Further Practice in the use of tense : Past, Present, Present Perfect and Past Continuous tense

Subject : English Grammar

Class : Primary 4

Term : Second Term

Week : Week 3

Topic : Further Practice in the use of tense : Past, Present, Present Perfect and Past Continuous tense

Learning Objectives : By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to

• Identify the use of the tenses
• Construct sentences using the tenses
• Classify the tenses of sentences in a given passage

Learning Activities :

• Pupils, as a class identify the use of the different tenses
• Pupils in small group, construct sentences using the tenses
• Pupils, in pairs, classify the tenses in sentences in a passage

Embedded Core Skills :

• Communication and Collaboration
• Creativity and Imagination
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Leadership skills and Personal Development

Materials:

• Charts on tenses
• Flash cards
• Web Resources

Content :

What is a tense? 

A tense is used to show the time of action in a sentence.

Tense is a grammatical term used to describe the time frame in which an action or event is taking place, and it is expressed through the verb in a sentence. There are three main tenses: past, present, and future.

• The past tense is used to describe actions or events that have already happened,or taken place in the past. It is used to say what we did yesterday, last time, last week, last night, last month, for example: “I walked to the store yesterday.”
• The present tense is used to describe actions or events that are currently happening or are always true,most especially actions that are habitual actions that we do almost everyday, every week, every month, for example: “I am walking to the store now.” or “The sun rises in the east.”
• The future tense is used to describe actions or events that will happen in the future like tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, for example: “I will walk to the store tomorrow.”

In addition to these three basic tenses, there are also various forms and aspects of tenses that can be used to indicate more specific time frames or nuances in the timing of actions or events.

Present Perfect Tense 

The present perfect tense is a verb tense used to describe an action that was completed at an unspecified time in the past or one that started in the past and continues up to the present moment. The present perfect tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “have” or “has” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are some examples of sentences in the present perfect tense:

• I have eaten breakfast already. (The action of eating breakfast was completed at an unspecified time in the past.)
• She has worked here for two years. (The action of working at the job started in the past and continues up to the present moment.)
• They have seen that movie before. (The action of seeing the movie happened at an unspecified time in the past.)

The present perfect tense is often used in situations where the exact time of the action is not important or not known, or when the action has some connection to the present moment. It is also commonly used with words like “already”, “just”, “never”, “ever”, “yet”, and “still”

Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is a verb tense used to describe an action that was in progress at a specific point in the past. It is formed by using the past tense of the verb “to be” (was/were) followed by the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.

Here are some examples of sentences in the past continuous tense:

• I was studying when the phone rang. (The action of studying was in progress when the phone rang.)
• They were playing tennis at 3pm yesterday. (The action of playing tennis was in progress at 3pm yesterday.)
• She was cooking dinner when the guests arrived. (The action of cooking dinner was in progress when the guests arrived.)

The past continuous tense is often used to describe an action that was happening at the same time as another action in the past or to set the background of a story. It can also be used to describe a temporary situation or a repeated action in the past.

In addition, the past continuous tense can be combined with the past simple tense to give a more complete picture of past events. For example: “I was studying when the phone rang, so I didn’t answer it.” This sentence shows that the action of studying was interrupted by the phone ringing and explains why the speaker didn’t answer the call.

Classification of given sentences into Past tense, Present Tense, Present Perfect Tense and Past Continuous Tense

Past Tense:

1. She cooked dinner for us last night.
2. They watched a movie at the cinema yesterday.
3. He walked to school every day when he was younger.
4. I visited my grandparents in the countryside last summer.
5. The company closed down last year.

Present Tense:

1. I eat breakfast every morning.
2. She works in a bank.
3. They live in a big house.
4. He teaches English at the university.
5. The sun rises in the east.

Present Perfect Tense:

1. I have studied Spanish for five years.
2. She has visited Paris twice.
3. They have never been to Asia before.
4. He has lived in London since 2010.
5. The company has hired a new CEO.

Past Continuous Tense:

1. I was studying when the phone rang.
2. They were playing soccer when it started to rain.
3. She was reading a book in the park yesterday afternoon.
4. He was working on his computer all morning.
5. The children were playing games on their tablets all evening.

