Welcome back! Today, we’re taking a trip down memory lane. We’ve covered how things happen generally and what’s happening right now, but what about things that are already over and done with? That’s where the Simple Past Tense comes in. In American English, we use the simple past to talk about completed actions. Whether it happened five minutes ago or five hundred years ago, this is the tense you’ll need. Let’s break it down so your readers can master it in no time! Simple past tense 1. The Active Voice: Who Did It? In the active voice, the subject is the one who performed the action in the past. Positive Statements: For regular verbs, we usually add -ed (walked, played). For irregular verbs, the form changes (ran, ate, saw). Negatives: We use the helper verb did not (or the contraction didn't ) followed by the base form of the verb. Pro Tip: Once you use "did," the main verb stays simple. We say "I didn't eat ," not "I didn't ate ." Qu...

Welcome back to the blog! Now that we’ve nailed the Simple Present , it’s time to move on to something a bit more... "happening." Today, we’re looking at the Present Continuous Tense (also called the Present Progressive). While the Simple Present handles habits and facts, the Present Continuous is all about the here and now . We use it for actions happening at this very moment or for ongoing projects. As always, we’ll break this down into Active and Passive voices so you can see exactly how the "be" verb and the "-ing" form work together. Let's dive in! Simple Present Continuous Tense 1. The Active Voice: Actions in Progress In the active voice, our subject is busy doing something right now. The Formula: [Subject] + am/is/are + [Verb ending in -ing ]. Negatives: We simply add not after the "be" verb. In American English, we love our contractions: isn't or aren't . Questions: We move the "be" verb to the front of the...

Welcome back! Today, we’re diving into one of the most essential building blocks of the American English language: the Simple Present Tense . Whether you’re describing a daily routine, stating a universal fact, or explaining how something is done, this tense is your go-to tool. To keep things crystal clear, we’ve broken this guide down into two main sections: Active Voice (where the subject does the action) and Passive Voice (where the subject receives the action). Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Simple Present Tense 1. The Active Voice In the active voice, the subject is the "star" of the sentence. They are the ones performing the action. Positive Statements: We use the base form of the verb. Remember to add an -s or -es if the subject is he, she, or it . Negative Statements: We use the auxiliary verb do not or does not (don't/doesn't) followed by the base verb. 2. The Passive Voice We use the passive voice when the action itself—or the person/thing rece...