Grammar and Correct Usage Set B
1. Choose the form of the verb that best matches the time frame of the sentence.
Each morning, Fred ______ the tarp from his car.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. remove
B. removes
C. was removed
D. removing
Show Answer
B. removes
This sentence describes something that happens every day, so we should use the present tense.
Of the choices, only “removes” is a present tense verb, so it’s the best verb to use in this sentence.
2. Choose the form of the verb!
Ginger Stroud, Private Eye, ________ papers on her desk when a mysterious man walked into her office.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. was shuffling
B. had shuffled
C. had been shuffling
Show Answer
C. had been shuffling
Verb aspect allows you to be more specific about when an action occurs:
- Progressive aspect shows that an action is ongoing using a form of “to be” alongside an -ing verb.
- Perfect aspect allows us to talk about a completed action using a form of “to have” alongside a past tense verb.
If we combine these aspects, we get the progressive perfect aspect, which shows that something is both ongoing and either completed in the past or continuing in the present.
To create a progressive perfect verb phrase, we use a form of “to have” and a form of “to be” alongside an -ing verb.
The progressive perfect form is “had been shuffling”.
3. Is the highlighted verb or verb phrase in the simple or progressive aspect?
Gabriela put her hands on her hips.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. Simple
B. Progressive
Show Answer
A. Simple
Verb aspect allows you to be more specific about when an action occurs.
For example, “I was running” and “I ran” are both in the past tense, but:
- “I ran” is in simple aspect.
- “I was running” is in progressive aspect.
Progressive verbs show that an action is ongoing. They use a form of “to be” alongside an -ing verb.
“Put” is in the simple aspect.
4. Fill in the blank with the verb that fits best.
A baseball ______ through the window.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. crash
B. crashes
Show Answer
B. crashes
Verbs must agree with their subjects. So plural subjects (like we, they, or elephants) need plural verbs, while singular subjects (like I, you, or elephant) need singular verbs.
For example:
- The elephant eats.
- The elephants eat.
In this sentence, “baseball” is a singular subject. A singular subject needs a singular verb, so the correct form is “crashes”.
5. Choose the perfect form of the verb!
In his native country, he ______ a fugitive from justice.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. had been
B. was
C. was being
Show Answer
A. had been
Perfect verbs show that an action is completed. To create a perfect verb phrase, we use a form of “to have” alongside a past tense verb.
For example, “he had eaten” is different than “he ate” because it shows that the eating was completed in the past.
The perfect verb form is “had been”.
6. Choose the verb tense that makes the most sense.
It was dark out, so the house ______ extra spooky.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. seems
B. seemed
C. will seem
Show Answer
B. seemed
Verb tense tells us when something happens: the present, the past, or the future.
The tense we choose should match the intended meaning of the sentence.
Remember: future tense verbs use the helping verb “will”, and past tense verbs usually (though not always) end in -ed.
This sentence suggests that the action already happened by using past tense earlier in the sentence (“was”). So, we should use the past tense verb “seemed”.
7. Is the highlighted word an action, linking, or helping verb?
Medical professionals wear scrubs to help keep treatment areas sterile.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. action verb
B. linking verb
C. helping verb
Show Answer
A. action verb
Action verbs describe action! Is the subject of the verb actually doing something? If so, then we’re dealing with an action verb.
- She ran
- They said
- He clapped
Linking verbs describe a “state of being”. If the verb describes what the subject is like, then we’re dealing with a linking verb.
- Flowers smell nice
- Tennis seems hard
- Alice is tall
Helping verbs help us form tenses and moods, describing when an action occurs or if the action is possible. Helping verbs must be part of a larger verb phrase.
- I can’t believe it
- They were dancing
- She has practiced
Wearing is an action, so “wear” is an action verb.
8. Which word in this sentence is a verb?
Willy found an oak leaf.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. Willy
B. found
C. an
D. oak
Show Answer
B. found
Verbs are actions. Which word in this sentence tells you what action is being done?
The action being done in this sentence is finding. The verb is “found”.
9. Choose the simple form of the missing verb.
Linda ______ a cheeseburger.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. was cooking
B. had cooked
C. cooked
Show Answer
C. cooked
Verb aspect allows you to be more specific about when an action occurs. For example, “I was running” and “I ran” are both in the past tense, but “I was running” shows that the action was ongoing in the past.
Simple aspect verbs, whether in the past, present, or future tense, are just normally conjugated verbs. They don’t use forms of “to have” or “to be” as helping verbs.
The simple form of the verb is “cooked”.
10. Choose the verb form that makes the most sense.
Gerard ______ in his journal that it had been a pretty sweet day.
$_{\text{Choose 1 answer:}}$
A. wrote
B. writed
C. write
Show Answer
A. wrote
Most past tense verbs end in -ed. However, there are other verbs that have irregular forms in the past tense.
For example, the past tense of “sleep” isn’t “sleeped”. The past tense of “sleep” is “slept”.
Unfortunately, there’s no one rule we can use to identify and conjugate irregular past tense verbs. We need to learn each verb through experience.
“Write” is an irregular past tense verb. The correct form is “wrote”.
Source: Khan Academy