verb tense, mood & voice

Question 1

What is wrong?

Cherenkov radiation is light that particles are emitting when they are travelling faster than the effective speed of light in any medium.

Answer 1

Progressive Tenses

Cherenkov radiation is light that particles EMIT when they TRAVEL faster than the effective speed of light in any medium.

Do not use the Present Progressive for general definitions. Instead, use the Simple Present.

Question 2

What is wrong?

Quentin is meeting Harvey for lunch tomorrow.

Answer 2

Progressive tenses

Quentin WILL MEET Harvey for lunch tomorrow.

In GMAT sentences, do not use the Present Progressive to indicate future actions. This usage is considered too colloquial. Instead, use the Simple Future.

Question 3

What is wrong?

This inscription is signifying the emperor’s birth.

Answer 3

Progressive Tenses

This inscription SIGNIFIES the emperor’s birth.

Verbs that express general states do not normally take progressive forms. Such State Verbs include know or signify.

Question 4

What is the difference the 2 sentences bellow?

• She was playing with her friends when the babysitter arrived.*
• She played with her friends when the babysitter arrived.*

Answer 4

Keep verbs consistent

She was playing with her friends when the babysitter arrived.

the action was playing (in the Past Progressive) takes place in the background. Arrived (in the Simple Past) is the interrupting foreground event.

She played with her friends when the babysitter arrived.

In this case, the action played took place after the babysitter arrived. Both actions are in the Simple Past and express equal levels of importance.

Question 5

What is wrong?

• This country enforced strict immigration laws for thirty years.*
• They knew each other since 1987.*

Answer 5

Present Perfect: Still in effect…

• This country HAS ENFORCED strict immigration laws for thirty years.*
• They HAVE KNOWN each other since 1987.*

Each example involves an action that began in the past and continues into the present.

In each case, the idea of “continuing action” is reinforced by a time phrase, such as for thirty years or since 1987.

We use the Present Perfect tense for actions that started in the past but continue into the present, or remain true in the present.

Question 6

Spot the wrong sentence and explain the difference in meaning among the others

• The child has drawn a square in the sand.*
• The child drew a square in the sand, but the ocean erased it.*
• The child drew a square in the sand, but the ocean has erased it.*
• The child has drawn a square in the sand, but the ocean has erased it.*

Answer 6

Present Perfect: still in effect…

The child has drawn a square in the sand.

the child is no longer drawing, but the square remains.

The child drew a square in the sand, but the ocean erased it.

the child is no longer drawing, and we don´t know the state of the sand.

The child drew a square in the sand, but the ocean has erased it.

the child is no longer drawing, and the sand is square free.

Awkward: The child has drawn a square in the sand, but the ocean has erased it.

Question 7

What is wrong?

Since 1986 no one broke the world record.

Answer 7

Present Perfect: still in effect…

Since 1987 no one has broken the world record.

If you use since, you must use the Present Perfect to indicate continued action or effect.

Likewise, Present Perfect should be used with within phrases, such as within the past five minutes or within the last ten days, to indicate continued action or continued effect.

Question 8

What is wrong?

Veronica has traveled all over the world in 2007

Answer 8

Present Perfect: still in effect…

Veronica TRAVELED all over the world in 2007.

to talk about a specific, completed time period, use the Simple Past, not the Present Perfect.

Note that it is fine to write Veronica has traveled all over the world and omit any specific, completed time reference. In this case, you are making a statement about Veronica _ (the kind of person she is, her experience and qualities, etc.).

Question 9

What is the difference in the sequence of events?

• She will pay you when you ask her.*
• She will pay you when you have taken out the garbage.*

Answer 9

Present Perfect: still in effect…

She will pay you when you ask her.

the time of will pay = the time of [will] ask; note that the future will is often dropped in subordinate clauses

She will pay you when you have taken out the garbage.

(the time of will pay is LATER than the future time of have taken)

Question 10

Which is wrong? Explain the sequence of events

The film started by the time we arrived at the theater.

The film had started by the time we arrived at the theater.

The film started by the time we had arrived at the theater.

