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YY.1 Identify regular verbs in past and present tense

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What is verb tense?

Verb tense shows the time of an action. It tells whether something is happening now (present) or already happened (past).

Examples:
  • Present tense: “I walk to school.” (happening now)
  • Past tense: “I walked to school.” (already happened)
Helpful hint

Look at the verb ending to decide if the action is in the present or past.

Regular present tense verbs

In the present tense, verbs usually stay the same. When the subject is he, she, or it, add -s to the verb.

Example Sentences:
  • “I play soccer.”
  • “She plays soccer.”
  • “They jump rope.”
Helpful hint

Always check the subject of the sentence before adding -s.

Regular past tense verbs

Most regular verbs form the past tense by adding -ed to the end.

Example Sentences:
  • “I jumped rope yesterday.”
  • “He played soccer after school.”
  • “We walked to the park.”
Helpful hint

Watch for spelling changes:
“stop” → “stopped”, “plan” → “planned”.

Comparing present and past tense

Writers choose present tense for actions happening now, and past tense for actions that already happened.

Examples:
  • Present: “I help my friend with homework.”
  • Past: “I helped my friend with homework yesterday.”
Helpful hint

Always ask: “When did the action happen—now or in the past?”

Putting it all together

Strong writing uses the correct verb tense so the reader knows exactly when actions happen. Regular present tense verbs show what is happening now. Regular past tense verbs show what already happened.

Examples:
  • “Today, I walk to school. Yesterday, I walked to school.”
  • “Right now, she plays the piano. Last night, she played the piano.”
Helpful hint

Practice by taking a present tense sentence and changing it into the past tense.

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