Verb Tense

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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.

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6 Types
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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Verb Forms
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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.

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Regular verbs and their Principal Parts
Principal Parts Verb Present Tense Present Participle Past Tense Past Participle
To call call, calls calling called (have) called
To dust dust, dusts dusting dusted (have) dusted
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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.

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Four Principal/Main Parts
Principal Parts Verb Present Tense Present Participle Past Tense Past Participle
To Be be, am, are, is being was, were (have) been
To Have have, has having had (have) had
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Other Common Irregular Verbs and their Principal
Parts
Principal Part Verb Present Tense Present Participle Past Tense Past Participle
To see see, sees seeing saw (have) 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
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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.

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Conjugation of the verb to be
Tense Singular Plural
Present I am You are He, she, it is We are You are They are
Past I was You were He was We were You were They were
Future I shall be You will be He will be We shall be You will be They will be
Present Perfect I have been You have been He has been We have been You have been They have been
Past Perfect I had been You had been He had been We had been You had been They had been
Future Perfect I shall have been You will have been He will have been We shall have been You will have been They will have been