Easy English Grammar

1. Present, Past, and Future
Verb Tenses
English, 1ST Semester
IAKN Manado

2. When you are writing paragraph, you
must use verbs that are in the same
tense. Tense means time. The tense of a
verb shows the time of the action. There
are three basic tenses that show when
an action takes place. They are
- past tense
- present tense
- and future tense.

3. Past Tense
The past tense shows that something has
happened sometime in the past. Most past
tense verbs are made past tense by adding
an –ed to the end of the word. If a verb
uses –ed to make the past tense form, it is
called a regular past tense verb.
Ex:
 listen – listened
 talk – talked
 play – played
 jump - jumped

4. Other past tense verbs are made past
tense by changing their spelling form
and not by adding –ed. If a verb uses a
spelling change to make the past tense
form, it is called an irregular past tense
verb.
Example:
 Give – gave
 Take – took
 Sell – sold
 Buy - bought

5. The present tense shows that something is
happening now, in the present. Present verbs
can end with an –s for singular subjects or
without an –s for plural subjects.
Example:
 Listens – listen
 Talks – talk
 Plays – play
 Jumps – jump
 Gives – give
 Takes – take
 Sells – sell
 Buys - buy
Present Tense

6. The future tense shows that something will
happen at some time in the future.
The future tense verb example :
 will talk
 will listen
 will play
 will jump
 will see
 will give
 will take
 will sell
 will buy
Future Tense

7. Past Present Future
talked talk will talk
skated skate will skate
played play will play
listened listen will listen
Regular Verbs
Past Present Future
bought buy will buy
took take will take
drove drive will drive
sold sell Will sell
Irregular Verbs

8. Practise Section
1. SN (Larry), V (sell), ADV (used cars).
2. SN (Kelly), V (play), PREP (with), SN (her dolls).
3. A (The), SN (hockey players), V (skate).
4. A (The), SN (sisters), V (take), ADV (piano lessons).
5. SN (Mary), V (buy), ADV (a blue dress).
6. SN (Jim), V (drive), ADV (to church).
7. SN (she), V (sing), ADV (for a large audience).
8. SN (grandma), V (speak), ADV (softly).
9. A (the), SN (truck), V (back), ADV (into the ditch).
10. A (the), SN (workers), V (dig), ADV (a deep hole)
 SN (She), V (listen), PREP (to), A (the), SN (radio)
1. She listened to the radio (Past Tense)
2. She listens to the radio (Present Tense)
3. She will listen to the radio (Future Tense)