Verbs should be studied thoroughly along with subject nouns for they are the basic foundation in constructing a grammatically correct sentence. The time constraints involved in accomplishing the "action word" should be checked if it agrees with the time the action has or had been done. The verb should also agree with the subject noun in a sentence. Tenses tell us about the time when a certain action has been made or happened. The confusion of some students lies in identifying when to add 's' to a verb and what are the regular and irregular verbs. The best strategy for the latter is to memorize all of them, that's why I provided a link where to find this list of regular/irregular verbs. But first, let's start by identifying the Basic Tenses - Present, Past, and Future.
A) Present tense expresses the following actions or conditions:
-action happening at the present moment
-an action that happens habitually
-a present condition
* we usually take the base form of a verb when we refer to the plural subject; if the subject is singular, we add "s" to the base form of the verb.
* the am, is, are linking verbs are used when referring to a present condition.
Examples:
1) The alarms simultaneously ring every morning.
(plural subject=alarms; verb=ring;
every morning=time referred to as habitual)
2) The boys run towards the gate.
3) We are the facilitator of the event. (are=stating present condition)
4) Jenny goes home from Manila every summer.
(singular subject=Jenny; verb=goes;
every summer=time referred to as habitual)
5) The smoke comes from the basement.
6) She is the mother of the future king.
7) I am the owner of this site.
B) Past tense expresses action or state-of-being that took place in the past.
* the past tense form of a verb (regular/irregular) is used (see the list)
* the past action uses the time to express past action, i.e.,
yesterday, last time, for, the actual date
* the was, were linking verbs are used to express the state-of-being in the past
Examples:
1) The man waited for his lady for two hours.
(take note of the verb-waited & the time-for two hours)
2) She went to the grocery.
3) Tom and Jerry played outside yesterday.
4) Last night, I met my former classmate inside the mall.
5) The President signed a peace treaty.
C) Future tense expresses an action that would take place sometime in the future. It also expresses a prediction or gives an order.
* the auxiliary verbs will or shall is added along with the base form of a verb
* actual future date or predictors can be used, i.e., soon, next, on
Examples:
1) The Red Warriors will play against the Green Archers on Sunday.
2) We shall have to abide by these camp rules.
3) Will you please stop talking?
4) The election will be on May 9.
5) You shall not kill.
6) Deniece and William will soon get married.
* shall is being used as a future predictor of the action in which the subject has an obligation or responsibility to do the stated action.
Also, check other topics under this category/label, just click the topic link:
Parts of Speech, Kinds of Nouns, Singular and Plural Nouns, Uses of Nouns, Kinds of Pronouns, Kinds of Verbs, Characteristics of Verb.
#verb #verbtenses #simpletenses #presenttense #pasttense #futuretense #regular/irregularverb #English101 #grammar #sentenceconstruction
