Using appropriate verb forms

Page contents:

  • The base form

  • The past-tense form

  • The past participle form

  • The present participle form

  • The -s form

  • Forms of be

Except for be, all English verbs have five possible forms.

BASE FORM PAST TENSE PAST PARTICIPLE PRESENT PARTICIPLE -S FORM
talk talked talked talking talks
adore adored adored adoring adores

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The base form

The base form is the one listed in the dictionary. For all verbs except be, use the base form to indicate an action or condition in the present when the subject is plural or when the subject is I or you.

During the ritual, the women go into trances.

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The past-tense form

Use the past tense to indicate an action or condition that occurred entirely in the past. For most verbs, the past tense is formed by adding -ed or -d to the base form. Some verbs, however, have irregular past-tense forms. Be has two past-tense forms, was and were.

The Globe was the stage for many of Shakespeare’s most famous works.

In 1613, it caught fire and burned to the ground.

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The past participle form

Use the past participle to form perfect tenses and the passive voice. A past participle usually has the same form as the past tense, though some verbs have irregular past participles.

She had accomplished the impossible. [past perfect]

No one was injured in the explosion. [passive voice]

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The present participle form

The present participle is constructed by adding -ing to the base form. Use it with auxiliary verbs to indicate a continuing action or condition.

Many students are competing in the race. [continuing action]

Present participles sometimes function as adjectives or nouns (gerunds), and past participles can also serve as adjectives; in such cases they are not verbs but verbals.

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The -s form

Except for be and have, the -s form consists of the base form plus -s or -es. This form indicates an action in the present for third-person singular subjects. All singular nouns; he, she, and it; and many other pronouns (such as this and someone) are third-person singular.

SINGULAR PLURAL
FIRST PERSON I wish we wish
SECOND PERSON you wish you wish
THIRD PERSON he/she/it wishes they wish
Joe wishes children wish
someone wishes many wish

The third-person singular form of have is has.

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Forms of be

Be has three forms in the present tense (am, is, are) and two in the past tense (was, were).

Present tense

SINGULAR PLURAL
FIRST PERSON I am we are
SECOND PERSON you are you are
THIRD PERSON he/she/it is they are
Juan is children are
somebody is many are

Past tense

SINGULAR PLURAL
FIRST PERSON I was we were
SECOND PERSON you were you were
THIRD PERSON he/she/it was they were
Juan was children were
somebody was many were

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Quick Help: Editing for -s and -es endings