Answer 10

Past Perfect: the earlier action

The film started by the time we arrived at the theater.

The film started at the same time we arrived.

The film had started by the time we arrived at the theater.

The film started before we arrived.

**WRONG: **The film started by the time we had arrived at the theater.

There is no earlier action to arrived to compare with.

Use 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. Moreover, if the sequence is already obvious, we often do not need Past Perfect.

Question 11

What is wrong?

• Antonio had droven to the store and bought some ice cream.*
• Antonio had droven to the store, and Cristina bought some ice cream.*

Answer 11

Past Perfect: the earlier action

Antonio DROVE to the store and BOUGHT some ice cream.

A sequence of verbs with the same subject does not require Past Perfect. Rather, use the Simple Past for all the verbs.

We already know that drove happened before bought.

Antonio DROVE to the store, and Cristina BOUGHT some ice cream.

Clauses linked by and or but do not require the Past Perfect as a general rule.

In the sentence above, which has two main clauses linked by and, we are not emphasizing the order of events (although drove probably happened before bought).

Question 12

What is wrong?

Laura locked the dead bolt before she left for work.

Answer 12

Past Perfect: the earlier action

Laura LOCKED the dead bolt before she LEFT for work.

Nothing is wrong. We already know that locked happens before left because of the word before.The words before and after indicate the sequence of events clearly and emphatically enough to make the use of the Past Perfect unnecessary.

Question 13

Explain the sequence of events

• By 1945, the United States had been at war for several years.*
• The band U2 was just one of many new groups on the rock music scene in the early 1980’s, but less than ten years later, U2 had fully eclipsed its early rivals in the pantheon of popular music.*

Answer 13

Past Perfect: the earlier action

By 1945, the United States had been at war for several years.

The later past event does not need to be expressed with a Simple Past tense verb. You could just use a date or another time reference.

The band U2 was just one of many new groups on the rock music scene in the early 1980’s, but less than ten years later, U2 had fully eclipsed its early rivals in the pantheon of popular music.

you can even make a tricky sentence in which the first clause expresses an early action in Simple Past. Then, a second clause expresses a later action in
Past Perfect to indicate continued effect (by a still later past time).

Question 14

What is wrong?

Joe learned about an epoch in which dinosaurs had walked the earth.

Answer 14

Past Perfect: the earlier action

Joe LEARNED about an epoch in which dinosaurs WALKED the earth.

the Past Perfect had walked is unnecessary. Although the action had walked does take place earlier than the action learned, the earlier action does not have a direct bearing on the context of the later action. The sequence of time does not need to be clarified or emphasized.

Question 15

Make a report of the quotation bellow

Scientist:“The supercollider is ready, it did not cost too much, and it will provide new insights into the workings of the universe.”

Answer 15

Tense Sequence

Report: The scientist ANNOUNCED that the supercollider WAS ready, that it HAD not COST too much, and that it WOULD PROVIDE new insights into the workings of the universe.

The Simple Present tense (is) becomes the Simple Past (was).

The Simple Past tense (did … cost) becomes Past Perfect (had … cost). The action
becomes one step further removed’ from the present.

the Simple Future tense (will provide) becomes the Conditional Tense,
which is formed by combining would with the base form of the verb: would provide. The helping verb would expresses the future from the past’s point of view.

In these sorts of reporting sentences, avoid mixing Present tense with Conditional tense. Likewise, avoid mixing Past tense with Future tense. The usual sequences are EITHER
Present + Future OR Past + Conditional.

Wrong: The scientist BELIEVES that the machine WOULD BE wonderful.

Wrong: The scientist BELIEVED that the machine WILL BE wonderful.

Question 16

What is wrong?

To overcome my fear of germs, I will think about disease as though it was harmless.

Answer 16

The Hypothetical Subjunctive

To overcome my fear of germs, I will think about disease as though it WERE harmless.

The speaker does not believe that disease actually ls harmless. By using the Hypothetical Subjunctive were, the speaker reveals that he or she thinks that disease is not harmless.

