Verb Tense Review

by My Web Writers

It may seem like a basic skill, but how many blogs or articles have you read that left you questioning your verb tense knowledge? Check out this verb tense tutorial to test how much you really know.

Past Tense Verbs…

Tell an action or event that happened in the past. Most past tense verbs end in –ed, but there are some special irregular verbs that take on a different look and sound.

Past Tense Verb Example:

Jump becomes jumped.   He jumped over the fence.

Irregular Past Tense Verb Example:

Take becomes took.   They took our candy.

Present Tense Verbs…

Tell a repeated or similar unchanging action.  Present tense verbs exist right now.

Present Tense Verb Example:

He chooses a favorite color.

Future Tense Verbs…

Describe actions that will happen in the future. Future tense verbs can only be formed using will or shall before the main action verb.

Future Tense Verb Example:

They will finish their speech tomorrow.

Subject/Verb Agreement

When a subject is plural it usually ends in “s”. A plural subject’s verb must also be plural (not ending in “s”).  In turn, when a subject is singular, the verb that accompanies it must also be singular (most often ending in “s”).

Examples of Plural Subject/Verb Agreement:

 Incorrect: The animals plays in the forest.

 Correct: The animals play in the forest.

Examples of Singular Subject/Verb Agreement

 Incorrect: The animal play in the forest.

 Correct: The animal plays in the forest.

Proofread to ensure that your piece is grammatically correct and free of verb tense or subject/verb agreement errors.

~Lauren