This document provides an overview of verb usage in English, including verb tense, regular and irregular verbs, and active and passive voice. It discusses the six verb tenses in English and how they indicate when an action occurs. It also explains how regular verbs form their past tense and past participle with suffixes, while irregular verbs have unpredictable forms. Finally, it outlines how the active voice shows the subject performing the action, while the passive voice shows the subject receiving the action.

1. Using Verbs Correctly12 Grade Grammar

2. OverviewIn this chapter you will review or learn about:Verb tenseRegular and irregular verbsActive and passive voiceUsing verbs correctly

3. Get StartedIn English, tense is used to show when something happens. Here, you will discover how verbs are formed and how they are used to show time. Note: This chapter is especially important for speakers of English as a second language.

4. Overview of Verb FunctionsRecall from Chapter 1 that verbs are words that name an action or describe a state of being. There are four basic types of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, helping verbs, and verb phrases. Verbs also convey information through changes in their form. Here are the five different things we find out from a verb:Tense (when the action takes place: past, present, or future)Person (who or what experiences the action)Number (how many subjects act or receive the action)Mood (the attitude expressed toward the action)Voice (whether the subject acts or is acted upon: the active or passive voice)

5. The Six Verb TensesThe tense of a verb shows its time. English has six verb tenses. Each of the six tenses has two forms: basic and progressive (also known as “perfect”). The basic form shows action, occurrence, or state of being that is taking place right here and now. The basic form also is the base for the future form (i.e., I will sleep; they will sleep).

6. The Six Verb TensesThe following chart shows the six forms for the verb to walk:

7. Principal Verb PartsThe tense of English verbs is formed from helping verbs and principal parts. Each English verb has four main parts, as shown in the following chart:

8. Principal Verb PartsThe present tenseThe present is used to form the present tense (“I look”) and the future (“I will look”). English uses the helping verb will to show the future tense.The present participleThe present participle forms all six of the progressive forms (“I am looking,” “I was looking,” and so on).The past tenseThe past forms only one tense, the past. As with the present tense, the principal partstands alone.The past participleThe past participle forms the last three tenses: the present perfect (“I have looked”), the past perfect (“I had looked”), and the future perfect (“I will have looked”). To form thepast participle, start with a helping verb such as is, are, was, has been. Then add the principal part of the verb.

9. Quick TipWhen you conjugate a verb, you list the singular and plural forms of the verb in a specific tense.

10. Regular and Irregular VerbsEnglish verbs are divided into two classes: regular and irregular. These classifications come from the way the verb forms its past tense and past participles.Regular verbs: The past tense and past participle forms are created by adding -d, -ed, or -t to the present form, but the vowel doesn’t change; for example, walk, walked, walked.Irregular verbs: No pattern is followed when the past and past participle are formed. Instead, there are many different forms. For example, with some irregular verbs the vowel changes and an -n or -e is added, as in begin, began, begun. With other verbs, the vowel changes and a -d or -t is added, as in lose, lost, lost.

11. Regular and Irregular VerbsOf all the verbs in English, lie and lay are likely the most often confused. Lay is a regular verb; lie is an irregular verb.Lie means “to repose.” Lie conjugates as lie, lay, lain.Laymeans “to put.” Lay conjugates as lay, laid, laid.Because lay is both the present tense of to lay and the past tense of to lie, many speakers and writers use lay when they mean lie.Lie is an intransitive verb. That means that it never takes a direct object. When people are exhausted, they should lie down for a rest.Lay is a transitive verb. That means that lay always takes a direct object. Lay the papers down.

12. Regular and Irregular VerbsThe following chart lists some of the most common irregular verbs that have the same past, and past participle forms.

13. Regular and Irregular VerbsThe next chart lists some of the most common irregular verbs that have the same past and past participle forms.

14. Regular and Irregular Verbs

15. Regular and Irregular Verbs

16. Regular and Irregular Verbs

17. Regular and Irregular VerbsQuick TipThe most irregular verb in English is to be. Its principal parts are be, being, was, were, been, am, are, is.

18. Regular and Irregular VerbsThe following chart lists some of the most common irregular verbs that change in unpredictable ways.

19. Regular and Irregular Verbs

20. Regular and Irregular Verbs

21. Regular and Irregular Verbs

22. How To Use TensesThe six tenses express time within three main categories: past, present, and future. You want to use the tenses correctly so that you can how how one event is related to another. The following chart shows how the tenses are related.

23. How To Use TensesUse the two present forms (simple present, present progressive) to show events that take place now.Use the six past forms (simple past, present perfect, past perfect, past progressive, present perfect progressive, past perfect progressive) to show events that took place before the present.Use the four future forms (simple future, future perfect, future progressive, future perfect progressive) to show events that take place in the future.

24. Active and Passive VoiceIn addition to showing time through tense, action verbs also show whether the subject performs the action or receives the action. This is called a verb’s voice. English verbs have two voices: active and passive. (Linking verbs do not show voice.)

25. Active and Passive VoiceA verb is active when the subject performs the action.We took the package home. (“We” are doing the action.)I served a delicious meal. (“I” am doing the serving.)Notice that in the active voice, the sentence starts with the subject. The first sentence starts with We. The second sentence starts with I.

26. Active and Passive VoiceA verb is passive when its action is performed upon the subject.A package was taken home. (The speaker is not indicated.)A delicious meal was served by me.Notice that in the passive voice, the sentence does not start with the subject. The first sentence starts with the object, “a package.” The second sentence starts with the object, “a delicious meal.”

27. Active and Passive VoiceIn general, use the active voice whenever possible because it is more direct and forceful. Using the active voice makes your writing crisp and powerful. The active verb is one word rather than two. Further, there is no need for a prepositional phrase beginning with “by” if you use the active voice.

28. Active and Passive VoiceUsing the passive voice is preferable over the active voice under two conditions:You don’t want to assign blame.A mistake occurred with the filing system.Not surprisingly, the passive voice is very often found in business writing and speech. This helps the writer or speaker avoid “finger pointing.”You don’t know who did the action.A prank phone call was made at 2:00 A.M.

29. Active and Passive VoiceA verb’s tense shows when the action takes place. Use the right order of tenses to show the correct order of events.English verbs are divided into two classes: regular and irregular. These classifications come from the way the verb forms its past tense and past participles.Voice shows whether the subject acts (active voice) or is acted upon (passive voice). In general, use the active voice instead of the passive voice.