Grammar for Everyone - Barbara Dykes 2007
Simple and continuous verbs
Introduction
Part II The parts of speech
These indicate whether the action of the verb is completed or still going on. A simple verb is one in which the action is complete within the respective tense.
For example:
I cooked, I cook, I shall cook
Compare this with the continuous form in which the action of the verb is still going on.
Thus:
I was cooking, I am cooking, I shall be cooking
The ’ing’ ending conveys continuity, but the sense is not complete without the addition of a ’helper’ or auxiliary verb (see pages 49-52).
3.3 Activities: simple and continuous verbs
1. Provide a scenario, such as: ’My brother is looking for a job
Each student in turn takes the part of the brother. The others ask him what he can do. He acts out one thing that he can do for the others to guess, for example:
a. Load a truck
b. Fill ice-cream cones
2. Students change tenses by filling in the spaces:
3. Students now fill in the tense tables.
A sample table of tenses
Singular |
Past |
Present |
Future |
1st person |
I gave |
I give |
I shall/will give |
2nd person |
You gave |
You give |
You will give |
3rd person |
He/she gave |
He/she gives |
He/she will give |
Plural |
|||
1st person |
We gave |
We give |
We shall/will give |
2nd person |
You gave |
You give |
You will give |
3rd person |
They gave |
They give |
They will give |
a. Students complete the table with the verb ’to sing’.
Singular |
Past |
Present |
Future |
1st person |
I shall |
||
2nd person |
|||
3rd person |
He |
||
Plural |
|||
1st person |
|||
2nd person |
You |
||
3rd person |
A sample table of tenses for an irregular verb
Singular |
Past |
Present |
Future |
1st person |
I was |
I am |
I shall/will be |
2nd person |
You were |
You are |
You will be |
3rd person |
He/she was |
He/she is |
He/she will be |
Plural |
|||
1st person |
We were |
We are |
We shall/will be |
2nd person |
You were |
You are |
You will be |
3rd person |
They were |
They are |
They will be |
b. Students complete the table with the verb ’to go’.
Singular |
Past |
Present |
Future |
1st person |
|||
2nd person |
|||
3rd person |
He |
||
Plural |
|||
1st person |
We shall |
||
2nd person |
|||
3rd person |
They |
A sample table of continuous tenses using the present participle
Singular |
Past |
Present |
Future |
1st person |
I was speaking |
I am speaking |
I shall/will be speaking |
2nd person |
We were speaking |
You are speaking |
You will be speaking |
3rd person |
He/she/it was speaking |
He/she/it is speaking |
He/she/it will be speaking |
Plural |
|||
1st person |
We were speaking |
We are speaking |
We shall/will be speaking |
2nd person |
You were speaking |
You are speaking |
You will be speaking |
3rd person |
They were speaking |
They are speaking |
They will be speaking |
c. Students complete the table with the verb ’to achieve’.
Singular |
Past |
Present |
Future |
1st person |
I was |
||
2nd person |
You are |
||
3rd person |
|||
Plural |
|||
1st person |
|||
2nd person |
|||
3rd person |
They will be |