Chapter 10 – Past Tense

Important Points

Past Tense Verbs

Most verbs are changed to past tense by adding –ed to the end.

Most of the time, this is not a troublesome issues in your writing, but there are a few things to consider when writing that relate to verb tense.

1) Irregular Verbs

Some verbs have irregular forms when changed to past. For example, think becomes thought, sell becomes sold, etc.

Most of these verbs are easy. We use them every day; however, please review the table in the chapter, and make sure that you are familiar with all of the verbs and past tense forms. Don’t try to memorize!

2) Verb Tense Consistency

When writing, make sure to be consistent with verb tense. Don’t start writing in present and then switch to past.

We do this when speaking all the time. For example, “This weekend, I went to San Diego. When I got to the beach, I see my friend from Yuma.

Notice how I started in past and changed to present. This is an error and should be avoided.

3) The Verb TO BE

To Be is the most common verb in English. Its forms are am, are and is in the present and was and were in the past.

Be aware of the past tense forms of BE and make sure that your subjects and verbs agree.