ENGLISH VERBS AND THEIR FORMS

ENGLISH VERBS have a limited number of forms:

Infinitive	-s/-es form	-ing form	-ed form
ask	asks	asking	asked
brush	brushes	brushing	brushed

These forms are used in the following cases:

• Infinitive form – as an infinitive, imperative, or as the Present Simple:

• They made me PLAY their game.
• Go out and PLAY something else!
• They often PLAY in my garden.

-s form (or -es form) is used as the 3^rd person singular of the Present Simple Tense (affirmative form)

• Every morning Jack GETS up at seven, MAKES breakfast and GOES to work. He never COMES back home before five or six in the evening.

• -ing form is used to make the Present Participle, which is used to make Continuous tenses

• Jane was reading while her children were playing in the garden.
• I am trying really hard to understand what you are talking about.
• -ed form (or -d form) is used to make the affirmative form of the Past Simple tense, or the past participle (as a part of Perfect tenses or the Passive):
• He played in the match last week.
• He has just played a good match.
• During the tournament, several matches will be played in this court.

Irregular verbs do not have –ed form, but different forms for the Past Simple and the Past Participle

Infinitive	-s/-es form	-ing form	Past Simple	Past Participle
go	goes	going	went	gone
ride	rides	riding	rode	ridden

Irregular verbs are usually printed in three-column lists:

infinitive	Past simple	Past participle
Go	Went	Gone
Come	Came	Come
Bring	Brought	Brought
Put	Put	Put

The exception to the rule is the verb BE, which has

• three forms for the Present Simple – am, is, are
• two forms for the Past Simple – was, were

Forms of BE

Infinitive	-ing form	Present Simple	Past Simple	Past Participle
be	being	am/is/are	was/were	been

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/unreg_verben.htm