Verb Tenses

simple, perfect, emphatic, and progressive

Simple Verb Tense• simple verb tense

– past tense shows what happened before now, in the past• Verb + -ed (unless irregular)

– Jesse ran in the race yesterday.

– present tense shows what is happening now, or it shows constant or repeated action. It can also represent a general truth.

• Jesse currently runs in the race. (now)• Jesse runs every day. (repeated action)• Air contains oxygen. (general truth)

– future tense shows what will happen later, in the future. • Will + verb

– Jesse will run in the race tomorrow.

Practice• 1. The basketball team (practiced / practices / will

practice) tomorrow afternoon. • 2. Yesterday, Ryan (ate / eats / will eat) in the

cafeteria for lunch.

• 3. The Earth (revolved / revolves / will revolve) around the Sun.

• 4. Marsha always (sat / sits / will sit) in the same place for every pep rally.

• 5. Louis _____ his bike on the way home from school

last week.

Practice• 6. Last year, the swim team __________ the state

championship.

• 7. I __________ chemistry now.

• 8. The tuna casserole __________ by tomorrow, so please eat it tonight.

• 9. We __________ to the movies every Saturday night.

• 10. Water molecules __________ two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

Perfect Tense• past perfect – used to show which event happened before the other

• had + [verb + -ed, -en]

– When I saw you yesterday, I had lost my keys.

• present perfect – used to show an action that happened in the past but has continued into the present

• has/have + [verb + -ed, -en]

– I have lived in Mississippi for ten years.

• future perfect – used to show that one action will happen before the other one

• will + have + [verb + -ed, -en]

– By the end of the year, you will have studied Julius Caesar.

• 1. By the time Jeff (had finished / has finished / will have finished) the job, his dinner was cold.

• 2. Erin (had read / has read / will have read) as many books as I have.

• 3. If I can catch one more butterfly, I (had collected / have collected / will have collected) a total of twenty.

• 4. Yvonne (had lived / has lived / will have lived) in that house for twenty years and may never move.

• 5. For two weeks you (had fed / have fed / will have fed) the neighbor’s dog, so you only have one more week to go before they return.

Bellwork(12/1/11)

• Write each sentence, filling in the blank with the appropriate perfect tense of the verb in parenthesis.

– 1. John sold vegetables that he __________. (raise)

– 2. By next Saturday noon, I __________ my housework. (finish)

– 3. Renee __________ the car when George arrived. (wash)

– 4. Betty __________ in this contest for ten years now. (compete)

– 5. Judy __________ thirty dollars by the end of this month. (save)

– 6. Ren wondered where he __________ his keys. (leave)

Bellringer12/2/11

• Perfect Tense Quiz

– You may use your own notes.

Bellwork(12/5/11)

Directions: Write each sentence, using the perfect tense of the verb in parenthesis. •1. Currently, she __________ in Cleveland for four years. (live)•2. I __________ this assignment by the end of the day. (start)•3. Some students __________ the piano before they switched to the violin. (learn)•4. When the season ends, the team __________ every school on its schedule. *(beat)•5. My best friend __________ an iPod when I met her. *(buy)

• progressive verb tense – verb tenses that use the –ing form of a verb with a helping verb

• shows an action in the process of happening during a certain time period

• [form of the verb “be” + verb + -ing]– am, is, are, was, were, will be

– past progressive

• Jesse was running in the race when I was still asleep.

– present progressive

• Jesse is running in the race now.

– future progressive

• Jesse will be running for over an hour

Verb Tenses

Practice

• 1. I (was reading / am reading / will be reading) my book while I waited for the bus to arrive.

• 2. Marcus (was playing / is playing / will be playing) first string this year if he tries out for the team.

• 3. The kitten (was playing / is playing / will be playing) with the yarn now, but it will soon take a nap.

Practice• 1. As of right now, the customer (was waiting /

is waiting / will be waiting).

• 2. Before he got sick, he (was running / is running / will be running) every day.

• 3. In two hours, I (was studying / am studying / will be studying) for my final exams.

Bellwork(12/6/11)

Write each sentence, completing the blank with the progressive tense

of the verb in parenthesis. Use your notes from yesterday. 

