Practice Makes Perfect

Give an emphatic response to each statement.

EXAMPLE: He does not speak English.

He does speak English.

1. She does not understand the problem.


2. We go to the movies often.


3. I do not like that dress.


4. Mac wants to sell the old car.


5. Mr. Tyner writes him a long letter.


6. The boys do not work in this factory.

The Past Tense

The past tense is used to show something that has happened in the past. Just as there are three

present tense formations, there are also three past tense formations: (1) a habitual or frequent

action, (2) an action in progress or incomplete, and (3) an emphatic response in the past tense.

The past tense conjugation of a habitual or frequent action is quite simple. Just add -edto the

end of a regular verb. If the verb ends in a consonant followed by a -y, drop the -yand add -ied. If

a one-syllable verb ends in a single consonant, double that consonant and add -ed. Look at these

examples:

Just Add -ed Consonant -y Single Consonant

borrow, borrowed bury, buried bed, bedded

call, called carry, carried pin, pinned

help, helped hurry, hurried rot, rotted

work, worked rally, rallied sin, sinned

The verbs listed above are regular verbs. They form their past tense by the addition of -ed. There

are also irregular verbs. They form their past tense by making a change within the stem of the

verb. It is usually a vowel change, but there can also be a consonant change as well. Following are

the irregular past tense forms of some commonly used verbs:

exercise 5-10

Verbs 29

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