Second Grade English: Verb Tenses: Simple Present, Past, and Future
Verbs have an extraordinary superpower that no other part of speech possesses: they can tell time! The form of a verb changes to signal exactly when an action takes place along the grand timeline of life. This time-telling property is called verb tense. In this chapter, you will master the three foundational tenses of the English language: simple present tense (happening right now or regularly), simple past tense (happened yesterday or earlier), and simple future tense (will happen tomorrow or later).
The Universal Timeline of Verb Tenses
Imagine a straight line running from left to right. Everything that has already happened sits on the left in the past. Everything happening right this moment sits in the middle in the present. Everything waiting to happen sits on the right in the future.
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| THE THREE-STAGE VERB TIMELINE |
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| |
| PAST PRESENT FUTURE |
| (Already Done) (Right Now) (Not Yet) |
| |
| <--- Yesterday ------------ Today ------------ Tomorrow ---> |
| |
| "I walked" "I walk" "I will walk"|
| (Base + -ed) (Base Form) (will + Base) |
| |
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Simple Present Tense: Happening Now or Regularly
The simple present tense describes actions happening right now, general truths, or habits that occur regularly.
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| PRESENT TENSE SUBJECT-VERB RULES |
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| Subject Type | Present Verb Rule | Examples |
+---------------------------+-------------------+-----------------+
| Plural (We, They, Dogs) | Use base verb | We play soccer. |
| Singular (He, She, Leo) | Add -s or -es | Leo plays soccer|
| Special (I, You) | Use base verb | I play soccer. |
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The Singular -s Marker in Present Tense
Notice a fascinating rule: when the subject is singular (one person or thing), the present-tense verb ends in -s! "The dog barks." (Singular subject -> verb adds -s). "The dogs bark." (Plural subject -> base verb with no -s).
Simple Past Tense: Actions Completed Yesterday
The simple past tense describes actions that started and finished in the past. For regular verbs, you form the past tense by adding the inflectional ending -ed to the base verb.
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| REGULAR PAST TENSE FORMULA |
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| [ BASE VERB ] + [ -ED ] = [ PAST TENSE ] |
| |
| jump + -ed = jumped |
| play + -ed = played |
| cook + -ed = cooked |
| |
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Spelling Adjustments for -ed
If the verb ends in silent 'e', simply add -d (bake -> baked). If the verb ends in a single vowel and consonant (CVC), double the consonant (hop -> hopped). If the verb ends in consonant + y, change y to i and add -ed (carry -> carried).
Simple Future Tense: Actions Waiting to Happen
The simple future tense describes actions that have not happened yet, but will happen later today, tomorrow, next week, or next year. The future tense is the easiest tense of all to form in English: you simply place the helping word will in front of the base verb!
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| FUTURE TENSE FORMULA: WILL |
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| |
| [ WILL ] + [ BASE VERB ] = [ FUTURE ] |
| |
| will + walk = will walk |
| will + sing = will sing |
| will + travel = will travel |
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Future Tense Remains Identical for All Subjects
Whether the subject is singular or plural, the future tense never changes: I will read. She will read. They will read. It stays clean and simple every single time!
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Identify the tense (Present, Past, or Future) of the verb in each sentence: "Tomorrow, our class will visit the science center." "Yesterday, Maya painted a watercolor portrait." "The squirrel buries acorns under the oak tree."
Exercise 2: Take the base verb "climb" and write three sentences using it in the Past tense, Present tense, and Future tense.
Exercise Solutions
Solution to Exercise 1: In sentence 1, will visit is Future tense. In sentence 2, painted is Past tense. In sentence 3, buries is Present tense.
Solution to Exercise 2: A student could write: Past tense: The monkey climbed to the highest branch yesterday. Present tense: The monkey climbs the tall tree every afternoon. Future tense: The monkey will climb the tree tomorrow morning.