Identify the tenses Exercise

There are twelve tenses in English and each one of them has different verb forms. The biggest problem that students face while using tenses is the inability to conjugate verbs.

English verbs tend to change their forms according to the number and person of the subject. For example, in the simple present tense, the verb takes the marker –s when the subject is a singular noun or pronoun.

In the present continuous tense, the verb takes the auxiliary is when the subject is third person singular noun or pronoun. It takes the auxiliary verb are when the subject is a plural noun or pronoun.

While native speakers pick up these rules easily, they cause a great deal of confusion for an ESL student.

Use this exercise to test your ability to recognize the different tense forms. It is simple. You just need to write the name of the tense against each sentence. Some sentences may be in the passive voice. In that case, you also need to mention that.