A verb tells what happens. It also tells when: yesterday, today or tomorrow.
| Yesterday (past) | Every day (present) | Tomorrow (future) |
|---|---|---|
| I walked | I walk | I will walk |
| we played | we play | we will play |
| they ran | they run | they will run |
Key idea
Verbs show when: yesterday I walked, today I walk, tomorrow I will walk.
Why it works
The verb lets a reader know if something already happened, happens now, or hasn’t happened yet. “I walked to school” is a memory; “I will walk to school” is a plan.
Worked example: Pick the time
“Tomorrow we ___ apples.” (pick)
- Tomorrow means later: the future.
- For the future, put will before the verb.
Answer: “Tomorrow we will pick apples.”
Worked example: A verb that changes its own way
“Yesterday I ___ to the park.” (run)
- Yesterday means the past.
- Run does not add -ed. Runned is not a word in writing.
- Its past form is ran.
Answer: “Yesterday I ran to the park.”
Common mistake
Adding -ed to every verb: runned, goed, eated. Some verbs change in their own way: ran, went, ate, saw, came. If a past word sounds odd, say it aloud and listen.
For the grown-up. Young children often say “goed” because they have learned the -ed rule, which is a good sign. Gently say the sentence back the standard way (“Yes, you went to the park!”). When your child writes a story, check that it stays in one time.