VERBS

Helping verbs and main verbs combine to form verb phrases. The main verb is always the last verb in the phrase.

Helping Verb + Main Verb = Verb Phrase

To be: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been

 Progressive Tenses
The verb to be is used in the progressive tenses (also called the continuous tenses), which combine the forms of to be
with verbs ending in -ing.

Present Progressive:
I am writing this sentence.
am + writing = verb phrase

Past Progressive:
It was raining, so we couldn't play outside.
was + raining = verb phrase

 Passive Voice
The verb to be is also used in the passive voice, which combines the forms of to be with verbs ending in -ed or -en.
These verbs are called participles.

Make sure all your assignments are completed by Thursday.

are + completed = verb phrase

This sentence was written.

was + written = verb phrase

To have: have, has, had, having

 Perfect Tenses
The verb to have combines with verbs ending in -ed and -en to form the perfect tenses. (They're not really "perfect"
tenses; that's just their name.)

Present Perfect:
It has rained so many days in a row that I can't remember the last time the sun was out!
has + rained = verb phrase

Past Perfect:
We didn't realize the pickpocket had stolen our wallets until she was already long gone.
had + stolen = verb phrase

To do: do, does, did

 Questions
Unlike to be and to have, to do isn't used as part of any particular verb tense—but it still has several important jobs.
One of them is to form questions. You'll notice that in questions, a noun or pronoun splits the verb phrase.

Do you know what time it is?

do + know = verb phrase
you = pronoun

 Negative Statements
To do also helps to form not statements, which are called negative statements. In this type of sentence, the word not
splits the verb phrase.
I do not know what time it is because I lost my cell phone.
do + know = verb phrase
not = adverb

Modals (also called modal auxiliaries): can, could, may, might, shall, will, would, should, must

These verbs express ability, possibility, permission, intention, obligation, and necessity.

I can play basketball.

I am able to do it.

I could play basketball.

It is a possibility that I will be able to.

I may play basketball.

This can mean two things: either I have permission to play, or it is a possibility that I will play.

I might play basketball.

It is a possibility. You can use might instead of may to suggest that the possibility is more remote or uncertain.

I shall play basketball.

Shall is more common in British English and is used instead of will for the first person (I shall, you will). It is used to express
future actions.

I will play basketall.

It is my intention in the future.

I would play basketball.

It is possible that I'll play under certain conditions.

I should play basketball.

I have an obligation to do it.

I must play basketball.

It is a necessity.

Approved List of Helping Verbs

to be to have to do Modals
can
am
could
are
may
is have
do might
was has
does shall
were had
did will
be having
would
being
should
been
must

Unlike action verbs, linking verbs show a relationship between the main noun (also called the subject) and another word that
describes that noun. The describing word can be an adjective or another noun. The most common linking verb is to be and its
forms am, is, are, was, were, be, being, and been.

My cat is furry.
The verb is links the main noun, cat, with a describing word, furry. Furry is an example of an adjective.

My childhood dog was an Akita.

In this sentence, the verb was links the noun dog to another noun, Akita. The second noun tells us the breed of the dog.
Other common linking verbs include appear, become, feel, grow, look, remain, seem, smell, sound, stay, taste, and turn.

If left too long, the milk may turn sour.

I feel refreshed after that nap.

Linking

Kelly grows tired after hours of gardening.

The adjective tired describes Kelly. Kelly is tired after she gardens.

Action

Kelly grows sunflowers in her yard.

This sentence tells us what Kelly is doing—she plants sunflowers and grows them.

Hint:

Remember, you can replace linking verbs with a form of to be (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) but you can't do the same thing with
action verbs.

Kelly grows tired. = Kelly is tired.

Kelly grows sunflowers. ≠ Kelly is sunflowers.

In the second example, replacing grows with is creates a nonsense sentence. The noun sunflowers does not describe Kelly; she's
not a sunflower.

The verb to be can be used as three different types of verbs.

State-of-being

Wendell is here today.

Is describes Wendell's state of being; he is here in this spot.

