Tenses

I _____ reach the class by 11:00

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Erin is _______ (run) because she is late for the test.

• ran

• running

• runs

• run

Do you think that our communication would be clear without the use of tenses? Yes or No. Give a reason for your answer.

What is the purpose of tenses, in the English language?

• To stress students by giving them too many rules

• To express the time

• To bring about clarity in one's communication

• Some tenses are used to express politeness

Why do we mainly use the past continuous tense?

Answer explanation

Remember that the continuous tenses are used to show progression, that something is changing or developing

The difference between the simple tenses and the continuous tenses are:

• The formation of the sentences

• The formation of the verbs

• The way we say the sentences formed by the different verbs

FUTURE SIMPLE TENSE

I ________ (do) my homework at dinner time.

• will be doing

• will do

• was do

• shall do

Answer explanation

Note that when talking in about oneself ("I"), we can either use the verbs "will", or "shall" - although, this is used in more formal English settings ;)

PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

We ____ (form of "be") ________ (wait) for the Principal to ring the bell.

Answer explanation

Did you know that "be" is an auxiliary verb?

It has many forms, such as "was", "were", "am", and "is".

There is a new learner in class, and he has missed out on all the lessons that were on tenses. In a short paragraph (of about 50 - 60 words), explain what are tenses, why do we use them, and list the two main types of tenses we deal with in Grade 5.

Draw a circle on the verbs of the past, present and future these tenses. You should have 3