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7.7: Overview of Verb Forms

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    67792
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    Learning Objectives

    1. Use the correct regular verb forms in basic sentences.
    2. Use the correct irregular verb forms in basic sentences.
    3. Use the correct gerund or infinitive form in sentences.

    Regular Verb Forms

    Verbs in English can change forms in five basic ways:

    Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Regular Verbs
    BASE PAST PAST PARTICIPLE 3rd PERSON SINGULAR PROGRESSIVE
    TALK TALKED TALKED TALKS TALKING
    JUMP JUMPED JUMPED JUMPS JUMPING

    Verbs also can indicate actions or states of being in the past, present, or future using tenses. Regular verbs follow regular patterns when shifting from the present to past tense. For example, to form a past-tense or past-participle verb form, add -ed or -d to the end of a verb. You can avoid mistakes by understanding this basic pattern.

    Verb tense identifies the time of action described in a sentence. Verbs take different forms to indicate different tenses. Verb tenses indicate

    • an action or state of being in the present,
    • an action or state of being in the past,
    • an action or state of being in the future.

    Helping verbs, such as be and have, also work to create verb tenses, such as the future tense.

    7.7.1.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    Irregular Verb Forms

    The past tense of irregular verbs is not formed using the patterns that regular verbs follow. Study the chart below which lists the most common irregular verbs.

    The best way to learn irregular verbs is to memorize them. With the help of a classmate, create flashcards of irregular verbs and test yourselves until you master them.

    Table \(\PageIndex{2}\): Irregular Verbs
    Simple Present Past Simple Present Past
    be was, were lose lost
    become became make made
    begin began mean meant
    blow blew meet met
    break broke pay paid
    bring brought put put
    build built quit quit
    burst burst read read
    buy bought ride rode
    catch caught ring rang
    choose chose rise rose
    come came run ran
    cut cut say said
    dive dove (dived) see saw
    do did seek sought
    draw drew sell sold
    drink drank send sent
    drive drove set set
    eat ate shake shook
    fall fell shine shone (shined)
    feed fed shrink shrank (shrunk)
    feel felt sing sang
    fight fought sit sat
    find found sleep slept
    fly flew speak spoke
    forget forgot spend spent
    forgive forgave spring sprang
    freeze froze stand stood
    get got steal stole
    give gave strike struck
    go went swim swam
    grow grew swing swung
    have had take took
    hear heard teach taught
    hide hid tear tore
    hold held tell told
    hurt hurt think thought
    keep kept throw threw
    know knew understand understood
    lay laid wake woke
    lead led wear wore
    leave left win won
    let let wind wound

    Here we see the irregular verb in the past tense.

    7.7.2.png
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)

    Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\):

    Complete the following sentences by selecting the correct form of the irregular verb in simple present, simple past, or simple future tense. Copy the corrected sentence onto your own sheet of paper.

    1. Marina finally (forgived, forgave, will forgive) her sister for snooping around her room.
    2. The house (shook, shaked, shakes) as the airplane rumbled overhead.
    3. I (buyed, bought, buy) several items of clothing at the thrift store on Wednesday.
    4. She (put, putted, puts) the lotion in her shopping basket and proceeded to the checkout line.
    5. The prized goose (layed, laid, lay) several golden eggs last night.
    6. Mr. Batista (teached, taught, taughted) the class how to use correct punctuation.
    7. I (drink, drank, will drink) several glasses of sparkling cider instead of champagne on New Year’s Eve next year.
    8. Although Hector (growed, grew, grows) three inches in one year, we still called him “Little Hector.”
    9. Yesterday our tour guide (lead, led, will lead) us through the maze of people in Times Square.
    10. The rock band (burst, bursted, bursts) onto the music scene with their catchy songs.

    Gerunds

    A gerund is a form of a verb that is used as a noun. All gerunds end in -ing. Since gerunds function as nouns, they occupy places in a sentence that a noun would, such as the subject, direct object, and object of a preposition.

    You can use a gerund in the following ways:

    1. Traveling is Cynthia’s favorite pastime.
    2. I enjoy jogging.
    3. The librarian scolded me for laughing.

    Often verbs are followed by gerunds. Study for examples.

    Table \(\PageIndex{3}\): Gerunds and Verbs
    Gerund Verb Followed by a Gerund
    moving Delilah considered moving to Paris.
    cleaning I hate cleaning the bathroom.
    winning Longa imagines winning an Oscar one day.
    worrying Mom says she has stopped worrying.
    taking She admitted taking the pumpkin

    Infinitives

    An infinitive is a form of a verb that comes after the word to and acts as a noun, adjective, or adverb.

    to + verb = infinitive

    Examples of infinitives include the following: to move, to sleep, to look, to throw, to read, and to sneeze.

    Often verbs are followed by infinitives.

    Table \(\PageIndex{4}\): Infinitives and Verbs
    Infinitive Verb Followed by Infinitive
    to help Preeti offered to help her move.
    to arrive Sonia expects to arrive early.
    to win Sunita wants to win the writing contest.
    to close He forgot to close the curtains.
    to eat She likes to eat late.

    You may wonder which verbs can be followed by gerunds and which verbs can be followed by infinitives. With the following verbs, you can use either a gerund or an infinitive.

    Table \(\PageIndex{5}\): Infinitives and Gerund Verbs
    Base Form of Verb Sentences with Verbs Followed by Gerunds and Infinitives
    begin 1. Juanita began crying.
    2. Juanita began to cry.
    hate 1. Marie hated talking on the phone.
    2. Marie hated to talk on the phone.
    forget 1. Wendell forgot paying the bills.
    2. Wendell forgot to pay the bills.
    like 1. I liked leaving messages.
    2. I liked to leave messages.
    continue 1. He continued listening to the news.
    2. He continued to listen to the news.
    start 1. I will start recycling immediately.
    2. I will start to recycle immediately.
    try 1. Mikhail will try climbing the tree.
    2. Mikhail will try to climb the tree.
    prefer 1. I prefer baking.
    2. I prefer to bake.
    love 1. Joshua loves diving.
    2. Joshua loves to dive.

    Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\):

    On your own sheet of paper, complete the following sentences by choosing the correct infinitive or gerund.

    1. I meant ________ (to kiss, kissing) my kids before they left for school.
    2. The children hoped (to go, going) to a restaurant for dinner.
    3. Do you intend ________ (to eat, eating) the entire pie?
    4. Crystal postponed ________ (to get dressed, getting dressed) for the party.
    5. When we finish ________ (to play, playing) this game, we will go home.

    Key Takeaways

    • Regular verbs follow regular patterns when shifting from present to past tense.
    • Irregular verbs do not follow regular, predictable patterns when shifting from present to past tense.
    • Forms of Irregular Verbs must be practiced and memorized.

    Writing Application

    Tell a family story. You likely have several family stories to choose from, but pick the one that you find most interesting to write about. Use as many details as you can in the telling. As you write and proofread, make sure your all your verbs are correct and the tenses are consistent.


    7.7: Overview of Verb Forms is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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