Helping

Irena is listening to the teacher.

Is helps show that the action of listening is ongoing.

Linking

Daphne is very kind.

Is links Daphne and the adjective kind.

In English there are four principal parts, or forms, of a verb.

If you study foreign languages, many languages have six forms of each verb for each tense. That's a lot of memorizing. English
uses helping verbs and the four principal parts to show the tenses.

base/present present participle past past participle

walk(s) walking walked walked

dance(s) dancing danced danced

study(s) studying studied studied

Regular Verbs:

 Base/Present - same as infinitive without to. Add -s to form third person singular.

 Present Participle - add -ing.

 Past - add -ed

 Past Participle - add -ed

Note: Participles function as part of a verb phrase. They can't be used as verbs by themselves. They must have a helping verb in
order to make sense.

My sister is walking to school today.

Before leaving, we made sure we had walked the dog.

When adding endings to verbs, you sometimes have to change the spelling.

Do change:

 Single syllable verbs generally double the consonant when adding -ing and -ed.

shop + s = shops, shop + ing = shopping, shop + ed = shopped

 Verbs that end with a single vowel and a consonant that stress the end of the word usually double the consonant before
adding -ing and -ed.

refer + s = refers, refer + ing = referring, refer + ed = referred

 To add -s or -ed to verbs that end in consonant y, change y to i before adding the ending. To add -ing, don't change the
y.

carry + s = carries, carry + ing = carrying, carry + ed = carried

 To add -ed or -ing to verbs that end in silent e, drop the e before adding -ed or -ing.

amaze + s = amazes, amaze + ing = amazing, amaze + ed = amazed

 Verbs that end in a vowel followed by an l usually double the l before adding -ed or -ing in British English, but usually
don't in American English.

American: travel + s = travels, travel + ing = traveling, travel + -ed = traveled.

British: travel + s = travels, travel + ing = travelling, travel + -ed = travelled

 Verbs that end in c usually add k before adding endings.

frolic + s = frolics, frolic + ing = frolicking, frolic + ed = frolicked

Don't change:

 If the verb ends with a single vowel before a consonant, but the last syllable is not stressed, don't double the consonant.

wander + s = wanders, wander + ing = wandering, wander + ed = wandered

 Verbs with a double vowel before a consonant do not double the consonant.

retreat + s = retreats, retreat + ing = retreating, retreat + ed = retreated

Past Tense

With the irregular past tense, it is common for a vowel in the middle of the verb to change instead of the verb's ending. The verb
drive, for example, changes to drove in the past tense.

Other verbs require you to change a vowel and add a new ending. Eat, for example, turns into ate in the past tense.

One of the most common irregular past tense endings is -t (sweep → swept). Sometimes you'll add -d (sell → sold) or -ght (catch
→ caught) instead.

Often, when the base ends in -ck, -e, -g, -ght, or -n, the past tense will keep that final letter or set of letters.

stick → stuck
drive → drove
ring → rang
fight → fought
run → ran
Past Participles

Just like the irregular past tense, irregular past participles can be formed by changing a vowel, adding a new ending, or doing
both. However, the vowel or ending is often (but not always) different from the past tense form. For example, many irregular past
participles require you to add an -en, -n, or -ne ending (drive → driven).

Many irregular past participles end in -en, but, similarly to the past tense, they can also end in -t, -ck, -d, -e, -g, or -ght.

In the table below you'll find several examples of how the irregular past tense and past participles are formed. Pay special
attention to the vowel changes and different endings.

Regular Irregular Irregular

Base
Present Participle Past Past Participle

drive driving drove driven

begin beginning began begun

sleep* sleeping slept slept

run running ran run

freeze* freezing froze frozen

eat* eating ate eaten

*For some verbs, such as sleep, freeze, and eat, a pair of vowels changes instead of just a single vowel.

Irregular Verb Patterns

Now that you have an idea of how to form the irregular past tense and irregular past participles, let's take a look at some patterns
that an irregular verb may follow.

