Transcript Chapter 9 – Past Tense

Chapter 10 – Past Tense
Important Points
Past Tense Verbs
Most verbs are changed
to past tense by
adding –ed to the
end.
Most of the time, this is not a
troublesome issues in your
writing, but there are a few
things to consider when
writing that relate to verb
tense.
1) Irregular Verbs
Some verbs have irregular forms when
changed to past. For example, think
becomes thought, sell becomes sold, etc.
Most of these verbs are easy. We use them
every day; however, please review the
table in the chapter, and make sure that
you are familiar with all of the verbs and
past tense forms. Don’t try to memorize!
2) Verb Tense Consistency
When writing, make
sure to be consistent
with verb tense.
Don’t start writing in
present and then
switch to past.
We do this when speaking all
the time. For example, “This
weekend, I went to San
Diego. When I got to the
beach, I see my friend from
Yuma.
Notice how I started in past
and changed to present. This
is an error and should be
avoided.
3) The Verb TO BE
To Be is the most common verb in English.
Its forms are am, are and is in the present
and was and were in the past.
Be aware of the past tense forms of BE and
make sure that your subjects and verbs
agree.