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    English Verb Drills
    English Verb Drills
    English Verb Drills
    Ebook291 pages3 hours

    English Verb Drills

    By Ed Swick

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    About this ebook

    Your shortest route to mastering verb conjugations

    One of the greatest challenges in learning a language is mastering verb conjugations. English Verb Drills makes it easier than ever for you to meet that challenge. It allows you to focus exclusively on building your mastery of verbs without being distracted by other elements of grammar. Combining the features of a workbook and reference manual, this book clearly and systematically explains how the verb system works while providing more than 150 drills for practice. Using this unique title, you will build the confidence you need to use verbs correctly and to be comfortable expressing yourself in speech and writing.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMcGraw-Hill Education
    Release dateMar 31, 2009
    ISBN9780071608718
    English Verb Drills

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      English Verb Drills - Ed Swick

      Key

      Preface

      English Verb Drills is designed to help learners develop the skills that promote effective usage of verbs. It is a vehicle for students of all levels to review and drill conjugational forms, tenses, voice, mood, and verb usage.

      Students of language often struggle with the conjugations of verbs. This is particularly true of European languages. One fortunate exception is the English language. Except for the third-person singular conjugation of most verbs, there are no conjugational endings to be considered in the present tense. In the third-person singular, most verbs simply require the ending -s.

      Although the conjugation of English verbs is a relatively simple matter, there are other aspects of verbs that require explanation, illustration, and practice. The two most significant of these aspects are verb irregularities and verb usage. This book identifies the varieties of verb irregularities and provides abundant practice with them. The patterns of verb usage are also explained and illustrated and accompanied by numerous exercises for practice.

      At the end of the book is a Mastery Check for learners to verify the development of their skill with all the aspects of verbs provided in the entire book. Besides an Answer Key, there is a useful appendix at the end of the book that provides a complete list of irregular English verbs.

      English Verb Drills can serve as an important study aid to all those who wish to perfect their knowledge of English verbs. The book is equally suitable in an English-language classroom or for self-study and is an effective tool for clarifying the complexities and idiosyncrasies of the English verb.

      1

      Verbs in the Present and Past Tenses

      A tense tells in what time the action of a verb takes place: the present, the past, or the future.

      The Present Tense

      The base form of a verb is called the infinitive. Infinitives are composed of the particle word to and the verb: to sing, to dance, to develop, and so on. In the conjugation of a verb in the present tense, the particle word to is omitted. The ending -s is added to the verb in the third-person singular.

      Verbs that end in -y change to -ie- in the third-person singular conjugation and then add the ending -s. However, if the final -y of a verb is preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), the -y does not change to -ie-.

      For verbs that end in a sound such as -s, -z, -ch, -tch, or -sh, add the ending -es instead of -s in the third-person singular conjugation of the present tense.

      The ending -es is also used as the third-person singular present tense ending for verbs that end in vowels. For example:

      If a verb already ends in -e, just add -s:

      If a noun is used in place of a third-person pronoun, a plural noun will require no ending on the verb, and a singular noun will require the ending -s:

      This conjugational usage with nouns follows the pattern of the plural and singular third-person plural and singular pronouns:

      Exercise 1

      Fill in the blank with the appropriate present tense form of the infinitive provided in parentheses. For example:

      John asks his father for some advice. (to ask)

      1. I never____________about things I don’t understand. (to speak)

      2. Mary and I often____________to the radio in the evening. (to listen)

      3. She seldom____________to keep her room tidy. (to forget)

      4. My brother____________about getting into college. (to worry)

      5. The little boy____________when he doesn’t get his way. (to cry)

      6. You never____________my questions directly. (to answer)

      7. We____________Aunt Helen with a beautiful birthday cake. (to surprise)

      8. The dog____________the large bone in the backyard. (to bury)

      9. The brothers____________all their money on video games. (to spend)

      10. It usually____________rather humid in the midafternoon. (to become)

      11. They____________the documents then quickly____________his office. (to sign / to leave)

      12. Bill____________to borrow my car, but he never____________me his. (to like / to lend)

      13. He____________the party and____________for it with his credit card. (to arrange / to pay)

      14. I____________we change the rules and____________Jim to join our club. (to suggest / to allow)

      15. Mark____________the girl behind the barn and suddenly____________her. (to catch / to kiss)

      To Be and To Have

      Two English verbs need to be considered separately because they have a slightly more complicated conjugation in the present tense. These verbs are to be and to have. The conjugation of these two verbs is significant because, besides being able to function alone in a sentence, they can also serve as auxiliaries of other verbs and in tenses other than the present tense.

      Exercise 2

      Fill in the blank with the appropriate present tense form of to be.

      1. We____________in the dining room at the table.

      2. My sister____________a rather accomplished pianist.

      3. Mark and I____________both on the soccer team.

      4. I____________interested in learning Arabic.

      5. He____________one of my favorite actors.

      6. You____________my best friend.

      7. The women of the village____________on their way to the capital.

      8. It____________wonderful to see you again.

      9. She____________anxious to go to the dance.

      10. They____________the newest members of our organization.

      Fill in the blank with the appropriate present tense form of to have.

      11. They____________no time for parties.

      12. I rarely____________enough money.

      13. Mr. Roberts____________an interesting coin collection.

      14. He____________a big surprise for his wife.

      15. You____________a lot of explaining to do.

      16. We____________something to show you.

      17. It____________absolutely no meaning for me.

      18. Margaret and I____________a date to go out for dinner.

      19. She____________my new digital camera.

      20. Professor Hill____________a problem with these lecture dates.

      The Past Tense

      The English past tense is composed of regular verbs and irregular verbs. Forming the past tense of regular verbs is quite simple: drop the particle word to from an infinitive and then add the suffix -ed. Verbs that end in -y change to -i- and then add the ending -ed. All persons have the same past tense form.

