Welcome to Verb Tenses: Simple and Progressive Forms!

Have you ever wondered how we show when something happens in English? We use tense! A tense tells the reader whether an action happened yesterday, is happening right this second, or happens all the time.

In your Key Stage 2 English grammar test (GPS Paper 1), you will be asked to identify different verb tenses and change verbs from one tense to another. Don't worry if this sounds a bit tricky right now — by the end of these notes, you will be a tense expert!

(Note: In this chapter, we focus on the simple past, simple present, and progressive forms. For verbs using 'have' or 'had', see our separate chapter on the perfect form and tense consistency.)

Prerequisite Quick Check: What is a Verb?

Before we jump into tenses, let's do a quick recap.
A verb is often called a 'doing' or 'action' word (such as run, shout, dance), but it can also be a 'being' word (such as is, are, was, were).

Every complete sentence needs a verb. The form of that verb changes depending on the tense.

1. The Simple Present Tense

We use the simple present tense for:

• Things that are happening right now: I see a bird outside.
• Things that happen regularly (habits and routines): Class 6 walks to assembly every Friday.
• Facts that are always true: The sun rises in the east.

How to Form the Simple Present

For most subjects (like I, you, we, they), we simply use the base form of the verb:
• I play tennis.
• They run fast.

When the subject is singular — he, she, or it (or a singular noun like the dog or Amir) — we usually add -s or -es to the end of the verb:
• He plays tennis.
• The dog barks at the mail carrier.
• She catches the ball.

Top Tip: In the simple present tense, there is only one single verb word doing the work (for example: eats, jumps, watches).

2. The Simple Past Tense

We use the simple past tense to talk about actions or events that have completely finished in the past.

Regular Verbs in the Past Tense

For regular verbs, we make the simple past by adding the suffix -ed (or just -d if the word already ends in 'e'):
• jump becomes jumped
• walk becomes walked
• bake becomes baked

Example: Yesterday, we walked to the park and watched the ducks.

Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

Many common verbs in English do not follow the -ed rule. These are called irregular verbs. Their spelling changes completely in the past tense, so we have to learn them by heart:
• run becomes ran (not runned)
• go becomes went (not goed)
• see becomes saw
• eat becomes ate
• write becomes wrote

Example: Lucas went to the library and ate an apple on the way.

Key Takeaway for Simple Tenses: Both simple present and simple past usually consist of just one main verb (e.g. cooks or cooked, runs or ran).

3. What Does 'Progressive' Mean?

The word progressive comes from the word progress. Think of an action that is in progress — it carries on over a period of time!

The progressive form always shows an action that is (or was) continuing or ongoing.

The Progressive Secret Formula

Every progressive verb form needs two parts:

A form of the helping verb 'to be' + a main verb ending in -ing

Think of the helping verb as a best friend: in progressive forms, the -ing verb never goes out alone!

4. The Present Progressive Tense

We use the present progressive tense to show an action that is happening right now and is still continuing.

How to Build the Present Progressive

Use the present tense of 'to be' (am, is, or are) followed by the -ing verb:

• I + am + reading → I am reading my book.
• He / She / It + is + singing → She is singing on stage.
• We / You / They + are + playing → They are playing football.

Quick Check: Look at the helping verb. If it is am, is, or are, the sentence is in the present progressive!

5. The Past Progressive Tense

We use the past progressive tense to describe an action that was continuing over a period of time in the past. It often sets the scene or describes something that was happening when another event interrupted it.

How to Build the Past Progressive

Use the past tense of 'to be' (was or were) followed by the -ing verb:

• I / He / She / It + was + walking → He was walking home when it started to rain.
• We / You / They + were + listening → We were listening carefully to the instructions.

Quick Check: Look at the helping verb. If it is was or were, the sentence is in the past progressive!

Summary Comparison: Spotting the Difference

Here is how the four forms look side-by-side using the verb to cook:

1. Simple Present:
Dad cooks dinner every evening.
(One verb word: cooks. Shows a regular routine.)

2. Simple Past:
Dad cooked dinner yesterday.
(One verb word with -ed: cooked. The action is finished.)

3. Present Progressive:
Dad is cooking dinner right now.
(Helping verb is + cooking. Happening continuously in the present.)

4. Past Progressive:
Dad was cooking dinner when the phone rang.
(Helping verb was + cooking. Was continuing in the past.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Test

Mistake 1: Forgetting the helping verb.
Writing "They playing outside" is incorrect Standard English. A progressive form always needs the helping verb: "They are playing outside" (present) or "They were playing outside" (past).

Mistake 2: Mixing up 'was' and 'were'.
Remember subject-verb agreement:
• Use was with singular subjects: I was, the boy was, she was.
• Use were with plural subjects and 'you': you were, we were, the children were.

Mistake 3: Confusing past progressive with simple past.
If a question asks: Which sentence is in the past progressive?
Sentence A: The children played in the snow. (This is simple past — one verb word, ending in -ed).
Sentence B: The children were playing in the snow. (This is past progressive — helping verb were + playing).

Paper 1 Test Tips: How to Answer Tense Questions

In GPS Paper 1, questions about tenses usually look like one of these formats:

Type 1: "Tick the sentence that is in the present progressive."
Strategy: Scan each option looking for two clues: (1) am / is / are, and (2) a verb ending in -ing. If you see both, you have found your answer!

Type 2: "Rewrite the sentence in the simple past."
Example: Maya rides her bicycle to school.
Strategy: Find the verb (rides). Ask yourself: what is the simple past form of ride? It is an irregular verb: rode. Rewrite the whole sentence neatly: Maya rode her bicycle to school.

Type 3: "Match each sentence to the correct tense."
Strategy: Use this handy decision rule:
• Does it have am / is / are + -ing? → Present progressive
• Does it have was / were + -ing? → Past progressive
• Is it just one verb showing something completed in the past? → Simple past
• Is it just one verb showing something true now or habitual? → Simple present

Quick Review Summary

• Simple present: One verb describing routines or facts (she paints, they paint).
• Simple past: One verb describing finished past actions (she painted, they ran).
• Present progressive: am / is / are + verb-ing for ongoing actions now (she is painting).
• Past progressive: was / were + verb-ing for ongoing actions in the past (she was painting).