 The Four Principal Parts of the Verb

The four principal parts of the verb are the base form, the present participle, the
past, and the past participle.

Base form Present Participle Past Past Participle

walk (is) walking walked (have) walked
swim (is) swimming swam (have) swum

 Regular and Irregular Verbs

Remember that the past and past participle of regular verbs are both with –d or
–ed.

The past and participle of irregular verbs are changed according to the charts
which are provided in the book.

Irregular verbs can be used in four different ways:

The verbs change completely in all their forms

Base form Past Past Participle

drink drank (have) drunk

The verbs change but stay the same for both the past and past participle

Base form Past Past Participle

teach taught (have) taught

The verbs change for the past form but return to the base form in the past
participle.

Base form Past Past Participle

become became (have) become

The verbs stay the same in all the forms

Base form Past Past Participle

put put (have) put
Verb tenses
Regular tenses
Present tense- is the same as the base form of the verb, except for third person
singular, which adds –s or –es.
Examples: I stay
She, he, it stays

It expresses a constant, repeated, or habitual action or condition. It can also express

a general truth.

Past tense-if the verb is regular, add –ed, but if it is irregular, the word changes
Examples: The coach praised the runner.
The track meet went well

It expresses an action or condition that was started and completed in the past.

Future tense-add the helping verb will to the base form of the verb
Examples: Robby will order the supplies.
I will pack the bags.
It expresses an action or a condition that will occur in the future.

Perfect tenses
Present perfect-use has or have + past participle of a verb
Example: The clock has stopped.
They have brought the new couch.

It expresses an action or condition that occurred at some indefinite time in the past,
or an action or condition that began in the past and is still happening.
Example: Chandra has completed her project.
The mall has displayed our artwork for two weeks.
Past Perfect-use had + past participle of a verb
Examples: Patricia dedicated her play to the drama teacher who had encouraged
her long ago.
The meat loaf had dried to shoe leather by the time I remembered to
check it.

It indicates that one past action or condition began and ended before another past
action or condition started.

Future Perfect-use will have + past participle of a verb

Examples: By September, I will have saved fifty dollars.
Before her baby is born, I will have made a quilt for the child’s crib.

It expresses one future action or condition that will begin and end before another
future event starts.

Progressive Forms-express a continuing action

Present Progressive-use is or are + present participle or –ing form
Examples: They are traveling.
He is playing.

Past Progressive-use was or were + present participle or –ing form

Examples: She was climbing.
They were studying.

Future Progressive-use will be + present participle or –ing form

Examples: We will be reading.
He will be writing.

Present Perfect Progressive-use has or have + been + present participle or –ing

form
Examples: He has been crying.
They have been jumping.

Past Perfect Progressive-use had + been + present participle or –ing form

Examples: She had been singing.
You had been dancing.
Future Perfect Progressive-use will + have + been + present participle or –ing
form
Examples: He will have been discovering.
They will have been playing.

 Modal verbs

Modal verbs are also called auxiliary verbs, helping verbs and modal auxiliaries.
Modal verbs are not complete verbs, and they can only be used with a verb.

The usage of modal verbs:

The following modal verbs are used to with the present tense: (can, will, shall, ought to,
must, need, may)

Example: Rebeca can eat a lot of pretzels at home.

The following modal verbs are used in the past tense: (would, should, could, might)

Example: Rebeca might have jumped from the roof to the tree.

Prediction – (Will and Shall)

Will and shall can be used to state predict that an event or an action will take place or will
occur.

Example: Rebeca will be happy to see you.

Requests - Offers - Suggestions – (Can, Could, May, Shall)

Example: May I help you with the assignment?

Permission – (Can, Could, May, Might)

Example: Yes, you may.

Certainty - Possibility – (Can, Might, may, Could, Shall)

 Example: Do you think it might rain tomorrow night?

Ability - Inability – (Can, Could, Able to)

Example: My father hopes that we will be able to go to the movies.

 Active and Passive Voice

A verb in the active voice expresses an action done by its subject. In other words,
the subject does the action of the verb directly.

Example:

Someone broke the shop window last night. (The subject Someone is doing the
action of the verb broke)

A verb in the passive voice expresses an action done to its subject. In other
words, the subject does not do the action of the verb; it receives the action. When
it comes to writing, passive voice verbs should be avoided.

Example:

The shop window was broken by someone last night. (The subject in this sentence
is window, but it is not doing the action of the verb was broken)

SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT

In order for a sentence to deliver a message effectively, its parts have to agree one with
the other. A sentence, in order to have subject and verb agreement, needs to follow
these rules:

1. When a subject is singular, the verb needs to be singular. If a subject is plural,

the verb needs to be plural. In the present tense, nouns add an -s or –es to the end to
become plural, while verbs subtract an –s from the end to become plural.

