Learn · English · Class 2

Verbs & Tenses

Doing words, and how they change for yesterday, today and tomorrow.

6 parts
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📘 DefinitionDoing wordsPart 1 of 6
🧩 The partsTodayPart 2 of 6
🔍 In detailYesterdayPart 3 of 6
✏️ Worked exampleTricky past wordsPart 4 of 6
✅ SummaryVerb hero!Part 5 of 6
✏️ Worked exampleWatch one worked throughPart 6 of 6
1📘 DefinitionPart 1 / 6

Doing words

A verb is a doing word. It tells what someone does.

run · eat · sing · jump
🎯 Which is a verb?
2🧩 The partsPart 2 / 6

Today

For things happening now, we use the present.

"I eat rice." · "She eats rice."

Notice: with he, she or it we add s.

🎯 He ___ football.
3🔍 In detailPart 3 / 6

Yesterday

For things that already happened, we use the past. We usually add ed.

play → played
walk → walked
🎯 Yesterday I ___ football.
4✏️ Worked examplePart 4 / 6

Tricky past words

Some verbs do not add ed. They change completely!

go → went
eat → ate
run → ran

These just have to be learned.

🎯 Yesterday I ___ to school.
5✅ SummaryPart 5 / 6

Verb hero!

  • A verb is a doing word.
  • Add s for he, she, it.
  • Past usually adds ed: but some change completely.
6✏️ Worked examplePart 6 / 6

Watch one worked through

Here is one done slowly, with the reason for every move. Then one for you.

Let me show you

Change to the past: "I play cricket."

  1. I play cricket. ↑ verb
    Find the doing word. It is "play".
    Only the verb changes when the tense changes. Everything else stays where it is.
  2. play + ed = played
    Past means it already happened. Most verbs add ed.
    This works for most verbs, which is why it is worth trying first.
  3. I played cricket.
    Write the whole sentence again.
    Some verbs do not follow the rule: go becomes went, eat becomes ate. Those have to be learnt one by one.

Answer: I played cricket.

Now you try

What is the past tense of "jump"?

Show the answer

jumped

Practise Verbs & Tenses

Everything on QuizByt for Class 2 English that goes with this lesson: read it first, then test yourself while it is fresh.

🧠 15 quizzes on Verbs & Tenses (11 easy, 3 medium, 1 hard)

Work up from easy to hard: the hard quiz asks the Class 2 exam-style questions on Verbs & Tenses.

🖨️ Printable worksheets

Verbs & Tenses on paper for Class 2, with room to write the working out. Preview the first page free.

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