•     Verb Usage   

    Courtesy of Joanne Anderson, A.H.S.

    Four Principal Parts of a Verb

    1. Infinitive:

    n    The bells ring every day. (now and continuing)

    2. Present Participle:

    n    The bells are ringing now. (currently)

    3. Past:

    n    The bells rang at noon. (an earlier time).

    4. Past Participle:

    n    The bells have rung for the last time today. (compares)

    Regular Verbs 

    Changes from infinitive to present participle by adding –ing, changes from infinitive to past or past participle by adding –d, or –ed.

                    Present                  Past

    Infinitive      Participle           Past      Participle

    Use         Using       Used      Have used

    Irregular Verbs 

    Verb form changes completely from infinitive to present participle, past, and past participle.

                    Present                  Past

    Infinitive      Participle           Past      Participle

    Choose      Choosing            Chose      Have chosen

    Fall         Falling     Fell      Have fallen

    Swim      Swimming          Swam      Have swum

    Verb Tense

    Six verb tenses: conjugation

    w           Present: They go, he goes

    w           Past: They went, he went

    w           Future: They will go, he will go

    w           Present Perfect: They have gone, he has gone

    w           Past Perfect: They had gone, he had gone

    w           Future Perfect: They will have gone, he will have gone.

    Active and Passive Voice

    w   Active voice: subject performs the action.

    n    The teacher instructed us.

    n    The tree rattled against the window in the wind.

    w   Passive voice: subject is passive.

    n    We were instructed by the teacher.

    n    The tree was blown by the wind.

     

    Lie and Lay

    Lie means to rest or to recline

    Lay means to put or to place

                    Present                  Past

    Infinitive      Participle           Past      Participle

    Lie          lying          lay        have lain

    Lay          laying       laid      have laid

    Sit and Set

    Sit means to rest in an upright, seated position

    Set means to put or to place something.

                    Present                  Past

    Infinitive      Participle           Past      Participle

    Sit           Sitting       Sat       Have sat

    Set          Setting       Set       Have set

    Rise and Raise

    Rise means to go in an upward direction

    Raise means to move something up.

                    Present                  Past

    Infinitive      Participle           Past      Participle

    Rise        Rising       Rose      Have risen

    Raise       Raising     Raised      Have raised
Last Modified on December 21, 2008