Simple and progressive tense
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can write a sentence in the simple present, past or future tense and the progressive present, past or future tense.
Key learning points
- Both the simple tense and progressive tense can denote present, past or future action.
- The verb carries the tense of a sentence.
- The simple tense is a tense that does not use an auxiliary verb in addition to the main verb except in the future.
- The progressive tense always makes use of an auxiliary verb from the infinitive 'to be' paired with the main verb.
- The progressive tense denotes ongoing action.
Keywords
Auxiliary verb - the helping verb that is always paired with the main verb
Infinitive - any verb preceded by the word 'to'
Progressive tense - a tense that denotes ongoing action
Ongoing - continuous or still happening
Simple tense - a tense that does not make use of an auxiliary verb in addition to the main verb in the present and past
Common misconception
Pupils might think they have used the progressive tense simply by using a being verb like 'am'.
'I am happy today.' Ask pupils why this is not written in the progressive tense. The being verb must help the main verb that ends in -ing.
Teacher tip
You could find a page of a book with a range of examples of the progressive and simple tenses and ask pupils to highlight the verbs and identify the tenses.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When we work out the tense a sentence is written in, we should look for the ...
Q2.'I finished my homework.' What tense is this sentence written in?
Q3.Identify the verb in the following sentence: 'They quietly read their books.'
Q4.Identify the auxiliary verb in the following sentence: 'They are reading their books.'
Q5.Match each sentence to the correct tense.
Q6.What should the main verb be in the following sentence? 'I was __________ out of the window and I saw a hot air balloon.'
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the auxiliary verb in the following sentence? 'The penguins were diving into the water at speed.'
Q2.Which suffix does the main verb in a progressive tense always end with?
Q3.What sort of action does a progressive tense sentence tell us about?
Q4.Which words tell you that the following sentence is written in the progressive tense? 'Alex and Jun were hoping for a pet rabbit.'
Q5.Which word in the following sentence tells you that it is written in the progressive past tense? 'We were treading carefully on the icy pond.'
Q6.Match each tense to the correct sentence.
To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Simple and progressive tense, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Simple and progressive tense, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Tense forms: simple, progressive and perfect unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.