Is there a 'trick' for teaching verb tenses?

[JessReplanted]

My 9 year old does not have a natural grasp on the English language.

(And yes, it's the only language we speak!)

 

We are using R&S grammar and are on 'helping verbs' and 'verb phrases' (called the past participle when I was in school).

 

And the kid is completely stuck. Apart from making him memorize verb tenses (of his own language), I'm not sure what to do. :tongue_smilie:

 

Examples:

 

We saw the bird.

We have _____ the bird.

 

(He will automatically say 'have saw' and then the 2nd guess will be

'have sawed'.)

 

:banghead:

[almondbutterandjelly]

Super Duper Inc. has a Saw/Seen Fun Deck that might be helpful, although it's probably not what you meant. :)

[In the Rain]

My 9 year old does not have a natural grasp on the English language.

(And yes, it's the only language we speak!)

 

I have a kid like that too. :001_huh: Here is what I have done. It is an oral game we used to play in the car, while driving. She was younger, so the concept was more basic. You could adapt it to past participles, as I will probably need to do for her sooner or later. :tongue_smilie:

 

Game: I Already Did That

Mom: I am going to the store

Dd: I already went to the store

Mom: Okay then, I'll swim at the pool

Dd: I swam at the pool yesterday

 

You could have your ds use a verb phrase: I have already been to the store.

 

Yes, it is basically drill and kill. It is oral though, and contains elements of boasting, which amuses that particular dd. ;) When she missed one, I would correct it, and then give her another chance after a few other words.

 

 

We also had to do this for plurals.

 

Mom: I have a goose on my farm

Dd: I have 3 geese on my farm

 

Once again, it presents the opportunity for boasting. :lol:

[KeriJ]

I have a kid like that too. :001_huh: Here is what I have done. It is an oral game we used to play in the car, while driving. She was younger, so the concept was more basic. You could adapt it to past participles, as I will probably need to do for her sooner or later. :tongue_smilie:

 

Game: I Already Did That

Mom: I am going to the store

Dd: I already went to the store

Mom: Okay then, I'll swim at the pool

Dd: I swam at the pool yesterday

 

You could have your ds use a verb phrase: I have already been to the store.

 

Yes, it is basically drill and kill. It is oral though, and contains elements of boasting, which amuses that particular dd. ;) When she missed one, I would correct it, and then give her another chance after a few other words.

 

 

We also had to do this for plurals.

 

Mom: I have a goose on my farm

Dd: I have 3 geese on my farm

 

Once again, it presents the opportunity for boasting. :lol:

 

This is so cute! good idea!

 

Jess, I was wondering the same thing. We must be on the same section of the book. We're just guessing at the answers at this point. Maybe that's just how R&S starts and gives more guidance in other books????

[cloudswinger]

There's a reason he doesn't have a natural grasp on the English language - it's a hodge podge of words taken from different languages with different rules.

 

You're trying to work with irregular verbs. I don't know any other way than to memorize them, since they don't follow any rules. You can make it fun, but it just boils down to constant exposure.

[dieuog]

There's a reason he doesn't have a natural grasp on the English language - it's a hodge podge of words taken from different languages with different rules.

No, it's not. And the English system of irregular (or strong) verbs is one area where you can see that however many loan words we may have, we are speaking a Germanic language. The similarities with other Germanic languages are right there.

 

Is part of the problem that the opening poster's son doesn't naturally use the construction with auxiliary "have" in his everyday speech? I mean, does he always say "I went already", rather than "I've already gone", etc.? If so, I don't think there's a trick to that...

[Colleen in NS]

We are using R&S grammar and are on 'helping verbs' and 'verb phrases' (called the past participle when I was in school).

...

We saw the bird.

We have _____ the bird.

 

(He will automatically say 'have saw' and then the 2nd guess will be

'have sawed'.)

 

With those irregular verbs, I found it's easiest to just have my kids memorize the principle parts. see, saw, (have) seen. I don't remember when, but R&S does emphasize this more as the levels increase. They put charts in the later books. And they tell you that with the third part, you must use "have" or "has." So, if your son encounters that second sentence you wrote above, if he sees "have," he should be able to pull "seen" from his memory or from the principle parts of irregular verbs chart.

 

Doing it this way does help build from "parts to whole", and he will probably start correcting his own speech and writing as he progresses along - as he sees how the puzzle pieces start to fit together.

 

Also, if he sticks with R&S, he will eventually memorize the verb tenses anyway. :)

 

ETA: I corrected something here in post #9

Edited February 16, 2012 by Colleen in NS

[JessReplanted]

With those irregular verbs, I found it's easiest to just have my kids memorize the principle parts. see, saw, (have) seen. I don't remember when, but R&S does emphasize this more as the levels increase. They put charts in the later books. And they tell you that with the third part, you must use "have" or "has." So, if your son encounters that second sentence you wrote above, if he sees "have," he should be able to pull "seen" from his memory or from the principle parts of irregular verbs chart.

 

Doing it this way does help build from "parts to whole", and he will probably start correcting his own speech and writing as he progresses along - as he sees how the puzzle pieces start to fit together.

 

Also, if he sticks with R&S, he will eventually memorize the verb tenses anyway. :)

 

Thank you! I've decided to keep trucking along and try to play some of those verbal conjugating games that a previous poster mentioned.

 

Thanks everybody!

[Colleen in NS]

And they tell you that with the third part, you must use "have" or "has."

 

Ugh. I wrote this incorrectly. It depends on the tense. You can also use "had" with it. I guess my point was that have/has/had must be used with the third principle part. So, in your sample above, if "have" comes right before the blank, "seen" (the third part) goes in the blank.

[Momling]

Do people in your area do the same thing? Maybe it's a regional thing that your son has picked up on... Or does he have other strange grammar issues with his speech?

Would he say "Have you saw the duck?" or "Have you seen the duck?"

 

Maybe he just hasn't picked up on the present perfect... and is still just regularizing everything in past tense. In all honesty, that's probably where English is heading anyway, perhaps you can comfort yourself that he's ahead of his time ;-)

 

You could always drill him orally by having him answer questions:

 

Have you been to Disney Land? No I haven't been there.

Have you seen "Star Wars"? Yes I have seen it.

Have you ever sent an email? Yes, I have sent one.

 

Or tell him to say the opposite of you:

 

I have had three slices of cake. I haven't had three slices of cake.

I have known her since I was a baby. I haven't known her since I was a baby.

I haven't been to Rome. I have been to Rome.

I haven't cleaned my bedroom. I have cleaned my bedroom.

 

Or try exercises like this (just google 'present perfect exercises")

 

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html and then exercises -- http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs5.htm

 

http://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/pdf/elt/catalogue/0-19-436621-9.pdf?cc=cz&selLanguage=en

[mommy5]

Just wanted to say ... we have the same problem with one of our kids. We haven't started "teaching" verbs yet, though, so I was just hoping that it will help ... but I'm not sure, now.

[Mom0012]

My son is the same way. First of all, he's improved on his own with age. Second, he memorized many irregular verbs in Hake Grammar last year and I think that really helped. So, memorizing them isn't a bad idea at all.

 

Lisa