VERB FORMS AND TENSES

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COMBINED ARMS AND SERVICES STAFF SCHOOL

FORT LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS 66027-1352
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This programmed learning material will teach you some of the basic concepts regarding verb forms
and tense. Most frames require a response; the correct answer is in a box at the beginning of the next
frame.

In English verbs have three main forms or principal parts. We mention a fourth form in frame 24 of
this instruction, but we will concentrate on the three main forms.

English verbs have three _____________ or _____________.

FRAME 16 no response

The present tense uses the present form of the verb. We will use the verb work as an example. The
present form is work. Sometimes the present form has an s at the end. Note the examples.

They work in the mine.

He works in the mine.

The present tense uses the ________ form of the verb.

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FRAME 2 forms principal parts

The three principal parts of a verb are present, past, and past participle.

The present form of the verb is the common form of the verb; another name for it is the infinitive
form.

Another name for the infinitive form of a verb is ________________ form.

FRAME 17 present

We use the present tense:

• to show action that is presently happening.

• to describe a situation that is presently true.
• to make a statement of generalization.

Examples of each follow.

(1) I write for the newspaper.

(2) Henry is sick.
(3) Fresh apples taste good.

In the item that follows, how is the present tense used?

Kelly does good work. ___________________

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FRAME 3 present

The infinitive form of a verb is the form used with the infinitive, to. Examples: to know, to believe,
to study, to grow, to talk.

Name the three principal parts of a verb.

1. __________________________

2. __________________________

3. __________________________

FRAME 18 statement
of
generalization

The past tense uses the past form of the verb. Past tense refers to action completed in the past. We
will use the regular verb, talk, as an example. The past form: talked.

Example: The captain talked to the secretary. The example shows action already completed.

Identify the tense of each of the sentences below.

1. Henry believed everything his boss told him. __________________

2. Joyce knows how to fix the machine. ________________________

3. Betty was ready when I arrived. ____________________________

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FRAME 4 1. present (or infinitive) 2. past 3. past participle

All verbs have three forms: present, past, and past participle. We will use the verb work as an
example. The forms, or principal parts, of the verb are the following:

present ......................... work (or works)

past ......................... worked
past participle ............. worked

Since the verb work (or works) is a regular verb, you can make both the past and past participle
forms by adding ed. This is true for all regular verbs. Write the forms of the regular verb talk in the
table below.

present ____________________

past _______________________

past participle _______________

FRAME 19 1. past 2. present 3. past

The other simple tense is the future tense. It refers to action that will occur in the future. To form
the future tense, use the present form of the verb and a helping verb—either will or shall.

Example: The colonel will promote them on Tuesday.

Identify the tense of each sentence below.

1. Harry worked at the factory. ______________________

2. He will return before 1600. _______________________

3. John will prepare all of the ingredients. ______________

FRAME 5 present—talk past—talked past participle—talked

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 Regular verbs are verbs that add ed to make the past and past participle forms. This can serve as a
test as to whether a verb is regular or irregular. If you can add ed to make the past and past participle
forms, then the verb is regular. Underline the regular verbs in the following group of words.

1. move

2. think

3. grow

4. believe

5. turn

6. erase

7. know

FRAME 20 1. past 2. future 3. future

Let’s review. There are three simple tenses: present, past, and future. The past tense uses the past
form of the verb. Both present and future tenses use the present form of the verb.

Next, we will consider the three perfect tenses: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. All
the perfect tenses use the past participle form of the verb. All the perfect tenses require one or more
helping verbs.

The perfect tenses use the ______________________ form of the verb.

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FRAME 6 1. move 4. believe 5. turn 6. erase

Irregular verbs change in several different ways to make the past and past participle forms. For a
small number of verbs such as burst and hit, all three principal parts are the same. Sometimes the past
and past participle forms are the same; some verbs change their internal spelling to make past and past
participle forms. Because the principal parts form in varying ways, we use the word irregular to describe
such verbs. A verb is irregular when its past participle forms do not end with ed.

We classify verbs according to the way it changes to make the past and past participle forms. The
two categories are ________________ and _________________ verbs.

