VERB TENSE II- TENSE CONSISTENCY

Review Simple Tense

Present Tense: Base verb + -S (unless the verb is irregular verb)

She _______ to the library every two weeks to check out

a new library book.

Past Tense: Base verb + -ed (unless the verb is irregular)

My Aunt Margie ______ in Oregon before she moved to Tennessee.

Future Tense: will or be + going + to + base verb Example:

Perfect Tense

Perfect Tense- Present Perfect: Have or has + -ed verb form (past participle)

She _______out at that gym for the past two years. (She began attending that gym two years ago and is still going there).

Perfect Tense- Past Perfect: had + -ed verb form (past participle)

I had already finished my homework when my friend called me and invited me to go see a movie.

Perfect Tense- Future Perfect: I will have already arrived at school by the time my roommate wakes up to start getting ready for her 11:00 class.

Review of Simple and Perfect Tenses

She talks She had talked

She talked She will talk

She will have talked She has talked

Progressive Forms

Each of the 6 tenses also have progressive forms. This just means the action is in progress.

Progressive forms are not used with verbs describing mental activities. i.e. believe, know, and think.

Consist of a form of the verb to be + present participle of the verb in –ing form

Present Progressive

Describes an action that is occurring right now

Example: I am sitting on this chair, listening to an English tutor.

Consist of a form of the verb to be + present participle of the verb in –ing form

Past Progressive

Consist of a form of the verb to be + present participle of the verb in –ing form

Talking about an event that occurred during a specific time frame.

Example: I was washing my car while my brother and his friend were playing ball in the street.

Also used with simple past to show when one action was in progress while another action occurred.

Example: I was taking notes when my professor was giving a lecture.

Future Progressive

Describes an action that will occur during a period of time in the future.

Example: She will be hiking tomorrow at noon.

Consist of a form of the verb to be + present participle of the verb in –ing form

Present Perfect Progressive

Describes the duration of an event that began in the past and continues through to the present.

Example: I have been watching this movie for over an hour.

Consist of a form of the verb to be + present participle of the verb in –ing form

Past Perfect Progressive

Consist of a form of the verb to be + present participle of the verb in –ing form

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

Example: She had been waiting for 30-minutes when her professor finally showed up to their meeting.

Future Perfect Progressive

Consist of a form of the verb to be + present participle of the verb in –ing form Describes an action that has been in progress for

a duration of time before another event in the future.

Example: By the time I finish my degree in English, I will have been living in Seattle for six years.

Review Progressive Form

Present progressive: I am writing right now. Past Progressive: I was writing when I received an e-

mail from my professor.

Future Progressive: I will still be writing my paper when the movie starts.

Present Perfect Progressive: I have been writing my paper for 3 hours.

Past Perfect Progressive: I had been doing research before I realized what my thesis would be.

Future Perfect Progressive: Next week I will have been in this class for 4 weeks.

Controlling Shifts in Verb TenseIf the time frame for each action is the

same, keep the verb tense the same.

As I try to swim, my brother laughed.

As I try to swim, my brother laughs.

Controlling Shifts in Verb TenseIf all the verbs in the sentence happened in the

same

time frame, keep them in the same tense.

Today at the barbecue, we ate hamburgers and enjoyed good conversation while the children watch a movie.

Today at the barbecue, we ate hamburgers and enjoyed good conversation while the children watched a movie.

Controlling Shifts in Verb TenseThe verb tense changes even though the

time frame for each action or state is the same.

Last month I had bought a new cell phone, but later decided I wanted a different color.

Last month we bought new cell phone, but later decided we wanted a different color.

Do shift verb tenses when…

Showing a change in time from one action or state to

another.

My daughter loved the ring her father and I bought her.

My daughter loves the ring her father and I bought her.

Do shift verb tenses when…

Showing a change in time frame from one action or state to another.

Before they reached Los Angeles, they already passed Santa Barbara.

Before they reached Los Angeles, they had already passed Santa Barbara.

Practice

1. If the pest control company moved out of the area, I will have to find a new company to get rid of the ants in my kitchen.

2. While the alligator swims towards the lake’s shore, the people ran away.

3. By the time I began my speech, the audience had already finished eating their lunch.

4. Just after her career began to take off, country singer Patsy Cline is killed in a plane crash on March 5, 1963.

Answers

1. If the pest control company has moved out of the area, I will have to find a new company to get rid of the ants in the kitchen.

2. While the Alligator swims towards the lake’s shore,

the people run away.

3. By the time I began my speech, the audience had already finished eating their lunch.

4. Just after her career began to take off, country singer Patsy Cline was killed in a plane crash on March 5, 1963.

Practice

5. The mother will wash her child’s hands as soon as the child has finished eating her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

6. Everyone thinks the trip would be fun.7. Larry explained to his mother that he has

finished all his homework.8. Suzy wants to show her little brother the post

cards she bought in New York before 9/11. 9. While he was giving his speech, Roy stood

tall, spoke loudly, and had addressed his audience.

Answers

5. Correct

6. Everyone thinks the trip will be fun.

7.Larry explained to his mother that he had finished all his homework.

8. Suzy wants to show her little brother the post cards she had bought in New York before 9/11.

9.While he was giving his speech, Roy stood tall, spoke loudly, and addressed his audience.

Shel Silverstein

If you are a dreamer, came in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hoper, a prayer, or had been a magic-bean-buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we had some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!

Shel Silverstein

If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hoper, a prayer, a magic-bean-buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_tensec.html

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