Evaluation

1. What is the past tense of the verb “eat”? a) ate b) eat c) eaten
2. Which of the following sentences is in the present perfect tense? a) I am eating breakfast. b) I will eat breakfast. c) I have eaten breakfast.
3. Which of the following is a helping verb? a) run b) will c) cat
4. Which of the following is an example of a present continuous tense sentence? a) She will go to the store later. b) They were playing basketball. c) He is running in the park.
5. Which of the following is a verb in the past continuous tense? a) eat b) is eating c) was eating
6. Which of the following is a verb in the present tense? a) walked b) walking c) will walk
7. Which of the following is a verb in the past perfect tense? a) had walked b) has walked c) will walk
8. What is the past tense of the verb “swim”? a) swam b) swim c) swum
9. Which of the following is an example of a future tense sentence? a) I am eating breakfast. b) I will eat breakfast. c) I have eaten breakfast.
10. Which of the following is a helping verb? a) go b) have c) book
11. Which of the following is a verb in the present continuous tense? a) She will go to the store later. b) They were playing basketball. c) He is running in the park.
12. Which of the following is a verb in the past perfect tense? a) had walked b) has walked c) will walk
13. What is the present tense of the verb “swim”? a) swam b) swim c) swimming
14. Which of the following is an example of a past perfect tense sentence? a) I am eating breakfast. b) I will eat breakfast. c) I had eaten breakfast.
15. Which of the following is a helping verb? a) eat b) am c) house
16. Which of the following is a verb in the past continuous tense? a) run b) is running c) was running
17. What is the present perfect tense of the verb “eat”? a) ate b) eat c) eaten
18. Which of the following is a verb in the present perfect tense? a) He walked to the store. b) She is cooking dinner. c) They have studied for the exam.
19. Which of the following is an example of a future continuous tense sentence? a) I will eat breakfast tomorrow. b) I am eating breakfast now. c) I will be eating breakfast at 7am tomorrow.
20. What is the past tense of the verb “run”? a) ran b) run c) running

Lesson Presentation

Introduction (5 minutes):

• Greet the class and ask if anyone knows what a verb tense is.
• Explain that a verb tense is a grammatical term that describes the time frame of an action or event in a sentence.
• Give examples of different tenses, such as present, past, future, and present perfect.

Presentation (30 minutes):

• Use the whiteboard to write out examples of each tense, explaining the verb form and time frame for each one.
• Hand out the examples of sentences in each tense and ask students to identify which tense each sentence is in.
• Review common time expressions that go with each tense, such as “yesterday” for past tense and “tomorrow” for future tense.
• Show the class interactive quizzes that they can take online to practice identifying and using different tenses.

Practice (15 minutes):

• Hand out a worksheet with sentences in different tenses and ask students to identify which tense each sentence is in.
• Have the class work in pairs to come up with examples of sentences in each tense.

Assessment (10 minutes):

• Ask students to share their answers to the worksheet and give feedback on any mistakes or misunderstandings.
• Have each student write a short paragraph using all four tenses correctly.

Conclusion (5 minutes):

• Review the main points of the lesson and ask if anyone has questions or needs further clarification.
• Thank the class for their participation and remind them to keep practicing their verb tenses.

Weekly Assessment / Test

Fill the gaps with the correct forms of verbs in the brackets

1. I ____________ (eat) breakfast every morning.
2. She ____________ (work) in a bank.
3. They ____________ (live) in a big house.
4. He ____________ (teach) English at the university.
5. The sun ____________ (rise) in the east.
6. I ____________ (study) Spanish for five years.
7. She ____________ (visit) Paris twice.
8. They ____________ (never be) to Asia before.
9. He ____________ (live) in London since 2010.
10. The company ____________ (hire) a new CEO.
11. I ____________ (study) when the phone rang.
12. They ____________ (play) soccer when it started to rain.
13. She ____________ (read) a book in the park yesterday afternoon.
14. He ____________ (work) on his computer all morning.
15. The children ____________ (play) games on their tablets all evening.
16. The dog ____________ (bark) all night.
17. She ____________ (study) French for two years.
18. They ____________ (go) to the beach every summer.
19. He ____________ (run) the marathon last year.
20. The cat ____________ (sleep) on the couch all day.