Courseversity

Lesson

Verbs and tense

Primary EducationGrade 3English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G03-ELA-U06-L0245–60 min

You will learn

  • Name verb tenses.
  • Form regular past tense.
  • Use common irregular verbs.
  • Keep the tense consistent.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. A verb shows action or being.
  2. Present: now. Past: before. Future: later.
  3. Regular past: add -ed.
  4. Irregular: go→went, eat→ate, run→ran, see→saw.

Words to know

verb
a word that shows action or being
tense
the time a verb shows
regular verb
forms the past by adding -ed
irregular verb
forms the past in a different way

1. Discover: Yesterday, today and tomorrow

Yesterday Kofi walked to school and saw a snake. Today he runs to the market. Tomorrow he will go to the river. Notice how each verb tells you when.

Think: Which verbs are past, present and future?

2. Understand: Time in verbs

Idea 1: Tense

A verb shows action. Tense shows when: present (runs), past (walked) and future (will go).

Idea 2: Regular verbs

A regular verb adds -ed in the past: walk→walked, jump→jumped.

Idea 3: Irregular verbs

An irregular verb changes: go→went, eat→ate, run→ran, see→saw. Keep the same tense in a sentence.

Remember: Verbs show when things happen; regular verbs add -ed; irregular verbs change.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Past

Which verbs are past?

  1. Yesterday…

Answer: walked, saw

Example 2 (We do it together): Future

Which phrase is future?

  1. Tomorrow…

Answer: will go

Example 3 (You try): Irregular

What is the past of go?

Show the steps and answer
  1. Irregular.

Answer: went

Did you know?

The verb to be (am, is, are, was, were) is the most irregular verb in English.

Why this matters

Correct tenses tell the reader when events happen.

4. Explore: Tense timeline

Write about three days.

  1. Write what you did yesterday.
  2. Write what you do today.
  3. Write what you will do tomorrow.
  4. Check each verb.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can use tenses.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • Yesterday I ___.
  • Today I ___.
  • Tomorrow I will ___.
  • The irregular verb is ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. A word that shows action is a ___.

verb

Question 2. The time a verb shows is the ___.

tense

Question 3. A verb that adds -ed in the past is ___.

regular

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. A word that shows action is a ___.
  2. The time a verb shows is the ___.
  3. A verb that adds -ed in the past is ___.
  4. A verb that changes in a different way is ___.
  5. Tomorrow Kofi will ___ to the river.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Past of walk.
  2. Past of eat.
  3. Past of see.

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Is will go future?
  2. Is went the past of go?
  3. Should tense stay consistent?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Write six sentences in past, present and future tense.

Show a sample answer

six sentences

Another one. Write about yesterday, today and tomorrow using correct verb tenses.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can name verb tenses.
  • I can form regular past tense.
  • I can use common irregular verbs.
  • I can keep the tense consistent.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. A verb shows ___.

2. Tense shows ___.

3. Past of walk is ___.

4. Past of jump is ___.

5. Past of go is ___.

6. Past of eat is ___.

7. Past of run is ___.

8. Past of see is ___.

9. Which is future?

10. Which is present?

11. Which is past?

12. Which sentence keeps the same tense?

Challenge 1. Which is correct? Yesterday we ___ to the park.

Challenge 2. Which is correct? Tomorrow she ___ the book.

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • A verb shows action or being.
  • Present: now. Past: before. Future: later.
  • Regular past: add -ed.
  • Irregular: go→went, eat→ate, run→ran, see→saw.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Subject–verb agreement. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What is a verb? [1 mark]
  2. Name the three simple tenses. [3 marks]
  3. Write the past tense of go, eat and see. [3 marks]
  4. What is an irregular verb? [1 mark]
  5. Explain why we keep tense consistent. [3 marks]

Total: 11 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. a word that shows action [1]
  2. past [1]; present [1]; future [1]
  3. went [1]; ate [1]; saw [1]
  4. a verb that does not add -ed [1]
  5. tense shows time [1]; changing tense confuses the reader [1]; stay in the same time [1]

Score guide: 10 to 11 = secure. 7 to 9 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 7 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. A word that shows action is a ___.
  2. The time a verb shows is the ___.
  3. A verb that adds -ed in the past is ___.
  4. A verb that changes in a different way is ___.
  5. Tomorrow Kofi will ___ to the river.
  6. Past of walk.
  7. Past of eat.
  8. Past of see.
  9. Is will go future?
  10. Is went the past of go?

Homework

Write about yesterday, today and tomorrow using correct verb tenses.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. A word that shows action is a ___. verb 1
2. The time a verb shows is the ___. tense 1
3. A verb that adds -ed in the past is ___. regular 1
4. A verb that changes in a different way is ___. irregular 1
5. Tomorrow Kofi will ___ to the river. go 1
6. Past of walk. walked 1
7. Past of eat. ate 1
8. Past of see. saw 1
9. Is will go future? yes 1
10. Is went the past of go? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 verb; 2 tense; 3 regular; 4 irregular; 5 go. Level 2: 1 walked; 2 ate; 3 saw. Level 3: 1 yes; 2 yes; 3 yes.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Name verb tenses Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Form regular past tense Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Use common irregular verbs Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Keep the tense consistent Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: name verb tenses; form regular past tense; use common irregular verbs; keep the tense consistent.

Prerequisite knowledge. Nouns and pronouns.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 11-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 3 » Language. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core L.3.1d (form and use regular and irregular verbs) and L.3.1e (form and use the simple verb tenses); Cambridge Primary English Stage 3 (grammar). These sources informed the lesson.

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