Category: Verb tenses

THE FORMS OF PRESENT CONTINUOUS / PROGRESSIVE
Affirmative: (am/is/are) + [VERB + ing]
Examples:

• I am watching TV now.
• You are practicing English at the moment.
• He is working at the office right now.
• She is playing volleyball.
• It’s raining today.
• We are looking for a new apartment.
• You’re studying mathematics.
• They’re thinking about buying a house.

Negative: (am/is/are) + not + [VERB + ing]
Examples:

• I’m not reading the newspaper right now.
• He’s not writing a letter.
• It’s not snowing today.
• They are not doing their homework.

Interrogative: (am/is/are) + SUBJECT + [VERB + ing]
Examples:

• Are you going to the hospital? Yes, I am / No I’m not.
• Is he working today? Yes, he is / No, he isn’t.
• Isn’t she coming to the dinner? Yes, she is / No, she is not.
• Is the computer working? Yes, it is / No, it’s not.
• Are they coming? Yes, they are / No, they are not.

You can add a question word (what, where, who, why, etc.) before the verb to be (am, is, or are) to ask for more information.
Examples:

• What are you doing? I’m eating chocolate.
• Where is Santiago going? He’s going to the supermarket.
• Who are playing chess? Brian and Richard.
• Why is she crying? She fell down from her bicycle.

​Spelling rules for [VERB + ing]
Here are the spelling rules:
​

Category: Verb tenses

THE FORMS OF SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Affirmative: SUBJECT + [VERB + ed] or IRREGULAR VERB
Examples:

• I played football yesterday. (regular verb)
• Leonardo da Vinci lived from 1452 to 1519. (regular verb)
• She bought some fruit last night. (irregular verb)
• They saw him in the park. (irregular verb)

Negative: SUBJECT + did not + [VERB]
Examples:

• I did not wash the dishes.
• You did not play the piano.
• She didn’t sleep well last night.
• Sharon didn’t put the book on the table.

Negative contraction:

• did not = didn’t

Interrogative: Did + SUBJECT + [VERB] 
Examples:

• Did you have your breakfast? Yes, I did / No I didn’t.
• Did she work yesterday? Yes, she did / No, she didn't.

 
You can add a question word (what, where, when, etc.) before did to ask for more information.
Examples:

• What did you do the last weekend? I studied Science.
• Where did she go? She went to the school.
• When did you play baseball? I played baseball last night.
• Why didn’t you tell me about the accident?
• How did you do that?

NOTE: The auxiliary did is used to form the negative and interrogative forms.
​​

Spelling rules for [VERB + ed]
Here are the spelling rules:

Worksheets

What to read next

Category: Verb tenses

FORM

Affirmative form: Subject + was/were
I was
You were
He / She /It was
We were
You were
They were

Examples:

• I was in Hawaii in 2015.
• You were sick.
• He was in the park.
• She was my girlfriend.
• It was cloudy.
• We were friends.
• You were married.
• They were tired this morning.

Negative form: Subject + was not /were not

I was not
You were not
He / She /It was not
We were not
You were not
They were not
​
Contractions

• was not - wasn't
• were not - weren't

Examples:

• I wasn’t invited.
• Mary was not at home.
• Susan and Leo weren’t married.
• We were not tired.
  

Interrogative form: Was / Were + Subject

The question form of simple past tense with “To be” can be made by putting the verb (was or were) before the subject.

Examples:

• Was I late? Yes, you were. / No, you were not.
• Were you happy? Yes, I was. / No, I wasn’t.

You can add a question word (why, where, when, who, how, etc.) before was or were to ask for more information.

Examples:

• Why was I hungry?
• Where were you?
• When was he sick?
• Who was she?
• How was the trip?
• Where were we?
• How long were you together before you were engaged?
• Why were they abandoned?

Worksheets

What to read next

Category: Verb tenses

One of the most important parts of English grammar is verb tenses, and the simple present tense is the most common verb tense in English.

The simple present tense is used:

1. To describe repeated or regular actions/habits ( I work in a bank ).
2. To state general truths or facts (Water boils at 100°C).
   
3. To describe future facts or actions set by a timetable (The train leaves at 7 am).
4. To express opinions, states, feelings, possession or things that happen inside our heads (I want that red dress, I love you, etc.).

Form

Affirmative: [VERB] (+ s/es/ies in third person)
Examples:

• I work in a bank.
• You get up early every day.
• She works in a bank.
• She studies at university.
• He goes to the movies every Wednesday.
• It rains every afternoon in summer.
• We play baseball on Friday nights.
• You travel together as a happy couple.
• They pay with cash.​

Negative: do not / does not (in third person) + [VERB]
Examples:

• I do not speak Portuguese.
• She does not speak Portuguese.
• You don’t like apples.
• He doesn’t like apples.

Negative contractions:

• do not = don’t
• does not = doesn’t 

​Interrogative: Do / Does (in third person) + SUBJECT + [VERB]
Examples:

• Do you work in a bank? Yes, I do / No I don’t.
• Does she work in a bank? Yes, she does / No, she doesn’t.

 
You can add a question word (why, where, when, how long, who, how, etc.) before do or does to ask for more information.
Examples:

• What do you do?
• Where does he work?
• When does she do her homework?
• How long do tigers live?
• Who do you think you are?
• How do we hear?

​​

The spelling for the verb in the third person singular differs depending on the ending of the verb
​
In the third person singular (he, she & it) the most of the verbs always end in -s.
Examples:

• he likes, she cooks, it costs.

​​​

There are however some special cases. Here are the spelling rules:
​There are 3 irregular verbs form:

• have = has
• go = goes
• do = does

Verbs ending in: vowel + “y” add “-s”

• pay - pays
• play – plays
• say – says

Verbs ending in: “-y” change “-y” for “-ies”

• deny - denies
• marry = marries
• study = studies

Verbs ending in: “s”, “z”, “sh”, “tch”and “ch” add “-es”

• miss = misses
• buzz = buzzes
• wash = washes
• watch = watches
• teach = teaches

Simple present tense Worksheets

What to read next

Category: Verb tenses

The verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. It involves identity, expresses something about a person, thing, a state (it gives age, condition, date, position, price, size, time, weight) or refers to temporary and permanent states. “Be” is the only English verb that has three conjugations in the simple present (am, is & are).
​
In the simple present tense, to be is conjugated as follows:

Affirmative forms of the verb to be

Negative forms of the verb to be

Interrogative forms of the verb to be

Verb to be Worksheets

What to read next