2
Irregular verbs have alternate forms to show past tense: for example, write/wrote,
sleep/slept, get/got, fly/flew, and spend/spent. It might seem unfair, but irregular verb
forms just need to be memorized or learned through use over time.
If was/were (a past tense state-of-being verb) is used to describe the subject, it is
implied that this state of being is not true anymore.
My roommate was sad yesterday. (implied: my roommate is not sad anymore)
B. Present Tense—When an action happens habitually, or a statement is generally true
with no time limit.
Note: With third-person singular subjects, verbs in simple present tense have an -s
ending.
I like sushi. She likes sushi. We eat sushi every week.
C. Future Tense—The action has yet to happen or state of being is yet to be, but it is
confidently expected.
Form: will + base form of verb
I forgot to buy milk today, so I will run to the store tomorrow.
III. VERBS CAN ALSO SHOW “ASPECT”: an emphasis on the completed-ness or ongoing-ness of
the action. It is formed with the aid of the helping verbs “have” or “be” that are changed for
tense, plus a present or past participle (see the following tense/aspect table). These forms
can be called “tenses” because they express these aspects in relation to a point in time.
A. Perfect—Emphasizes the “completed-ness” of an action or state in relation to another
action or time.
1. Past perfect is for a past action completed farther back in time compared to
another past action.
Form: had + past participle
Until I finally wrote (simple past irr. vb.) to my mom, she had called (past perfect reg.
verb) me almost daily. She had been (past perfect irr. vb.) worried° about me.
°(worried might look like a verb, but here it is working as an adjective)
2. Present perfect is an action completed in relation to the present.
Form: have verb+ed (irregular verbs may use a form different from verb+ed)
The regular verb+ed or irregular verb (irr.) here is called a “past participle.”
I finally wrote (simple past tense, irr. verb) to my mom yesterday, but I have written
(present perfect irr. verb) to my girlfriend almost daily since I left home. It’s okay
because Mom has called (present perfect reg. verb) me every day since I left!