How to Choose the Right Form of Verbs

Deciding the verb form to use in a sentence is one of the most difficult decisions to make in English. Verb forms are like different outfits for verbs. They show us when or how something is happening. Imagine a verb like “walk.” The root verb (or base form), like the everyday outfit, is just “walk.” But you can add “-ing” for something happening now (“walking”), add “-ed” for something that happened in the past (“walked”), or use it with “he,” “she,” or “it” to show someone is walking right now (“walks”). Some rules determine the right form of verbs used in a sentence. You’ll learn how verb tenses, verb conjugation, and subject-verb agreement affect verb form. 

Understanding Verb Forms

Before choosing the right form of a verb, understanding the concept of verb forms is essential. There are five different basic verb forms. These are;

1. Base Form/Root Verb: Imagine this as the verb in its most basic form, the way you find it in a dictionary (e.g., run, jump, eat). We often use this form with the word “to” (e.g., to run, to jump, to eat).
2. Present Participle: Add “-ing” to the base form to show an action happening right now or around this time (e.g., running, jumping, eating).
3. Simple Past: This tells us something that already happened in the past. For most verbs, we just add “-ed” to the base form (e.g., drained, jumped, fainted). There are some special verbs (irregular verbs) that change differently (e.g., ate, wrote, drank).
4. Past Participle: We use this with helping verbs like “have” to talk about actions completed in the past. Many verbs use the same form as the simple past (e.g., have slumped, have jumped). Again, some irregular verbs will be different.

For further explanation, the simple past form and the past participle form are identical for regular verbs. For instance, “I jumped” and “I have jumped” both use “jumped.” However, irregular verbs don’t follow this pattern. For example, with the verb “go,” we say “John went” in the simple past but “John has gone” for the past participle.

5. Third-Person Singular Present Tense: This shows what someone or something usually does. For most verbs, it’s the same as the base form. But for he, she, or it, we add “-s” or “-es” (e.g., runs, jumps, watches).

Think of it like this:

• Base Form: What the action is called
• Present Participle: Doing the action now
• Simple Past: Did the action in the past
• Past Participle: Finished doing the action (often with a helping verb)
• Present Tense (3rd person singular): Habitual action (for he, she, or it)

Please note that Gerunds also qualify as a form of verb, however, they are used as nouns. “-ing” is usually added to the verb. For example, “Running is my favourite form of exercise.”

In this sentence, “running” is a gerund. It’s formed from the verb “run” by adding “-ing” to make it into a noun that represents the action of running.

Basic Rules for Choosing the Right Form of Verbs

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses show when an action happens (past, present, or future). There are three main tenses (past, present, and future) and four forms for each (simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous). This creates twelve tenses in total. Simple tenses express basic actions. Continuous tenses show ongoing actions. Perfect tenses talk about completed actions. Perfect continuous tenses focus on actions that began in the past and might still be happening.

Here’s a table showcasing how tenses affect verb forms:

Each row represents a different tense, and each column represents a different form of the verb “to walk.”

Examples:

1. Present tense: He walks to school every day.
2. Past tense: Yesterday, he walked to school.
3. Present perfect tense: He has walked to school before.
4. Past perfect tense: By the time I arrived, he had walked to school.
5. Future tense: Tomorrow, he will walk to school.
6. Future perfect tense: By this time tomorrow, he will have walked to school.

Verb Conjugation

Verb conjugation refers to the process of changing the form of a verb to reflect its tense (past, present, future), person (singular/plural), and number (singular/plural). Here’s a breakdown of the rules guiding verb conjugation, or, in extension, verb forms with examples:

3rd Person Singular Present Tense: He, She, It often requires adding “-s” or “-es” to the base form (e.g., he runs, she writes).

Auxiliary Verbs: Helping verbs like “have” and “be” are conjugated differently and used to form perfect and continuous tenses.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental principle in grammar that ensures the verb in a sentence “agrees” with the subject in number (singular or plural). 

The Rule: The verb must match the number (singular or plural) of its subject.

Why it Matters: Proper subject-verb agreement creates clear and grammatically correct sentences.

Understanding Singular and Plural Subjects:

• Singular subjects: Refer to one person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., The cat, Time, Happiness).
• Plural subjects: Refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., The cats, They, Memories).

Tips for Subject-Verb Agreement:

• Identify the subject first.
• Pay attention to intervening words between the subject and verb. Don’t be fooled by phrases like “with my friends” or “along with the books.”
• Watch out for subjects joined by “or” or “nor.” The verb typically agrees with the subject closest to it. (e.g., Neither John nor his friends were there.)
• Be cautious with collective nouns (e.g., team, family). They can be singular or plural, depending on the context. (e.g., The team is united. vs. The team members are arguing.)

Conclusion

Choosing the right verb form is essential for clear and grammatically correct writing. We have explored verb tenses, conjugation, and subject-verb agreement, which are crucial in verb usage. By understanding these core concepts and practising regularly, you’ll be well on your way to mastering verb forms and expressing yourself confidently.