Verb Tenses 4:Grammar Basics

Conjugation

A complete list of the singular and plural forms of a verb in a particular tense.

Key Concept R. Verb

A regular verb is one for which the past and past participle are formed by adding -ed or -d to the present form.

Sequence of Tenses

A sentence with more than one verb must be consistent in its time sequence.

Key Concept Verb Tenses

A tense is the form of a verb that shows the time of an action or condition.

Key Concept Tenses

A verb has four principal parts: the present, the present participle, the past, and the past participle.

Uses of the Past Perfect

Action completed before another past action Perhaps the nomadic hunters had drawn on the ground before they drew on the cave walls Condition completed before another past condition Rhoda had been a photographer until she became ill.

Uses of the Present Perfect 2

Action continuing to the present The baby has slept all afternoon. Condition continuing to the present The beach has been crowded this week.

Irregular Verbs

Although most verbs are regular, many of the most common verbs are irregular.

Key Concept I. Verb

An irregular verb is one whose past and past participle are not formed by adding -ed or -d to the present form. Irregular verbs can be grouped according to common characteristics. It is important to master the principal parts of irregular verbs to avoid usage problems.

Uses of the Present Emphatic 2

Asking a question Do you guide people to the pyramids? Making a sentence negative She does not have our blessing.

Which sentence has the correct sequence of tenses?

Before it became a federal prison, Alcatraz Island had served as the site of a military prison.

Verb Tenses

Besides expressing actions or conditions, verbs have different tenses to indicate when the action or condition occurred.

Uses of the Past

Completed action The new recreation center opened. Completed condition There was a flood in Yosemite Park.

Uses of the Present Perfect 1

Completed action (indefinite time) I have seen an improvement in Grandfather's health. Completed condition (indefinite time) I have been happy here.

Uses of the Present Emphatic 1

Emphasizing a statement I do intend to meet her at the airport. Denying a contrary assertion No, he does not have the answer.

Participles and Infinitives

Frequently, the form of a participle or infinitive determines whether the events are simultaneous or sequential. Participles can be present, past, or perfect. Infinitives can be present or perfect. To show simultaneous events, you will generally need to use the present participle or infinitive, whether the main verb is present, past, or future.

Uses of the Progressive FormsThat Express Future Time

Future progressive Continuing future action Rita will be studying all weekend. Future perfect progressive Continuing future action completed before another Sharon will have been preparing for ten years before she embarks on her trip around the world.

Which sentence correctly uses the past perfect tense?

He had dreamed about the Great Wall of China long before he visited it.

In which sentence is the verb correctly conjugated?

He wants answers to the mysteries of Stonehenge.

Present 1

I am / we are you are / you are he, she, it is / they are

Present progressive

I am drawing right now.

Which sentence has the correct sequence of tenses?

I am reading about the Washington Monument because I hope to visit it.

Present progressive 2

I am welding.

Present emphatic

I do weld.

Past perfect progressive

I had been drawing apples until the art teacher suggested that I draw boats.

Past perfect

I had visited my grandmother on weekends until this past month.

Present perfect progressive

I have been drawing more than usual lately.

Present perfect

I have visited the children at the hospital for almost a year now.

Present

I visit the Statue of Liberty.

Past

I visited Ellis Island last Sunday.

Past 1

I was / we were you were / you were he, she, it was / they were

Past progressive

I was drawing when you called.

Which underlined verb is in the past progressive tense?

I was watching a TV program about the Statue of Liberty last night.

Present 2

I weld.

Future 1

I will be / we will be you will be / you will be he, she, it will be / they will be

Future progressive

I will be drawing all weekend.

Future perfect progressive

I will have been drawing in my spare time for two years by the end of this month.

Future perfect

I will have visited my aunt once a weekfor a year by the end of may

Future

I will visit the Washington Monument next week.

Uses of the Past Emphatic

I will walk. (future) I will have walked. (future perfect) I will be walking. (future progressive) I will have been walking. (future perfect progressive)

Past action expressed in historical present

In the late 1800s, thousands of immigrants pass through Ellis Island before starting their lives anew in the U.S.

Verbs in Subordinate Clauses

It is frequently necessary to look at the tense of the main verb in a sentence before deciding the tense of the verb in the subordinate clause.

In which sentence is the underlined verb used correctly?

Last week Emma forgot her sister's birthday.

Uses of the Present Progressive

Long continuing action I am working at the visitors' center this summer. Short continuing action I am watering the plants. Continuing condition Julio is being very helpful.

