Practice Makes Perfect: English Verbs

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Nuclear Portraits: Communities, the Environment, and Public Policy University of Toronto Press Laurel Sefton MacDowell Year: 2017 Language: english File: PDF, 1.85 MB

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Practice Makes Perfect: English Verbs McGraw-Hill Education Loretta S. Gray Year: 2019 Language: english File: EPUB, 5.70 MB

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THIRD EDITION

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Contents

Introduction

PART I

PART II

The Present Tense

1

Unit 1

Simple Present

Unit 2

Be Verb Forms, Simple Present

11

Unit 3

Present Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

19

Unit 4

Present Perfect

29

Unit 5

Present Perfect Progressive

37

The Past Tense

3

45

Unit 6

Simple Past

47

Unit 7

Be Verb Forms, Simple Past

55

Unit 8

Past Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

61

Unit 9

Past Perfect

69

Unit 10 Past Perfect Progressive

PART III

vii

The Future Tense

75

81

Unit 11 Simple Future

83

Unit 12 Be Going To

89

Unit 13 Future Progressive (Will Be Verb + -ing)

95

Unit 14 Future Perfect

101

Unit 15 Future Perfect Progressive

107

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vi

Contents

PART IV

PART V

PART VI

Imperative, Passive, and Hypothetical Conditional

111

Unit 16 Imperative

113

Unit 17 Passive

117

Unit 18 Hypothetical Conditional

125

Phrasal Verbs and Modal Auxiliary Verbs

127

Unit 19 Phrasal Verbs

129

Unit 20 Modal Auxiliary Verbs

137

Gerund and Infinitive Complements

145

Unit 21 Gerunds

147

Unit 22 Infinitives

149

Unit 23 Gerunds or Infinitives

153

Review Exercises

155

Appendix: Chart of Irregular Verbs

185

Glossary

191

Answer Key

193

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Introduction

When you study English verbs, you must do more than search for their meanings in a dictionary.
You must also learn how to conjugate them and use these conjugations appropriately. Most students begin their studies by memorizing verb forms. They learn both the verb endings for regular verbs and the more complicated forms of the irregular verbs. Practice Makes Perfect: English
Verbs provides you with opportunities to practice conjugating more than three hundred verbs,
both regular and irregular.
However, this text is more than a list of verb forms and mechanical exercises. It also presents the
reasons for choosing one verb form over another. For example, you may know the dictionary
meaning of walk, but to use this verb to refer to the future, you must understand your options;
that is, you must understand the role of tense and aspect. To indicate future, you could say I’ll
walk to school today, I’m going to walk to school today, or I’m walking to school today, but not I walk to
school today.
When most people think of tense, they think of time. While it is true that tense is sometimes
related to present, past, and future time, this is not always the case. In the sentence My plane
leaves in twenty minutes, the simple present tense of the verb leave is used to refer to future time.
As well as being marked for tense, verbs are marked for aspect. Aspect provides information
about whether an action, a state, or an event has been completed and how a verb is related to
other verbs in a time sequence. I study English and I am studying English are both in the present
tense, but they differ in aspect. The verb in the first sentence refers to a habitual action; the verb
in the second sentence refers to an action that is not yet completed. To indicate both tense and
aspect, study is said to be in the simple present and am studying is said to be in the present progressive. In the sentence I had been studying for the test when the phone rang, there are two main
verbs: study and ring. They are both in the past tense; however, they differ in aspect. Had been
studying is the past perfect progressive, whereas rang is just the simple past. The difference in
aspect indicates that the action of studying was ongoing and prior to the action of ringing. Tense
and aspect intersect in the following way.
Tense/Aspect

present

past

future

simple
progressive
perfect
perfect progressive

simple present
present progressive
present perfect
present perfect
progressive

simple past
past progressive
past perfect
past perfect
progressive

simple future
future progressive
future perfect
future perfect
progressive

The form and meaning of each of these tense-aspect combinations will be described in the units
of this book. Although you will study all the tenses mentioned in traditional textbooks, you will
also study the concept of aspect so that you will have a deeper understanding of the grammatical
meaning conveyed by the form of a verb. Thus, as you work through the material in Practice
Makes Perfect: English Verbs, you will learn not only how to conjugate verbs but also why to use specific verb forms.

