Verbs. What is a verb?

A verb is a word which describes the action in a sentence or a state of being

Examples

I play football.

They skip quickly.

We eat spaghetti.

Bob is seven today.

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses describe WHEN the action is happening.

PRESENT (it’s happening NOW.) PAST (it’s ALREADY happened.) FUTURE (it’s ABOUT to happen.)

Present Tense Verbs

An action verb that describes an action that is happening now is called a present present tense verbtense verb.

The bird fliesflies through the sky.

FliesFlies is a present tense verb

because it is happening

right now.

Present Tense Verbs

Many present tense verbs end with ss, but some end with eses, or iesies.

sleepss

splasheses

criesies

Past Tense Verbs

Verbs which tell about actions which happened some time ago are past tense verbs.

The dog wantedwanted a bone.

Wanted is a past tense verb

because the action has

already happened.

Past Tense Verbs

Many past tense verbs end with ed, ed, but some end with d, d, or ied ied.

clapped

played

tried

dyed

Irregular Verbs

Some verbs change their form completely in the past tense.

eat becomes ate take becomes took write becomes wrote throw becomes threw

Present tense to past tense.

The following sentences are written in the present tense. Try changing them to the past tense by putting Yesterday at the beginning of each.

I eat spaghetti. They skip quickly. Bob is seven. I play football.

How have the verbs changed?

How did you do?

Yesterday I ate spaghetti. Yesterday they skipped quickly. Yesterday Bob was seven. Yesterday I played football.

(Did you remember to double the consonant in skipped?)

Past to present

These sentences are in the past. Change them to the present by putting today at the front of

each.

Sarah felt hot. The cow jumped over the moon. John sat outside in the garden. The mouse ran up the clock.

How did you do?

Today Sarah feels hot. Today the cow jumps over the moon. Today John sits outside in the

garden. Today the mouse runs up the clock.

Future Tense Verbs

Verbs which tell about actions which are going to happen are future tense verbs.

We will awaken at six a.m.

Will awakenWill awaken is a future tense

verb because the action has

not yet happened.

Future Tense Verbs

Future tense verbs use special words to talk about things that will happen: will, going to, shall, aim to, etc.

going to start

shall email

will enjoy

The future tense.

The future tense is used to describe what will or could happen. Change these sentences to the future tense by adding tomorrow at the start of each.

Jack and Jill went up the hill. Thomas chased the mouse. Lucy entered the wardrobe. Bo Peep lost her sheep.

How did you do?

Tomorrow Jack and Jill could/will go up the hill.

Tomorrow Thomas could/will chase the mouse.

Tomorrow Lucy could/will enter the wardrobe.

Tomorrow Bo Peep could/will lose her sheep.

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