MMC*Verb TensesTo Think About Verb Tenses, Use a Time Line

*We are stuck in the present.But, we can remember the past and think about the future.We do this with our inner eye.

*How Does It Work?Think of this as your inner-eye. This is what we use to remember and to imagine with.

*If we really think about time, we are always stuck in the present.

*Lets use the inner-eye.Thinking about the future.Thinking about the past.

*By using the inner-eye, lets now build a time line.PresentFuturePastI am baking a pepperoni pizza. What makes this action in the present tense?bakingam

*Lets think about yesterday.Yesterday, I was baking a pepperoni pizza. What makes this action in the past tense?wasThinking about the past. baking

*Lets think about tomorrow.Tomorrow, I will be baking a pepperoni pizza. What makes this action in the future tense?willThinking about the future.

*What Marks the Past, Present, and Future?Notice that baking is in the past, present and future. It really has no tense. It is just a continuation of an action which is marked by the ing.

*Lets think about the near past.Today, I have been baking pepperoni pizza. What marks this action in the present tense?haveWhat marks this action in the past tense?beenNotice that baking is now in the past and in the present. baking

*Lets think about the past.Yesterday, I was baking pepperoni pizza. What marks this action in the past?

*Lets think further into the past. The day before yesterday, I had been baking pizza. What marks the action as past?hadWhat marks the action further into the past?beenbakingyesterdayday beforeNotice baking is in the past and further in the past.

*Compare Patterns.

*Think about the future as if it is the past.By 2 oclock tomorrow, I will have been baking pizza for two hours. tomorrowwillWhat marks the future?What marks the present?haveWhat marks the past?beenNotice baking is in the future, present and past.bakingby 2

*Think about the past as if it is the future.Yesterday, I should have been baking pizza for the party. What marks the past?yesterdaybeenWhat marks the present?haveWhat marks the future?shouldNotice that baking is in the past, present and future. baking

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