Verb Forms and Tenses Help

Verb Forms

Verb forms may look similar to tenses, but they are not. Learning the following basic forms, or principal parts, will help you use correct verb tenses later in this lesson.

Present

The present form of a verb is usually the first entry you find in a dictionary (e.g., care, forgive, mean, etc.). Sometimes an -s is added to the end of the present form of the verb when it is used in conjunction with a singular noun: she cares, he forgives, it means.

Present Participle

The present participle is made by adding the suffix -ing to the present form; it is always accompanied by a be verb, which acts as a helping verb, forming what is called a verb phrase: am caring, is forgiving, were thinking. Notice that this verb form expresses action that is ongoing.

Past

The past form of a verb shows action or existence that has already taken place at a point in time before now (e.g., she cared, they forgave, he thought). Remember that all regular verbs end in -ed in the past tense, whereas irregular verbs end in a variety of ways.

Past Participle

The past participle of a verb consists of its past form, accompanied by the helping verb have, has, or had (e.g., have cared, has forgiven, had thought, etc.). This is true of both regular and irregular verbs.

Verb Tenses

All verb tenses are formed by utilizing one of the four principal parts of the verb. When we combine these parts with different pronouns, we can see all the different forms that a verb can take in a given tense; this is called verb conjugation.

We are most familiar with three basic tenses:

Present

The present tense shows present action or action that happens on a regular basis.

Example:

Past

The past tense indicates that the action has already happened.

Example:

Future

The future tense tells us that the action has not yet happened, but will.

Example:

Tip: Use the present tense to discuss what you have read in a book, poem, or other text, even if it was written in the past.

In addition to the three basic verb tenses—present, past, and future—a number of tenses more precisely pinpoint the timing or progress of actions.

Present Progressive

The present progressive tense shows action that is currently in progress. The present progressive is formed by combining the present tense of the verb be with the present participle of a verb.

Example:

Past Progressive

The past progressive tense indicates that the action happened at some specific time in the past. The past progressive is formed by combining the past tense of the verb be with the present participle of a verb.

Example:

Future Progressive

The future progressive tense denotes that the action is continuous or will occur in the future. The future progressive is formed by combining the future tense of the verb be with the present participle of a verb.