PRESENT PAST PAST PARTICIPLE THREE DISTINCT FORMS strive strove striven choose chose chosen rise rose risen break broke broken speak spoke spoken fall fell fallen shake shook shaken take took taken forget forgot forgotten get got gotten give gave given forgive forgave forgiven forsake forsook forsaken hide hid hidden ride rode ridden write wrote written freeze froze frozen steal stole stolen SAME PRESENT AND PAST PARTICIPLE FORMS come came come overcome overcame overcome run ran run – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 64 In English, as in many other languages, the essential verb to be is highly irregular: SUBJECT PRESENT PAST PAST PARTICIPLE I am was have been you are were have been he, she, it is was has been we are were have been they are were have been H ELPING VERBS Helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs) are essential to clear communication. They help indicate exactly when an action took place or will take place. They also suggest very specific meanings, such as the subject’s ability or intention to do something. The following table lists the helping verbs, their forms, and their meanings. PRESENT AND FUTURE PAST MEANING EXAMPLES will would intention He will send the letter in the morning. can could ability I can make it by 3:00. Rose could not believe her luck. may, might might permission May I borrow your car? Might we go to the party together? should should + have + recommendation We should leave a good tip. past participle They should have offered us a ride home. must, have (to) had (to) necessity I must go to the dentist. I had to have two teeth pulled. shall should obligation They said they should call first. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 65 PRESENT AND FUTURE PAST MEANING EXAMPLES should should + have + expectation They should be here any minute. past participle They should have been here by now. might might + have + possibility They might be a little late. past participle They might have gotten stuck in traffic. Practice 8 1. He should have knowed better than to do that. a. NO CHANGE b. should had known c. should have known d. would have known 2. The blinds w ere drawed to keep out the sun. f. NO CHANGE g. were drawn h. drew j. had drawn 3. The key was hidd en behind the picture. a. NO CHANGE b. was hid c. did hide d. had hidden 4. The water cr eeped up to the bottom of the window. f. NO CHANGE g. creep h. crept j. had creeped – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 66 5. The ship sunk in a matter of minutes. a. NO CHANGE b. sink c. had sank d. sank Answers 1. c. 2. g. 3. a. 4. h. 5. d. S UBJUNCTIVE MOOD The subjunctive mood is one of the verb forms we often forget to use in conversation, and therefore we often neglect to use it correctly in our writing. Like helping verbs, the subjunctive is used to express a specific mean- ing, indicating something that is wished for or that is contrary to fact. It is formed by using were instead of was, as in the following examples: If she w ere a little older, she could watch the children. (She is not a little older.) If I w ere rich, I would travel the world. (I am not rich.) T ROUBLESOME VERBS Three verb pairs are particularly troublesome, even for native speakers of English: lie / lay sit / set rise / raise The key to knowing which verb to use is remembering which verb takes an object. In each pair, one verb is transitive—an object “receives” the action—while the other is intransitive—the subject itself “receives” or performs the action. For example, lie is an action that the subject of the sentence “performs” on itself: I will lie down. The transitive verb lay, on the other hand, is an action that the subject of the sentence performs upon an object: He la y the baby down in the crib. In the following examples, the subjects are in bold and the objects are underlined. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 67 lie: to rest or recline (intransitive—subject only) lay: to put or place (transitive—needs an object) I will lie down for a while. Will you please lay the p aper s down on the table. sit: to rest (intransitive—subject only) set: to put or place (transitive—needs an object) Why don’t we sit down and talk this over? He will set the r ecord straight. rise: to go up (intransitive—subject only) raise: to move something up (transitive—needs an object) The sun will rise at 5:48 A.M. tomorrow. He raised the r ent to $750 per month. The basic forms of these verbs can also be a bit tricky. The following table shows how each verb is con- jugated. PRESENT PRESENT PARTICIPLE PAST PAST PARTICIPLE (WITH AM, IS, ARE) (WITH HAVE, HAS, HAD) lie, lies lying lay lain lay, lays laying laid laid sit, sits sitting sat sat set, sets setting set set rise, rises rising rose risen raise, raises raising raised raised Practice 9 Choose the correct verb from the italicized pairs in the sentences below. 1. He wished he was/were closer to his destination so he could rest. 2. If I was/were taller, I might be better at basketball. 3. She was/were hoping to get a better offer. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 68 4. He decided to lay/lie down because he felt ill. 5. The papers have been laying/lying in the driveway for days now. 6. The interest rates have risen/raised considerably in the last week. 7. She sat/set the keys on the table. 8. I have lain/laid here long enough; it’s time to get up. Answers 1. He wished he were closer to his destination so he could rest. 2. If I were taller, I might be better at basketball. 3. She was hoping to get a better offer. 4. He decided to lie down because he felt ill. 5. The papers have been lying in the driveway for days now. 6. The interest rates have risen considerably in the last week. 7. She set the keys on the table. 8. I have lain here long enough; it’s time to get up. Now that you have reviewed verb conjugation and tense formation, it is time to talk about two key issues with verb usage: consistent tense and subject-verb agreement. Consistent Verb Tense One of the quickest ways to confuse readers, especially if you are telling a story or describing an event, is to shift verb tenses. To help readers be clear about when actions occur, make sure verbs are consistent in tense. If you begin telling the story in the present tense, for example, stay in the present tense; do not mix tenses as you write. Otherwise, you will leave your readers wondering whether actions are taking place in the present or took place in the past. Incorrect: He g ot on the bus and realizes he has forgotten his briefcase. Correct: He g ot on the bus and realized he had forgotten his briefcase. Incorrect: When we w ork together, we got better results. Correct: When we w ork together, we get better results. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 69 . PAST PARTICIPLE FORMS come came come overcome overcame overcome run ran run – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 64 In English, as in many other languages, the essential verb to be is highly irregular: SUBJECT. up to the bottom of the window. f. NO CHANGE g. creep h. crept j. had creeped – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 66 5. The ship sunk in a matter of minutes. a. NO CHANGE b. sink c. had sank d. sank Answers 1 get a better offer. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 68 4. He decided to lay/lie down because he felt ill. 5. The papers have been laying/lying in the driveway for days now. 6. The interest rates have