Verb Forms

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Verb Forms
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Forms of Verbs

• All verbs (except auxiliary verb be) have 5
  forms. The past participle form is not always
  related to past time.

Base form (no -s) -s form -ing form Past tense form Past participle form
drive drives driving drove driven
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Forms of Verbs

• The -ing form and the past participle form need
  an auxiliary verb to function as a complete verb.
• The -s form and the past tense form can function
  as complete main verbs of a clause.

Many have given this product a try.
Many gave this product a try.
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Regular and Irregular Verbs

• Regular and irregular verbs are mainly
  differentiated by their past tense and past
  participles.
• Regular verbs always have -d/-ed in their past
  tense and past participle.

Base form Past tense Past
Participle live lived
lived walk
walked walked
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Irregular Verbs

• The past tense and past participles of irregular
  verbs do not end in -d/-ed.
• Some irregular verbs remain the same for the past
  tense and past participle.

Base form Past tense Past
Participle take took
taken
Base form Past tense Past
Participle cut cut
cut cost
cost cost
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Irregular Verbs

• A few irregular verbs have an irregular -s form.
  

Base form Past tense do
does go
goes have has
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Auxiliary Verb Do

• Do, does, did are always followed by the base
  form of the verb.
• When used in questions for statements with no
  auxiliary verb, the auxiliary verb do is placed
  in the front of the subject.

Statement The programme works well. Question
Does the programme work well?
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Auxiliary Verb Do

• In negations when no other auxiliary verb is
  present, the auxiliary verb do is followed by the
  base form of the verb.
• Auxiliary verb do is also used for emphasis.

Statement The programme works well. Negation
The programme does not work well.
The employees did try their best to meet their
monthly targets.
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Auxiliary Verb Have

• The have auxiliary verb in the present and past
  perfect tenses is followed by a past participle
  form.

The investigation team has worked very hard.
(regular verb) The team has done a through
investigation. (irregular verb) By the time the
investigation team arrived at the conference
room, the meeting had commenced. (regular verb)
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Auxiliary Verb Be
Present Past -ing form Past participle Passive voice
is are am was were being been is/are/am/was/were being has/have/ had been
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Verbals or verbal phrase

• A verbal is a verb that can be followed by a verb
  form.
• The committee decided to start work as
  planned.
• A verbal can be in the form of an infinitive (to
  verb), a gerund (verb -ing) or a base form.

verbal
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Verbs followed by a Gerund

• postpone resume consider
• complete risk recommend
• suggest discuss regret
• Examples
• The managers have considered getting everyone
  involved in the meeting.
• The trainers suggest trying another method to
  overcome the obstacles.

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Verbs followed by an Infinitive

• agree deserve appear
• endeavour offer tend
• attempt plan consent
• Examples
• The managers agree to get everyone involved in
  the meeting.
• The trainers attempted to improve their trainees
  skills through more challenging tasks.

See Lane and Lange (1999), p. 39 for more details.
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Verbs followed by a Gerund or an Infinitive

• begin stop
  continue
• start try
  prefer
• Examples
• The weather begins turning for the worse.
• The weather begins to turn for the worse.

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Verbs followed by a Base Form

• make have
  let
• help (this verb can also be followed by an
  infinitive)
• Examples
• The authorities will let the people know the
  outcome.
• By making the policies known, the government will
  help keep (or help to keep) their citizens
  informed about the state of affairs.

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Infinitives followed by Adjectives

• Use an infinitive after these adjectives
• eager amazed anxious
  careful
• content determined hesitant
  pleased
• proud reluctant ready
  surprised
• Examples
• The minister is anxious to please the people.
• The parents were amazed to discover the truth.

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Common Verb Form Errors

• The past participle in a verb phrase has been
  incorrectly formed.
• The politicians knew they had not make time
  to discuss this issue.
• A main verb or an adjective has been incorrectly
  used instead of be past participle.
• Everyone should be concern about the
  environment.

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Common Verb Form Errors

• The auxiliary verb and the main verb should match
  each other in a verb phrase.
• The project was not progress as planned.
• Use only an infinitive or a gerund (but not a
  base form) when a verbal functions as a subject.
• Check the processes helps to make sure
  everything is in order.

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Common Verb Form Errors

• Use a gerund as an object of a preposition.
• The lecturer talked everyone into do more
  extra assignments.
• Use an infinitive after certain adjectives.
• They are reluctant attend the interview.

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Common Verb Form Errors

• Use an infinitive to express a purpose (shortened
  form of in order to).
• The graduate students went to their
  supervisors office seek his advice on their
  project.
• Use a perfective infinitive (to have past
  participle) where events or conditions expressed
  by the infinitive are in the past.
• To produce a higher crop yield was an
  impossibility given this monsoon season.

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Sources

• Lane, A. and Lange, E. (1999). Writing Clearly
  An Editing Guide (2nd ed.). USA Heinle and
  Heinle Publishers. Oshima, A. and Hogue, A.
  (2006). Writing Academic English (4th ed.). New
  York Pearson Education, 28-45.
• Raimes, A. (2006). Grammar Troublespots A Guide
  for Student Writers (3rd ed.). New York
  Cambridge University Press, 32-40.