Revision – Grammar (Present, Past And Future Actions) Basic 2 Lesson Note

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

1. Identify the tenses by circling them in sentences
2. Use the tenses where necessary
3. Demonstrate the tenses with songs and action
4. Write sentences using the past, present and future tense

Content

Comprehensive Review of Tenses

What Are Tenses? (Review)

Tenses tell us when something happens. They show if an action is happening:

• PAST = Yesterday, before now, already finished
• PRESENT = Today, right now, happening currently
• FUTURE = Tomorrow, later, will happen soon

Think of tenses as a timeline:

PAST ←——————— PRESENT ——————→ FUTURE

(Yesterday)     (Today)      (Tomorrow)

PRESENT TENSE (Happening Now)

Simple Present Tense

When to use: Actions happening now, habits, routines, facts

Present Tense Forms:

With I, You, We, They:

• I play football every day.
• You speak English very well.
• We go to school from Monday to Friday.
• They live in a big house.

With He, She, It (add -s or -es):

• He plays football every day.
• She speaks English very well.
• It goes very fast.
• The dog lives in the backyard.

Present Continuous Tense (am/is/are + -ing)

When to use: Actions happening right now at this moment

Forms:

• I am reading a book right now.
• You are writing in your notebook.
• He is running in the playground.
• She is singing a beautiful song.
• It is raining outside.
• We are learning about tenses.
• They are playing together.

Present Tense Examples:

Daily routines:

• I brush my teeth every morning.
• She eats breakfast at 7 o’clock.
• We walk to school together.
• They study hard for their tests.

Facts and general truths:

• The sun rises in the east.
• Water boils at 100 degrees.
• Birds fly in the sky.
• Fish live in water.

Current actions:

• I am sitting in my chair.
• The teacher is explaining the lesson.
• Students are listening carefully.
• The clock is ticking loudly.

PAST TENSE (Already Happened)

Simple Past Tense

When to use: Actions that happened yesterday, last week, or before now

Regular Past Tense (add -ed):

Base form → Past form

• play → played
• walk → walked
• help → helped
• cook → cooked
• clean → cleaned
• wash → washed
• paint → painted
• visit → visited

Irregular Past Tense (changes completely):

Base form → Past form

• go → went
• eat → ate
• run → ran
• see → saw
• come → came
• take → took
• give → gave
• make → made
• sit → sat
• stand → stood
• buy → bought
• bring → brought

Past Tense with “Was/Were”:

Singular subjects (I, he, she, it): was

• I was happy yesterday.
• He was at school this morning.
• She was playing with her doll.
• It was raining last night.

Plural subjects (you, we, they): were

• You were very helpful.
• We were excited about the trip.
• They were running in the park.

Past Tense Examples:

Yesterday’s activities:

• I played football yesterday.
• She walked to the market this morning.
• We visited our grandmother last weekend.
• They studied for the test last night.

Historical events:

• Nigeria became independent in 1960.
• My father went to university many years ago.
• The old tree stood in our compound for decades.

Stories and narratives:

• Once upon a time, there lived a kind princess.
• The brave knight fought the dragon.
• The children found a treasure chest.

FUTURE TENSE (Will Happen Later)

Simple Future Tense (will + base form)

When to use: Actions that will happen tomorrow, next week, or later

Future Tense Forms:

With all subjects: will + base verb

• I will go to school tomorrow.
• You will learn many new things.
• He will play football next week.
• She will sing at the concert.
• It will rain tonight.
• We will visit the zoo on Saturday.
• They will come to our party.

“Going to” Future:

When to use: Plans and intentions

• I am going to read a book tonight.
• You are going to help your mother.
• He is going to play with friends.
• She is going to draw a picture.
• We are going to have a picnic.
• They are going to watch a movie.

Future Tense Examples:

Tomorrow’s plans:

• I will wake up early tomorrow.
• She will eat breakfast at 7 AM.
• We will go to the library after school.
• They will play games during break time.

Future events:

• The school will have a party next month.
• It will be my birthday next week.
• We will celebrate Christmas in December.
• The new school year will start in September.

Predictions:

• I think it will be sunny tomorrow.
• The plants will grow tall with water and sunlight.
• You will become a good reader with practice.

