Detailed Explanation of Tenses: Past, Present, and Future ⏳📅
When you want to know if a sentence is in the past, present, or future tense, you must look carefully at the verbs. Verbs tell us when something happens. This is very important in English, and it is part of the Year 6 English curriculum in the UK. Understanding tenses helps you write and speak clearly.
What is Past Tense? 🕰️
The past tense is used to talk about actions or events that have already happened. Often, the verb ends in -ed for regular verbs. For example:
- I walked to school yesterday.
- She played football last Saturday.
You can identify past tense because the action is finished, and sometimes the sentence has words like yesterday, last week, ago.
What is Present Tense? ⏰
The present tense describes actions that are happening now or things that happen regularly. For example:
- I walk to school every day.
- She plays football on weekends.
In present tense, verbs often stay the same (like walk), or for he/she/it, they usually add -s or -es (like plays). Words like now, today, usually can help you spot present tense.
What is Future Tense? 🔮
The future tense talks about actions that will happen later or in the future. This tense often uses the helping verb will or shall. For example:
- I will walk to school tomorrow.
- She will play football next week.
Future tense sentences might also use words like tomorrow, next week, soon to show when the action will happen.
Tips to Identify Tenses 🔍
- Look for time words: Words like yesterday or last year show past; now or every day show present; tomorrow or next month show future.
- Check the verb form: Past tense verbs often end in -ed; present tense usually stays in the base form or adds -s for he/she/it; future tense uses will + verb.
- Think about when the action happens: Is it already done, happening now, or going to happen?
By using these tips and knowing what to look for, you can easily tell if a sentence is in the past, present, or future tense. This will help you improve your writing and understanding of English grammar!
20 Examination-Style Questions with Answers on Past, Present and Future Tenses 📝
Here are 20 examination-style questions to help Year 6 students practise identifying past, present, and future tenses. Each question asks you to decide if the sentence is in the past, present, or future tense.
Questions ❓
- Is the sentence “She walked to school yesterday” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “I am eating my lunch now” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “They will play football after school” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “He reads a book every day” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “We visited the museum last week” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “The dog is barking loudly” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “Tomorrow, I will go to the park” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “She sings beautifully” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “They have finished their homework” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “I was watching a movie last night” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “We are going to the shops now” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “He will start his new job next Monday” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “The cat slept on the sofa” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “I write stories for fun” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “Next week, they will visit the zoo” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “She is playing the piano” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “We cooked dinner last night” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “He drinks water every morning” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “I will help you with your homework later” past, present, or future tense?
- Is the sentence “They are running in the race right now” past, present, or future tense?
Answers ✅
- Past tense
- Present tense
- Future tense
- Present tense
- Past tense
- Present tense
- Future tense
- Present tense
- Present perfect tense (a form of past) – accept past tense
- Past tense
- Present tense
- Future tense
- Past tense
- Present tense
- Future tense
- Present tense
- Past tense
- Present tense
- Future tense
- Present tense
Study Tip 💡
To tell if a sentence is past, present, or future tense, look for clues like words ending in -ed (usually past), words with -ing or regular verbs (present), or words like “will” or “tomorrow” (future). Practising with sentences like these helps you get better at spotting tense!
