1.  Simple Verb Tenses Past Present Future

2. Conjugation  I write.We write.  You write.You write.  He, she, it writes. They write.

3. Conjugation  I wrote.We wrote.  You wrote.You wrote.  He, She, It wrote.They wrote.

4. Conjugation  I will write.We will write.  You will write.You will write.  He, She, It will write.They will write.

5. Past Perfect  Sometimes two events happened in the past that are related, and you need to show which happened first. You will use the helping verb had for this tense.  When I saw you yesterday, I had lost my keys.  Saw is past tense, but the losing came before the seeing, so you show the first action by using HAD.

6. Common Mistakes to Avoid  Be careful not to use would have for had and do not use would of, could of, or should of for would have, etc.  Incorrect – If Martha would have come earlier, she could of seen me.  Correct – If Martha had come earlier, she could have seen me.

7. Present Perfect  Use the present perfect tense for an action that happened in the past but has continued into the present. To show this tense, use the helping verbs has or have.  I have lived in Mississippi for ten years.  It is clear that the speaker moved to Mississippi in the past and still lives in Mississippi.

8. Future Perfect  For two future actions, show that one will happen before the other one by using the helping verbs will have.  By the end of the year, you will have studied Julius Caesar.  The year will end in the future, but before it does, you will have read the play.