In speech, some people use verb forms and tenses that match a home dialect or variety of English. In writing, use Standard English verb forms unless you are quoting nonstandard speech or using alternative forms for literary effect. (See W4-d.)
Except for the verb be, all verbs in English have five forms. The following list shows the five forms and provides a sample sentence in which each might appear.
| base form | Usually I (walk, ride). |
| past tense | Yesterday I (walked, rode). |
| past participle | I have (walked, ridden) many times before. |
| present participle | I am (walking, riding) right now. |
| -s form | He/she/it (walks, rides) regularly. |
The verb be has eight forms instead of the usual five: be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been.
Multilingual If English is not your native language, see also M1 for more help with verbs.