      However, if the final -y of a verb is preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), the -y does not change to -i-. In most cases, the suffix -ed is simply added to the verb. Following are a few exceptions:

      Exercise 3

      Fill in the blank of each sentence with the present tense conjugation of the verb provided in parentheses. Then rewrite the sentence in the past tense. For example:

      The children play in the garden. (to play)

      The children played in the garden.

      1. My cousin____________my lawn mower. (to borrow)

      ____________________________________________________

      2. We usually____________our relatives at holiday time. (to visit)

      ____________________________________________________

      3. She____________for dinner with a personal check. (to pay)

      ____________________________________________________

      4. I____________the boys and girls to some ice cream. (to treat)

      ____________________________________________________

      5. He never____________my instructions. (to follow)

      ____________________________________________________

      6. Mr. Jennings____________a meeting for 5 P.M. (to call)

      ____________________________________________________

      7. No one____________my sister’s chocolate cake. (to try)

      ____________________________________________________

      8. Rick and Bill____________that they want to be astronauts. (to say)

      ____________________________________________________

      9. They____________to take a trip to South America. (to plan)

      ____________________________________________________

      10. It____________into a complicated problem. (to develop)

      ____________________________________________________

      Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

      The past tense of irregular verbs is more complex. Some verbs, for example, look identical in both the present and past tenses (with the exception of the third-person singular of the present tense). Some verbs of this type are to cut, to let, to rid, to bet, to beat, to burst, to fit, and to hit. (See the appendix for a complete list of irregular verbs.) Let’s compare the present and past tense of such verbs in the first- and third-person singular.

      When just looking at the phrase you bet, you cannot tell which tense the verb is in. The context and meaning of the sentence provide the information that tells the tense of the verb. For example:

      Yesterday I bet that our team would win. (yesterday = past tense)

      She sets the clock. (sets = conjugated for third-person singular of the present tense)

      They pretend to lose and let me win. (pretend = present tense; therefore,

      let = present tense)

      Exercise 4

      Using the subject and verb provided, write a sentence in the present tense. Then rewrite the sentence in the past tense. For example:

      she / to let

      She lets me use her computer.

      She let me use her computer.

      1. he / to hit

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      2. it / to burst

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      3. I / to cut

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      4. Mark / to fit

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      5. we / to beat

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      6. she / to rid

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      7. Ms. Lopez / to set

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      8. you / to put

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      9. they / to wed

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      10. my brother-in-law / to quit

      ____________________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

      Irregular Verbs That Change the Base Form

      The past tense of many other irregular verbs is created by making a change in the base form of the verb. This usually occurs with a vowel change—for example, to come → came, to see → saw, to know → knew. Let’s look at some high-frequency verbs and how they change from the present tense to the past tense.

      Not all irregular verbs make only a vowel change in the past tense. Let’s look at some that form the past tense by some other irregularity, possibly in addition to a vowel change.

      The verbs to be and to have in the past tense both have an irregular conjugation. Let’s look at the full past tense conjugation of these two important verbs.

      The verb to go makes a radical change in the past tense.

      See the appendix for a complete list of verbs that have an irregular past tense formation.

      Exercise 5

      Write the infinitives provided in the present and past tenses to agree with the pronoun he.

      Exercise 6

      Rewrite the following present tense sentences in the past tense.

      1. Martin speaks with his new professor.

      ____________________________________________________

      2. I am in a very important meeting.

      ____________________________________________________

      3. My wife buys a new dress or skirt every month.

      ____________________________________________________

      4. No one understands his dialect.

      ____________________________________________________

      5. The lawyers have several contracts to discuss.

      ____________________________________________________

      6. The poor woman screams in pain.

      ____________________________________________________

      7. The train leaves at exactly 10 P.M.

      ____________________________________________________

      8. You are one of the strongest athletes in the school.

      ____________________________________________________

      9. They build bridges and tunnels.

      ____________________________________________________

      10. Someone takes them for a drive in the country.

      ____________________________________________________

      11. Their son grows another inch or two.

      ____________________________________________________

      12. She has a basket full of colored eggs.

      ____________________________________________________

      13. We sleep until 9:30 A.M.

      ____________________________________________________

      14. The butcher weighs the three filets of fish.

      ____________________________________________________

      15. Mr. Jackson tells another funny story.

      ____________________________________________________

      Verbs Followed by Infinitives

      Perhaps you noticed in some of the example sentences that certain verbs conjugated in the present or the past tense can be followed by another verb in its infinitive form. Some verbs that can be followed by an infinitive are to attempt, to hope, to forget, to remember, to try, and to want. Compare the similarity of how some of these verbs are used with direct objects and infinitives.

      Direct Object: Jack attempted a leap from one cliff to another.

      Infinitive: Jack attempted to leap from one cliff to another.

      Direct Object: She forgets her keys and purse.

      Infinitive: She forgets to take her keys and purse.

      Direct Object: I remember the last time I saw her.

      Infinitive: I remember to send her a birthday card.

      Direct Object: He tries some tapioca pudding.

      Infinitive: He tries to swallow some tapioca pudding.

      Direct Object: Nobody wants cold pizza.

      Infinitive: Nobody wants to eat cold pizza.

      Exercise 7

      Rewrite each sentence, changing the direct object to any appropriate infinitive phrase. For example:

      She attempted a difficult move.

      She attempted to do a backflip.

      1. Bill wanted a piece of pizza.

      ____________________________________________________

      2. No one

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