Tenses: An Overview

There are three kinds of tense in English: past, present and future. Tenses are forms of verbs that show when something happened or will happen. When learning English, understanding the three tenses is essential. In this article, we will look at the verb roots of each tense and how to use them appropriately.

The Past Tense

The past tense is used to talk about actions or events that have happened in the past. The verb root for the past tense is simply the verb in the past tense form. The regular past tense is formed by adding -d or -ed to the base form of the verb. For example: talk - talked, walk - walked, jump - jumped. The irregular past tense, however, does not follow a specific rule. Some examples of irregular past tense verbs are: go - went, eat - ate, come - came.

It is important to note that there are some common verbs that are irregular in the past tense, and they need to be memorized. Here are some examples of commonly used irregular past tense verbs and their base form:

• To be - was/were
• To have - had
• To do - did
• To make - made
• To say - said
• To see - saw

The Present Tense

The present tense is used to talk about actions or events that are happening now, in the present. The verb root for the present tense is the base form of the verb. For regular verbs, this is the same as the infinitive form. For example: talk, walk, jump. The present tense of irregular verbs, however, can differ from the base form. For example: go - goes, eat - eats, come - comes.

The present tense can also be used to talk about habitual or repeated actions. It is formed in the same way and with the same verb root as the present simple. For example: I play basketball every Saturday.

The Future Tense

The future tense is used to talk about actions or events that have not yet happened, but will happen at some point in the future. There are different forms of the future tense, but the most common form uses the auxiliary verb 'will'. The verb root for the future tense is the base form of the verb. For example: I will talk, she will walk, they will jump.

The future tense can also be expressed using the present tense when talking about a future event that is already planned. For example: I am visiting my grandmother tomorrow.

Conclusion

Tenses are a fundamental part of English grammar and are essential for clear communication. Understanding the verb roots of each tense is a crucial step in mastering the language. Remember that regular verbs have a predictable form in the past and present tenses, while irregular verbs must be learned by heart. With practice, using tenses accurately will become natural and effortless.