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viii

Introduction

Any study of verbs would be incomplete without the inclusion of special types of verbs and complementation patterns. After you become familiar with verb conjugations, you will study phrasal
verbs, modal verbs, and verb complementation (gerunds and infinitives).
This book focuses on the verbs most frequently used in English. It is appropriate for classroom
use or individual study. If you are in a class, your teacher may choose to assign exercises to supplement your other coursework. If you are studying alone, you can use the Answer Key at the
back of the book to check your work and decide whether you should review a chapter or go on
to the next.
There are six principal parts in this book:
PART I—THE PRESENT TENSE The five units in Part I will help you learn the verb forms that
constitute four different tense-aspect combinations: simple present, present progressive, present
perfect, and present perfect progressive. You will practice using these forms in positive statements, negative statements, and questions. You will also learn how to form contractions with pronouns or the word not. A special section focuses on the verb be.
PART II—THE PAST TENSE The five units in Part II will help you learn four more tense-aspect
combinations: simple past, past progressive, past perfect, and past perfect progressive. As in Part
I, you will practice using these tense-aspect combinations and their contracted forms in positive
statements, negative statements, and questions. In this part also, there is a special section focusing on the verb be.
PART III—THE FUTURE TENSE Part III differs from the others in that the modal will is introduced rather than verb endings. This part consists of five units: simple future, future progressive, future perfect, future perfect progressive, and a unit on the use of be going to. You will practice using the future tense-aspect combinations and their contracted forms in positive
statements, negative statements, and questions.
PART IV—IMPERATIVE, PASSIVE, AND HYPOTHETICAL CONDITIONAL The three units in Part IV
will help you learn to use verbs in special constructions not discussed earlier: imperative (Be careful!), passive (The project was finished on time.), and hypothetical conditional (If I were you, I would
accept the offer.).
PART V—PHRASAL VERBS AND MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS The English language is full of phrasal
verbs, which are verb-particle combinations, such as run into in run into an old friend. In the first
unit of Part V, you will practice using some common phrasal verbs. The second unit of Part V
focuses on modal auxiliary verbs. Although you will be introduced to modal verbs in Parts III
and IV, you will learn more about the subtle shades of meaning that tense and aspect add to
these verbs.
PART VI—GERUND AND INFINITIVE COMPLEMENTS Some verbs take gerunds, some take infinitive complements, and some take both. Part VI will help you learn to choose appropriate verb
complements.
Following these six parts are Review Exercises, twenty-five exercises that can reveal your overall
comprehension. And new to this edition are complementary review quizzes in the McGraw-Hill
Education Language Lab app.
Practice Makes Perfect: English Verbs ends with an appendix of irregular verb forms, followed by a
glossary of grammatical terms.

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PA R T I

THE PRESENT TENSE
Verbs in the present tense occur in four forms, each signaling a different aspect. (Aspect is explained in the Introduction.) Each of
these forms conveys information about an action, state, or event
that is relevant now.
SIMPLE PRESENT:

I study every day.

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE:
PRESENT PERFECT:

I am studying right now.

I have studied English for two years.

PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE:

I have been studying all day for my

test tomorrow.
In the following units, you will learn about these verb forms and
the reasons for using them.

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Unit 1

Simple Present

When you refer to habitual actions, customs, and facts, use simple
present verb forms.
HABITUAL ACTION: I work in the library.
CUSTOM: Most Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
FACT: The earth revolves around the sun.
If you include a time reference, you can also use the simple present
to indicate future time.
FUTURE ACTION: The concert starts in five minutes.
Except for be and have, verbs in the simple present follow this
pattern:

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I verb
you verb
he, she, it verb + s/es

we verb
you verb
they verb

As you can see, the base form of the verb is used with the subject
pronouns I, you, we, and they and with the nouns these pronouns
can replace. For example, the students takes the same verb form as
they. An ending, either -s or -es, is added to the verb when the subject pronoun is he, she, or it or a noun these pronouns can replace.
The -s ending is used most frequently. The -es ending is used after
certain letters or letter combinations.
Letters

Examples

s
sh
ch
x
o
When a verb ends in a consonant
and y, change the y to i and add -es.

pass + es
push + es
march + es
box + es
do + es
bury ➞ buries

3

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4

The Present Tense

The verb be is described in Unit 2. In the following chart are the forms of the verb have:

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I have
you have
he, she, it has

we have
you have
they have

Notice that has is the verb form used with he, she, it, and the nouns these pronouns can replace.

exercise

1-1

Complete each sentence with the simple present form of the verb in parentheses. Circle the reason that the simple
present is used.
1. I

(eat) lunch in the cafeteria every day but Friday.

