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GMAT GRAMMAR BOOK]
created by: bbedited by: dzyubamVerbs normally relay the action of the actors (nouns) in a sentence and can be single, or can be verb phrases that contain auxiliaries, which always precede the main verb. Verb forms reveal Past, Present, or Future tenses and are used in their infinitive form, or are changed to a Simple, Continuous, or Perfect form.
Study the following regular verb conjugation chart. Notice how the verb changes in its simple form, depending on the noun (pronouns are used in the chart) and how the auxiliary verb changes in the continuous and perfect form of the verb phrase. This same pattern works for all regular verbs.
NOTE: Changes in the verb forms are in bold.
| Regular Verb Conjugation Chart | | | Present | Past | Future |
| Simple | I | work | worked | will work |
| he, she, it | works | worked | will work |
| we, they | work | worked | will work |
| Continuous | I | am working | was working | will be working |
| he, she, it | is working | was working | will be working |
| we, they | are working | were working | will be working |
| Perfect | I | have worked | had worked | will have worked |
| he, she, it | has worked | had worked | will have worked |
| we, they | have worked | had worked | will have worked |
NOTE: A list of irregular verbs can be found on
this page (will be added later).
Present Simple
The present simple tense generally expresses events, or situations, that exist usually, always, or habitually. They have existed in the past, exist now (in the present) and will probably exist in the future.
Ms Bailey
teaches English.
Susie
brushes her teeth every day.
Present simple is used to express a state or condition (stative), or habitual action.
Examples of present simple tense:
Fresh bread
smells wonderful. (stative)
John
takes the bus to school
usually. (habitual)
Mary
always sings in the church choir. (habitual)
I
understand what you’re saying. (stative)
My new car
runs great! (stative)
Present Continuous (Progressive)
The present continuous tense expresses an action which began in the past, is in progress now and will probably continue into the future.
The present continuous uses present conjugated forms of the auxiliary verb to be with the “ing”, form of the action verb.
Ms. Bailey
is teaching right now.
(She will probably continue teaching.)
Examples of present continuous tense:
The boys
are playing ball.
I
am riding my bike.
She
is watching the ball game.
Tom
is chewing gum.
The students
are calling for a boycott.
Present continuous is also commonly used in English to express a continuous action in the future by adding a time word to the sentence.
My plane
is leaving tomorrow.
My uncle
is arriving from Germany at
7:00 p.m.Next year, we
are camping in the mountains.
Present Perfect
The present perfect tense expresses an action that occurs before another time, or event.
The present perfect tense uses the present conjugated forms of the auxiliary verb
to have with the
past participle form of the action verb.
The boss
has left the office.
(He left sometime before now.)
Examples of present perfect tense:
I
have seen the movie already.
Sally
has lost her favorite ring.
Tom and Hank
have ridden horses before.
We
have won the championship!
The rabbit
has eaten all its food.
Exercise 6: Using the Present Tense Forms of Verbs
Fill in the blanks with the correct present tense form of the verb in parentheses.
NOTE: You may need to consult the irregular verb list on
this page (will be added later).
1. John __________________ (sleep) on the couch at the moment.
2. My dad always __________________ (sit) in that chair.
3. I ____________________ (like) to go to the movies on the weekends.
4. The children ____________________ (play) at the neighbor’s house today.
5. The company _____________________ (build) a new store.
6. Water ___________________ (wash) away dirt.
7. My little brother ____________________ (eat) all the candy! It’s all gone!
8. Jane ___________________ (read) her favorite book now.
9. Those boys ____________________ (scare) that cat many times before.
10. My wife and I ____________________ (cry) when we watch sad movies.
Past Simple
The past simple tense is an action that began and ended at one particular time in the past.
It
snowed yesterday.
Examples of past simple tense:
The pack of dogs
ran through the woods.
Mike
fell on the slippery ice.
Molly and Rita
embraced at the airport.
The mountain lion
attacked the herd of cattle during the night.
George
ate all his dinner.
Past Continuous (Progressive)
The past continuous tense links an action in the past with another past action. The first past action continues through the second past action.
The past continuous uses present conjugated forms of the auxiliary verb
to be with the “ing”, form of the action verb.
Jack
was eating when I arrived.
(Jack started to eat before I arrived. He continued eating after I arrived. Both actions are in the past.)
Examples of past continuous tense:
1. The moon
was shining when we went on our walk.
2. The girls
were laughing when I approached.
3. Jerry
was painting a picture when we arrived at his house.
4. Alfred, Ann and I
were playing cards when the lights went out.
5. The birds
were singing this morning when I awoke.
Past Perfect
The past perfect tense links an action which was started and finished before another past action occurred. Usually two actions will be mentioned. On the GMAT, Past Perfect is often used with adverbs
before, after, or when to indicate that one action took place before/after another
The past perfect tense uses the past conjugated form of the auxiliary verb
to have with the
past participle form of the action verb.
Jack
had eaten by the time I arrived.
(Jack started and finished eating by the time I arrived. Both actions are in the past.)
Examples of past perfect tense:
1. Joan
had already
performed by the time her parents arrived.
2. I
had finished mowing when it started to rain.
3. The thief
had escaped when the police arrived.
4. Six years
had passed since I last saw her.
5. The students
had studied before they took the test.
