Four Principal Parts of Verbs

Every verb has four basic forms, or principal parts. In order to form all the tenses of each verb, we need to learn these four principal parts of verbs: the present tense, the present participle, the past tense, and the past participle.

Present Tense

The first of the four principal parts of verbs is the singular verb in its present tense form, which is used to express present time, something that is true at all times, and future time:

talk
move
adapt

earn
jump
elude

wish
learn
wave

Present Participle

The second principal part of verbs, the present participle, is used to form the progressive tenses (continuing action). The present participle is formed by adding ing to the singular verb. It is preceded by a form of the to be helping verb:

(is) talking
(am) moving
(is) adapting

(am) earning
(is) jumping
(are) eluding

(are) wishing
(is) learning
(was) waving

Past Tense

The third principal part of verbs, used to express past time, is the past tense, which we form by adding ed to regular verbs. (Irregular verbs have different endings.)

talked
moved
adapted

earned
jumped
eluded

wished
learned
waved

Past Participle

The fourth principal part of verbs, used to form the perfect tenses, is the past participle. It is preceded by a form of the have helping verb. For regular verbs, the past and the past participle are the same.

PAST

talked
earned
wished
moved
jumped
learned
adapted
eluded
waved

PAST PARTICIPLE

(have) talked
(has) earned
(have) wished
(has) moved
(has) jumped
(has) learned
(have) adapted
(has) eluded
(have) waved

Examples

Complete the chart showing four principal parts of verbs by writing the second, third, and fourth "principal parts" (present participle, past tense, and past participle) of each verb.

VERB


help

  1. cook
  2. clean
  3. farm
  4. pitch
  5. ask
  6. look
  7. skip
  8. hitch
  9. elect
  10. allude
  11. waste
  12. affect
  13. trip
  14. accept
  15. petition

PRESENT PARTICIPLE

(is) helping

________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________

PAST
TENSE

helped

________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________

PAST PARTICIPLE

(has) helped

________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________
________

Solutions

  1. cook
  2. clean
  3. farm
  4. pitch
  5. ask
  6. look
  7. skip
  8. hitch
  9. elect
  10. allude
  11. waste
  12. affect
  13. trip
  14. accept
  15. petition

(is) cooking
(is) cleaning
(is) farming
(is) pitching
(is) asking
(is) looking
(is) skipping
(is) hitching 
(is) electing 
(is) alluding
(is) wasting
(is) affecting
(is) tripping
(is) accepting
(is) petitioning

cooked
cleaned
farmed
pitched
asked
looked
skipped
hitched
elected
alluded
wasted
affected
tripped
accepted
petitioned

(has) cooked
(has) cleaned
(has) farmed
(has) pitched
(has) asked
(has) looked
(has) skipped
(has) hitched
(has) elected
(has) alluded
(has) wasted
(has) affected
(has) tripped
(has) accepted
(has) petitioned