Common Patterns

 Sometimes the past tense and past participle are the same. All the verbs in this category have at least one of the
following characteristics:

o The most common past tense and past participle endings you will add to these verbs are -t, -ght, and -d
(sweep/swept/swept; catch/caught/caught; sell/sold/sold).

o You will never add an -en, -n, or -ne ending to these verbs. The only time the past forms end in -n or -ne is
when that ending is already part of the base form (shine/shone/shone).

o Sometimes the base, past, and past participle endings are all the same. This happens most often when the base
ends in -ck, -g, -ght, or -ne.

You'll want to keep these characteristics in mind as you study irregular verbs, but don't worry about memorizing them all. Use the
table below to help you start recognizing all the patterns.

Base Past Past Participle

sweep swept swept

catch caught caught

sell sold sold

shine shone shone

swing swung swung

fight fought fought

 stick stuck stuck

 It is common to form the past participle by adding -en, -n, or -ne to the end of the base or past tense form.

Base Past Past Participle

eat ate eaten

give gave given

do did done

freeze froze frozen

 For some verbs, the base, past tense, and past participle are all the same. The base form of these verbs almost
always ends in -t (a couple of them end in -d, but that's very unusual).

Base Past Past Participle

put put put

set set set

 Keep in mind that this pattern does not apply to all verbs ending in the letter -t—there are quite a few, such as connect,
visit, and lift, that are regular verbs. Also, verbs with a base form ending in -ght never follow this pattern.

 Sometimes, the final vowel changes from i in the base to a in the past, and then to u in the past participle.

Base Past Past Participle

begin began begun

ring rang rung

Rare Patterns and Stand-Alone Irregulars

 With the verbs run, come, become, and overcome, the base and past participle are the same. These are the only
four verbs that follow this pattern, so keep an eye out for them—people often make the mistake of thinking that the past
tense and past participle forms are the same.

Base Past Past Participle

run ran run

come came come

 The base, past tense, and past participle are all completely different. This doesn't happen very often. The verb fly is
a good a example.

Base Past Past Participle

fly flew flown

 With the verb beat - and only the verb beat - the base and the past tense are the same, but the past participle is
different.

Base Past Past Participle

beat beat beaten

 Keep in mind that any other verb that has the same base and past tense will also have the same exact past participle (for
example, put/put/put).

Note:
Knowing these patterns will help you recognize the different verb forms, but it's not the best way to memorize them. Most people
learn the irregular verb forms by hearing, reading, and practicing them or by being corrected at home or in school.

Hint:

If you aren't sure whether a verb is irregular or not, the easiest solution is to look it up in the dictionary. If the verb is irregular,
the dictionary will give you all of the irregular forms.

The Verb To Be

The verb to be is the most irregular verb in the English language. It is irregular in all forms of the present and past tenses, and it
has an irregular past participle.

Present Tense Present Participle Past Tense Past Participle

I am
I/he/she/it was
you/we/they are being been
you/we/they were
he/she/it is

Simple Tenses

The present, past, and future tenses are called simple tenses.

Simple Tenses

Present Past Future

walk(s) walked will walk

Simple Present Tense

 Talking about actions that occur repeatedly

These are actions that happen on a regular basis, such as habits or routines. They can
have a specific or general time frame.

I brush my teeth every morning and every night.

Bret runs five miles every day.
We visit my grandparents twice a year.
Sometimes Sean and Jaimie go to the pool.
Mom never lets us eat chocolate cake for breakfast.

 Discussing current facts, basic truths, or widely accepted beliefs

The sky is blue, and the grass is green.

Cats catch mice.
Stealing is unethical.

 Describing people or things

Use the present tense to describe physical characteristics, personality traits, feelings,
abilities, and likes and dislikes that are true in the present.

Her brothers are both over six feet tall.

He is the nicest person I know.
I feel sick today.
My best friend plays minor league baseball.
Many people love dogs, but many also love cats.
This milk smells funny.
Your new rose bush looks beautiful!