Unit 3, Verbs 83Copyright © by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
GrammarLesson 16
Verb Tenses: Present, Past, and FutureA verb’s tense tells when an action takes place. The present tense describes an
action that happens regularly.
We visit my grandmother on Sundays.
It can also express a general truth.
We visit many relatives.
The past tense describes an action that has already taken place. The past tense is
most often formed by adding -ed to the verb.
We visited my aunt last weekend.
The future tense describes an action that will take place in the future. The future
tense is formed by adding the helping verb will (or shall) to the verb.
We will visit my grandmother next Sunday.Exercise 1 Draw two lines under the verb in each sentence. Write the tense in the
blank: past, present,or future.
present Jimmy loves to fish.
past 1. We traveled to Ontario last summer.
present 2. My father makes the best whole wheat rolls.
future 3. I will be there by six o’clock.
present 4. Mr. Glazer’s class recycles the most paper.
past 5. India shared her ideas for after-school activities.
future 6. The karate class will begin promptly at three.
future 7. My brother will paint the mural.
past 8. No one unlocked the storage room.
present 9. We always plant pumpkins behind the garage.
future 10. The club will sell cookbooks.
past 11. George returned his library books on time.
future 12. Each student will contribute one poem to the book.