Tense Identification Practice

Strategy 1: Look for Time Words

Past time words: yesterday, last week, ago, before, earlier, this morning Present time words: now, today, always, usually, currently, at this moment Future time words: tomorrow, next week, later, soon, tonight, in the future

Strategy 2: Look for Verb Forms

Past indicators: -ed endings, was/were, irregular past forms (went, ate, saw) Present indicators: base form, -s endings, am/is/are + -ing Future indicators: will + base form, going to + base form

Strategy 3: Context Clues

Past context: completed actions, stories, finished events Present context: ongoing actions, current situations, habits Future context: plans, predictions, scheduled events

Circling Tenses in Sentences

Practice Sentences:

1. The children are playing in the playground right now. (Present Continuous)
2. We visited our grandparents last Sunday. (Past Tense)
3. I will help my mother cook dinner tonight. (Future Tense)
4. She goes to school every weekday. (Present Tense)
5. They were very excited about the trip yesterday. (Past Tense)
6. The sun will rise early tomorrow morning. (Future Tense)
7. My father is reading a newspaper now. (Present Continuous)
8. We played football after school yesterday. (Past Tense)

Using Tenses Appropriately

Choosing the Right Tense

PRESENT TENSE – Use when:

• Describing habits: “I brush my teeth every day.”
• Stating facts: “The earth revolves around the sun.”
• Describing current actions: “She is writing a letter now.”
• Talking about general truths: “Water freezes at 0°C.”

PAST TENSE – Use when:

• Talking about completed actions: “I finished my homework.”
• Telling stories: “Once there lived a wise king.”
• Describing past experiences: “We went to the beach last summer.”
• Stating historical facts: “Nigeria gained independence in 1960.”

FUTURE TENSE – Use when:

• Making plans: “I will visit my friend tomorrow.”
• Making predictions: “It will rain this evening.”
• Expressing intentions: “We are going to clean our room.”
• Talking about scheduled events: “The concert will start at 6 PM.”

Tense Songs and Actions (Review and Extension)

Song 1: “Tense Time Machine” (Tune: “Wheels on the Bus”)

The verbs in the past go “walked, talked, played,” (march backwards)

Walked, talked, played, walked, talked, played.

The verbs in the past go “walked, talked, played,”

All through yesterday! (point behind)

The verbs in the present go “walk, talk, play,” (march in place)

Walk, talk, play, walk, talk, play.

The verbs in the present go “walk, talk, play,”

All through today! (point to self)

The verbs in the future go “will walk, will talk, will play,” (march forward)

Will walk, will talk, will play, will walk, will talk, will play.

The verbs in the future go “will walk, will talk, will play,”

All through tomorrow! (point ahead)

Song 2: “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Song”

Yesterday I played outside, (act out playing)

Today I am learning with pride, (sit up straight and point to head)

Tomorrow I will help my mother, (pretend to help)

Past, present, future – one after another! (clap three times)

Yesterday we went to school, (walk backwards)

Today we are learning this rule, (point to board)

Tomorrow we will know much more, (point forward and up)

Tenses help us keep the score! (raise arms in victory)

Song 3: “Action Tense Dance”

I was dancing (past tense action), (dance slowly backwards)

I am jumping (present tense action), (jump energetically in place)

I will be singing (future tense action), (pretend to sing while stepping forward)

Tenses keep my story humming! (hum and sway)

We were running (past tense), (jog in place looking back)

We are sitting (present tense), (sit down immediately)

We will be clapping (future tense), (prepare to clap while standing)

Time and tense go together! (clap rhythmically)

Writing Practice with All Three Tenses

Exercise Type 1: Tense Transformation

Change the same sentence into all three tenses:

Base sentence about “play football”:

• Past: I played football yesterday.
• Present: I play football every day.
• Future: I will play football tomorrow.

Base sentence about “go to school”:

• Past: She went to school this morning.
• Present: She goes to school every weekday.
• Future: She will go to school next Monday.

Exercise Type 2: Story Timeline

Write about the same activity in all three tenses:

Topic: Reading a book

• Past: Last night, I read an exciting adventure book.
• Present: Right now, I am reading a funny story about animals.
• Future: Tomorrow, I will read a new book about space.

Exercise Type 3: Daily Routine Tenses

Describe daily activities using appropriate tenses:

Morning routine:

• Past: This morning, I woke up at 7 o’clock and brushed my teeth.
• Present: I wake up at 7 o’clock every day and brush my teeth.
• Future: Tomorrow morning, I will wake up early and will brush my teeth carefully.

Common Tense Mistakes and Corrections

Mistake 1: Subject-Verb Agreement in Present Tense

Wrong: She go to school every day. Right: She goes to school every day. Rule: Add -s or -es with he, she, it in present tense.

Mistake 2: Incorrect Past Tense Forms

Wrong: I goed to the market yesterday. Right: I went to the market yesterday. Rule: Use correct irregular past tense forms.

Mistake 3: Missing “Will” in Future Tense

Wrong: I go to school tomorrow. Right: I will go to school tomorrow. Rule: Use “will” + base form for future tense.

Mistake 4: Mixing Tenses Inappropriately

Wrong: Yesterday I go to the park and I will play football. Right: Yesterday I went to the park and I played football. Rule: Keep tenses consistent within the same time frame.