Verb Tense Study

In Verb Tense Study students receive daily instruction and practice learning about, analyzing, conjugating and using regular and irregular English verbs in a variety of tenses. This methodology should be done daily for 35-40 minutes and last all week long.

Language Objective:

Today we will be generating four declarative sentences using (name of tense).

This week we will generate 3-5 sentences using the simple present tense in declarative, negative and interrogative form.

Procedures:

Preview Chart (3-5 minutes)

Part 1: Verb Tense Study add Title

Puts these components on a piece of paper:

  1. Language objective: name the tense, type of sentence, and number of sentences.
  2. Parts of speech
  3. Formula
  4. Example
  5. Why statement that explains grammar rule.

Collaborative Chart

Part 2:

These components will be on your collaborative chart once you have completed it with the students.

  1. Picture on the chart paper
  2. Brainstorm subjects and verbs picture (6-10min)
  3. Three to five sentences on chart paper. (20 min)
  4. Marks to show sentence construction.

Verb Tense Study Procedural Steps

  1. Introduce preview chart
  2. Provide two more teacher examples. These are not part of the collaborative chart.
  3. Brainstorm there to five subjects. Be sure to record your push words.
  4. Brainstorm three to five words verbs. Be sure to record your push words.
  5. Select one subject and one verb and have students generate a sentence following the formula.
  6. Students report their sentence.
  7. Teacher extends sentence and/or provides error correction.
  8. Students say the sentence before it is recorded on chart paper.
  9. Teacher records student generated sentence on chart paper with their help.
  10. Teacher leads students through a grammar analysis of sentence.

Verb Tense Study layout for the week

Day of Week / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
Primary / .declarative / .declarative / -negative / ?interrogative / .-? all
Secondary / .declarative / -negative / ?interrogative / .-? all

Verb Tense Study Lesson Template

  1. State the objective by using the preview chart.
  2. Provide three to five teacher examples.
  3. Teacher and students work together to generate three to five sentences. (Highly structured practice)
  4. Students work with each other practicing sentences. (Guided practice)
  5. After the lesson the students write independent sentences. (Independent practice)

Present Progressive Example

Language Objective:

We will write complete sentences in the present progressive.

Rule

The present progressive shows an action that keeps on going right now!

Formulas:

I + am + verb+ing + finisher.

Singular noun + is + verb + ing + finisher.

Examples:

I am learning to write.

My teacher is wearing a blue coat today.

singular noun / is / verb
  • Animal
  • Hippo
  • Children
  • student
/ /
  • watching
  • smelling
  • sniffing
  • touching

  1. The student is watching the hippos.
  2. The gray hippo is sniffing the air.
  3. At the zoo, a student is touching the hippos cage.

The following link shows videos of both Pre-Emergent/Emergent as well as Basic/Intermediate (K-6 and 7-12) students and instructors using this strategy

