Unit: Verbs and Sentence Structure

The Principal Parts of Verbs Verbs take different forms in order to indicate time. These forms of verbs are tenses. “She talks about her plans” expresses action in the present. “She talked about her plans” expresses action that occurred in the past. To use the tenses correctly, you must know how to form the principal parts of verbs.

The Principal Parts of Verbs The Principal Parts of the Verb Talk Present: talk Present Participle: (am, is, are, was, were) talking Past: talked Past Participle: (have, has, had) talked

The Principal Parts of Verbs The Principal Parts of Regular Verbs Present: most basic form of the verb save Present Participle: helping verb am, is, are, was, or were + verb with –ing ending am saving Past: verb with –ed ending saved Past Participle: helping verb have, has, or had + verb with –ed ending have saved

The Principal Parts of Verbs The Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs do not follow the same pattern as regular verbs when forming the past and past participle. You will need to memorize these exceptions. When in doubt in your writing, look up the correct way to form the past and part participle of any verb.

Using Irregular Verbs To Run Present: run Present Participle: am running Past: ran (not runned) Past Participle: have run (not have runned) To Write Present: write Present Participle: am writing Past: wrote Past Participle: have written

Two Troublesome Irregular Verbs To Lay Present: lay Present Participle: am laying Past: laid Past Participle: have laid Use to mean “to put something down” or “to place (something)” Almost always followed by a direct object The sailors laid their uniforms on the bed. To Lie Present: lie Present Participle: am lying Past: lay Past Participle: have lain Use to mean “to rest in a reclining position” or “to be situated” Never followed by a direct object The sailors lay down on the narrow bunk.

Two Troublesome Irregular Verbs To Sit Present: sit Present Participle: am sitting Past: sat Past Participle: have sat Use to mean “to be seated” or “to rest” Usually not followed by a direct object. We sat on the floor. To Set Present: set Present Participle: am setting Past: set Past Participle: have set Use to mean “to put something in a certain place or position Usually followed by a direct object. He set the glasses gingerly in the sink.

Verb Tenses In verbs, the tense shows the time of action or state of being. Use the principal parts of verbs to form the six basic tenses. The Basic Verb Tenses Present I eat pizza often. I always order from Pizza Hut. Indicates action that happens over and over. Principal part: present Uses no helping verbs.

Verb Tenses The Basic Verb Tenses Past I ate pizza last night. I ordered from Pizza Hut. Indicates action that happened in the past. Principal part: past Uses no helping verbs Future I will eat pizza tonight. I will order from Pizza Hut. Indicates action that will happen in the future. Principal part: present Uses helping verb will

Verb Tenses The Perfect Verb Tenses: indicate that an action has been completed. Present Perfect I have eaten pizza many times. He has ordered from Pizza Hut. Indicates action completed often. Principal part: past participle Uses helping verbs have or has Past Perfect I had eaten pizza before you called. He had ordered from Pizza Hut. Indicates action completed in the past. Principal part: past participle Uses helping verb had

Verb Tenses The Perfect Verb Tenses: indicate that an action has been completed. Future Perfect I will have eaten pizza many times by the end of the year. Indicates action that will be completed in the future. Principal part: past participle Uses helping verbs will and have

Verb Tenses The Progressive Forms: indicate an action that is in progress. Present Progressive I am eating pizza. He is ordering from Pizza Hut. Indicates action in process of being completed. Principal part: present participle Uses helping verbs am, is, are Past Progressive I was eating pizza when you called. You were ordering from Pizza Hut. Indicates action that was in the process of being completed in the past. Principal part: present participle Uses helping verb was or were

Verb Tenses Future Progressive I will be eating pizza for dinner tonight. Indicates action that will be in process in the future. Principal part: present participle Uses helping verbs will and be

Verb Tenses The Progressive Perfect Forms: indicate completion of an ongoing action. Present Perfect Progressive I have been eating pizza since I was little. Indicates action often in the process of being completed. Principal part: present participle Uses helping verbs have and been Past Perfect Progressive I had been eating pizza, but I stopped Indicates action was in process, but now is completed. Principal part: present participle Uses helping verb had and been

Verb Tenses Future Perfect Progressive On my net birthday, I will have been eating pizza for eleven years. Indicates action that has been completed before but will be in progress in the future. Principal part: present participle Uses helping verbs: will, have, and been

Verb Tenses Now, why did we just learn all of this? Because in your writing, you need to keep your tenses consistent. Choose the best tense for the situation (past, present, or future) and be consistent throughout the entire piece.