Verb Form Errors
Conjugating English Verbs
When a verb is conjugated, it is changed to agree with the subject of the sentence. For English
regular verbs, the verb form remains the same, except when the subject is in the 3 rd person
singular in the present tense.
Regular verb: to help
1st person singular
I help
2nd person singular
you help
3rd person singular
he/she/it helps
1st person plural
we help
3rd person plural
they help
It is easy to forget the “s” on the 3rd person singular of regular verbs. You may need to proofread
your writing specifically checking your verb endings in order to develop accuracy.
Basic Verb Forms
Every main verb in English has four forms that are used to create all the verb tenses. Here is an example
of these forms for a regular verb and for an irregular verb, with a sample sentence in which each might
appear.
Regular verb: to help
Base Form
I help my sister with her math homework regularly.
Past Tense
Yesterday, I helped my sister with her math homework.
Past Participle
I have helped her many times before.
Present Participle
In fact, I am helping her right now.
Irregular verb: to be
Base Form
To be, or not to be: that is the question.
Past Tense
Yesterday I was anxious about my final grades; fortunately, they were
posted this morning.
Past Participle
I have been anxious about them all semester.
Present Participle
I am being silly about it, I know.
Academic Skills Centre
Trent University
www.trentu.ca/academicskills
acdskills@trentu.ca
It is extremely important to know the basic verb forms well. In particular, students can confuse
the past tense with the past participle: “Yesterday I went to the gym” but “I should have gone to
the gym on the weekend as well”.
Make sure you have a handy reference guide of common irregular verb forms, such as the one
found here: http://www.englishpage.com/irregularverbs/irregularverbs.html . Check any verb
forms you are unsure of before handing in a writing assignment.
Practice: Choose the correct form for the verbs in parentheses in the following
sentences.
1. When I (get) home last night, I discovered that Trish had (prepare) a birthday dinner for me.
2. Since arriving in Hollywood in 2005, I have (act) in two television commercials, an episode of a TV
drama, and two films. However, I had never even (speak) publicly before I came to Hollywood.
3. By the time I got to the gym, the exam had already (begin). My teacher (be) furious with me and I (be)
reprimanded.
4. When I (turn) the car radio on yesterday, I (hear) a song that was popular in the 1980s. I had not
(hear) the song in years, and it (bring) back some good memories.
5. Last week, I (run) into an old friend from elementary school. We had not (see) each other in years,
and both of us have (change) a lot. I (enjoy) talking to him so much that I (ask) him to dinner. We are
(get) together at six tonight.
Answer Key
1. When I (got) home last night, I discovered that Trish had (prepared) a birthday dinner for me.
2. Since arriving in Hollywood in 2005, I have (acted) in two television commercials, an episode of a TV
drama, and two films. However, I had never even (spoken) publicly before I came to Hollywood.
3. By the time I got to the gym, the exam had already (begun). My teacher (was) furious with me and I
(was) reprimanded.
4. When I (turned) the car radio on yesterday, I (heard) a song that was popular in the 1980s. I had not
(heard) the song in years, and it (brought) back some good memories.
5. Last week, I (ran) into an old friend from elementary school. We had not (seen) each other in years,
and both of us have (changed) a lot. I (enjoyed) talking to him so much that I (asked) him to dinner. We
are (getting) together at six tonight.
Academic Skills Centre
Trent University
www.trentu.ca/academicskills
acdskills@trentu.ca