📖 Introduction

Think about these three sentences:

  • Ava reads a book every evening.
  • Ava read a book yesterday.
  • Ava will read a new book tomorrow.

The action is the same—read—but the time changes. Verbs tell us what someone does, did or will do, while verb tenses tell us when the action happens.

Using the correct verb tense makes your speaking and writing clear, accurate and easy to understand.

🎯 What You’ll Learn

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

  • identify verbs in sentences.
  • explain the meaning of verb tenses.
  • use present, past and future tenses correctly.
  • choose the correct verb tense to match different situations.

💡 Let’s Explore

What Is a Verb?

A verb is a word that shows an action, an event or a state of being.

Examples of Action Verbs

  • run
  • write
  • sing
  • jump
  • build

Example Sentences

  • Mia writes neatly.
  • The birds fly across the sky.
  • Ethan played football after school.

Verbs That Show a State of Being

Some verbs do not show actions. They tell us about a person’s condition or state.

Examples

  • is
  • am
  • are
  • was
  • were
  • seem
  • become

Example Sentences

  • The weather is pleasant today.
  • The learners were excited about the trip.

What Are Verb Tenses?

Verb tenses tell us when an action happens.

There are three main verb tenses.

1. Present Tense

The present tense describes actions that happen:

  • now,
  • regularly,
  • or are generally true.

Examples

  • Noah plays basketball every Saturday.
  • Birds build nests.
  • I eat breakfast every morning.

2. Past Tense

The past tense describes actions that have already happened.

Examples

  • Ava visited the museum yesterday.
  • The team won the match.
  • We watched a documentary last night.

3. Future Tense

The future tense describes actions that have not happened yet.

It often uses will or shall.

Examples

  • We will travel next month.
  • Mia will finish her project tomorrow.
  • They will plant more trees next weekend.

Comparing the Three Tenses

Present Past Future
I write. I wrote. I will write.
She sings. She sang. She will sing.
They play. They played. They will play.

🌟 Example

Read the sentences.

  • Lucas practises the piano every day.
  • Lucas practised the piano yesterday.
  • Lucas will practise again tomorrow.

The verb changes to show when the action takes place.

🌍 Real-Life Example

The school science club organised a recycling campaign.

Every Friday, the members collect recyclable materials from classrooms.

Last Friday, they collected more than fifty plastic bottles.

Next Friday, they will organise another collection to encourage more learners to recycle.

The verbs show actions happening in the present, past and future.

💡 Tips for Using Verb Tenses Correctly

✔ Think about when the action happens.

✔ Use the same tense throughout a sentence unless the time changes.

✔ Look for time words such as today, yesterday, last week, tomorrow and next month.

✔ Check that the verb matches the subject.

✔ Read your sentences again to make sure the tense is correct.

✨ Quick Tips

🏃 A verb shows an action or a state of being.

⏰ A verb tense tells when the action happens.

📖 Present = now or regularly.

🕒 Past = already happened.

🚀 Future = will happen.

🎯 Let’s Practise!

A. Choose the Correct Answer

1. Which word is the verb in the sentence below?

“The children played happily in the park.”

A. children

B. happily

C. played

D. park

2. Which sentence is written in the past tense?

A. We visit our grandparents every holiday.

B. We visited our grandparents during the holidays.

C. We will visit our grandparents next month.

D. We are visiting our grandparents tomorrow.

3. Which sentence is written in the future tense?

A. The class performs a play every year.

B. The class performed a play yesterday.

C. The class will perform a play next Friday.

D. The class is performing a play now.

B. True or False

4. A verb tells what someone does or what happens.

5. The sentence “They will travel tomorrow.” is written in the past tense.

C. Short Answer

6. What is a verb?

7. Rewrite the sentence in the past tense.

“The athletes train hard for the competition.”

8. Complete the table by changing the verb into the correct tense.

Present Past Future
read ________ ________
build ________ ________

Answers: 1 C 2 B 3 C 4 True 5 False

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