Verb Tenses: Perfect and Progressives

Verbs in Simple, Progressive, and Perfect Tenses

by Nicole Cremeens

​Action verbs...

​ describe what someone (or something) does

​

• ​Layla plays on her school's softball team.

• ​Sara and Ricky cooked dinner together.

• ​Rachel dreams of becoming a doctor.

Multiple Choice

Dangerous weather frightens children and adults.

• action verb

• not an action verb

Multiple Choice

The winds of a hurricane batter homes.

• action verb

• not an action verb

Multiple Choice

Some hurricanes only swirl over the ocean, never reaching land.

• action verb

• not an action verb

​Verbs in Progressive Tense...

​ use a to be verb with a present participle (-ing verb)

​

Progressive tense shows an action that is in progress - happening NOW and will continue to happen for a period of time.

​

• ​Julia is dancing right now.

• ​Kevin was playing Monopoly when we arrived.

• ​Alex and Cody are baking muffins.

​To Be Verbs

​is

​was

​has

​had

​will

​are

were

have​

be

​been

Multiple Select

She has been reading about how to use them.

• she

• has

• been

• reading

• how

Multiple Select

Sam was earning some money at his new job.

• new

• was

• job

• earning

Multiple Select

Before then, his neighbors were thinking of doing yard work.

• neighbors

• were

• before

• thinking

• then

​Verbs in Perfect Tenses

​ use a to be verb and a past participle (usually -ed form of the verb)

​

​Perfect tense verbs show past, present, and future ongoing action.

​

• ​Noah will have traveled to Japan by the end of the year.

• ​Olivia has taught for ten years.

• ​Emma had walked to school before I got home.

• ​Mason and Andy will have met their cousins by the time the party starts.

Multiple Select

Ned Frap, the ruler of the planet, has escaped in a space pod.

• ruler

• has

• escaped

• spacepod

Multiple Select

An earthquake had leveled his plastic dome.

• earthquake

• had

• dome

• leveled

Multiple Select

He will have used all his energy pellets before nightfall.

• energy

• pellets

• will

• have

• used

​Present Perfect Progressive Tense

​ uses has/have + been + present participle (-ing verb)

​

​Actions that started in the past and continue into the present

​

• ​Nora has been cleaning for an hour

• ​I have been walking since 8:00 PM.

• ​Laura and I have been eating octopus since we were babies.

• ​Emma has been trying to juggle for the entire day.

Fill in the Blank

He ____ ____ mowing all of his neighbors' lawns.

Fill in the Blank

People ____ ____ giving him lots of different chores.

Fill in the Blank

I ____ ____ wondering what it will cost to have thorn bushes removed.