Example: Singular noun = student, singular verb = writes;

Plural noun = students, plural verb = write.
 2. The following pronouns are always singular: each, either, neither, everybody,
one, everyone, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, another, anything,
nobody, no one, and nothing.

Example: Everyone wants a copy of the video. (Everybody is singular, so the verb is
singular.) s v

3. The pronouns both, many, several, few, and others are plural and take a plural
verb.

Example: Both of the girls eat from the same order. (Both the subject and the verb
are plural.)

4. The pronouns some, all, any, none, more, and most may be either singular or
plural depending on the prepositional phrase that follows them.

Example: None of the written document was mailed. (None and was are singular.)
s v
None of the cardboard containers were shipped. (None and were are plural.)
s v

5. A prepositional phrase that comes between a subject and a verb does not
affect the verb.

Example: Advance Chemistry courses at Universidad del Turabo cause the

students stress. s v

(Both subject and verb are plural.)

6. When two subjects are connected by either. …or, or neither…nor, the subject
that is closer to the verb determines whether the verb is singular or plural.

Example: Neither the professor nor the students were late yesterday. (Students and
were are plural.) s v

Neither the students nor the professor was late yesterday. (Professor and
the verb are singular) s v
 7. When a sentence begins with there is / here is or there are / here are, there or
here is never the subject. The subject is always after the verb.

Example: There is a tree in the garden.

There are many trees in the garden.

8. Collective nouns are usually singular when regarded as a unit.

Examples: My family lives in Caguas.

Our team has won every game this year.

(Sometimes when the members are seen as functioning independently, these

collective nouns may be plural).

Examples: My family have a lot of money. (members of my family)

Our team are working hard to win every game they play. (team members)

Some collective nouns in this group are: family, team, crew, class, government,
committee

Select the option that best answers the premise.

1. Everyone who __________ this area must wear a protective suit at every time.
A) enters
B) enter
C) entered
D) will enter

2. One of several reasons for accepting this employment __________ the salary.
A) am
B) be
C) is
D) were

3. Susan ____________downtown yesterday.

A) walks
B) will walk
 C) walked
D) has walked

4. ________of the applicants was asked to bring a resume to the interview.

A) Several
B) All
C) Each
D) Both

5. Lady Gaga, according to the magazines, __________ to be left alone.

A) wish
B) wishes
C) wishing
D) have wished

6. None of these paintings __________ restoration in the near future.

A) had required
B) require
C) required
D) requires
7. Tom __________ video games while I was studying.
A) will play
B) was playing
C) were playing
D) have played

8. The authors __________ most of the chapters for their new book on physics.
A) is outlining
B) am outlining
C) will be outlining
D) has outlined

9. Did you ___________your homework last night?

A) do
B) did
C) does
D) done

10. _______________of the taxis run very fast in New York City.
A) Neither
B) One
C) All
 D) Everyone

11. The orchestra __________ the new composition at the auditorium every day.
A) was playing
B) played
C) plays
D) playing

12. There __________ probably only three people on our staff that have not taken
the computer course.
A) is
B) are
C) am
D) be

13. Either Mr. Roque or Mr. Murray __________ going to give the class.
A) were
B) am
C) is
D) be

14. With the money saved, the whole family _____________on the trip next year.
A) went
B) has gone
C) am going
D) will go

15. The action movie had _____________from the top ten by the tenth week.
A) falls
B) fell
C) fallen
D) fall

16. Some of the students __________ clothes to the homeless.

A) sends
B) send
C) was sending
D) is sending

17. Young adults __________ able to relate to poets who represent their own culture.
A) am
 B) is
C) are
D) was

18. There __________ a new movie that I want to buy now.

A) am
B) is
C) are
D) was

19. The package _____________ by the delivery employee when it was delivered.
A) break
B) broke
C) was broken
D) were broken

19. Neither of the children __________ given his consent to rearrange the room.
A) have
B) has
C) is
D) were

20. ___________of the books are available to buy.

A)Each
B) None
C) One
D) Either

21. Few new books __________ on contemporary issues.

A) focus
B) focuses
C) has focused
D) focusing

22. By September, Mrs. Pagán __________ around 350 forms.

A) will have processed
B) has processed
C) processed
D) have processed

23. My friends __________ to New York on several occasions during the past years.
A) are going
 B) is going
C) have gone
D) has gone

24. _____________employee in the company is covered by the pension plan.

A) Each
B) All
C) Some
D) Both

25. Ricardo does not stop ______________ when the game gets tough.
A) play
B) plays
C) playing
D) to playing