• 1.  KPLA ____________________ the hits of the 1970s on the radio this moment.  (broadcast)

• 2.  When the recess bell rang, Jesse ____________________ a long division problem on the blackboard.  (write)

• 3.  Ian ____________________ on the computer system for the next two weeks.  (work)

• 4.  Between 1942 and 1944 the Frank and Van Damm families ____________________ in a Amsterdam office building.  (hide)

• 5.  Presently, I ____________________  for the first paperback editions of all of Raymond Chandler's books.  (look)

Bellringer(12/12/11)

• Write each sentence, using the progressive tense of the verb in parentheses. – 1. You _______________ for school at this very

moment. (leave)

– 2. The band _______________ for an hour last weekend before it finally took a break. (play)

– 3. The students _______________ to read Thomas Sowell’s how-to book next semester. (plan)

Perfect Progressive Tense

• The perfect and progressive verb tenses can be combined into the perfect progressive tense. – “to have” + been + main verb + -ing

• past perfect progressive– Jesse had been running in the race when Carl arrived.

• present perfect progressive– Jesse has been running for over an hour.

• future perfect progressive– In ten minutes, Jesse will have been running for an hour and

a half.

• 1. They (had been talk, had been talking, have been talking) before the teacher entered the classroom.

• 2. She (had been working, has be working, has been working) at the coffee shop for two years now.

• 3. Sam gained weight because he (had overeating, had been overeating, has been overeating)

• 4. James (been teaching, will be teaching, will have been teaching) at the university for more than a year by the time he leaves for Asia.

• 5. The cargo ships (be dock, has been docking, have been docking) in the port this morning.

• Write the sentences, using the perfect progressive form of the verb in parentheses.– 1. Mary ____________________ a little sad right now.

(feel)

– 2. Jason ____________________ for over an hour when Tony arrives later. (talk)

– 3. I ____________________ for an hour when my roommate entered. (read)

– 4. Presently, Carly ____________________ really upset. (act)

– 5. The hosts ____________________ for two hours when her plane finally arrives at 9 am. (wait)

PracticeWrite each sentence, completing the blank with the perfect progressive tense of the verb in parentheses.

1.I _______________ in Minneapolis since 1999. (live)

2. Students _______________ these materials in the lab this period. (test)

3. Hemingway _______________ losing his self-confidence before he wrote his famous books. (lose)

4.By the time he finishes the semester, Geraldo _______________ parasites in biology class. (study)

5.They _______________ on the exams before the school installed cameras. (cheat)

Practice

• English I: workbook page 145

• English II: workbook pages 176

Bellringer(12/7/11)

• Get your workbook and complete the following review page:– You may want to use your class notes for

help.

• English I: workbook page 145

• English II: workbook page 177

Verb Tenses• emphatic tense – uses the helping verbs do,

does, or did.– used for emphasis or to ask a question– [do] + main verb

• present emphatic (does, do)– I do like spaghetti.– Do you like spaghetti?– He does not like spaghetti.

• past emphatic (did)– I did enjoy the movie. – Did they enjoy the movie?– They did not enjoy the movie.

• Which of the following sentences use the emphatic verb tense?

– 1. She does like classical music

– 2. I do my homework after class.

– 3. He does a good job every day.

– 4. Larry did enjoy the book he read last month.

– 5. We did our best work today.

– 6. Do you own your own bicycle?

• Write the following sentences using the emphatic form of the verb in parentheses.

– 1. Sheila _________________ a picture today. (draw)

– 2. We ________________ our homework. now (finish)

– 3. I ________________ a bicycle currently. (own)

– 4. We are ________________ coffee. (to drink)

– 5. ____ they __________ the book in the past? (enjoy)

– 6. Today, you ________________ for an opportunity. (wait)

Practice• Write each sentence, completing the blank with the

progressive tense (“be”) of the verb in parentheses.

– 1. I __________ more macaroni now, please. (want)

– 2. She __________ to the park yesterday. (go)

– 3. We __________ all of our allowance on candy last summer. (spend)

– 4. Robert __________ permission to go to his locker in the future. (need)

– 5. My father __________ I should go to Harvard, but now is changing his mind. (think)