Action verbs tell about action in the present, the past, and the future. Present, past, and future are all time periods. The word tense derives from the word time – therefore a present tense verb tells about action in the present time.
When the subject of a sentence is a single person or thing, the verb used with the subject is a singular verb. Look at these sentence examples with a singular present tense verb:
Bob walks to school.
The bell rings every day at 3:15.
My dog barks at strangers.
The baby cries when it is hungry.
Each of these sentences tells about action happening right now. Notice that verbs used with a singular subject add an –s.
Present tense verbs tell about action happening right now. Use a singular verb when the subject is singular. A singular present tense verb usually ends in an -s.
It’s your turn. Can you figure out which of these two sentences has the present tense singular verb? Mary rode her bike to school yesterday. John walks to school each day. Did you choose the second sentence? Good for you!