1. Find the error TOEFL questions
LEARNING SPACE
TOPIC: Verb tense: “be + present or past participle”
The verb “be” in any of its forms (am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being) can be followed
by a present participle or past participle form.
PRESENT PARTICIPLE FORM: ING form of verb – example: running, playing, studying. These are
examples of the present participle forms of the verb.
PAST PARTICPLE FORM: For REGULAR VERBS, it’s the verb ending with “ed.” Example: followed,
fixed, painted, etc. For IRREGULAR VERBS, the past participle does not end with “ed.”
If you are not sure what they are, you should check a verb list. Most verb lists in English are
divided into three columns: BASE OF VERB, SIMPLE PAST, and PAST PARTICIPLE. So, on a typical
IRREGULAR VERB LIST, the first column has a list of verbs. The second column has the past tense
of these verbs, and the third column has the past participle of the verbs.
Example: BASE FORM: take SIMPLE PAST: took PAST PARTICPLE: taken
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NOTE THE FOLLOWING
THE VERB “be + present participle”
Examples of this: were talking, is listening, are reading, has been going, etc.
Notice that these examples consist of the verb “to be” + a present participle (ing)
This verb structure is correct if somebody or something is doing the action of the verb.
The time of the action could be demonstrated by changing the is (present) to was (past),
etc. So always check the sentence to find out if the subject is doing the action. Use the
present participle for actions.
THE VERB “be + past participle”
Examples: were given, is opened, are changed, has been fixed, etc.
Notice that these examples consist of the verb “to be” + a past participle (regular or
irregular).
This verb structure would be correct when the subject is not doing the action of the verb.
_________
So, in conclusion, always ask yourself: Is the subject doing the action of the verb? If the
answer is “yes,” use “be + present participle”; if it’s “no,” use “be + past participle.”