
 Number means singular or
plural.
Conjugation of the verb: to be
Tense Singular Plural

Present I am We are
You are You are
He, she, it is They are

Past I was We were

You were You were
He was They were

Future I shall be We shall be

You will be You will be
He will be They will be

Present Perfect I have been We have been

You have been You have been
He has been They have been

Past Perfect I had been We had been

You had been You had been
He had been They had been

Future Perfect I shall have been We shall have been

You will have been You will have been
He will have been They will have been