Verb Tense, Mood, and Voice Flashcards
Present Tense
A verb used to describe things that happen routinely or facts/truths that remain true over time.
Often used to describe policies, laws, rules, and regulations that were enacted at some point in the past but still have their effects present.
Ex:
Sara loves going to the beach
Rome is the capital city of Italy
Originally written in 1791, the 1st Amendment to the Constitution, which MAKES it illegal for Congress to pass any law that INFRINGES upon citizen’s rights to freedom of speech, is often a topic of debate these days.
Simple Past Tense
Used to describe events that occurred and ended in the past.
Ex:
He finished his paper just before the deadline
We walked the dog before sunrise
In 1929, the stock market crashed
Future Tense
Used when discussing events that have not yet occurred but will occur in the future. The future tense is formed by preceding the base verb with the helping verb “will”.
The little boy will go to kindergartner next year
John and Rebecca will be at the movies tonight.
Present Perfect Tense & Since
When an action began in the past and continues into the present, we use present perfect tense. Formed by combining “has” or “have” with the past participle of the main verb.
I HAVE LIVED here for five years.
She HAS WON the gold medal in the school spelling bee twice.
When “since” is used to convey that a subject has engaged in an action from the past to the present, the present perfect tense must be used. “Have/Has + Past Participle Verb”
Past Perfect Tense
Describes a past action that occurred before another past action. The past perfect is used to described the action that occurred deeper in the past. Must be used in discussing an event/action completed by a specific point in time.
“had” + past participle. “had been” “had eaten” had performed”
The tour guide directed the boat toward a location where whales HAD SURFACED.
She skipped the popcorn at the movies because she HAD EATEN a big supper.
GMAT will flip the use of the past perfect tense and apply it to the second that occurred second in the sentence.
Use past perfect to describe an action/event that was COMPLETED by a certain time in the past.
EX:
By 1910, everyone had learned the jitterbug
By the end of the month, all of the foreign troops had left the war-torn nation
The past perfect is not necessary if the sentence itself makes it clear the time sequence of events. “Before” and “after” can be used to convey sequence of events and remove the need for past perfect tense.
Future Perfect Tense
Indicates that an event has not yet happened will be completed before another event that has not yet happened or before a specific time in the future.
Future perfect tense = “will” + “have” + past participle
The Future in the Past
Used when sentences about past events refer to events that were in the future when the past events occurred.
Ex: The director said that the cast would have a party after the final show.
Ex: During yesterday’s meeting, the division manager explained that she would soon be releasing the long-awaited new product.
Ex: Elaine had hoped that she would arrive in time to see the eclipse.
Present Continuous Tense
Used to describe events that are temporarily ongoing in the present.
Ex:
The children are playing outside
The dog is running on the beach
The sun is setting over the Pacific Ocean
The members are taking their placement tests
The Past Continuous Tense
Used to describe an action or event that was ongoing but has ended.
Ex:
The children were playing outside yesterday.
The plane was flying over Paris one hour ago.
Last night, the sun was setting over the ocean.
Event occurring in the background when a more notable event occurred.
The woman was washing clothes when the police arrived.
The dog was chewing his bone when the kids came running into the room.
The tiger was watching the herd of buffalo as they swam in the lake.
Future Continuous Tense
Used to describe an action that will be ongoing but has not yet begun; the action or event will occur in the future.
The children will be playing outside tomorrow. (An ongoing future action)
The plane will be flying over Madrid in about five hours. (An ongoing future event)
Indicative Mood
Used for stating facts, assertions and observations.
Ex:
The flowers smell good.
Tomorrow, we will go to the beach
Subjunctive Mood - Were
Used for statements that are hypothetical or conditional situations, dreams, wishes, desires, or doubts. Sentences will usually begin with “if” “as if” “were” “as though”.
Used the verb “were” NOT “was”.
Ex:
If I were a millionaire, I would buy my dream house. CORRECT.
If I was a millionaire, I would buy my dream house. INCORRECT.
I wish that I was done with my GMAT preparation. INCORRECT.
I wish that I were done with my GMAT preparation. CORRECT.
If Sheri was to arrive early, the surprise would be ruined. - INCORRECT.
If Sheri were to arrive early, the surprised would be ruined - CORRECT.
If I was to purchase a plane ticket to Hawaii, I would surely go diving with Tiger Sharks. INCORRECT.
If I were to purchase a plane ticket to Hawaii, I would surely go diving with Tiger Sharks. CORRECT.
Subjunctive Mood - Don’t use when uncertainty is expressed
Use to express, “either it is or it isn’t” and this is what will happen if it is.
If our representative was there that day, he can report what occurred - CORRECT.
If our representative were there that day, he can report what occurred- INCORRECT.
If the song were written by Mike Poster, then some royalties should go to him. INCORRECT
If the song was written by Mike Poster, then some royalties should go to him. CORRECT.
Subjunctive Mood in Command Situations
Request, suggestion, demand, or command words followed by the word “that” require that subjunctive mood, which, in these situations is referred to as the command subjunctive.
“I demand that you be respective at dinner” - CORRECT.
“I demand that you are respectful at dinner” - INCORRECT.
“I insist that he respect me at dinner tonight” - CORRECT.
“I insist that he respects me at dinner tonight” - INCORRECT.
Conditional Mood
Used in sentences about conditions and results that are purely hypothetical.
Combine “would” or “could” with a finite verb.
Ex:
If I knew know to speak French, I would move to Paris.
If the fruit had been outside, it could have been eaten by rabbits.
If they could see us now, they would be laughing.
