Twelve categories of verbs exist in the future tense, ranging from simple present to future perfect progressive, but only three have a place in academic writing. Those three tenses make up the content of an informational handout that offers a brief description of each tense and explains how it functions in a paper. Examples appear after each point to help illustrate the proper use and formation of verbs.

Concepts

verb tenses, academic language, essay writing, the simple present tense, the simple past tense, the present perfect tense

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Write a series of sentences using different verb tenses and have writers point out which are appropriate for academic writing
• Highlight the verbs in student papers and discuss any shifts in tense or inappropriate tenses that appear

Classroom Considerations

• Assumes learners know how to form and recognize common verb tenses

Pros

• Concise content focuses only on a few key points
• Clear headers and clean organization make the handout easy to follow

Cons

• Introduces passive voice at end of handout, but it does not link to additional resources related to the topic

Common Core

L.9-10.1.a L.11-12.1.a