M1-a: Appropriate form and tense

M1-aUse the appropriate verb form and tense.

This section offers a brief review of English verb forms and tenses. For additional help, see G2-f and B1-c.

Basic verb forms

Every main verb in English has five forms, which are used to create all of the verb tenses in Standard English. The following chart shows these forms for the regular verb help and the irregular verbs give and be. See G2-a for a list of other common irregular verbs.

Verb tenses

Section G2-f describes all the verb tenses in English, showing the forms of a regular verb (walk), an irregular verb (ride), and the verb be in each tense. The second chart below provides more details about the tenses commonly used in the active voice in writing; the chart in M1-b gives details about tenses commonly used in the passive voice.

note: Some of the basic verb forms require helping verbs in different patterns to create the English verb tenses. For example, the simple progressive in the active voice must always have a form of be as a helping verb: I am leaving tomorrow morning. You will notice in the verb tense charts below and in M1-b that the past-participle and present-participle forms of the verb can never be used without one or more helping verbs.

Basic verb forms

regular verb help irregular verb give irregular verb be*
base form help give be
past tense helped gave was, were
past participle helped given been
present participle helping giving being
-s form helps gives is

*Be also has the forms am and are, which are used in the present tense.

Verb tenses commonly used in the active voice

For descriptions and examples of all verb tenses, see G2-f. For verb tenses commonly used in the passive voice, see the chart in M1-b.

Simple tenses

For general facts, states of being, habitual actions

Simple present Base form or -s form

general facts

 College students often study late at night.

states of being

 Water becomes steam at 100 degrees centigrade.

habitual, repetitive actions

 We donate to a different charity each year.

scheduled future events

 The train arrives tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.

note: For uses of the present tense in writing about literature, see G2-f.

Simple past Base form + -ed or -d or irregular form

completed actions at a specific time in the past

 The storm destroyed their property. She drove to Montana three years ago.

facts or states of being in the past

 When I was young, I usually walked to school with my sister.

Simple future

 will + base form

future actions, promises, or predictions

 I will exercise tomorrow. The snowfall will begin around midnight.

Simple progressive forms

For continuing actions

Present progressive am, is, are + present participle

actions in progress at the present time, not continuing indefinitely

 The students are taking an exam in Room 105. The valet is parking the car.

future actions (with leave, go, come, move, etc.)

 I am leaving tomorrow morning.
Past progressive was, were + present participle

actions in progress at a specific time in the past

 They were swimming when the storm struck.

was going to, were going to for past plans that did not happen

 We were going to drive to Florida for spring break, but the car broke down.

note: Some verbs are not normally used in the progressive: appear, believe, belong, contain, have, hear, know, like, need, see, seem, taste, understand, and want.

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Perfect tenses

For actions that happened before another present or past time

Present perfect has, have + past participle
repetitive or constant actions that began in the past and continue to the present I have loved cats since I was a child. Alicia has worked in Kenya for ten years.
actions that happened at an unknown or unspecific time in the past Stephen has visited Wales three times.
Past perfect had + past participle
actions that began or occurred before another time in the past She had just crossed the street when the runaway car crashed into the building.

note: For more on the past perfect, see G2-f. For uses of the past perfect in conditional sentences, see M1-e.

Perfect progressive forms

For continuous past actions before another present or past time

Present perfect progressive has, have + been + present participle
continuous actions that began in the past and continue to the present Yolanda has been trying to get a job in Boston for five years.
Past perfect progressive had + been + present participle
actions that began and continued in the past until another past action By the time I moved to Georgia, I had been supporting myself for five years.