Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org
To Do
- I/you/we/they → do/did/will do
- he/she/it → does/did/will do
Tip
Remember, if you have a compound subject like Marie and Jennifer, think of the
subject as they to determine the correct verb form.
- Marie and Jennifer (they) have a house on Bainbridge Island.
Similarly, single names can be thought of as he, she, or it.
- LeBron (he) has scored thirty points so far.
Exercise 3
On a separate sheet of paper, complete the following sentences by circling the correct
form of the verbs to be, to have, and to do in the three simple tenses.
- Stefan always (do, does, will do) his taxes the day before they are due.
- We (are, is, was) planning a surprise birthday party for my mother.
- Turtles (have, had, has) the most beautiful patterns on their shells.
- I always (do, did, will do) my homework before dinner, so I can eat in peace.
- You (is, are, was) so much smarter than you think!
Perfect Verb Tenses
Up to this point, we have studied the three simple verb tenses—simple present, simple
past, and simple future. Now we will add three more tenses, which are called perfect
tenses. They are present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. These are the three
basic tenses of English. A past participle is often called the -ed form of a verb because it
is formed by adding -d or -ed to the base form of regular verbs. Past participles can also
end in -t or -en. Keep in mind, however, the past participle is also formed in various
other ways for irregular verbs. The past participle can be used to form the present
perfect tense.
Review the following basic formula for the present perfect tense:
Subject + has or have + past participleI have helped (^)