Habitual action
2. Julia

Custom

Custom

Custom

4. The state of Florida

Custom

5. During the holidays, we always

Habitual action
7. My roommate
Habitual action
8. The game
Habitual action
9. My friends and I
Habitual action

Future time

Fact

Future time

(produce) a great deal of citrus fruit.

Habitual action

6. He

Fact

(speak) English well.

Habitual action

Habitual action

Future time

(carry) a heavy backpack to school every day.

Habitual action
3. You

Fact

Fact

Future time

(make) special meals.
Custom

Fact

Future time

Fact

Future time

(watch) television every night.
Custom

(say) a prayer before he eats.
Custom

Fact

Future time

Fact

Future time

Fact

Future time

(begin) in an hour.
Custom
(live) near a park.
Custom

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Simple Present

10. Trees

5

(grow) tall in the Pacific Northwest.

Habitual action

Custom

11. We

Fact

Future time

(wear) traditional dress on holidays.

Habitual action

Custom

12. Most people

Fact

(shake) hands when they first

Habitual action

Custom

Fact

Future time
(meet).
Future time

1-2

exercise

Using the pronoun and verb provided, create your own sentences.
1. She always (make)

.

2. I (take)

.

3. It (give)

.

4. They (come)

.

5. I (use)

.

6. He (leave)

.

7. They (like)

.

8. She (write)

.

9. We (listen)

.

10. It (contain)

.

11. It (start)

.

12. He (understand)

.

Forming Negatives
To make a verb negative, add the auxiliary verb do and the word not before the main verb.
do not go

does not like

Remember that does is used with the pronouns he, she, and it. When does is used, the main verb
has no -s or -es ending.

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6

The Present Tense

exercise

1-3

Make each of the following sentences negative.
EXAMPLE: I spend a lot of money.
I do not spend a lot of money.
1. He goes to school every day.

2. My roommate likes snakes.

3. You know my family.

4. The owner opens the store every day at 8:00.

5. We help our neighbors.

6. My friends send me letters.

7. I feel tired.

8. She speaks five different languages.

9. They study in the library.

10. We listen to pop music.

11. They grow tomatoes in their backyard.

12. This car runs well.

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Simple Present

7

Forming Contractions
In English, verbs are often combined with other words to form contractions. These shortened
forms include an apostrophe (’) to indicate missing letters. It is important to learn contractions
because you will often hear them in conversation or see them in informal writing. Formal writing, though, rarely contains contractions.
The auxiliary verb do is often combined with not to form a contraction. Notice that an apostrophe indicates that the letter o is omitted:
do + not = don’t

exercise

does + not = doesn’t

1-4

Rewrite the sentences in exercise 1-3 using contractions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form questions that can be answered yes or no (yes/no questions), begin the question with
the auxiliary verb do. After the auxiliary verb, place the subject and the main verb.
Statement: He rides his bicycle to school.
Yes/no question: Does he ride his bicycle to school?
Statement: They ride the bus to work.
Yes/no question: Do they ride the bus to work?

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The Present Tense

exercise

1-5

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: You get tired easily.
Do you get tired easily?
1. The artist shows his work at a local gallery.

2. They meet on Thursday mornings.

3. She works hard.

4. You commute to work.

5. It seems like a good decision.

6. This work requires patience.

7. The Carsons live in a small town.

8. You don’t believe my story. (Notice that do has already been used to indicate negation.)

9. The patient feels better.

10. The lecture ends at 5:30.

11. The plot involves many characters.

12. Most students complete the program in four years.

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Simple Present

9

Forming Wh-Questions
Wh-questions are used to elicit specific pieces of information. They usually begin with what, who,
why, where, when, how, or combinations such as how much, how many, and how often. When the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question is similar to the form of a
statement.
Statement: Max needs a new key.
Wh-question: Who needs a new key?
Statement: My foot hurts.
Wh-question: What hurts?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb do comes after the
question word and is followed by the subject and the main verb.
Statement: She collects butterflies.
Wh-question: What does she collect?
Statement: They live on the coast of Maine.
Wh-question: Where do they live?

