GRAMMAR RESOURCE · CHAPTER 31 · PART D

Right Form of Verbs

Choose accurate verb forms using tense, agreement, conditionals, passive voice and common verb patterns.

Estimated study time: 12–18 minutes · 5 lesson sections · 15 practice questions with explanations

Your learning path

1. LearnRead the rules and examples carefully.
2. PractiseAnswer all 15 questions before revealing the key.
3. ReviewExplain each mistake and write a new example.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to explain the rules, recognise the target forms in context, avoid common errors and apply the patterns to new sentences.

1. Start with the sentence meaning

Choose a verb form by checking the time, whether an action is complete or ongoing, and how the clause relates to other clauses. A nearby time expression is a clue, but the full context decides.

By the time we arrived, the film had started.

2. Tense and time markers

Use present perfect for a past action connected to the present; past perfect for an earlier past action; and future forms according to intention, prediction or arrangement.

She has lived here for five years. / They had left before noon.

3. Agreement and conditional patterns

The verb must agree with its subject, not a nearby noun. In ordinary first conditionals, use a present form in the if-clause and a future form in the result clause.

Each of the players is ready. / If he studies, he will improve.

4. Passive voice and verb complements

Passive forms use an appropriate form of be + past participle. Some verbs are followed by gerunds, others by infinitives; learn the pattern that follows each verb.

The letter was sent yesterday. / She avoided answering.

5. A reliable exam method

Find the subject and main verb, identify the time relationship, check active/passive meaning, then test the complement pattern. Do not choose by memorised signal words alone.

Incorrect: He suggested to leave. Correct: He suggested leaving.

Guided practice

Try each item first without checking the answers. Afterward, open the key and read the explanation for every uncertain answer.

  1. By the time we reached the station, the train ___. (left / had left)
  2. She ___ in this town since 2020. (lives / has lived)
  3. Each of the applicants ___ a form. (need / needs)
  4. If he ___ harder, he will pass. (studies / will study)
  5. The documents ___ yesterday. (were signed / signed)
  6. I look forward to ___ you. (meet / meeting)
  7. When I called, she ___ dinner. (cooked / was cooking)
  8. He ___ the task before the deadline tomorrow. (will finish / will have finished)
  9. The teacher made the students ___ the answer. (rewrite / to rewrite)
  10. Neither of the answers ___ correct. (is / are)
  11. I wish I ___ more time now. (have / had)
  12. The bridge ___ at the moment. (is repairing / is being repaired)
  13. She denied ___ the money. (taking / to take)
  14. No sooner ___ he arrived than the meeting began. (had / did)
  15. Choose the correct sentence.
Show answer key and explanations
  1. had left — The train's departure happened before another past event, so past perfect is appropriate.
  2. has lived — Since 2020 marks a period continuing to the present; present perfect is suitable.
  3. needs — Each is grammatically singular in this construction.
  4. studies — The ordinary first-conditional if-clause uses a present form.
  5. were signed — The documents receive the action; use the past simple passive.
  6. meeting — In look forward to, to is a preposition followed by a gerund.
  7. was cooking — The ongoing action provides the background to the past call.
  8. will have finished — Future perfect highlights completion before a future deadline.
  9. rewrite — Make + object takes the bare infinitive in an active sentence.
  10. is — In standard formal exam grammar, neither of + plural noun is usually treated as singular.
  11. had — Wish + past form expresses an unreal present situation.
  12. is being repaired — Present continuous passive = is/are being + past participle.
  13. taking — Deny is normally followed by a gerund.
  14. had — No sooner commonly takes past perfect inversion: No sooner had he arrived than…
  15. If I had known, I would have helped. — Third conditional uses if + past perfect and would have + past participle to imagine a different past.

Learning reflection

Retention tip: Review your mistakes tomorrow, then again after three days and one week. Write one new example for each rule you missed.

Continue your study

For stronger learning, connect this lesson to the next chapter and the quiz library. Return to this page when a quiz reveals a weak area.

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Editorial note: Some conventions vary by dialect, context and examination syllabus. Where relevant, follow the standard specified by your course or exam board.