What is this skill?
Verb tense tells when something happens. Simple tenses are present (she paints), past (she painted) and future (she will paint). Fourth grade adds the progressive tenses, which show an action that is, was or will be in progress: is reading, was sleeping, will be swimming. Each is made from a form of "to be" plus a verb that ends in -ing.
In this practice the child fills a blank, such as "Right now, Maya ___ a book" (is reading), "Yesterday at noon, we ___ lunch" (were eating), "Tomorrow at this time, I ___ at the beach" (will be swimming), and "While I ___ dinner, the lights went out" (was cooking). The clues are time words, such as right now, yesterday, last night, next week and tomorrow, and an action that was happening when something else interrupted it. Other questions ask which sentence is in the past, present or future progressive tense, such as "She was painting," "They are running" and "We will be hiking." A sorting game sorts was jumping, is jumping, will be jumping, were singing, am singing and will be singing, and two yes-or-no questions ask whether a sentence is in the stated tense.
Why it matters
Tense lets a writer place events in time. A story that slips between "was walking" and "is walking" confuses a reader, and the progressive tenses are what let a writer show an action that was going on at the same time as another.
These forms are also how we talk. "I was doing my homework when you called" is a sentence a child could say today, and the lesson gives them names for what they already do.
The same pattern leads into 5th grade, where the perfect tenses are built on forms of "to have." A child who has the "to be" forms in the right place will find that step easier.
Common mistakes
- Choosing the wrong form of "to be." Plural subjects take were (the children were building) and singular subjects take was (Kenji was sleeping), and with I, use am, as in "am singing."
- Leaving out the -ing verb, or the helper. "Maya reading" and "We eating" are common in speech and are missing the helper (is, were).
- Ignoring the time clue. Yesterday, last night and while point to past progressive, right now and at the moment point to present, and tomorrow and next week point to future.
- Mixing up past progressive and simple past. "I was doing my homework" is an action in progress, while "I did my homework" is finished. The "while" or "when" clue usually says which one is wanted.
How to help at home
- Narrate the evening in the present progressive. "I am chopping, you are setting the table." Then remember the same evening in the past: "I was chopping, you were setting the table."
- Play "what will you be doing?" about next Saturday at ten, which draws the future progressive out of a child, as in "I will be playing soccer."
- Look for the time word first. Underline yesterday, now or tomorrow in a sentence, then choose the helper that matches.
- Use the sort game idea at home with strips of paper: write a verb phrase on each and have your child sort them into past, present and future.
Worked examples
These are real questions from the Tutorsaurus progressive tenses practice, with the answers worked out.
Example 1
Which word fills the blank? The dogs (blank) loudly right now.
The dogs ___ loudly right now.
Choices: was barking, are barking, is barking
Answer: are barking. Dogs is plural and it is happening now, so we use are barking.
Example 2
Which word fills the blank? Next week, the class (blank) a play.
Next week, the class ___ a play.
Choices: will be performing, were performing, was performing
Answer: will be performing. "Next week" is the future, so we use will be performing.
Example 3
Is this sentence in the present progressive tense?
Leo was riding his bike.
Answer: No, not present. Was riding is past progressive. Present progressive would be "Leo is riding his bike."
Printable worksheet (PDF) — one page of questions from this practice that work on paper, easier ones first, with an answer key on page 2. Free to print, no sign-up.