VERB TENSES
Along with its dictionary meaning, every verb carries other ideas that we will grasp instantly because of the form, endings and helping words it takes. This fact makes verbs the hardest working and most complicated part of speech.
To help express these ideas, verbs have principal parts. Whether alone or with helpers, these parts carry a sense of time, tense and the action or act of being they express.
The first two principal parts -- the present and the past -- are used to form primary tenses.
PRESENT: Today, I work.
PAST: Yesterday, I worked.
FUTURE: Tomorrow, I will work.
The third principal part, called the past participle, is used with a verb to form the three perfect tenses:
PRESENT PERFECT: Before now, I have worked.
PAST PERFECT: In the past, I had worked.
FUTURE PERFECT: By some future date, I will have called.
Why are the perfect tenses called perfect? Anything perfect is complete, and the perfect tenses stress an action at its completion.
EXAMPLE: The mad scientist has perfected a formula for turning himself into an elephant.
That's an example of the present perfect tense with the word perfect as the verb. #wordnerd
Next week we'll look at some more examples of verbs and tenses.
Last week's answers
1. Surprisingly few experts correctly predicted the outcome of the election.
Subject: experts
Verb: predicted
2. The player hurtled over the goal line for the winning touchdown.
Subject: player
Verb: hurtled
3. Without a moment's hesitation, Jensen leaped into the raging waters.
Subject: Jensen
Verb: leaped