Samples

Simple Present Tense ELL 1
run, runs, have, has, is, are, speak, speaks, sit, sits
The simple resent is used to describe an action that is occurring in the present, at the moment of speaking.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You speak English. / We speak with soft voices.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject +Auxiliary Verb (do/does) + Not +Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You do not speak English. / We do not speak with soft voices.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (do/does) + Subject + Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Do you speak English? / Why do we speak with soft voices?
Present Simple Progressive (Continuous) ELL1
Is eating, are eating, is talking, are talking, is, singing, are singing, is dancing, are dancing
The present simple progressive emphasizes the on-going nature of an act at the time a person is packing.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (is/are) +Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You are speaking English. / We are speaking with soft voices.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (is/are) + Not +Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You are not speaking English. / We are not speaking with soft voices.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (is/are) + Subject +Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Why are you speaking English? / Are we speaking with soft voices?
Simple Past ELL1
Walked, did walk, was, were, skipped, did skip, spoke, did speak, ran, did run, sat, did sit
The simple past is used to describe an action that occurred in the past, sometime before the moment of speaking.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You spoke English. / We spoke with soft voices.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (did/does) + Not + Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You did not speak English. / We did not speak with soft voices.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (did/does) + Subject + Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Did you speak English? / Did we speak with soft voices?
Simple Future ELL1
Will leave, is going to leave, will come, is going to come, will speak, is going to speak, will run, is going to run
The simple future is used to refer to actions that will take place after the act of speaking.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You will speak English later. / We will speak with soft voices tonight.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + Not + Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You will not speak English later. / We will not speak with soft voices tonight.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (will) + Subject + Main Verb + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Will you speak English later? / Will we speak with soft voices tonight?
Present Perfect ELL3
Has traveled, have traveled, has spoken, have spoken, has run, have run, has sat, have sat
The present perfect is action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (have/has) + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You have spoken English many before. / We have spoken with soft voices before.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (have/had) + Not + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You have not spoken English before. / We have not with soft voices tonight.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (have/has) + Subject + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Have you spoken English before? / Have we spoken with soft voices tonight?
Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous) ELL3
Have been exercising, has been exercising, has been speaking, have been speaking
We use the present perfect progressive to show that something started in the past and is still going up to this point.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (have/has) + Auxiliary Verb (been) + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You have been speaking English lately. / We have been speaking with soft voices today.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (have/has) + Not + Auxiliary Verb (been) + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You have not been speaking English lately. / We have not been speaking with soft voices today.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (have/has) + Subject + Auxiliary Verb (been) + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Why have you been speaking English lately? / Why have we been speaking with soft voices today?
Past Simple Progressive (Continuous) ELL2
Was cutting, were cutting, was folding, were folding, was speaking, were speaking, was running, were running
The past progressive is used to describe actions on-going the past. These took place and were completed at some point before the time of speaking.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (was/were) + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You were speaking English. / We were speaking with soft voices.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (was/were) + Not + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You were not speaking English. / We were not speaking with soft voices.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (was/were) + Subject + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Why were you speaking English? / Why were we speaking with soft voices?
Future Simple Progressive (Continuous) ELL3
Will be listening, are going to be listening, will be speaking, are going to be speaking
The future progressive is used to describe actions on-going in the future after the act of speaking.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + Auxiliary Verb (to be) + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You will be speaking English. / We are going to be speaking with soft voices in the library.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + Not + Auxiliary Verb (to be) + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You will not be speaking English. / We are not going to be speaking with soft voices in the library.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (will) + Subject + Auxiliary Verb (to be) + Main Verb-ing + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Will you be speaking English? / Will we be speaking with soft voices in the library?
Past Perfect ELL4
Had looked, had seen, had lost, had spoken, had run, had sat
The past perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (has/had) + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You had spoken English on the phone. / We had spoken with soft voices in the library.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (has/had) + Not + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You had not spoken English on the phone. / We had not spoken with soft voices in the library.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (has/had) + Subject + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Had you spoken English on the phone? / Had we spoken with soft voices in the library?
Future Perfect ELL4
Will have learned, are going to have to learn, will have spoken, are going to have to speak
The future perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action in the future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific time in the future.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + Auxiliary Verb (has/have) + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You will have spoken English before the test. / We will have spoken with soft voices in the library.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + Not + Auxiliary Verb (has/have) + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You will not have spoken English before the test. / We will not have spoken with soft voices in the library.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (will) + Subject + Auxiliary Verb (has/have) + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Will you have spoken English before the test? / Will we have spoken with soft voices in the library?
Past Perfect Progressive (Continuous) ELL5
Will have learned, are going to have to learn, will have spoken, are going to have to speak
The future perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action in the future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific time in the future.
Declarative ( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + Auxiliary Verb (has/had) + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You will have spoken English before the test. / We will have spoken with soft voices in the library.
Negative( . )
Formula: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (will) + not + Auxiliary Verb (has/had) + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
You will not have spoken English before the test. / We will not have spoken with soft voices in the library.
Interrogative( ? )
Formula: Auxiliary Verb (will) + Subject + Auxiliary Verb (has/had) + Main Verb-ed + Rest of Sentence
Singular / Plural
Subject / Infinitive verb form / Subject / Infinitive verb form
You / To speak / We / To speak
Boy / To run / They / To run
She / To sit / Girls / To sit
Will you have spoken English before the test? / Will we have spoken with soft voices in the library?
Future Perfect Progressive (Continuous) ELL5
Will have been living, are going to have been living, will have speaking, are going to have been speaking
We use future perfect progressive to show that something will continue up until a particular event or time in the future.