Year 3 - English
Progressive and perfect tense
Tense forms: simple, progressive and perfect
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils learn formal conventions around simple and progressive tense forms in the present, past and future tenses. They learn about main and auxiliary verbs, including that main verbs can be having, as well as doing or being verbs. Pupils also learn about the perfect present tense.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to write a sentence in the progressive present tense or the perfect present tense.
Key Notes
- Both the progressive tense and perfect tense can denote present, past or future action.
- The verb carries the tense of a sentence.
- The progressive tense is a tense that makes use of an auxiliary verb from the infinitive 'to be' with the main verb.
- The perfect tense is a tense that makes use of an auxiliary verb from the infinitive 'to have' with the main verb.
- The perfect tense often refers to action that has finished whilst the progressive tense denotes ongoing action.
Vocabulary To Learn
- progressive tense: a tense that denotes ongoing action
- perfect tense: made using an auxiliary verb based on the infinitive 'to have' and a past tense form of the main verb
- auxiliary verb: the helping verb that is always paired with the main verb
- infinitive: any verb preceded by the word 'to'
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may think that using a being or having verb means they've written a sentence in each tense.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Both the progressive tense and perfect tense can denote present, past or future action. The verb carries the tense of a sentence.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'progressive tense'
a tense that denotes ongoing action.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may think that using a being or having verb means they've written a sentence in each tense. Correction: Being verbs as auxiliary verbs are for progressive tenses; having verbs as auxiliary verbs are for perfect tenses.
More Lessons In This Unit
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