TOEIC Grammar Guide - Verb Tense. Verb Tense

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1 TOEIC Grammar Guide - Verb Verb Introduction Every sentence has a subject and a main verb. Verbs describe what the subject is doing. To be able to show exactly what the subject does at any time, verbs have different forms and tenses. In order to speak and write English correctly, you must learn the various verb forms and tenses. Learning Hint: To use verbs accurately, learn the standard verb forms and tenses. Memorize common irregular verb forms that do not follow standard forms. Verb Forms Verbs have five forms: Form Verb Example Irregular Verb Example Infinitive walk run Past tense walked ran Past participle walked run Present participle walking running -s or -es form walks runs The only verb with more than 5 forms is be Form Verb Infinitive be Past tense was (for I / he / she / it); were (for we / you / they) Past participle be, been Present participle being -s / -es form -- The verb be also has 3 present tense forms (am, is, are) while all other verbs have one. Infinitive Form The infinitive form is the plain or dictionary form. It is used when the verb's action happens in the present and the subject is a plural noun or the pronouns I, we, you, or they: I go to work. You cook very well. We live downtown. They help me. Past Form The past tense shows the verb's action happened in the past. It is usually made by adding -d or -ed to the infinitive. The past tense is formed differently for most irregular verbs: We lived downtown. Page 1 sur 6

2 They helped me. I went to work. (Irregular verb) Past Participle and Present Participle Form The past participle is used with the verb have (have / has / had) to create the present and past perfect tenses. The past participle form is also used to modify nouns and pronouns. One example is the phrase sliced bread. The past participle is usually the same as the past tense form. Only some irregular verbs have a past participle that is different than their past tense form. We have lived downtown. They have helped me. I have gone to work. (Irregular verb) The present participle is made by adding -ing to a verbs infinitive form: Working Buying Eating The present participle can modify nouns and pronouns. One example is the phrase running water. When used as a noun (example: smoking is bad), the present participle is known as a gerund. The present participle is also used to create the progressive tense. -S Form The -s form of a verb is made from the infinitive of the verb. This form is used when the verb's action is in the present and the subject is third-person singular. Third-person singular is a singular noun (examples: desk, John), or a singular indefinite pronoun (examples: everybody, someone), or the personal pronouns he / she / it. How the -s form is made depends on the last letter of the verb: Verb Ending To Make Third Person Singular Example s add -es Pass - It passes sh add -es Wish - Everyone wishes ch add -es Watch - She watches consonant + y change y to i and add -es Try - He tries Any other letter add -s Drink - He drinks Verb Types Irregular Verbs Many verbs do not follow the rules to make the different forms. They are called irregular verbs. No single rule explains how to make their past tense and past participle forms. The irregular verbs must be memorized. These are some of the common irregular verbs: Infinitive Past Past Participle choose chose chosen do did done drink drunk drank eat ate eaten give gave given forget forgot forgotten lie lay lain Page 2 sur 6

3 let let let see saw seen sleep slept slept throw threw thrown write wrote written Helping Verbs Another important type of verb is the helping or auxiliary verb. Helping verbs show tense and can show person, number, voice or mood. These verbs combine with a main verb to form a verb phrase. A main verb is an infinitive, a present participle or past participle. These are verb phrase examples: will give has been working can go Some helping verbs combine with main verbs to show time and voice. These helping verbs are shall, will, have (has / had), do (does / did) and the forms of be (am / is / are / was / were / been / being): We will live downtown. They shall help me. I have been working. We did not live downtown. They were helped. I had worked. Modal Verbs Helping verbs such as can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall, should, will, and would are used to add extra meaning to main verbs. These helping verbs are called modals. They show a necessity, possibility, ability, permission, prediction or responsibility: You should write that report. He can carry heavy objects. We must go. I might leave. The helping verb do (does) or its past tense did is used together with the infinitive of a verb to ask questions, make the negative form, or to show added importance: Does she work this week? Where does he live? She does not sleep well. You do work every day. Do they go to school? Where did they live? She did not sleep well. He does run on weekends. Verbals A verbal (nonfinite verb) is no longer a verb. It is a verb form used as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. A verbal can never be a main verb. Verbal Example Verb Form Noun Running is great exercise. present participle Adjective Blocked printers cannot print. past tense Adverb We were ready to work. to + infinitive Page 3 sur 6

