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26
Verb Problems
Avoiding Mistakes in Verb Tense
Understand What Verb Tense Is
■ IDEA JOURNAL Write about something you did yesterday. Then, write about it again as if you are going to do it tomorrow.
Verb tense tells when the action of a sentence occurs — in the present, in the past, or in the future. Verbs change their form and use the helping verbs have or be to indicate different tenses. To choose the correct form and tense, consider whether the subject is singular or plural and when the action occurs.
PRESENT TENSE
Teresa and I talk every day. [Plural subject] She also talks to her mother every morning. [Singular
subject]
■ In the examples throughout this chapter, the subject is underlined once, and the verb is underlined twice.
PRESENT TENSE
PAST TENSE FUTURE TENSE
Yesterday, they talked for two hours. [Plural subject] Tomorrow, they will talk again. [Plural subject]
Language Note: Remember to add the endings on present-tense and past-tense verbs, even if they can’t be heard in speech.
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
■ For more on subject-verb agreement and singular versus plural verb forms, see Chapter 25.
Krystal plays varsity basketball. She played in the game yesterday.
Regular verbs follow a few standard patterns in the present and past tenses, and their past-tense and past-participle forms end in -ed or -d.
452
‘
EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 26 • Verb Problems
453
Irregular verbs change spelling in the past-tense and past-participle forms. (For more on irregular verbs, see pp. 467–75.)
REGULAR VERB: WALK IRREGULAR VERB: EAT
Past tense Past participle
walked [I walked.] walked [I have/had walked.]
ate [I ate.] eaten [I have/had eaten.]
In the Real World, Why Is It Important to Use Correct Verbs?
Errors in verb tense can create a negative impression of the writer, as the following example shows. SITUATION: A student that Shawn has been working with shows him the script for an oral presentation he...
Verb Problems
Avoiding Mistakes in Verb Tense
Understand What Verb Tense Is
■ IDEA JOURNAL Write about something you did yesterday. Then, write about it again as if you are going to do it tomorrow.
Verb tense tells when the action of a sentence occurs — in the present, in the past, or in the future. Verbs change their form and use the helping verbs have or be to indicate different tenses. To choose the correct form and tense, consider whether the subject is singular or plural and when the action occurs.
PRESENT TENSE
Teresa and I talk every day. [Plural subject] She also talks to her mother every morning. [Singular
subject]
■ In the examples throughout this chapter, the subject is underlined once, and the verb is underlined twice.
PRESENT TENSE
PAST TENSE FUTURE TENSE
Yesterday, they talked for two hours. [Plural subject] Tomorrow, they will talk again. [Plural subject]
Language Note: Remember to add the endings on present-tense and past-tense verbs, even if they can’t be heard in speech.
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
■ For more on subject-verb agreement and singular versus plural verb forms, see Chapter 25.
Krystal plays varsity basketball. She played in the game yesterday.
Regular verbs follow a few standard patterns in the present and past tenses, and their past-tense and past-participle forms end in -ed or -d.
452
‘
EDITING ESSAYS
Chapter 26 • Verb Problems
453
Irregular verbs change spelling in the past-tense and past-participle forms. (For more on irregular verbs, see pp. 467–75.)
REGULAR VERB: WALK IRREGULAR VERB: EAT
Past tense Past participle
walked [I walked.] walked [I have/had walked.]
ate [I ate.] eaten [I have/had eaten.]
In the Real World, Why Is It Important to Use Correct Verbs?
Errors in verb tense can create a negative impression of the writer, as the following example shows. SITUATION: A student that Shawn has been working with shows him the script for an oral presentation he...