Exercise 7: Using the Past Tense Forms of Verbs
Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form of the verb in parentheses.
NOTE: You may need to consult the irregular verb list on
this page (will be added later).
1. She ___________________ (talk) on the phone when the door bell rang.
2. Yesterday, I ___________________ (catch) a big fish on our camping trip.
3. Our group ___________________ (hike) the full length of the Inca Trail last week.
4. The bear ___________________ (climb) a tree before the dogs got there.
5. The sky diver __________________ (fall) very fast when the parachute opened.
6. My grandparents __________________ (arrive) before I returned from school.
7. I ___________________ (read) that story last year in literature class.
8. Mary __________________ (watch) a movie when her aunt called from New York.
9. Jason __________________ (fish) in the pond when he saw a big snake.
10. The plumber __________________ (find) the source of the water leak.
Future Simple
The future simple tense is an action which occurs at one particular time in the future.
The future simple tense uses the modal auxiliary verb
will with the infinitive form of the action verb.
It
will snow tomorrow.
Examples of future simple tense:
1. I
will go to the store after lunch.
2. Randy
will travel to Europe this summer.
3. Many birds
will migrate south for the winter.
Future Continuous (Progressive)
The future continuous tense is an action that will have already started by the time another action occurs and will probably continue after.
The future continuous tense uses the modal auxiliary verb
will + the verb
be + the “ing” form of the action verb.
Jack
will be eating when I arrive.
(Jack will start to eat before I arrive and will probably continue eating afterwards. Both actions are in the future.)
Examples of future continuous tense:
1. It
will be raining when our plane lands in London.
2. Madonna
will be signing autographs after the concert.
3. Joe
will be participating in the competition this summer.
Future Perfect
The future perfect tense is a future action that has started and finished before another future action occurs.
The future perfect tense uses modal auxiliary verb
will + the verb
be + the
past participle form of the action verb.
Sally will have eaten when Sue arrives.
(Sally starts and finishes eating by the
time Sue arrives. Both actions are in
the future.)
Examples of the future perfect tense:
1. The pirates will have buried the treasure by the time the ships arrive.
2. John will have scored 40 points by the end of the game.
3. My parents will have had three children after this baby is born.
Exercise 8: Using the Future Tense of Verbs
Fill in the blanks with the correct future tense form of the verb in parentheses. NOTE: You may need to consult the irregular verb list on
this page (will be added later).
1. Steve, Lucy and I _________________ (go) to Harvard University this fall.
2. I ___________________ (start) classes by the time Rachel returns from Europe.
3. Rachel ___________________ (join) me in class when she returns.
4. I __________________ (think) about Rachel until she returns safely.
5. My cat ___________________ (cry) when I get home because she is hungry.
6. Our dog, Rufus, __________________ (travel) with us this summer.
7. My letter ___________________ (arrive) to Rita by the time I get there.
8. The pilot said that it ___________________ (rain) when we arrive in Brazil.
9. My sister ___________________ (marry) this coming June.
10. Tom ___________________ (eat) three hamburgers when he finishes this one.
The Perfect Continuous (Progressive) Tense
The perfect continuous tense are used to express the duration between two actions or events. Often,
an expression of time is used with perfect continuous tenses.
Study the conjugation chart below.
NOTE: Changes in the verb forms are in bold.
| Present | Past | Future |
| I | have been studying | had been studying | will have been studying |
| he, she, it | has been studying | had been studying | will have been studying |
| we, they | have been studying | had been studying | will have been studying |
Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive)
The present perfect continuous tense is an event in progress, which started in the past and continues to the present. It will probably continue into the future.
Sue
has been studying for two hours.
(Sue started studying and continues to study up to the present. She will probably continue to study.)
Examples of present perfect continuous tense:
1. I
have been working on the car engine since this morning.
2. Ruth
has been babysitting the neighbor’s kids for six hours.
3. The carnival employees
have been working since 5 a.m. this morning.
Past Perfect Continuous (Progressive)
The past perfect continuous tense is an event that was in progress when another past event occurred.
Sue
had been studying for two hours before her friend arrived.
(Sue had started and finished studying before her friend arrived.)
Examples of past perfect continuous tense:
1. He
had been drinking when the accident occurred.
2. Sarah
had been exercising before the surgery.
3. The horses
had been ridden many times before the ranch was sold.
Future Perfect Continuous (Progressive)
The future perfect continuous tense reflects an event that will have happened before another future event occurs.
Sue
will have been studying for two hours when her friend arrives. (Sue starts and finishes studying before her friend arrives. Both actions are in the future.)
Examples of future perfect continuous tense:
1. Larry
will have been exercising for two hours before we go to dinner.
2. My kids
will have been playing outside all afternoon by the time night falls.
3. We
will have been walking for three hours before the first break.
Exercise 9: Using the Perfect Continuous Tense of Verbs
Fill in the blanks with the correct perfect continuous tense form of the verb in parentheses.
1. John _____________________ (hunt) for six hours when the sun goes down.
2. Sally and Mary _____________________ (play) together for three hours.
3. Our fans _____________________ (cheer) until the other team scored.
4. Ralph and I _____________________ (shop) all day.
5. The truck _____________________ (make) bad noises until we got it fixed.
6. All the turkey _____________________ (eat) by the time we arrive.
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