FRAME 21 past participle

The present perfect tense refers to action recently completed. We use helping verbs, has or have, to
make the present perfect tense. Examples:

I have written to my mother.

John has finished the last course.

Identify the tense of each of the following sentences:

1. They sing in the choir. ___________________

2. Edward will see the picture next week. _________________

3. Hal has seen all of the equipment. ______________________

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FRAME 7 regular irregular

Here is a pattern, or system, to follow that will determine the three principal parts of a verb. Select a
verb such as the verb, fly. Insert the correct form in each of the three blanks. Today they fly. Yesterday
they flew, etc. This system works on both regular and irregular verbs.

Present form—Today they ______________________.

Past form—Yesterday they ______________________.

Past participle form—They have _________________ for a long time.

(NOTE: The word have is a helping verb.)

When we fit the verb know into the pattern, we find that the principal parts are know, knew, known.

What are the principal parts of the verb, see?

Present: __________________

Past: __________________

Past participle: __________________

FRAME 22 1. present 2. future 3. present perfect

The past perfect tense, like all the perfect tenses, uses the past participle form of the verb. Use the
helping verb, had, to form the past perfect tense. The past perfect tense shows action completed in the
past before some other action or event occurred.

Examples:

I had broken all the eggs before the cook arrived.

We had pushed the wall into place before it became a hazard.

Identify the tense of each of the following sentences.

1. He has painted the steps and deck. ____________________

2. She painted the trim around the windows. ___________________

3. Bob had painted the overhang before he left. _______________________

FRAME 8 present—see past—saw past participle—seen

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 Let’s practice on a few common irregular verbs. The table below shows the present form; use the
pattern to determine the past and past participle forms. Complete the table.

Present Past Past Participle

1. speak _______________ _______________________

2. eat _______________ _______________________

3. go _______________ _______________________

4. lose _______________ _______________________

5. drink _______________ _______________________

6. give _______________ _______________________

7. are _______________ _______________________

8. do _______________ _______________________

9. dive _______________ _______________________

FRAME 23 1. present perfect 2. past 3. past perfect

The future perfect tense uses two helping verbs, will and have (or shall and have), along with the past
participle form of the verb. It refers to action completed at some future time.

Example: By Tuesday I will have finished all the exercises.

Identify the tense of each of the following sentences.

1. She had worked in the bakery before being fired. ___________________

2. They worry all the time. _____________________

3. Ken will have completed the task by next week. ________________

FRAME 9 Present Past Past Participle

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 1. speak 1. spoke spoken
2. eat 2. ate eaten
3. go 3. went gone
4. lose 4. lost lost
5. drink 5. drank drunk
6. give 6. gave given
7. are 7. were been
8. do 8. did done
9. dive 9. dived (or dove) dived

Note that the past and past participle forms of lose are the same. Note that dive is either a regular or
an irregular verb.

FRAME 24 1. past perfect 2. present 3. future perfect

At this point we have learned that verbs have three principal parts used in the six tenses. Sometimes
the present form ends in s or es. This is important when studying about agreement of subject and verb.
At this time note that you can add ing to the present form of the verb. The ing form is the present
participle. (This is the fourth part mentioned in frame 1.) Although used in other ways, you can use it to
construct sentences in the present tense.

Examples:

He is talking.
I am thinking about it.
You are considering the offer.

The present participle form of a verb ends in _____________.

FRAME 10 no response

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 Let’s review what we have learned. There are three different forms, or principal parts, of a verb.
The names of the principal parts are present (or infinitive), past, and past participle. We classify verbs
according to the formation of principal parts. If the past and past participle is formed by adding ed, the
verb is a regular verb; all other verbs are irregular verbs.

Classify these verbs as regular or irregular; the left column shows present form.

Present form of verb Classification

1. break _______________

2. think _______________

3. believe _______________

4. worry _______________

5. swim _______________

6. weigh _______________

FRAME 25 ing

If you apply what you have learned, you will be able to avoid errors in tense. Let’s look at some
examples. Example of an error: He drawed a picture of the thief. This is an error because draw is an
irregular verb with principal parts of draw, drew, drawn. The sentence is in past tense; it should use the
past form which is drew. The example corrected: He drew a picture of the thief. Here is another
example of an error: She knowed all the answers. Write the sentence correctly.

