Using the Six Tenses of Verbs Correctly (Including Progressive Forms)

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Subject: English Grammer

Semester: 1

Period: 1

Week: 2

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School Name:
Teacher’s Name:
Subject: English Grammar
Grade Level: Grade 11
Period: I
Week & Period: Week 2, Period I

Topic: Using the Six Tenses of Verbs Correctly (Including Progressive Forms)

Specific Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:

1. Identify and define the six primary verb tenses.
2. Construct sentences using the simple, perfect, and progressive forms of past, present, and future.
3. Apply appropriate tense usage in storytelling and reporting.

A – Anticipation (Engage learners):
Starter Questions:

• When do we use "am running" instead of "run"?
• What tense do you use when narrating a past event?

Think-Pair-Share:
Think: Write three actions you did yesterday, today, and will do tomorrow.
Pair: Pair with a partner to categorize them into tenses.
Share: Discuss your answers as a class.

B – Building Knowledge (Core Content):

1. Definition of Verb Tenses: Tense tells us the time of action.
2. The Six Tenses of Verbs:
   • Simple Present: I write.
   • Present Progressive: I am writing.
   • Simple Past: I wrote.
   • Past Progressive: I was writing.
   • Simple Future: I will write.
   • Future Progressive: I will be writing.

Additional Notes:

• Progressive tenses show ongoing action.
• The verb "to be" (am, is, was, were, will be) helps form progressive tenses.

Examples:

• Simple Present: She walks to school every day.
• Present Progressive: She is walking now.
• Simple Past: They danced all night.
• Past Progressive: They were dancing when I arrived.
• Simple Future: He will play tomorrow.
• Future Progressive: He will be playing by 3 p.m.

Tense Table Practice (Classwork):

Tense	Example
Simple Present	They eat rice.
Present Progressive	They are eating rice.
Simple Past	They ate rice.
Past Progressive	They were eating rice.
Simple Future	They will eat rice.
Future Progressive	They will be eating rice.

Common Errors and Correction:

• Incorrect: I was went home. ✗
• Correct: I went home. ✓ OR I was going home. ✓

C – Consolidation (Application and Reflection): Class Activities:

1. Identify and label verb tenses in short passages.
2. Rewrite a given paragraph changing the tense from present to past.
3. Complete the sentence with the correct tense form.

In-class Assessment: Fill in the blanks with appropriate verb tense:

1. Right now, I ___ (read) a great book. (am reading)
2. Yesterday, we ___ (visit) Grandma. (visited)
3. Tomorrow, I ___ (travel) to Monrovia. (will travel)
4. They ___ (eat) dinner when I called. (were eating)
5. She ___ (sing) in the church choir every Sunday. (sings)

Underline the verb phrase and label the tense:

1. He is watching a movie. (Present Progressive)
2. We will be dancing tonight. (Future Progressive)
3. I walked home yesterday. (Simple Past)

Determine the tense and create a sentence using the given verb:

• write (Present Progressive): ___
• play (Past Progressive): ___
• run (Simple Future): ___

Assignment:

• Write a short story (10 lines) describing a day in your life using all six verb tenses at least once.
• Underline and label each verb tense used.

Teacher’s Reflection:

• Did learners show understanding of all six tenses?
• Were they able to apply each tense in appropriate context?
• Who needs help with progressive or future tenses?