Problems With Irregular Verbs

One common problem is using a principal part that is nonstandard. Incorrect They knowed about the Jefferson Memorial. Correct They knew about the Jefferson Memorial. A second problem is confusing the past and past participle when they are different. Incorrect She done the right thing. Correct She did the right thing.

Forms Expressing Past Time 1

Past / I paddled. Present perfect / I have paddled. Past perfect / I had paddled.

Forms Expressing Past Time 2

Past progressive / I was paddling. Present perfect progressive / I have been paddling. Past perfect progressive / Past perfect progressive Past emphatic / I did paddle.

Verb Conjugation

Singular verb forms correspond to singular personal pronouns and plural forms correspond to plural personal pronouns.

Find the sentence that expresses past time with a past perfect progressive form of a verb.

The Mayas had been thriving for many centuries before the arrival of Europeans.

Note About Expressing Future Time With the Present Tense

The basic form of the present and the present progressive are often used with other words to express future time. Examples That family is leaving next month for Hawaii. The new store opens next weekend.

Past condition expressed in historical present

The exodus of middle-class people from the cities in the 1960s is one of the factors in the decline of urban areas.

Key Concept Tenses 1

The first principal part is used for the basic forms of the present and future tenses, as well as the emphatic forms. The present tense is formed by adding an -s or -es when the subject is he, she, it, or a singular noun. The future tense is formed with the helping verb will (I will talk, Mary will draw).

Key Concept

The four forms that express future time show future actions or conditions. I will walk. (future) I will have walked. (future perfect) I will be walking. (future progressive) I will have been walking. (future perfect progressive)

Key Concept Tenses 2

The present emphatic is formed with the helping verbs do or does (I do talk, Mary does draw). The past emphatic is formed with the helping verb did (I did talk, Mary did draw). The second principal part is used with various helping verbs for all six of the progressive forms (I am talking, Mary was drawing, and so on).

Note About Be

The present participle of be is being. The past participle is been. The present and the past depend on the subject and tense of the verb.

Key Concept

The tense of a verb in a subordinate clause should follow logically from the tense of the main verb. Example George Washington had been dead for nearly sixty years when Theodore Roosevelt was born.

Key Concept Tenses 3

The third principal part is used to form the past tense (I talked, Mary drew). The fourth principal part, with helping verbs, is used for the basic forms of the perfect tenses (I have talked, Mary had drawn, and so on).

Key Concept Uses of Tense in Present Time

The three forms of the present tense show present actions or conditions as well as various continuing actions or conditions.

Modifiers That Help Clarify Tense

The time expressed by a verb can often be clarified by adverbs such as always or frequently and phrases such as last week or now and then.

Regular Verbs

The way the past and past participle of a verb are formed determines whether the verb is classified as regular or irregular. The majority of verbs are regular; their past and past participles are formed according to a predictable pattern.

The Six Verb Tenses

There are six tenses that indicate when an action or a condition of a verb is, was, or will be in effect. Each of these six tenses has at least two forms.

Key Concept

Use modifiers when they can help clarify tense. Examples We read about great monuments every weekend. My brother practices singing once a week.

In which sentence is the underlined verb irregular?

We brought a picnic lunch when we toured the monuments in Washington, D.C.

Key Concept

When showing a sequence of events, do not shift tenses unnecessarily. It is, however, sometimes necessary to shift tenses, especially when a sentence is complex or compound-complex. The tense of the main verb often determines the tense of the subordinate verb. Moreover, the form of a participle or infinitive often depends on the tense of the main verb in the sentence.

Despite the grove owners' hard work, the orange crop had _____ overnight. Which verb should be used with the helping verb had in the sentence?

frozen

I will have run a mile by the time you return from the Lincoln Memorial. What is the verb form in the sentence?

future perfect

Before Dex decided to visit the Washington Monument, he _____ to visit other monuments. Which verb phrase correctly completes the sentence?

had been planning

In the 1800s, many immigrants pass through Ellis Island to start new lives in the United States. In which form is the underlined verb in the sentence?

historical present

In this passage from "B. Wordsworth" by V.S. Naipaul, which highlighted verb is an irregular verb?

kept

They had visited the pyramids in the Valley of the Kings. Identify the tense of the underlined verb in the sentence.

past perfect

Many people visit the Washington Monument each year. Identify the principal part used to form the underlined verb in the sentence.

present

I do talk to my grandmother about her arrival at Ellis Island.

present emphatic

Immediately after I played tennis with Mara yesterday, I _____ exhausted. Which verb or verb phrase completes the sentence without shifting tenses unnecessarily?

was

In this excerpt from "An Arundel Tomb" by Philip Larkin, which of the highlighted verbs is in the future tense?

will survive