Language and Grammar: Describe an Event

Quiz Your Partner With a partner, take turns asking questions and giving answers about events pictured in the selection. Use past tense verbs when you describe what happened in the picture or at the event.

Why did the people march instead of fight?

Dr. King convinced them that peaceful protests were better than violent ones.

Writing and Grammar: Write About the Past

Study the Models When you write about an event that already happened, be consistent and clear about when the events took place. Otherwise, you may confuse your readers.

Not Ok

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a great man. He believed in peace instead of war. He has the courage to stand up for equal rights. He walked and talks with Americans all over the country. People listen to Martin’s words.

The reader thinks: “Is the writer describing Dr. King today or in the past? This is confusing.”

Ok

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a great man. He believed in peace instead of war. He had the courage to stand up for equal rights. He walked and talked with Americans all over the country. People listened to Martin’s words.

The reader thinks: “Now I can understand when the events happened.”

Add Sentences Think of two more sentences to add to the OK paragraph. Be sure to describe past events consistently.

Illustration of the pen icon WRITE ON YOUR OWN Describe an event that you heard or saw on the news recently. Use sentences that make it clear that the event happened in the past. Don’t switch back and forth from the past to the present.

REMEMBER

Most verbs add -ed to make their past tense forms. The irregular verbs be and have use special forms to show the past tense.

Past Tense of beI wasyou werehe, she, or it waswe werethey were
Past Tense of haveI hadyou hadhe, she, or it hadwe hadthey had