What is the present perfect tense?

The present perfect uses 'has' or 'have' plus the past participle to link the past to now: 'She has finished her work.' It is different from the simple past, 'She finished'.

What is the progressive form?

The progressive (or continuous) form shows an ongoing action using 'to be' plus an -ing verb: 'They were playing.' It can be in the past, present or future.

Why does tense consistency matter?

Switching tense by mistake confuses the reader. The SATs reward keeping one tense throughout — for example 'I walked in and saw', not 'I walked in and see'.

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KS2 Verb Tenses Practice Questions

Practise verb forms and tenses for the Year 6 KS2 SATs Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling paper — the past, present and future, the progressive and perfect forms, and keeping the tense consistent across a sentence. Every question is marked instantly with a clear explanation. Free, no sign-up.

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Try These 10 Questions

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Question 1

Which sentence is written in the past tense?

Question 2

Which sentence uses the progressive (continuous) aspect correctly?

Question 3

Which sentence is written in the SIMPLE PAST tense?

Question 4

Which sentence uses a MODAL VERB?

Question 5

What tense is used in this sentence? "The explorers have been travelling for three weeks."

Question 6

Rewrite the sentence below in the PAST PERFECT tense. "The team win the championship." Write your answer.

Question 7

Which sentence correctly uses the PRESENT PERFECT tense?

Question 8

What is the NAME of the tense used in this sentence? "The astronaut will have landed on the moon by midnight."

Question 9

Which sentence correctly shifts from past to past perfect to show that one event happened BEFORE another past event?

Question 10

A pupil wrote: "By next Friday, the builders finish the new library." Rewrite the sentence using the correct tense to show the action will be completed by a future point in time.

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Verb Tenses — Frequently Asked Questions

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