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VERB TENSE CHART

SIMPLE PAST

Portrays an action or state of

being that took place before thetime when the sentence is

written.

I WAS

I RAN

I ATE

HE SMILED

SIMPLE PRESENT

Used to describe an action or

state of being that occurs at thetime the sentence is written.

I AM

I RUN

I EAT

HE SMILES

SIMPLE FUTURE

Portrays an action or state of

being that will occur sometimeafter the sentence is written. It is

often formed with the word will.

I WILL BE

I WILL RUN

I WILL EAT

HE WILL SMILE

PAST PERFECT

Shows that the verbs action was

completed at some time before

another past event. It consists of

the word hadplus the past

participle of the verb.

I HAD BEEN

I HAD RUN

I HAD EATEN

HE HAD SMILED

PRESENT PERFECT

Indicates that the verbs action

began in the past and continued

up until the time the sentence

was written. It is formed by

adding the word have.

I HAVE BEEN

I HAVE RUN

I HAVE EATEN

HE HAS SMILED

FUTURE PERFECT

Indicates that by the time of a

specified future event, the verbs

action will have been completed.

It is formed by adding the past

participle of the verb to the

words will have.

I WILL HAVE BEEN

I WILL HAVE RUN

I WILL HAVE EATEN

HE WILL HAVE SMILED

SIMPLE PAST

PROGRESSIVE

The past progressive is used to

talk about an activity that was in

progress at a specific point of

time in the past. The emphasis is

on the duration of the activity in

the past.

I WAS BEING

I WAS RUNNING

I WAS EATING

HE WAS SMILING

SIMPLE PRESENT

PROGRESSIVE

The present progressive can also

be used to describe an action that

is occurring in the present, but is

temporary.

I AM BEING

I AM RUNNING

I AM EATING

HE IS SMILING

SIMPLE FUTURE

PROGRESSIVE

This tense is used to describe an

event or action that will occur

over a period of time at a specific

point in the future.

I WILL BE

I WILL BE RUNNING

I WILL BE EATING

HE WILL BE SMILING

PAST PERFECT

PROGRESSIVE

This tense is used to emphasize

the duration of an action that was

completed before another action

or event in the past.

I HAD BEEN

I HAD BEEN RUNNING

I HAD BEEN EATING

HE HAD BEEN SMILING

PRESENT PERFECT

PROGRESSIVE

This tense is used to describe the

duration of an action that began

in the past and continues into the

present.

I HAVE BEEN

I HAVE BEEN RUNNING

I HAVE BEEN EATING

HE HAS BEEN SMILING

FUTURE PERFECT

PROGRESSIVE

This tense describes an action

that has been in progress for a

duration of time before another

event or time in the future.

I WILL HAVE BEEN

I WILL HVE BEEN RUNNING

I WILL HAVE BEEN EATING

HE WILL HAVE BEEN

SMILING

8/12/2019 Literary v Verb

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THE VERB TO BE

TO BE past present future

First Person I was I am I will be

Second Person You were You are You will be

Third Person He, She, It was He, She, It is He, She, It will be

First Person Plural We were We are We will be

Second Person Plural You all were You all are You all will be

Third Person Plural They were They are They will be