The inflections (endings) of English verb forms are not difficult to remember. There are only four basic forms. Instead of forming complex tense forms with endings, English uses auxiliary verb forms. English does not even have a proper ending for future forms; instead, we use auxiliaries such as "I am going to read this afternoon." or "I will read." or even "I am reading this book tomorrow." It would be useful, however, to learn these four basic forms of verb construction. Name of verb Base formPast form Present participle Past participleto work I can work.

I work. I worked. I am working. I have worked. to write I can write.

I write. I wrote. I am writing. I have written.