Sentence Structure: Tense

Past, Present, Future

Objectives

• Through this program you will learn:• What a verb is and what it is telling• How to figure what tense any sentence is in:

– Past– Present– Future

What is a verb?

• A verb is an action word.For Example:

run jump go went

Select the VerbWe are going to select the verb from this sentence:

The plane is flying through the sky.

In this sentence the action is flying. The verb is flying.Ask your self: What is the object doing? It is flying.

Select the VerbWe are going to select the verb from this sentence:

The boy went to school on Saturday.

In this sentence the verb is went. Ask your self: What did the boy DO? He went.

Assessment Quiz

Choose the verb from this sentence:

The dog is running down the street.dogisrunningdownstreet

Assessment Quiz

Choose the verb from this sentence:

Sara is going to her friends house.Saragoingtofriendshouse

Tense

Voki: Every sentence is written in a certain tense. This tense tells when those actions are happening. The tense can either be past, present, or future. Choose on an option below to begin learning how we can find the tense of a sentence. Click next once all 3 have been completed.

Past PresentFuture

PastVoki: Sentences that are in the past tense tell about the past. We look at the verb in

the sentence to determine this. Some verbs are already written in the past tense such as took, and went. Other verbs get an –ed ending to make them past these. For example the word walk will become walked. Other verbs require helping words like was, were, or had been, and then need an –ing ending. For example, to make color past tense, we need a helping word, then add –ing. This will become was coloring. We use the helping word was when the sentence is talking about one person or object, and the word were when the sentence is talking about more than one.

Example:

The baby was coloring on the walls.In this sentence there is a helping word was. The verb coloring with its helping word tells us the sentence is in past tense.

Practice page

Sara and I jumped in the leaved.The verb is jumped. It ends in –ed so the sentence is past tense.

The dog was running away.The verb running ends in –ing. There is a helping word, was, so the sentence

is past tense.

My mom brought my friend and me to the park. The verb in this sentence is brought, which is in the past tense, making the

sentence to be a past tense sentence.

PresentVoki: Sentences that tell about the present contain actions that exist only now. The

verb and its helping words, if it has any, will tell what the tense of the sentence is. When a sentence is in present tense there are sometimes helping words for the verb. These helping words may be is or are. The word is will be used when the sentence is talking about just one person or object, and the helping word are will be used when the sentence is telling about more than one person or object. An example of a sentence is would be, My brother and I are digging a hole in the sand. There are also times that there is no helping words in present tense sentences. These words end in an –s. Take a look at the example below.

For Example:

The apple rolls down the hill.In this sentence the word rolls is the verb, and there aren’t any helping words here.

The verb ends in an –s which causes the sentence to tell about what is happening how. This sentence is in the present tense.

Practice Page

Fluffy, my dog, is looking for his bone.The verb is “looking.” There is a helping word, “is” and the verb ends in –ing,

so the sentence is in the present tense.

The bear is fishing in the river.The verb is fishing. The –ing ending and helping word, “is” tells us the

sentence tells about the present.

Students are playing at the playground for recess. The verb is “playing,” which ends in –ing, and there is a helping word “are.”

Both of these clues tell us the sentence is in the present tense.

FutureVoki: Sentences that are in the future tense states facts, make a request or

suggest ideas about the future. There are often helping words before he verb in these sentences. Some helping words include will or shall with simple verbs, and am, is, or are, with the words going to, before the verb. For example, Sue and Sally are going to clean their room. The verb in this sentence is “clean”, and the helping words are “are going to.”

For Example:Billy and John will run to the park on Saturday morning.

The helping word here is “will” and the action word, or verb, is run. The helping word with the verb tell us this sentence telling about the future.

Practice page

Please catch the ball.The verb is catch, and is in the simplest form. The sentence is making a request

so it is in the future tense.

Jim and Robert are going to play video games together.The verb is play, and there are helping words which are, are going to. This makes

the sentence tell about the future.

This class will finish all their homework this weekend.The verb is finish, and there is a helping word, will. This sentence tells about the

future.

Assessment Quiz

The class will run in gym class today.

PastPresentFuture

Assessment Quiz

The baby was making a mess.

PastPresentFuture

Assessment Quiz

We are playing on the playground.

PastPresentFuture

Summary

There are different rules we can follow that help us determine the tense of every sentence.

Past tense – tells about what has already happened.

Present tense – tells about what is happening now.

Future tense – tells about what has not yet happened.