The basic form of the Hypothetical Subjunctive is equivalenr to the Simple Past of every verb, with one exception. For the verb to be, the form were is always used.

Question 17

The patterns of If… Then bellow talk about a particular case or a general rule? What is the degree of uncertaity? Which case is in the subjunctive? Which case is wrong?

• 1) IF Sophie EATS pizza, THEN she BECOMES ill*
• 2) IF Sophie EATS pizza, THEN she MAY BECOME ill.*
• 3) IF Sophie EATS pizza tomorrow, THEN she WILL BECOME ill.*
• 4) If Sophie HAS EATEN pizza, then she WILL BECOME ill.*
• 5) IF Sophie WOULD EAT pizza tomorrow, THEN she WOULD BECOME ill.*
• 6) IF Sophie ATE pizza tomorrow, THEN she WOULD BECOME ill.*
• 7) IF Sophie HAD EATEN pizza yesterday, THEN she WOULD HAVE BECOME ill.*

Answer 17

If… Then Constructions

(1) General Rule with no uncertainty
* IF Sophie EATS pizza, THEN she BECOMES ill.*

IF Present, THEN Present.

(2) General Rule with some uncertainty
* IF Sophie EATS pizza, THEN she MAY BECOME ill.*

IF Present, THEN Can or May.

3) Particular Case (in the future) with no uncertainty
* IF Sophie EATS pizza tomorrow, THEN she WILL BECOME ill.*

IF Present, THEN Future.

Another possibility for the Particular Case (in the present) is

• 4) If Sophie HAS EATEN pizza, then she WILL BECOME ill.*
• 5) IF Sophie WOULD EAT pizza tomorrow, THEN she WOULD BECOME ill.*

Wrong: The helping verbs would and should should NEVER go in the if part of the sentence!

(6) Unlikely Case (in the future)
* IF Sophie ATE pizza tomorrow, THEN she WOULD BECOME ill.*

IF Hypothetical Subjunctive, THEN Conditional.

In place of would, the form could can be used to indicate improbability as well.

(7) Case that Never Happened (in the past)
* IF Sophie HAD EATEN pizza yesterday, THEN she WOULD HAVE BECOME ill.*

IF Past Perfect, THEN Conditional Perfect.

Question 18

Which sentenc is correct and what is wrong with the others?

• 1) We PROPOSE the school board DISBAND.*
• 2) We PROPOSE THAT the school board DISBANDS.*
• 3) We PROPOSE THAT the school board IS TO DISBAND.*
• 4) We PROPOSE the school board DISBAND.*
• 5) We PROPOSE THAT the school board WILL DISBAND.*
• 6) We PROPOSE THAT the school board SHOULD* DISBAND.

Answer 18

The Command Subjunctive

The subjunctive construction with a Bossy Verb is always as follows:

• Bossy Verb + THAT + subject + Command Subjunctive*
• We PROPOSE THAT the school board DISBAND.*

Additionaly, never use should.

The form of the command subjunctive, also known as the Bare Form of the verb, is the infinitive (to be, to disband) without the to.

Question 19

What is wrong?

The vice-president wants that she go to the retreat.

Answer 19

The Command Subjunctive

The vice-president WANTS THAT she GO to the retreat.

With some of the most common Bossy Verbs, such as want, you cannot use the Command Subjunctive, but rather an infinitive (to + the bare form.

Common Verbs that take ONLY the Command subjunctive:

demand, dictate, insist, mandate, propose, recommend, request, stipulate, suggest

We DEMANDTHAT HE BE here.

Verbs that take ONLY the Infinitive:

advise, allow, forbid, persuade, want

We ALLOW HIM TO BE here.

Verbs that take EITHER the Command Subjunctive OR the Infinitive

ask, beg, intend, order, prefer, urge, require (pay particular attention to require)

We require THAT HE BE here.

We require HIM TO BE here.