4 Verb s shows the time of a verbs action or being. There are three verb tenses: simple, perfect, and progressive. Each tense has past, present and future forms. Note: Because tense shows time, a time word in a sentence helps to decide what tense is being used. Most time words can only go with a certain tense. These are some examples: Present Past Future Progressive often yesterday tomorrow now every hour / day / week last week / month next week / month today every month/year last year next year this month usually amount of time + ago in + amount of time for + amount of time sometimes today for + amount of time Simple The simple tenses show that an action or state of being is past, present, or future. The present tense shows action that is happening now as a person speaks or writes. The present tense is also used to describe actions that are factual or habitual (commonly repeated over a period of time). The present tense uses the verbs infinitive or the -s form for third person singular subject. The past tense shows action that has finished as a person speaks or writes. The past tense uses the verbs past tense form. The future tense shows action that has not happened yet as a person speaks or writes. The future tense uses the helping verb will or shall plus the verbs infinitive. Regular Verb: Walk Irregular Verb: Run Present I / you / we / they walk. He / she / it walks. I / you / we / they run. He / she / it runs. Past I / you / we / they / he / she / it walked. I / you / we / they / he / she / it ran. Future I / you / we / they / he / she / it will walk. I / you / we / they / he / she / it will run. Perfect The perfect tenses show that an action was or will be finished BEFORE another time or action happens. The perfect tenses are made with the helping verb have (have / has / had) plus the verbs past participle. All subjects use had for the past perfect tense. All subjects use will have or shall have for the future perfect tense. The infinitive have or has for singular third person is used for the perfect present tense. Examples: Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect Regular Verb: Walk I / you / we / they have walked. He / she / it has walked. I / you / we / they / he / she / it had walked. I / you / we / they / he / she / it will have walked. Present Perfect Irregular Verb: Run I / you / we / they have run. He / she / it has run. Page 4 sur 6

5 Past Perfect Future Perfect I / you / we / they / he / she / it had run. I / you / we / they / he / she / it will have run. The present perfect tense can also show that an action started in the past and is still going on in the present. Examples: He has lived downtown. (Action is finished at the time it is written.) He has worked for three hours. (Action started in the past and is still going on.) She has always written in a diary. (Action started in the past but continues now.) Progressive The progressive tenses show continuing action. They can also show how long an action has been going on for an amount of time in the present, past, or future. A verb's present participle joins with some forms of the verb be (am, is, are, was, were) to make the simple progressive tenses. Present Progressive Example I am working. You / we / they are working. Past Progressive Future Progressive He / she / it is working. I / he / she / it was working. You / we / they were working. I / he / she / it / they / we / you will be working. The past progressive can show an action that happened in the past and was not finished: He was doing his work. (He was working, but he may not have finished the work.) The perfect tense form plus been plus the verbs present participle makes the perfect progressive tenses: Present Perfect Progressive Past Perfect Progressive Future Perfect Progressive Example I / you / we / they have been working. He / she / it has been working. I / he / she / it / they / we / you had been working. I / he / she / it / they / we / you will have been working. Not all verbs can make a progressive tense. Verbs that have qualities not able to show change cannot make the progressive tense. These are some of the verbs: be guess seem see believe include think smell cost like understand taste desire love want need doubt remember wish have Examples: Incorrect: She is being pretty. Page 5 sur 6

6 Correct: Incorrect: Correct: Incorrect: Correct: She is pretty. That is owning to him. He owns that. They are wanting a raise. They want a raise. Page 6 sur 6