Past, Present and Progressive Tense
Use verbs to convey past and present tense correctly and consistently, including the progressive form (e.g., she is drumming, he was shouting), understanding how tense indicates time
What a learner can do afterwards
- Write a passage consistently in past tense without switching to present
- Use progressive forms correctly: 'was running', 'is jumping' to show ongoing actions
- Identify verbs in a sentence and change them from past to present tense or vice versa
The lesson
Tense tells us when something happened. Past tense is for things that already happened, like 'jumped.' Present tense is for things that happen now or often, like 'jumps.' Progressive tense shows an action still going on, like 'is jumping' or 'was jumping.'
Yesterday, Ben walked his dog in the park. Right now, Ben is walking his dog again. 'Walked' tells you it already happened. 'Is walking' tells you it is happening this very moment.
Once you pick a tense for your story, stick with it. Do not jump from 'walked' to 'walks' in the same passage unless the time really changes.
Past tells what already happened, present tells what happens now, and progressive (is or was plus -ing) shows an action in progress.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.