Question 20

What is the command subjunctive form of the following verbs(only command subjunctive, only infinitive, or both)?

demand, dictate, insist, mandate, propose, recommend, request, stipulate, suggest

Answer 20

The command subjunctive

• We demand THAT HE BE here.*
• Only the command subjuntive.*

demand, dictate, insist, mandate, propose, recommend, request, stipulate, suggest

Question 21

What is the command subjunctive form of the following verbs(only command subjunctive, only infinitive, or both)?

advise, allow, forbid, persuade, want

Answer 21

The command subjunctive

• We ALLOW HIM TO BE here.*
• Only the infinitive*

advise, allow, forbid, persuade, want

Question 22

What is the command subjunctive form of the following verbs(only command subjunctive, only infinitive, or both)?

ask, beg, intend, order, prefer, urge, require

Answer 22

The command subjunctive

• EITHER the Command Subjunctive OR the Infinitive*
• We require THAT HE BE here.*
• We require HIM TO BE here.*

ask, beg, intend, order, prefer, urge, require

(pay particular attention to require)

Question 23

What is wrong?

It is essential that Gary BE ready before noon.

Answer 23

The command subjunctive

It is essential THAT Gary BE ready before noon.

Nothing is wrong. The Command Subjunctive is possible with It is X in which X is an adjective, such as essential, that conveys urgency.

Question 24

What is wrong?

The pizza got eaten by the hungry students.

Answer 24

Active vs Passive Voice

The pizza WAS EATEN by the hungry students.

The passive voice is formed with a form of the verb to be (in this case, was), followed by the past participle (eaten). Do not use other verbs besides be, such as get, to form the passive voice.

Question 25

What is wrong?

The pizza was accidentally eaten by a quirk of fate.

Answer 25

Active vs. Passive Voice

THROUGH a quirk of fate, the pizza WAS accidentally EATEN By the hungry students.

Use by only for the actual doers of the action.

Use through or because of when you want to describe any instrument or means.

Question 26

Which one is a good use of the passive voice?

• It has been decided by Jason that he will not attend college.*
• During this operation, new blood vessels are inserted, bypassing blockages.*

Answer 26

Active vs Passive Voice

During this operation, new blood vessels are inserted, bypassing blockages.

The passive voice is actually ideal here, as the writer intends to de-emphasize the surgeon and to emphasize the action performed on the blood vessels.
The person performing the action, the unmentioned surgeon, is not important.

Jason HAS DECIDED not to attend college.

The active sentence above is clearer and simpler than the passive version.

Question 27

What is wrong?

The aliens were arrived on Neptune in the 20th century.

Answer 27

Active vs Passive Voice

The aliens ARRIVED on Neptune in the 20th century.

Only Transitive Verbs (verbs that take direct objects) can be written in the passive voice. Verbs that do not take direct objects should never be written in the passive voice

Question 28

Correct the underlined part

The shuttle launch seen around the world by people of all ages, all races, and all religions.

Answer 28

Active vs Passive Voice

The shuttle launch WAS seen around the world by people of all ages, all races, and all religions.

Because the people who are seeing the launch are mentioned at the end of the sentence, preceded by the word by, we must use the passive voice to complete the sentence

Question 29

What is wrong?

Because Cole wears a helmet when he struck on the head by a falling coconut ten years ago, he has scaped serious injury in that episode.

Answer 29

Verb Tense, Mood and Voice

Because Cole was wearing a helmet when he was struck on the head by a falling coconut ten years ago, he escaped serious injury in that episode.

wears (present tense) should be was wearing (past progressive tense).

The verb needs to be in the past progressive because the action of wearing the helmet is a background state of affairs that was happening when the foreground event (the fall of the coconut) occurred.

Struck (active voice) should be was struck (passive voice). The verb has to be in the passive voice because the phrase by falling coconut tells us that the coconut hit Cole.

Has escaped (present perfect tense) should be escaped (simple past tense). The verb has to be in the simple past because we are told that the escape occurred at a specific time in the past (ten years ago, in that episode).

Question 30

What is wrong?

She already woke up when the phone rang.

Answer 30

Verb Tense, Mood and Voice

She had already woken up when the phone rang.

Already woke up (simple past) should be had already woken up (past perfect).

