Tenses
Use past, present and future tenses correctly
Understanding Tenses
Tenses tell us when something happens. The three main tenses are:
• Past tense — something that already happened (I walked)
• Present tense — something happening now (I walk)
• Future tense — something that will happen (I will walk)
Using the correct tense keeps your writing clear.
Example
Tense Examples
Past: 'She cooked dinner yesterday.'
Present: 'She cooks dinner every day.'
Future: 'She will cook dinner tomorrow.'
Past: 'They played soccer.'
Present: 'They play soccer.'
Future: 'They will play soccer.'
Note
Common Mistakes
Don't mix tenses in the same paragraph. If you start in the past tense, stay in the past tense. Watch out for irregular verbs: go → went (not 'goed'), eat → ate (not 'eated'), see → saw (not 'seed').
Key Vocabulary
TenseThe form of a verb that shows when something happens
Past tenseShows something that already happened
Present tenseShows something happening now
Future tenseShows something that will happen
Irregular verbA verb that does not follow the normal rules when changing tense
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Tense
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