Verb Tenses — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Yesterday the mechanic fixed the flat tire on our car.
"Yesterday" signals the past tense. "Fix" is a regular verb, so you add -ed to make "fixed," matching the past time frame of the sentence.
2. Right now she is helping her brother with his homework.
"Right now" tells you the action is happening at this moment, which requires the present progressive tense. "Is" is the correct form of "be" for the singular subject "she," pairing with "helping."
3. The irregular past tense of "fly" is flew.
"Fly" is irregular and does not add -ed in the past tense. Instead, the vowel sound changes completely, giving the past tense form "flew."
4. Tomorrow the principal will announce the winners of the contest.
"Tomorrow" shows the event has not taken place yet. Adding "will" before "announce" creates the future tense, which matches a time that is still ahead.
5. The children were playing tag when the bell rang.
"When the bell rang" is past tense, so the ongoing action must also be past. "Were playing" is the past progressive, showing the children's game was in progress when the bell interrupted.
6. The irregular past tense of "know" is knew.
"Know" is irregular, so you cannot say "knowed." The past tense changes the vowel sound to produce "knew."
7. Each evening the nurse checks the patients before lights out.
"Each evening" describes a repeated routine, so the verb needs the present tense. Because "nurse" is singular, the verb takes an -s ending: "checks."
8. Next winter we will learn how to ice skate at the rink.
"Next winter" points to a future time, so the verb needs the future tense. "Will" is the helper word that turns "learn" into a future-tense verb.
9. The irregular past tense of "blow" is blew.
"Blow" is irregular, so it does not follow the -ed pattern. Its past tense changes the vowel to "ew," giving you "blew."
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
sing
→ sang
rode
wear
→ wore
forgot
forget
→ forgot
sang
ride
→ rode
wore
Each of these verbs is irregular, meaning none of them add -ed. "Sing" becomes "sang," "wear" becomes "wore," "forget" becomes "forgot," and "ride" becomes "rode" -- all change their vowel sounds in the past tense.