Grade 7 English LEADERSHIP – GRAMMAR IN USE:VERBS AND TENSES Notes
GRAMMAR IN USE: VERBS AND TENSES — LEADERSHIP
Subject: English | Topic: Leadership | Age: 12 (Kenya)
What is a verb?
A verb is a doing or being word. Verbs tell what someone does, did or will do. In leadership examples, verbs show actions of leaders and teams.
Example: The headteacher leads the school. (lead = verb)
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Kenyan context example: The school prefect organizes a shop fundraiser for new books. 🏫📚
Present Simple — use for habits, facts and regular actions.
- Leaders listen to others.
- The head girl leads the class.
Time words: always, often, sometimes, every week.
Present Continuous — actions happening now or near future.
- The committee is planning the Harambee now.
- We are choosing new leaders this week.
Time words: now, at the moment, today, this week.
Past Simple — completed actions in the past.
- Last term the pupils elected a new prefect.
- The leader organised a clean-up yesterday.
Time words: yesterday, last week, in 2019.
Past Continuous — an action that was happening at a time in the past.
- While the teacher was speaking, the leader was writing notes.
Often used with: while, when.
Present Perfect — actions that happened in the past and affect the present or give experience.
- The club has raised money for the library.
- We have met the county leaders before.
Time words: since, for, already, yet, never, ever.
Future: will / going to — plans and predictions.
- The team will meet on Friday.
- They are going to campaign tomorrow.
Use "will" for quick decisions and predictions. Use "going to" for plans already decided.
Modal verbs (advice, ability, obligation)
- Leaders should listen to others. (advice)
- You must be honest. (obligation)
- She can speak at the assembly. (ability)
Passive voice (short note)
Use passive to focus on the action or result: The winner was chosen by the pupils. (We focus on "the winner", not who chose.)
Common verb forms (Base — Past — Past Participle)
- lead — led — led
- choose — chose — chosen
- organise/organize — organised — organised
- elect — elected — elected
- plan — planned — planned
- visit — visited — visited
- help — helped — helped
Practice: Fill the blanks
- The head boy ______ (lead) the meeting every Monday. [use present simple]
- We ______ (plan) a cleanup right now. [use present continuous]
- Last year the club ______ (raise) money for uniforms. [use past simple]
- While the teacher ______ (talk), the prefect ______ (write) notes. [use past continuous & past continuous]
- They ______ (meet) the county leaders before. [use present perfect]
- She ______ (should/shouldn't) listen to all suggestions before deciding. [choose modal]
- The winner ______ (choose) by pupils last week. [use passive, past simple]
Try to answer on your own, then check the Answers section below.
Short writing task
Write one sentence about leadership for each tense below (you can copy ideas from Kenya school life):
- Present simple
- Past simple
- Present continuous
- Present perfect
- Future (going to or will)
Example answers are below if you need help.
Answers (examples)
Practice answers:
- The head boy leads the meeting every Monday.
- We are planning a cleanup right now.
- Last year the club raised money for uniforms.
- While the teacher was talking, the prefect was writing notes.
- They have met the county leaders before.
- She should listen to all suggestions before deciding. (or She shouldn't ignore suggestions.)
- The winner was chosen by pupils last week.
- Present simple: A good leader helps others in the class.
- Past simple: The students elected a new committee last term.
- Present continuous: The prefect is organising a library drive this week.
- Present perfect: We have collected books for the school library.
- Future: The team will present their plan on Friday. / The team is going to present their plan tomorrow.
Tips for learners
- Look for time words (yesterday, now, since) to choose the correct tense.
- Use present simple for facts and habits, present continuous for actions happening now.
- Use past simple for finished events and present perfect for actions with a present result.
- Practice by writing short sentences about your school leaders and community activities.
Good luck! Practise often and try to use these tenses when you talk about leadership at school and in your community.