Learn the 3 Checks
1Match tense to time words.
Yesterday → past. Every day → present. Tomorrow → future (will walk).
2Stay consistent.
A story begun in the past stays in the past unless the time genuinely changes.
3Agree subject and verb.
She walks (one) · they walk (many) · I was · you were — pairs that must match.
Worked Example
Fix the tense slips: ‘Last week we go to the museum and see the mummies. It was brilliant.’
Watch Out! Common Mistakes
Stay in the past! opened … and screamed.
Irregulars! caught · brought · wrote — they must be learned, not built with -ed.
Agreement! I was, he/she was — but we were, you were, they were.
⬇ Cheat Sheet
- Match the tense to the time words.
- Keep one tense unless time truly changes.
- Learn the irregulars: went, saw, ate, wrote, caught, brought.
- Agree: she walks/they walk · I was/we were.
📖 Continue Your Journey
Quick summary
- Time words dictate tense: yesterday → past, every day → present.
- Stay in one tense unless the time genuinely changes.
- Irregular pasts don't take -ed: went, saw, ate, wrote, caught.
- Agreement pairs: she walks / they walk; I was / we were.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common tense mistake?
Hopping between past and present mid-story ('She opened the door and screams'). Fix it by matching every verb to the story's established time.
What are irregular verbs?
Verbs whose past forms aren't made with -ed: go→went, see→saw, catch→caught, bring→brought. They must be learned as pairs.
Is 'we was' ever correct?
No — was pairs with I, he, she and it; we, you and they take were.
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