The verb. General characteristics. Classifications of english verbs. Categories of tense, aspect, mood, voice, person, and number. Method: discussion. Reja: Introduction to Verbs: Tense, Aspect, and Mood

Key Terms

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  tense: Any of the forms of a verb that distinguish when an action or state of being occurs or exists. The three simple tenses are past, present, and future.
  
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  verb: A word that indicates an action, event, or state.
  
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  aspect: A grammatical category that expresses how a verb relates to the flow of time.
  

Verb Tenses

The verb contains the action of the sentence. Without verbs, we couldn’t talk about running, or jumping, or eating. And without verb tenses, we couldn’t talk about when we did those things. Did we eat dinner yesterday? Will we go for a run tomorrow? We need verb tenses to talk about time.

Present Tenses

The present tense refers to circumstances that exist now, or that have occurred over a period of time that includes the present. Present tense can also be used to express basic facts or circumstances that are continuous.

Simple Present

The simple present expresses current events, recurring events, and general facts.

• 
  There is a shady park down the block.
  
• 
  I paint a portrait of my cat every week.
  
• 
  Mary hears a noise in the attic.
  

The verbs is, paint, and hears are in the simple present tense. They refer to actions that are occurring in the present.