We need to use the past perfect here because the word already requires this use for a momentary action such as wake up, when placed prior to another past action.

It would be fine to say She was already awake when the phone rang, because was awake is a state and thus takes up time.

In that case, already would indicate that this state was in effect before the phone rang. However, when you use already with the simple past of a momentary action, you convey a present perfect meaning. As your spouse shakes you out of bed, you might say I already woke up, but in proper English you should say I HAVE already woken up. In other words, the action is complete, AND the effect (your wakefulness) continues to the present.

In the sample sentence, since we want the subject’s wakefulness to continue up through some point in the past (when the phone rang), we must use the past perfect of wake up.

Question 31

What is wrong?

By the end of the Apollo program, twelve Americans have walked on the moon.

Answer 31

Verb, Tense and Mood

By the end of the Apollo program, twelve Americans had walked on the moon.

Have walked (present perfect tense) should be had walked (past perfect tense).

The past perfect is required because the twelve Americans did their walking before the end of the Apollo program.

Here the phrase end of the Apollo program functions much like a specific date in the past.

Question 32

What is wrong?

Water freezes if it were cooled to zero degrees Celsius.

Answer 32

Verb, Tense and Mood

Water freezes if it is cooled to zero degrees Celsius.

Were (present tense of the hypothetical subjunctive mood) should be is (present tense of the indicative
mood).

This sentence is stating a general rule that admits of no uncertainty, so the if-clause must be in the indicative mood.

You can also omit a tensed verb altogether from the if-clause: Water freezes if cooled to zero degrees Celsius.

Question 33

What is wrong?

Helen would feel better if she swallowed this pill

Answer 33

Verb, Tense and Mood

Helen would feel better if she swallowed this pill.

The sentence is correct.

Swallowed is in the present tense of the hypothetical subjunctive mood.

The presence of would in the clause Helen would feel better requires that the if-clause be in the hypothetical subjunctive mood.

In other words, the verb in the if-clause takes the hypothetical subjunctive mood because would indicates that Helen is unlikely to take the pill.

Question 34

What is wrong?

Helen will feel better if she swallows this pill.

Answer 34

Verb, Tense and Mood

Helen will feel better if she swallows this pill.

The sentence is correct.

Swallows is in the present tense of the indicative mood. The presence of will in the clause She
will fiel better requires that the if-clause be in the indicative mood.

In other words, the verb in the if-clause
takes the indicative mood because, as the use of will demonstrates, the author is at least neutral in his or
her beliefs about Helen’s chances of swallowing the pill.

we use the present tense for a future action (taking the pill) in an if-clause.

Question 35

What is wrong?

Ethan is unsure what to do tonight: his boss wants that he stay at the office, but his wife insists that he come home for dinner.

Answer 35

Verb, Tense and Mood

Ethan is unsure what to do tonight: his boss wants him to stay at the office, but his wife insists that he come home for dinner.

That he stay (command subjunctive) should be him to stay (infinitive), because want is a verb that requires the infinitive.

That he come (command subjunctive) is correct because insist is a verb that requires the command subjunctive.

Question 36

What is wrong?

The dealer was asked to sell a painting by Picasso.

Answer 36

Verb, Tense and Mood

• Picasso asked the dealer to sell a painting.*
• The dealer was asked to sell a Picasso painting.*

The words by Picasso are ambiguous.

Because was asked is in the passive voice, by Picasso could be meant to tell us who asked the dealer to sell the painting.

Alternatively, by Picasso could simply be meant to identify the painting as a work by Picasso.

Question 37

What is wrong?

• New regulations require that every cyclist in the Tour de France has to be tested for performance-enhancing
  substances. *

Answer 37

Verb, Tense and Mood

New regulations require that every cyclist in the Tour de France be tested for performance-enhancing substances.

Has to be tested should be be tested (command subjunctive).

Has to be tested is redundant because has to unnecessarily repeats the idea, already expressed by the verb require, that the testing is obligatory.

Be tested is correct because require, when followed immediately by the conjunction that, takes the command subjunctive.