Standard 3

Verbs, Tenses and Subject-Verb Agreement – Standard 3 English

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What you will learn

  • Tell a verb and its tense.
  • Use can, must, should and may for what is possible, needed or wise.
  • Make the verb agree with the subject.

A verb tells what happens. Pulled, held, is and were are verbs. Tense tells when. Present is now or a habit: she pulls. Past is already done: she pulled. Future uses will: she will pull.

A modal is a helper that changes the meaning. Can means able. Must means have to. Should means it is wise. May means allowed or possible. “You must hold the rope” is stronger than “You may hold the rope.”

The subject and the verb must agree. One person now often takes s: Asha pulls. More than one does not: the children pull. I and you are special: I pull, you pull. They were, not they was.

Tenses

Find the verb before you name the tense. In “Yesterday Asha pulled”, the verb is pulled, so the tense is past, even if another word also hints at time.

Some past forms do not add ed. Go becomes went. See becomes saw. Hold becomes held. Read looks the same in the past but sounds different. These are worth a personal list.

Future: “Tomorrow they will mend the net.” Will is the future helper.

Worked example 1

Name the tense of pulled, pulls and will pull.

Show me how

Pulled is past.

Pulls is present for one person.

Will pull is future.

Modals

Can: “Malik can swim” means he is able. Must: “We must wash our hands” means it is necessary. Should: “We should return the crab” means it is the wise or kind choice. May: “You may start” means you are allowed.

Modals do not need an s. She can swim, not she cans swim. The main verb after a modal stays in its simple form: can swim, not can swims.

Worked example 2

Choose must or may: a safety rule about the wet rope.

Show me how

A safety rule is necessary.

Must is stronger than may.

“You must keep two hands on the wet rope” fits a rule. May would only give permission.

Agreement

Match the verb to the who. The girl is ready. The girls are ready. He was late. They were late. She has a rope. They have a rope.

A phrase in the middle does not change the subject. “The net of silver fish is heavy.” The subject is net, one net, so is. The fish do not take over the verb.

And makes a plural subject: Asha and Malik are ready. Or can stay singular if you mean one: Asha or Malik is the leader, if only one leads.

Watch out! A common mistake

A common mistake is they was, or she have, carried into Standard English writing. Say the subject and the verb as a pair out loud.

Try it

TRY ITVerb lab

Let’s practise

Work each one in your copybook. Open Hint if you are stuck, then open Show answer to check.

1. What does a verb do in a sentence?

Hint

It is the happening.

Show answer

It tells what happens or the state of things.

2. Name the tense: she will pull.

Hint

Look for will.

Show answer

Future.

3. What is the past of go and of see?

Hint

They do not add ed.

Show answer

Went and saw.

4. What does must mean, compared with may?

Hint

Rule or permission.

Show answer

Must means have to. May means allowed or possible.

5. Fix: She can swims.

Hint

What follows a modal?

Show answer

She can swim.

6. Choose is or are: The girls ___ ready.

Hint

Girls is plural.

Show answer

The girls are ready.

7. Choose was or were: They ___ late.

Hint

They is plural.

Show answer

They were late.

8. In “The net of silver fish is heavy”, what is the subject?

Hint

Ignore the phrase in the middle.

Show answer

The net.

Quiz

Lesson quiz: 10 questions

Answer every question, then press Check my answers. Score 8 or more to earn the Verb Keeper badge.

Recap

  • Tense shows when: present, past, future.
  • Can, must, should and may change the force of the verb.
  • After a modal, do not add s to the next verb.
  • Match the verb to the real subject, not to a phrase in the middle.

Words to know

verb
A word that tells what happens.
Example: Pulled is a verb.
tense
The form that shows when something happens.
Example: Past is a tense.
modal
A helper such as can, must, should or may.
Example: Must is a modal in a rule.
agreement
The match between a subject and its verb.
Example: They were shows agreement.

Try it at home

  • List ten verbs from a page and mark them past, present or future.
  • Write four house rules using must or should.
  • Read a paragraph aloud and fix any they was or she have that slipped into Standard English.

Test tips

Tips for class tests

  • Find the verb first, then the subject.
  • Cross out phrases such as of fish before you choose is or are.
  • If you see will, think future. If you see ed, check whether it is really past.

For parents and teachers

After this lesson, your child should be able to:

  • Name the tense of six verbs.
  • Choose can, must or may for three meanings.
  • Fix three agreement slips: they was, she have, the girls is.

Keep a family list of past forms that do not add ed: went, saw, held, took, came. Those cause more slips than regular ed verbs.

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Previous: Nouns and Pronouns
Next: Adjectives, Adverbs and Prepositions
Course: Standard 3 English

Updates

2026/11/06
– Published this lesson and linked the previous and next lessons.
– First draft of this English lesson, with a hands-on lab, practice, quiz badge and worksheet.

Attributions to media used in this post:

No third-party pictures or recordings. The diagrams in the activity are original drawings for this lesson.

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.

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