Verb forms. Review of tenses

time line.
Make sure you list your future graduation date!

Was Born
1978

Started School 1983

Traveled to Europe

School @ Oxford
1999

Moved to Cali 2005

Husband graduates

Got married
2008

Adverbs of frequency such as, often, seldom, sometimes, never, etc. are used with this tense.

She goes to work everyday.
They always eat lunch together.

On your handout, write one sentence that reflects SIMPLE PRESENT: something you do often, sometimes, never, seldom

facts that are timeless.

Snow falls in the December in Minnesota.
Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

that is occurring right now (at this moment, today, this year, etc.). The action has begun and is still in progress. It can be occuring now, but is temporary

She is typing a paper for her class.
He can’t talk. He is fixing the sink right now.

Formed by adding
Is/are before the verb and –ing to the verb

On your handout, write one sentence that reflects PRESENT CONTINUOUS: something that is occurring right now.

when an action or event took place in the past.

I visited my sister yesterday.
We went out to dinner last night.

On your handout, write one sentence that reflects SIMPLE PAST: something you did in the past that is now completed (over, done).

and/or events that are now completed and no longer true in the present.

I attended MJC in 1998. (I no longer attend MJC.)
I saw a movie every weekend when I was a teenager. (I don’t see movies very much anymore.)

Formed by adding
-ed to REGULAR Verbs – see IRREGULAR Verb forms

simple past to show that one action was in progress when another action occurred.

I was taking a bath when the doorbell rang.
They were eating dinner when the neighbors stopped by for a visit.

Formed by adding
Was/were before the verb and –ing to the verb

an activity that was in progress at a specific point of time in the past. The emphasis is on the duration of the activity in the past.

I was studying for an exam while my mother was cooking dinner.
We were walking in the park around 7 p.m. last night.

On your handout, write one sentence that reflects PAST CONTINUOUS tense.

an event that began in the past and continues up to the present.

He has lived in Modesto for two years.
(He began living in Modesto two years ago and he still lives there.)

Formed by adding has/have before the verb and –ed to the REGULAR verb

about an event that was completed in the past, but the specific time of the event is not important.

I have seen that movie before.
He has already visited Vietnam.
(Specific dates and times are not mentioned.)

Formed by adding
has/have before the verb and –ed to the reugalr verb

On your handout, write one sentence that reflects PRESENT PERFECT tense.

the word

Mexico in 2002. (go)
I __________ deep sea diving a few times (go).
The drummer in the band __________ percussions since he was five. (study)
It __________ the jury two hours to reach their verdict yesterday.
Washington, D.C., _____________ the capital of our country for many years. (be)

went

have gone

has studied

took

has been

of an action that began in the past and continues into the present.

He has been studying grammar for an hour.
She has been cooking all day.
(He is still studying and she is still cooking.)

that have been in progress recently and are rather temporary.

She has been living in Taiwan for the last two months, but she plans to move soon.

Formed by adding has/have + be verb (been) before the verb and –ing to the verb

in the past before another past event.

The Titanic had received many warnings before it hit the iceberg.
I had already eaten when my friend stopped by to visit.

had received
had eaten

it hit
my friend stopped by

Formed by adding
has/have before the verb and –ed to the REGULAR verb

of an action that was completed before another action or event in the past.

She had been driving around the city for three hours before she finally found the right office.

had been driving

she found the right office

Formed by adding
has/have + be verb(been) before the verb and –ing to the verb

used to describe future actions.

Thomas will graduate in June.
Maria is going to go to Mexico next week.

to express future time. These are often used used in connection with schedules.

She is meeting a new client at eleven o’clock.
The train leaves at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow.

or action that will occur over a period of time at a specific point in the future.

I will be teaching ESL 40 at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
They will be moving their furniture out of the house by the time you arrive tomorrow.

at 10 a.m. tomorrow
by the time you arrive

Formed by adding
[will have]+ing

or action that will be completed before another event or time in the future.

We will have finished the exam by the time class ends tomorrow.

will have finished the exam

class ends

in progress for a duration of time before another event or time in the future.

By the time he finishes law school, we will have been living in the U.S. for eight years.

finishes law school

will have been living in the U.S. for eight years

after the coughing and fidgeting __________ . (stop)
Because he was poor and unappreciated by the music world when he died in 1791, Mozart did not realize the importance his music __________ in the future. (have)
Dad will tell us tonight if he ____________ a new car next month.

have stopped

would have

will buy

exam at the Swiss Federal institute of technology because he __________________ a very disciplined student. (be + never)
Einstein studied only subjects that he __________ . (like)
Cancer researchers think it’s likely that a cure for most cancers ____________ found. (be + soon)

had never been

liked

will soon be

was angry because every jacket he tries on has something wrong with it. A button was missing on the first, the lining did not hang properly on the second, and the collar had a stain on the third.

Read this paragraph. Identify the verb tenses. Revise the paragraph to be a consistent tense (pg 222).

The customer demanded to see the manager. He was angry because every jacket he tries on has something wrong with it. A button was missing on the first, the lining did not hang properly on the second, and the collar had a stain on the third.

Past tense

Present tense

He was angry because every jacket he tried on had something wrong with it. A button was missing on the first, the lining did not hang properly on the second, and the collar had a stain on the third.

whose work is well known today. One of the reasons Dickens remained so popular is that so many of his stories are available not only as books but also as movies, plays, and television productions.
We all knew from our childhood the famous story of uncle Scrooge and Tiny Tim.
We often saw a television version of A Christmas Carol at holiday time.

remains

know

see

is doing something.
The committee made the decision.
In the passive voice, something is being done to the subject.
The decision was made by the committee.

Subject _______

Verb
_____

Subject _________

Verb
_________

voice to achieve direct, economical, and forceful writing. Most writing should be in the active voice.
Choose the passive voice to de-emphasize the actor or to avoid naming the actor altogether.

+ past participle + by phrase (optional)

The race was won (by the runner)

The meals have been cooked (by the chef)

The books are illustrated (by the artists)

The sweater was crocheted very carefully (by my grandmother).
The tornado struck Cherry Creek last spring.
The wind blew the leaves across the yard.
In the seventies, platform shoes were worn by many fashionable young men and women).

The child dialed the wrong number.

My grandmother very carefully crocheted the sweater.

Cherry Creek was struck by a tornado last year.

The leaves were blown across the yard (by the wind).

In the seventies, many fashionable young men and women wore platform shoes.

or expresses urgency/demand:
If I were you, I would drive home on Sunday.
I insist that he drive home on Sunday.

than one – can, may, might, should, ought
Do not follow with ‘of’ (not should of, but should have)

tense of will.

Used to/ supposed to

Do not omit the final –d in the phrases
I am use to walking.
We are suppose to meet him for dinner.

used to

supposed to