Verbs– principal parts of verbs and tenses

April 19, 2012

Get your yellow journal and set up a Type 2 response.

*Identify all the verbs in the sentences below. (Be sure to

include any helping verbs.)

The girls wanted to win their basketball game last

night.

They won the league championship.

The trophy will be presented to them on Friday.

The girls can’t wait to receive it!

InfinitivesAn infinitive will almost always begin with “to”

followed by the simple form of the verb, like this:

“to” + verb = infinitive

examples:to sneezeto smashto cryto shriekto jumpto readto eat to be

InfinitivesAn infinitive is a verb form that can be used as

a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.

To leave now would be rude. (Noun – subject of the sentence)

She is the candidate to watch.

(Adjective –describing the noun “candidate”)

We came to sing.

(Adverb – describing the verb “came” and why

we came)

InfinitivesDo not confuse an infinitive with a

prepositional phrase that begins with “to.”

Infinitives: Prepositional phrases:

•to go•to forget•to graduate

(Remember: An infinitive is “to” + verb)

•to them•to the mall•to the nearest exit

(Remember: A preposition has a noun or pronoun as its object.)

Principal Parts of VerbsThere are four principal parts of a verb:

• infinitive (the base form)• present participle• past• past participle

Infinitive/basePresent

ParticiplePast Past Participle

(to) live (is) living lived (have) lived

(to) run (is) running ran (have) run

Principal Parts of Regular VerbsAll verbs form the present participle in the

same way: add –ing to the infinitive/base form.

A regular verb forms its past and past participle by adding –d or –ed to its infinitive/base form.

Infinitive/basePresent

ParticiplePast Past Participle

(to) live (is) living lived (have) lived

(to) fix (is) fixing fixed (have) fixed

(to) plan (is) planning planned (have) planned

Principal Parts of Irregular VerbsAll verbs form the present participle in the same way:

add –ing to the infinitive/base form.

An irregular verb forms its past and past participle in some way other than by adding –d or –ed...

You might change vowels, change consonants, change vowels and consonants, or change nothing.

Infinitive/basePresent

ParticiplePast Past Participle

(to) sing (is) singing sang (have) sung

(to) lend (is) lending lent (have) lent

(to) buy (is) buying bought (have) bought

(to) cost (is) costing cost (have) cost

Verb TensesThe tense of a verb indicates the time of the

action.

The following are three verb tenses:

1.Past tense2.Present tense3.Future tense

Verb Tenses – past tense•Past tense – an action or state of being that occurred in the past.

•Examples:

I stayed at the library until it closed.

I was staying at the library until it closed.

I did stay at the library until it closed.

Verb Tenses – present tense•Present tense – an action or state of being that is occurring now.

•Examples:

Ashley and Brendan wait patiently for the bus.

Ashley and Brendan are waiting patiently for

the bus.

Ashley and Brendan do wait patiently for the

bus.

Verb Tenses – future tense•Future tense – an action or state of being that will occur.

•Examples:

I will attend camp this summer at the YMCA.

I will be attending camp this summer at the

YMCA.

I am going to attend camp this summer at the

YMCA.

Shift in Verb Tenses•Be careful not to shift verb tense in a sentence. Stick to the verb tense you start with.

• Incorrect:

Allen talked about going to the movies, but then

he goes to the mall.

•Better:

Allen talked about going to the movies, but

then he went to the mall.

Shift in Verb Tenses•Be careful not to shift verb tense in a sentence. Stick to the verb tense you start with.

• Incorrect:

The young boy constantly asks to go outside,

but then he always wanted to come back in.

•Better:

The young boy constantly asks to go outside,

but then he always wants to come back in.

Shift in Verb Tenses•Be careful not to shift verb tense in a paragraph. Stick to the verb tense you start with.• Incorrect:

• Last summer, my family went on a weekend trip to Lake Erie. We packed our bags in the evening and left early the next morning. When I asked my dad which direction we were going, he told me to look at the map. I find my hometown of Pittsburgh and make a line with my finger to the lake. We were driving north. It takes us a little over two hours to get there.

•Better:• Last summer, my family went on a weekend trip to Lake Erie. We packed our bags in the evening and left early the next morning. When I asked my dad which direction we were going, he told me to look at the map. I found my hometown of Pittsburgh and make a line with my finger to the lake. We were driving north. It took us a little over two hours to get there.

Homework

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