________________________________________________________

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FRAME 11 Classification
1. irregular
2. irregular
3. regular
4. regular
5. irregular
6. regular

In the next few frames we will review some problem verbs. One such verb is pay; the principal parts
are pay, paid, paid. It sounds like it is a regular verb, but it is not since the spelling is paid rather than
payed.

FRAME 26 She knew all the answers.

Here is another example of an error. Ben had drove the car into the ditch. This is an error because
drove is the past form of the verb; the past form does not require a helping verb. Use helping verbs with
the past participle forms. Correct the error by removing the helping verb: Ben drove the car into the
ditch.

Correct the following sentence.

I have saw many unusual things.

FRAME 12 no response

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 Set and sit are a pair of problem verbs. Set means to put or place. The principal parts are set, set,
and set. Examples: They set the table. Yesterday she set the table. They have set the table many times.

Sit refers to resting or being seated. The principal parts are sit, sat, and sat. Examples: They sit in
their places. Yesterday, they sat at their places. They have sat in their places.

1. If you intend that the meaning is to put or to place, then use the verb _____________.

2. If you intend that the meaning is to refer to resting or being seated, then use the verb
_______.

FRAME 27 I have seen many unusual things. or: I saw many unusual things.

Another kind of error is a shift in tense. Example: Because he likes pizza, Joe ate at John’s Pizza
House. In the first part of the sentence the verb likes is in the present tense; the other verb, ate, is in the
past tense. Avoid such shifts in tense. Here is a correct version: Because he liked pizza, Joe ate at
John’s Pizza House.

Correct this sentence.

John walked in the house and speaks to his wife.

FRAME 13 1. set 2. sit

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 Lie and lay are another pair of problem verbs. Lay means to set, put, or place. The principal parts
are lay, laid, and laid. Examples: They lay the books in place. They laid the books in place. They have
laid the books in place.

Lie means to rest or recline. The principal parts are lie, lay, and lain. Examples: They lie on the
beach. Yesterday, they lay on the beach. They have lain on the beach all afternoon.

1. If you intend that the meaning is to rest or recline, then use the verb ____________.

2. If you intend that the meaning is to put or place, then use the verb _____________.

FRAME 28 John walked in the house and spoke to his wife; or:
John walks in the house and speaks to his wife.

Frame 29 will be a short test of some of the things you have learned. First, let’s review several
important points.

1. Regular verbs are verbs that make their past and past participle forms by adding ed.

2. Irregular verbs make their past and past participle forms in an irregular way according to no
particular rule.

3. Past participle forms always require the use of one or more helping verbs.

FRAME 14 1. lie 2. lay

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 The reason for learning about the principal parts of verbs is that one should know about principal
parts before learning about tense. When you have mastered both topics, you will be able to avoid errors
related to verb forms or tense.

There are six tenses. Of the six tenses, three are simple tenses and three are perfect tenses.

There are six tenses; three of the tenses are __________ tenses and three are __________ tenses.

FRAME 29 no response

TEST

Complete the table (questions 1 to 4)

Present Past Past Participle

1. demand ____________ ____________

2. _________ threw ____________

3. fly ____________ ____________

4. _________ ____________ done

5. Sharon (broke, has broke) the vase.

6. Paul (speak, spoke) to the crew.

Identify the following as regular or irregular verbs.

7. begin ___________

8. resign ___________

9. move ___________

10. see _____________

FRAME 15 simple
perfect

Here are the names of the six tenses.

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 simple present
tenses past
future

perfect present perfect

tenses past perfect
future perfect

(GO TO FRAME 16 ON PAGE 1)

FRAME 30 Present Past Past Participle

1. demand demanded demanded

2. throw threw thrown
3. fly flew flown
4. do did done
5. broke
6. spoke
7. irregular
8. regular
9. regular
10. irregular

(INSTRUCTION COMPLETED)

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