Download VERB TENSES

 VERB TENSES You must be able to recognize and correct unnecessary shifts in verb tense in order to maintain consistency and clarity in your writing. WHAT IS VERB TENSE? • In their tenses, verbs follow the divisions of time. They have present tense, past tense, and future tense with their variations to express the exact time of action as to an event happening, having happened, or yet to happen. • There are six common types of Verb Tenses: past, present, future, past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect tenses. The six verb tenses pinpoint when something takes place. • You must be aware of which tense suits your purpose; then, use it consistently until you have a logical reason to use a different tense. • Unnecessary shifts among verb tenses confuse the reader and should be avoided. The most common unnecessary shift is from past to present. • When you realize that you have accidentally shifted into the wrong tense, reassess your verbs to see which tense is appropriate. Created by Natasha Molet Worthington, July 2014 VERB TENSE CHART TENSE PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE FUTURE TENSE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE PAST PERFECT TENSE FUTURE PERFECT TENSE PERSON SINGULAR PLURAL 1st Person I love We love 2nd Person You love You love 3rd Person S/He loves They love 1st Person I loved We loved 2nd Person You loved You loved 3rd Person S/He loved They loved 1st Person I will love We will love 2nd Person You will love You will love 3rd Person S/He will loves They will love 1st Person I have loved We have loved 2nd Person You have loved You have loved 3rd Person S/He has loved They have loved 1st Person I had loved We had loved 2nd Person You had loved You had loved 3rd Person S/He had loved They had loved 1st Person I will have loved We will have loved 2nd Person You will have loved You will have loved 3rd Person S/He will have loved They will have loved Created by Natasha Molet Worthington, July 2014