Verb Form - English Grammar Worksheet printable pdf download

Verb Form - English Grammar Worksheet

Using a Dictionary to Choose the Correct Verb Form

To change verb tense, we change the form of the verb, which simply means we add something

(walk

on the end of the base form

becomes walked to show past tense) or change

spelling (bring be

its

brough t

comes

to show past tense).

You can find the correct forms of verbs in a dictionary. Look up the base form. Often you know

walk

the base form (the form you use with co-to

to sing,

swim).

If you don't know the base form, you can find it by looking up any form other than the base form.

sank

For instance, if you look up the word

in the dictionary, it will direct you to the to form of the

verb-sink.

Once you find the base form, dictionaries list the other verb forms in the same order:

base

form

2. past

3. past participle

present participle

has

have)

(follows

(follows a

form)

walked

walk

walking

scare

scared

scaring

Like many languages, English has regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs all show the tense, or

time, the same way; for instance, we add an -ed or a -

to the end of regular verbs to indicate past

tense. If a verb is regular, the past and past participle forms are the same, so the dictionary will only

have

list the base and the past forms. To make the past participle forms (forms after

had)

or the

-ed

present participle forms ( -ing forms), you just add the

or -ing ending to the base form.

this

Verbs that don't follow

predictable pattern are called irregular verbs.

Base

Past

Past Participle

Present Participle

was/were

been

being

eat

eaten

ate

eating

met

meeting

meet

Many of our verbs are irregular, and you may not know all of the past and past participle forms.

Sometimes the past and past participle forms of irregular verbs are the same, but sometimes they are

not. Any time you aren't sure what a verb's past or past participle form is, you must look it up.

Harcourt, Inc.

Verb Form - English Grammar Worksheet

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories