6. Verbs Flashcards
What are the three possible issues that might arise in sentence correction problems?
(1) Tense – indicates when the action of the verb takes place
(2) Mood – indicates what the writer believes about or wants to do with, the action
- Indicative: used to describe knowledge or beliefs
- Subjective: used to express suggestions, desires, or hypothetical events
(3) Voice – indicates who or what is doing the action
- Active: subject performs the action
- Passive: subject has an action performed on it by someone else
What are the simple tenses?
(1) SIMPLE PRESENT – “Sandy PLAYS well with her friends”
(2) SIMPLE PAST – “Sandy PLAYED well with her friends yesterday”
(3) SIMPLE FUTURE – “Sandy WILL PLAY well with her friends tomorrow”
What are the progressive tenses what when are they used?
To emphasize ongoing nature of an action
(1) PRESENT PROGRESSIVE – “Sandy IS PLAYING soccer”
(2) PAST PROGRESSIVE – “Sandy WAS PLAYING soccer yesterday”
(3) FUTURE PROGRESSIVE – “Sandy WILL BE PLAYING soccer tomorrow”
- DO NOT use present progressive to indicate future actions
- Verbs that express general states (e.g. know or signify) do not normally take progressive forms
Quentin is meeting Harvey for lunch tomorrow.
CORRECT: Quentin WILL MEET Harvey for lunch tomorrow.
What is the present perfect tense?
Present Perfect indicates either continued action or continued effect of a completed action up to the present
Present Perfect = HAVE/HAS + Past Participle
CORRECT: We HAVE LIVED in a hut for three days.
CORRECT: The child DREW a square in the sand, but the ocean has erased it.
WRONG: The child HAS DRAWN a square in the sand, but the ocean HAS erased it.
What are some phrases that trigger the present perfect tense?
“Since xxxx…”
“Within the past…”
“In the last…”
*In contrast, a time phrase does NOT include the present (e.g. last month, in 2007, etc)
What is the past perfect tense?
If two actions in a sentence occurred at different times in the past, we often use the past perfect tense for the earlier action and simple past for the later action
Past Perfect = Had + Past Participle
CORRECT: The film HAD STARTED by the time we ARRIVED at the theater.
CORRECT: The teacher thought that Jimmy HAD CHEATED on the exam.
When should you use the past perfect rather than the simple past?
- We DO NOT always use the past perfect for earlier actions
- In general, you should use the past perfect only to clarify or emphasize a sequence of past events; the earlier event should somehow have a bearing on the context of the later event
- Clauses linked by “and” or “but” do not require the past perfect as a general rule
- The words “before” and “after” makes the use of the past perfect unnecessary
Joe learned about an epoch in which dinosaurs had walked the earth.
CORRECT: Joe learned about an epoch in which dinosaurs WALKED the earth.
What is the general sequence of tenses for past/present and future/conditional?
Present + Future
e.g. The scientist BELIEVES that the machine WILL BE wonderful.
Past + Conditional
e.g. The scientist BELIEVED that the machine WOULD BE wonderful.
What are the two forms of the subjunctive mood?
(1) Hypothetical Subjunctive – unlikely or unreal conditions (usually after “if” or a similar word)
(2) Command Subjunctive – proposals, desires and requests formed with certain verbs and the word that
What is the Hypothetical Subjunctive?
- Use to indicate unlikely or unreal conditions
- Principally, this form occurs after “if,” “as if,” or “as though”
- The basic form of the hypothetical subjunctive is equivalent to the simple past of every verb, with one exception: for the verb to be, the form “were” is ALWAYS used (remember “If I WERE a rich man…”
E.g. To overcome my fear of germs, I will think about disease as though it WERE harmless.
What are the five “if…then” constructions?
(1) General rule with no uncertainty
e.g. If Sophie eats pizza, then she becomes ill.
IF Present, THEN Present (this pattern is equivalent to “whenever”
(2) General rule with some uncertainty
e.g. If Sophie eats pizza, then she may become ill.
IF Present, THEN can or may
(3) Particular case (in the future) with no uncertainty
e.g. If Sophie eats pizza tomorrow, then she will become ill
IF Present, THEN Future
(4) Unlikely case (in the future)
e.g. If Sophie ate pizza tomorrow, then she would become ill.
IF Hypothetical Subjunctive, THEN conditional
(5) Case that never happened (in the past)
e.g. If Sophie had eaten pizza yesterday, then she would have become ill.
IF past perfect, THEN conditional perfect
What is the compound subjunctive?
- Used with certain Bossy Verbs, such as require or propose, which tell people to do things
- Use the bare form of the verb: the infinitive without the “to”
Bossy Verb + THAT + subject + Command Subjunctive
e.g. We PROPOSE THAT the school board DISBAND.
- There is no –s on the end for third person singular
- The form of the verb “to be” is always just “be”
What are common verbs that take ONLY the command subjunctive when indicating desire?
- Demand
- Dictate
- Insist
- Mandate
- Propose
- Recommend
- Request
- Stipulate
- Suggest
