12 Be Consistent

W5 Use the correct verb tense. The “tense” tells when it happened.

	Incorrect Example	Correct Example
a) Avoid switching verb tenses unless it is necessary for the reader to understand clearly.	He went upstairs and sits down on his bed. (Past) (present)	He went upstairs and sat down on his bed. (past) (past)
b) When telling a story, generally use the past tense.

The Verb Tenses:

The Present

Now I listen to alternative.

Now I am listening to alternative.

The Simple Past

It has –ed on the end.

Last year, I listened to rock.

Last year, I was listening to rock.

The Distant Past

It has had and -ed on the end.

Grammar people call it Past Perfect.

Before that, I had listened to country.

Before that, I had been listening to country.

Occasionally in the Past

It uses have and has -ed on the end.

Grammar people call it Present Perfect.

I have listened to classical occasionally.

I have been listening to classical, occasionally.

Future

It uses will.

Next year, I will listen to rap.

Next year, I will be listening to rap.

The Future Looking Back

It uses will have.

Grammar people call it Future Perfect.

By this time next year, I will have listened to rap for several months.

By this time next year, I will have been listening to rap for several months.

Anytime

It uses “to” in front of the verb.

Grammar people call it Infinitive or gerund form.

To listen to music is wonderful.

To be listening to music is wonderful.

Irregular Verbs (ones that don’t fit the usual pattern)
Base Form	Simple Past Tense	Past Participle
awake	awoke	has awoken
be	was, were	has been
bear	bore	has born
beat	beat	has beat
become	became	has become
begin	began	has begun
bend	bent	has bent
beset	beset	has beset
bet	bet	has bet
bid	bid/bade	has bid/bidden
bind	bound	has bound
bite	bit	has bitten
bleed	bled	has bled
blow	blew	has blown
break	broke	has broken
breed	bred	has bred
bring	brought	has brought
broadcast	broadcast	has broadcast
build	built	has built
burn	burned/burnt	has burned/burnt
burst	burst	has burst
buy	bought	has bought
cast	cast	has cast
catch	caught	has caught
choose	chose	has chosen
cling	clung	has clung
come	came	has come
cost	cost	has cost
creep	crept	has crept
cut	cut	has cut
deal	dealt	has dealt
dig	dug	has dug
dive	dived/dove	has dived
do	did	has done
draw	drew	has drawn
dream	dreamed/dreamt	has dreamed/dreamt
drive	drove	has driven
drink	drank	has drunk
eat	ate	has eaten
fall	fell	has fallen
feed	fed	has fed
feel	felt	has felt
fight	fought	has fought
find	found	has found
fit	fit	has fit
flee	fled	has fled
fling	flung	has flung
fly	flew	has flown
forbid	forbade	has forbidden
forget	forgot	has forgotten
forego (forgo)	forewent	has foregone
forgive	forgave	has forgiven
forsake	forsook	has forsaken
freeze	froze	has frozen
get	got	has gotten
give	gave	has given
go	went	has gone
grind	ground	has ground
grow	grew	has grown
hang	hung	has hung
hear	heard	has heard
hide	hid	has hidden
hit	hit	has hit
hold	held	has held
hurt	hurt	has hurt
keep	kept	has kept
kneel	knelt	has knelt
knit	knit	has knit
know	knew	has know
lay	laid	has laid
lead	led	has led
leap	leaped/leapt	has leaped/leapt
learn	learned/learnt	has learned/learnt
leave	left	has left
lend	lent	has lent
let	let	has let
lie	lay	has lain
light	lighted/lit	has lighted
lose	lost	has lost
make	made	has made
mean	meant	has meant
meet	met	has met
misspell	misspelled/misspelt	has misspelled/misspelt
mistake	mistook	has mistaken
mow	mowed	has mowed/mown
overcome	overcame	has overcome
overdo	overdid	has overdone
overtake	overtook	has overtaken
overthrow	overthrew	has overthrown
pay	paid	has paid
plead	pled	has pled
prove	proved	has proved/proven
put	put	has put
quit	quit	has quit
read	read	has read
rid	rid	has rid
ride	rode	has ridden
ring	rang	has rung
rise	rose	has risen
run	ran	has run
saw	sawed	has sawed/sawn
say	said	has said
see	saw	has seen
seek	sought	has sought
sell	sold	has sold
send	sent	has sent
set	set	has set
sew	sewed	has sewed/sewn
shake	shook	has shaken
shave	shaved	has shaved/shaven
shear	shore	has shorn
shed	shed	has shed
shine	shone	has shone
shoe	shoed	has shoed/shod
shoot	shot	has shot
show	showed	has showed/shown
shrink	shrank	has shrunk
shut	shut	has shut
sing	sang	has sung
sink	sank	has sunk
sit	sat	has sat
sleep	slept	has slept
slay	slew	has slain
slide	slid	has slid
sling	slung	has slung
slit	slit	has slit
smite	smote	has smitten
sow	sowed	has sowed/sown
speak	spoke	has spoken
speed	sped	has sped
spend	spent	has spent
spill	spilled/spilt	has spilled/spilt
spin	spun	has spun
spit	spit/spat	has spit
split	split	has split
spread	spread	has spread
spring	sprang/sprung	has sprung
stand	stood	has stood
steal	stole	has stolen
stick	stuck	has stuck
sting	stung	has stung
stink	stank	has stunk
stride	strod	has stridden
strike	struck	has struck
string	strung	has strung
strive	strove	has striven
swear	swore	has sworn
sweep	swept	has swept
swell	swelled	has swelled/swollen
swim	swam	has swum
swing	swung	has swung
take	took	has taken
teach	taught	has taught
tear	tore	has torn
tell	told	has told
think	thought	has thought
thrive	thrived/throve	has thrived
throw	threw	has thrown
thrust	thrust	has thrust
tread	trod	has trodden
understand	understood	has understood
uphold	upheld	has upheld
upset	upset	has upset
wake	woke	has woken
wear	wore	has worn
weave	weaved/wove	has weaved/woven
wed	wed	has wed
weep	wept	has wept
wind	wound	has wound
win	won	has won
withhold	withheld	has withheld
withstand	withstood	has withstood
wring	wrung	has wrung
write	wrote	has written