exercise

1-6

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: The performance starts at 7:00.
When does the performance start?
1. The person in the back row knows the answer.
Who
2. She looks healthy.
How
3. They always go to that restaurant because they like the food.
Why
4. They go golfing twice a week.
How often
5. We turn left at the corner.
Where
6. The notebook costs $3.00.
How much

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The Present Tense

7. My mother worries too much.
Who
8. You exercise every day at the gym.
How often
9. Jerry and Carol repair computers.
What
10. She teaches English.
What
11. Mark blames other people for his problems.
Whom
(Who may be used instead of whom in conversation and informal writing.)
12. Many people go to Cape Cod for their vacations.
Where

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Unit 2

Be Verb Forms, Simple Present

The verb be has three different forms in the simple present: am, is,
and are.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

exercise

Singular

Plural

I am
you are
he, she, it is

we are
you are
they are

2-1

Complete each sentence with the simple present form of the verb be.
1. I
2. You

a student.
taller than I

3. My parents

on vacation.

4. Misuzu

from San Francisco.

5. My roommate’s name
6. They
7. We
8. I
9. It
10. Your coat
11. She
12. They

.

Chris.
late again.

ready for the test.
interested in all kinds of sports.
easy.
in the closet.
the director.
in class together.
11

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The Present Tense

The word there is often used with the verb be to acknowledge the existence of someone or something. The form of the be verb is based on the subject that follows it.
SINGULAR SUBJECT: There is a concert in the park tonight.
PLURAL SUBJECT: There are four rooms in the house.

exercise

2-2

Circle the verb that agrees in number with the subject that follows it.
1. There is/are someone at the door.
2. There is/are several parks in the town.
3. There is/are fifty-two cards in a deck.
4. There is/are a restroom at the end of the hall.
5. There is/are sixteen students in the class.
6. There is/are a bank on the corner of Lincoln and Ash.
7. There is/are an information booth in the lobby.
8. There is/are many specialty stores in the Mall of America.
9. There is/are still tickets available.
10. There is/are a typo on page 3.
11. There is/are a huge fountain in front of the building.
12. There is/are only one possible answer to the question.

Forming Contractions: Pronouns and There with Am, Is, and Are
Contractions are often formed by combining pronouns and the verb be. The word there can also
be combined with be. It is important to learn these contractions because you will often hear them
in conversation or see them in informal writing. However, you should avoid using them in formal writing.
Notice that an apostrophe indicates that a letter is omitted:
I + am = I’m
you + are = you’re
he + is = he’s
she + is = she’s

we + are = we’re
they + are = they’re
there + is = there’s
it + is = it’s

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Be Verb Forms, Simple Present

exercise

2-3

Rewrite each sentence using a contraction.
EXAMPLE: He is not here today.
He’s not here today.
1. She is a student.

2. I am an engineer.

3. There is a test on Tuesday.

4. You are next.

5. It is difficult.

6. We are from Canada.

7. He is a supervisor.

8. They are really funny.

9. I am sick today.

10. There is a package for you on the table.

11. He is first on the list.

12. It is cold in here.

13

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14

The Present Tense

Forming Negatives
To make the verb be negative, just add not.
am not
I’m not

exercise

is not
it’s not

are not
we’re not

2-4

Using contractions, make each of the sentences in exercise 2-3 negative.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Forming Contractions: Isn’t and Aren’t
The word not can be contracted with the verb forms is and are.
is + not = isn’t

exercise

2-5

Complete the sentences using either isn’t or aren’t.
1. There

a ball game tonight.

are + not = aren’t

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Be Verb Forms, Simple Present

2. There

any rooms available.

3. There

a full moon tonight.

4. There

any cookies left.

5. There

many people here today.

6. There

much time.

15

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with a form of the verb be and place the subject
after it.
Statement: Nancy is a doctor.
Yes/no question: Is Nancy a doctor?
Statement: They are friendly.
Yes/no question: Are they friendly?
To form yes/no questions with there, place there after the be verb.
Statement: There is a gas station near the freeway.
Yes/no question: Is there a gas station near the freeway?

exercise

2-6

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: It is late.
Is it late?
1. Portland is in the state of Oregon.

