Use standard verb forms in the appropriate tense, mood, and voice.

G5-a Select the appropriate verb tense to place events in past, present, and future time.

When selecting the correct verb tense for a sentence, pay special attention to conventional usage or to the relationships among different verbs within the context of your essay. See R2-a for a review of the basic verb tenses.

Change verbs from the past tense to the present when discussing events in a literary work or film, general truths, ongoing principles, and facts.

Readers expect the use of the present tense in a literary analysis, as if the action in a work were always ongoing.

Readers also expect general truths, facts, and ongoing principles to be stated in the present tense. (See also E2-a.)

Note: Some style guides make different recommendations about verb tense, depending on the field and its conventions. The style guide of the American Psychological Association (APA), for example, recommends using the past tense for past studies but using the present tense for research implications and conclusions.

Change the verb from the past tense to the past perfect (using had) to show that one past action took place before another.

The past action identified by the verb had called occurred before the past action identified by the verb claimed.

G5-b Use the correct verb endings and verb forms.

The five basic forms of regular verbs (such as talk) follow the same pattern, adding -s, -ed, and -ing, as shown here. The forms of irregular verbs (such as speak) do not consistently follow this pattern in forming the past and the past participle (see R2-a).

Add an -s or -es ending to a verb when the subject is in the third-person singular (he, she, it, or a singular noun).

Delete an -s or -es ending from a verb when the subject is in the first person (I, we), second person (you), or third-person plural (they).

Add a -d or an -ed ending to a regular verb to form the past tense or the past participle.

Check to be sure you have used the correct form of an irregular verb.

If you are uncertain about a verb form, refer to the list of irregular verbs in R2-a, or check your dictionary.

Note: Some verbs with different meanings are confusing because they have similar forms. For example, the verb lie (lie, lay, lain, lying) means “recline,” but the verb lay (lay, laid, laid, laying) means “put or place.” Consult the Glossary of Frequently Misused Words or a dictionary to make sure that you are using the correct form of the word you intend.

G5-c Choose the correct form of a verb to show the indicative, imperative, or subjunctive mood.

The subjunctive is often used in clauses with if or that. Always use the base form of the verb for the present subjunctive. (See G5-b.) For the past tense of the verb be, the subjunctive form is were, not was.

G5-d Use verbs primarily in the active voice.

The active voice calls attention to the actor performing an action. By contrast, the passive voice emphasizes the recipient of the action or the action itself over the actor.

Change passive verbs to active in most writing situations.

Straightforward and direct, the active voice creates graceful, clear writing that emphasizes actors.

Eliminate awkward, unnecessary passive verbs.

Note: The passive voice is sometimes useful if you want to shift information to the end of a sentence. It is also frequently used in impersonal writing that focuses on an action rather than an actor, as in a scientific research report.