Verbs (v)

It is impossible to summarize verbs briefly, but it is possible
to describe the most basic concepts briefly.  To use verbs
correctly you must keep in mind two things, the time being
referred to and the relationship between the time and the
action, or between one action and another.  The time might
be the present, the past or the future; the relationship might
emphasize that the action is repeated, in progress, or already
completed:
 

 

REPEATED

IN PROGRESS

  + HOW LONG

COMPLETED
PRESENT
  I often eat tacos.
 		  I am eating one
 now.		 I have been eating for 5 minutes.

I have eaten tacos all my life.

  I have
 already eaten
 breakfast.
 
PAST  I ate tacos twice
 last week.
 		  I was eating one
 when you called
 last night.   		I had been sleeping for an hour when you called.

I had known him for 20 years when he died.

  

 I had already
 done my
 homework
 when you   
 called.

 
FUTURE  I will eat tacos
 twice next week
 too.		  I will be eating
 one tonight at
 7:15.		 I will have been working for an hour when you get to the office.  

 I will have
 done my
 homework
 by then.
 

 

                   

This simple chart doesn't cover all verb tenses.  Here are some
other cases:

To describe a single action, not repeated:

        1.  I ate enchiladas once last week.           (simple past)
        2.  I will go to a movie next week.            (simple future)

A rule of thumb for writing:  In formal college writing most of
your verbs will be in a simple tense: simple present, simple
past or simple future.  Don't use the other tenses unless you
have a reason, unless you want to emphasize that an action is
in progress, or completed, or been going on for a certain
length of time.

Some common verb problems are not really problems of time or relationship, but of verb form.  Some common verb form problems are:

    1.  *He go to work.  (-s form after he, she, it, etc.)
           He goes to work.
    2.  *He didn't went. (simple form after do/does/did/don't, etc.)
           He didn't go.
    3.  *He couldn't went. (simple form after modal auxiliary)
           He couldn't go.
    4.  *I had to moved on.  (simple form in infinitive)
           I had to move on.
    5.  *He made me went.  (simple form after causative verb)
           He made me go.
    6.  *He is go tomorrow.  (-ing form after BE)
           He is going tomorrow.
    7.   *The car was steal.  (past participle after BE to form passive)
            The car was stolen.
    8.   *We have not eat. (past participle after has/have)
            We have not eaten.
    9.  *It made me so disgust.  (past participle to make a verb an adjective)
           It made me so disgusted.
   10.  *Everyone that been to Disneyland remembers the experience.
                (incomplete verb)
            Everyone that has been to Disneyland... 
   11.   *I succeeded by work hard.  (gerund after preposition)
            I succeeded by working hard.
 

These simplified rules can reduce the number of verb errors you
make, but if you have a lot of verb problems, look at the links
below:

Links:

        Rules and exercises:   verbpage/verbtenseintro.html
                                        grammar/index.htm


        Various exercises:      verbform1
                                        verbform2
                                         verb.html
                                         vf01.html
                                         vancouver.html
         

 

 

06/01/2005