TENSES

Basic Tenses

The basic or simple tenses are the three tenses which are the simplest in the English language--past, present, future, without any other condition or character.

The basic present tense uses the same verb as the verb part of the infinitive. In the third person singular an -s or -es is added. There are a number of irregular verbs, but they all have an s or z sound at the end of the third person singular.

The basic past tense is a single word. Usually a -d or -ed is added to the root verb to put it in the past. However, there are many irregular verbs. All persons, singular and plural are the same except for the verb to be in which all persons are were but first and third person singular are was.

The future tense is formed by adding the present form to the auxiliary verb will or shall. All persons, singular and plural, are the same.

Have a look at the chart below to help you.

Regular verbs. As you can see, the regular pattern is to add a –d or –ed to the present tense form to form the past and the past participle, while making associated spelling changes that themselves follow standard English patterns. For example, the final –y in try and cry becomes –ied in the past and past participle, and the end consonant of the present tense form is doubled in the past and the past participle of the words drag and stop as the normal way to preserve the pronunciation of the root verb’s vowel.

Irregular verbs. As for the irregular verb pattern, well, of course there isn’t one, but there are some recurring themes. For example, there may not be a think, thank, thunk (which would be parallel todrink, drank, drunk), but what there is—think, thought, thought—is at least similar (in a slant rhyme kind of way) to bring, brought, brought. Similarly, creep, keep, and weep follow the same pattern assleep—and take has its parallels in shake and forsake (but not, I’m sorry to say, in bake, fake, make, rake, stake, and wake)

TENSES TABLE