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An introduction to identifying and using simple present, past, and future tenses in everyday sentences.
Imagine you have a time machine that can take you anywhere! How would you tell your friends where you went yesterday, what you are doing right now, and where you will travel tomorrow?
The simple present tense is used for things that are happening right now or things that happen regularly (like a habit). For most verbs, we use the base form. However, if we are talking about one person or thing (he, she, it), we usually add an -s or -es to the end.
Examples: - I walk to school every day. (Habit) - The sun shines brightly. (General truth)
Quick Check
In the sentence 'The cat sleeps on the rug,' what is the verb and what tense is it?
Answer
The verb is 'sleeps' and it is in the simple present tense.
The simple past tense tells us about actions that have already happened and are now finished. For regular verbs, the rule is very simple: just add -ed to the end of the base verb.
If the verb already ends in an 'e', you just add a 'd'.
Examples: - Yesterday, I walked to the park. - We baked cookies last night.
Let's change a present tense sentence into a past tense sentence: 1. Start with: 'I play tag.' 2. Identify the verb: 'play'. 3. Apply the past tense formula: . 4. Final sentence: 'I played tag.'
Quick Check
How would you change the verb 'jump' to show it happened yesterday?
Answer
Jumped
The simple future tense describes actions that have not happened yet but will happen later. This is the easiest tense to form because it doesn't matter who is doing the action! You simply add the helping verb will before the base verb.
Examples: - I will walk to the store later. - They will play music at the party tomorrow.
Watch how the verb 'cook' changes as we move through time: 1. Past: I cooked dinner at 6:00 PM. 2. Present: Now, I wash the dishes. 3. Future: Tomorrow, I will buy more groceries.
Identify the tenses in this short story: 'Last week, Sarah visited the zoo. She loves the lions. Next month, she will see the monkeys.' 1. 'Visited' is Past (). 2. 'Loves' is Present (). 3. 'Will see' is Future ().
Which sentence is in the simple past tense?
What is the correct way to write 'dance' in the future tense?
To change a regular verb to the past tense, you usually add -ing.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to recall the three formulas: , , and .
Practice Activity
Write three sentences about your favorite hobby: one thing you did yesterday, one thing you do every day, and one thing you will do next weekend.