LEARN WHAT A VERB DOES

A Verb

1. Tells what a subject does, did, or will do.
2. Tells what is, has been, or will be done to a subject.
3. Describes a subject by joining it with adjectives.

A Verb Shows Action by Telling What a Subject Does, Did, or Will Do

A Verb Shows Action by Telling What Is Done to a Subject

A Verb Describes a Subject by Joining It with Adjectives

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MASTER VERB TENSES

The tense of the verb shows time: past, present, and future. Verbs can be classified as regular and irregular. Regular verbs follow set patterns in all tenses. Irregular verbs do not; they change their forms and have to be learned individually.

PRESENT TENSE

In the present tense, a verb tells what is happening right now. The present tense also shows action that happens over and over again. Therefore, you can write

Present Tense—The Irregular Verb To Be

The irregular verb to be significantly changes its spelling in the present tense.

PAST TENSE

Verbs in the past tense relate action or events that have been completed. To form the past tense of a regular verb, add -d or -ed to the verb's basic form:

Past Tense—Irregular Verbs

The past tense of irregular verbs is formed in various ways. These verbs don't follow a pattern. That's why they are called irregular. A list of irregular verbs appears below. You will want to make a copy and study it.

Once you know the past tense of an irregular verb, you can apply it in all cases.

Past Tense—The Irregular Verb To Be

FUTURE TENSE

The future tense tells us what will be true or what will happen at a later time. To form the future tense, attach the helping verbs will, is going to, or are going to to the basic form of the verb:

THE PERFECT TENSES

The present perfect uses the helping verb have or has with the past participle of a verb. The past perfect uses the helping verb had with the past participle. To form the past participle of regular verbs, add -d or -ed to the basic form of the verb.

The Present Perfect

Use the present perfect to talk about actions that begin in the past and continue into the present. Verbs in present perfect use the helping verb have except in the third person singular. Then they use has.

The Past Perfect

Use the past perfect to talk about actions that happened in the past and that came before other events that happened in the past. Verbs in the past perfect use the helping word had, the past tense of have, in all cases.

THE PROGRESSIVE TENSES

The progressive tenses combine forms of the verb to be with present participles. Present participles always end in -ing. Use the progressive tense to show continuing action.

The Present Progressive

The present progressive shows continuing action in the present. It combines the present tense of the verb to be with the present participle.

The Past Progressive

The past progressive shows continuing action in the past. It combines the past tense of the verb to be with the present participle.

The Future Progressive

The future progressive shows continuing action in the future. It combines will be, which is the future tense of the verb to be, with the present participle.

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USE LINKING VERBS, HELPING VERBS, AND MODALS

Linking verbs do not show action. Instead, they help describe a subject by connecting it to a noun , pronoun, or adjective. Linking verbs include am, are, is, was, and were.

Helping verbs are used with main verbs to form the future, the perfect, and the progressive tenses. They include forms of the verb tobe, such as am, are, be, been, being, is, was, and were. They also include will and shall and forms of the verbs tohave and todo.

Including Needed Helping Verbs

Sometimes leaving out needed helping verbs can cause a sentence fragment, that is, a sentence that is not complete, or can create a subject/verb agreement error.

Modals are helping verbs. Unlike most helping verbs, however, they cannot act as main verbs. They are used before main verbs to create special meanings.

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USE GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES CORRECTLY

A gerund is an -ing noun formed from a verb. A gerund names an activity and is used the same way any other noun is.

An infinitive is the basic form of a verb preceded by to. Infinitives can be nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

Using Gerunds and Infinitives with Verbs

Some verbs can be used with both gerunds and infinitives with no change in meaning:

However, other verbs mean one thing when used with a gerund and another when used with an infinitive:

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KEEP VERB TENSES CONSISTENT

The tense of the verb refers to time. Keep verb tenses consistent. You don't have to stick to one tense in a sentence or paragraph. However, when you change tenses, you must do so logically and only when necessary. Choose a main or controlling tense and switch to other tenses only when you want to discuss events happening at other times.

Let's say you begin a paragraph with the following sentence, which uses verbs in the present tense:

You can write a second sentence that compares your college Spanish class with one you took in high school:

You might even use of the future tense in a third sentence:

Your finished paragraph might look like this:

Being Logical When Changing Tenses in a Sentence

Sometimes you will need to talk about things happening at different times in the same sentence, and you will have to use more than one tense. Just make sure you move from tense to tense logically:

Being Consistent When Using the Perfect Tenses

The present perfect uses the helping verb have or has with the past participle of a main verb. To form the past participle of regular verbs, add -d or -ed to the basic form of the verb. A list of participles for irregular verbs can be found in this chapter.

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LEARN TO USE VERB MOODS

What Is Mood?

Verbs come in various tenses. They also come in four moods: indicative, imperative, subjunctive, and conditional. A verb's mood helps show the writer's intention or purpose.

Use the indicative mood to make a statement or ask a question:

The imperative mood gets its name from "imperial," an adjective describing empires. It is natural that the imperative be used to give commands. However, it is also used to make requests and give directions.

The subjunctive mood is used for three purposes:

1. To express a wish or desire.
2. To explain a demand, a request, or a suggestion.
3. To make a statement that is contrary to fact.

The conditional mood is used to answer questions such as What would happen if? or What happens when? A conditional sentence usually begins with an "if" or "when" clause, which states the condition. The first clause is followed by a clause that tells what will happen "if" or "when" that condition comes true.

The conditional and the indicative forms are the same. The problem comes in distinguishing the conditional from the subjunctive.

The conditional says he will lose weight, but only if he exercises. The subjunctive says that he is not exercising and that he is not losing weight. In many cases, the second clause of a conditional sentence contains will; the second clause in a subjunctive sentence contains would.

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USE THE ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICES

Verbs have tenses and moods. They also have voices. The voice is the form a verb takes to indicate whether the subject of the sentence does an action or is acted upon.

A sentence in the active voice uses a subject, person, place, or thing that does an action. A sentence in the passive voice uses a subject that is acted upon.

In General, Choose the Active over the Passive Voice

There are four problems with using the passive voice:

1. Since the passive requires more words than the active voice requires, the former can make a sentence wordy.

1. Using the passive voice can lead to sentence structure problems.

WHEN TO USE THE PASSIVE VOICE: TWO EXCEPTIONS

1. Using the passive voice can help you emphasize the action over the doer of an action.

The sentence above places more emphasis on Ann's election than does the following version:

2. Using the passive voice is also appropriate when you don't know who did an action.

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