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Nia's Houseboat Letter: Past, Present and Future Verbs worksheet preview

Worksheet

Nia's Houseboat Letter: Past, Present and Future Verbs

Grade 3 verb tense practice with a friendly letter from a houseboat: find, form and use simple past, present and future verbs.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.3.1.e

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What’s included

  • Single worksheet
  • Auto-graded online
  • 1 Common Core standard
  • Printable answer key
  • 9 questions
  • Classroom-ready

Details

Format
Interactive · Printable
Grade
Grade 3
Subject
ELA
Question types
Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

  • Students identify simple past, present and future verbs in a letter.
  • Students form the simple past, present and future tense of regular verbs.
  • Students choose the verb tense that matches a time clue.

How to use

Read the letter aloud and have students point to the time clues, such as last Saturday, every morning and tomorrow, before they answer the questions.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.3.1.e

Form and use the simple verb tenses, such as I walked, I walk, and I will walk.

Preview

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Name Date

Nia's Houseboat Letter: Past, Present and Future Verbs

Read a friendly letter and form the simple verb tenses.

Read the letter

Nia is staying on a houseboat. Read the letter she wrote to her grandpa.

A Letter from the Houseboat

1Dear Grandpa Joe,
Last Saturday, Mom and I arrived at Aunt Lucia's houseboat. It floats on a wide, slow river. When I stepped onto the deck, the whole boat rocked a little, and I grabbed the rail. Aunt Lucia laughed and helped me carry my bag inside.

2Life on a houseboat is different from life in our apartment. Every morning, I wake up to the sound of water against the sides. The kitchen is tiny, so Aunt Lucia cooks one big pot of oatmeal for all of us. After breakfast, I sweep the deck, and Mom checks the ropes that tie the boat to the dock.

3Yesterday, a heron landed at the edge of the dock. It stood on one leg and stared into the water for a long time. Suddenly, it dipped its long beak into the water and snatched a tiny fish. Then it flapped away over the river. I clapped so hard that Mom jumped!

4Tomorrow, we will paddle a canoe to the little island across the river. Aunt Lucia will pack sandwiches, and I will look for turtles on the logs. Next Sunday, I will tell you all about it when I visit you.
Love,
Nia

Find the tense

A verb's tense tells when an action happens: in the past, in the present, or in the future.

1.
Read this sentence from paragraph 1. Highlight the three verbs that tell about the past.

WhenIsteppedontothedeck,thewholeboatrockedalittle,andIgrabbedtherail.

2.
These verbs are from Nia's letter. Sort each verb by its tense.
will packlandedcooksfloatssnatchedwill lookchecksclappedwill paddle
PastPresentFuture
3.
Why does Nia use the present-tense verb cooks in paragraph 2?
  • A. It tells about something that happened last Saturday.
  • B. It tells about something that happens every morning.
  • C. It tells about something that will happen next Sunday.
  • D. It tells about something that happened yesterday.
4.
Read paragraph 4. Which words show that the canoe trip has not happened yet?
  • A. the little island
  • B. across the river
  • C. a canoe
  • D. will paddle

Form and use the tenses

Use time clues such as yesterday, every day and tomorrow to choose the tense.

5.
Nia's cousin wrote this sentence. One verb does not match the time clue. Circle the verb that is in the wrong tense.

Lastnight,Momcheckstheropesonthedock.

6.
Write the missing form of each verb. For the past and present tenses, write one word. For the future tense, write will and the verb.

1. Past: Nia rowed. Present: Nia rows. Future: Nia  .
2. Past: The frog  . Present: The frog hops. Future: The frog will hop.
3. Past: Mom dried the towels. Present: Mom   the towels. Future: Mom will dry the towels.
4. Past: Aunt Lucia  . Present: Aunt Lucia waves. Future: Aunt Lucia will wave.

7.
Which verb correctly completes the sentence?
Next summer, Grandpa Joe ____ the houseboat with us.
  • A. will visited
  • B. visited
  • C. will visit
  • D. visiting
8.
Read Nia's P.S. Write each verb in parentheses in the tense that matches its time clue. Write one word for the past and present tenses. Use will for the future tense.

P.S. Last night, I   (spot) a turtle on a log near the dock. Right now, it   (look) very sleepy in the sun. Tomorrow, I   (count) all the turtles on the logs.

9.
Write a short note from Grandpa Joe back to Nia. Write three sentences: one in the past tense, one in the present tense and one in the future tense.

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