Perfect Verb Tenses and Irregular Verbs Help

Perfect Verb Tenses

You have been working with verbs in the present, the past, and the future tense. It's important to add one other verb formation to this list, and that is the perfect tense. We'll explore this even more later in the book, but for now, you should know that the three perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect) are formed by adding has, had, or have to the past tense of the verb. Let's concentrate on the present perfect tense—a time that started in the past and continues into the present. Look at the verb complain:

complain

complained

will complain

have complained

The last example conforms to the definition of the present perfect tense. The complaining started in the past and continues into the present. Look at one more example, using the verb prepare:

prepare

prepared

will prepare

have prepared

Perfect Verb Tenses Practice and Answers

Practice

Circle the verb in each sentence. Then identify the tense of the verb. Use the previous example sentences as your guide.

I expect a raise in October. __________
Last year I received less than the maximum. __________
I have expected a larger raise for the past two years. __________
You think my larger raise will come this year, don't you? __________
I have read every document in the company. __________
My feet slid across the newly polished floors. __________
Next time I will know when the floor is wet. __________
We wrote a list of safety instructions. __________
We will implement the ideas shortly. __________
I avoided a serious injury this time. __________

Answers

1. expect/present tense 2. received/past tense 3. have expected/present perfect tense 4. will come/future tense 5. have read/present perfect 6. slid/past tense 7. will know/future 8. wrote/past 9. will implement/future 10. avoided/past

Irregular Verbs

If English is your first language, you probably switch from tense to tense with great ease—that is, with regular verbs. People are much more likely to have problems with the tenses of irregular verbs. The spellings of these verbs change to a greater degree to indicate tense—and English has quite a few of them.

Perhaps you've heard the following incorrect past-tense verbs:

brung

hanged

Now look at this partial list of irregular verbs, and find the correct past forms of bring and hang:

Irregular Verbs Practice and Answers

Practice

In each of the following sentences, find and correct the error in verb form.

That dog will lay in the grass all day.

I waked up too late to eat breakfast

Mike swum the entire way.

I layed my keys on the counter and now they're gone.

The child reported that he had runned all the way home.

Answers

1. will lie 2. woke 3. swam 4. laid 5. had run

We usually learn the correct use of irregular verbs very naturally as we learn to speak English. For some people it is more difficult than for others. We all need to keep checking our usages because it's so easy to forget some of the irregular forms in the list. If you ever hesitate as you're about to speak or write one of these verbs, it's a clue that you need to go back and review. For example, two of the most misused irregular verbs are lay (to place) and lie (to recline), but if we establish some clues to their usage, it will help. Notice that the verb lay has an a in the middle and the clue word, place, is spelled with an a. The verb lie has an i in the middle as does the clue word, recline. Those two clues will start you off correctly in the present tense. Now you need clues for the past and perfect tenses.

Irregular Verbs Additional Practice and Answers

Practice

Choose the correct verb form for each sentence.

I have never (laid, lain) in bed all day.
Mort has (swim, swum) the canal each spring.
The hanger was (raised, rose) twenty feet to accommodate the new planes.
I had (payed, paid) that bill long before it was due.
The toddler's parents had (forbade, forbidden) him from going into the street alone.
I have (swinged, swung) on that gate since I was a child.
We have (chosen, chose) a place for our wedding reception.
I have (drank, drunk) too much at this party!
The child (threw, throwed) a perfect strike.
I had (seen, seed) him only one other time.

Answers

1. lain 2. swum 3. raised 4. paid 5. forbidden 6. swung 7. chosen 8. drunk 9. threw 10. seen

Practice

In each paragraph, find the one verb that is not consistent in tense. Circle those verbs.

Paragraph 1

About three days after Christmas, do your children say, "I'm bored. What should I do now?" The answer could be that the children need to play, but in a way that is different from what they've been doing. They may simply need to leave their new indoor toys, their computers, and the TV and went outside into open space.

Paragraph 2

If it's not dangerously cold outside, children should spend time exercising their muscles in the open atmosphere. Many opportunities existed in the outdoors, from bike and sled riding to building snow forts. All of these activities give children the chance to use both large and small muscles and to focus on totally different tasks.

Answers

1. change went to go 2. change existed to exist

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Perfect Verb Tenses and Irregular Verbs Help