2. Your car is in the garage.

3. He is in a good mood.

4. They are friends.

5. Sam is depressed.

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16

The Present Tense

6. Her computer is broken.

7. There are many items on the menu.

8. The coffee is too hot.

9. The city hall is the oldest building in town.

10. There is a bank near here.

11. The museum is open on Thursday evenings.

12. The lights are off.

Forming Wh-Questions
To form wh-questions, place the be verb after the question word. When the question word is the
subject of the sentence, the form of the question is similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Someone is at the door.
Wh-question: Who is at the door?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the subject follows the be verb.
Statement: She is from Colorado.
Wh-question: Where is she from?
Statement: His birthday is July 11.
Wh-question: When is his birthday?

exercise

2-7

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: You are twenty-two years old.
How old are you?
1. Kevin Lee is the editor of the local newspaper.
Who

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Be Verb Forms, Simple Present

2. She is five feet tall.
How tall
3. They are visitors from another school.
Who
4. His roommate is at work right now.
Where
5. The graduation ceremony is on Saturday.
When
6. The house is white.
What color
7. That is a bike lock.
What
8. The scissors are in the drawer.
Where
9. Sandy Craig is the producer.
Who
10. The children are at their grandmother’s house.
Where
11. The library is open until 8:00.
How late
12. They are in the cafeteria.
Where

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Unit 3

Present Progressive
(Be Verb + -ing)

When you refer to a temporary situation or an activity in progress,
use the present progressive.
TEMPORARY SITUATION: I am working in the library this term.
ACTIVITY IN PROGRESS: She is studying right now.
If you include a time reference, you can also use the present progressive to indicate future time.
FUTURE TIME: My parents are coming tomorrow.
The present progressive consists of the auxiliary verb be and
the -ing form of the main verb. The auxiliary verb is marked for
tense.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I am verb + ing
you are verb + ing
he, she, it is verb + ing

we are verb + ing
you are verb + ing
they are verb + ing

When a one-syllable word or a word with a stressed final syllable
ends in a single consonant sound, double the last letter before
adding -ing.
One-syllable word: run ➞ running
Word ending in a stressed syllable: admit ➞ admitting
BUT mow ➞ mowing [This word ends in a vowel sound.]
When a word ends with a consonant and the letter e, drop the e
before adding -ing : come ➞ coming. The letter e is not dropped
from words such as be, see, and free.

19

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The Present Tense

exercise

3-1

Complete each sentence with the present progressive form of the verb in parentheses. Circle the reason that the present
progressive is used.
1. I

(study) English this term.

Temporary situation
2. We

3. Right now, I

4. The bus

Future time

Activity in progress

Future time

(pull) up to the curb at this very moment.

Temporary situation
5. They

Activity in progress

Future time

(move) to Florida at the end of the month.

Temporary situation
6. The kids

Activity in progress

Future time

(act) silly right now.

Temporary situation

Activity in progress

Future time

(use) my friend’s car today.

Temporary situation

Activity in progress

Future time

(eat) early tonight.

Temporary situation
9. The company

Activity in progress

Future time

(have) problems this year.

Temporary situation
10. My neighbor

Activity in progress

Future time

(mow) his lawn.

Temporary situation
11. I

Activity in progress
(write) a letter.

Temporary situation

8. We

Future time

(go) home tomorrow.

Temporary situation

7. I

Activity in progress

Activity in progress

Future time

(turn) in my paper tomorrow.

Temporary situation
12. Steve
Temporary situation

Activity in progress

Future time

(live) with his cousin this year.
Activity in progress

Future time

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Present Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

13. It

21

(snow).

Temporary situation

Activity in progress

14. Several police officers
Temporary situation
15. You

(stand) in front of the store.
Activity in progress

Future time

(speak) too loudly.

Temporary situation
16. The sky

Activity in progress

Future time

(grow) dark.

Temporary situation

exercise

Future time

Activity in progress

Future time

3-2

Complete each sentence with either the simple present or the present progressive. If you need help, review pages 3–4
and 19.
1. Jim

(sell) cars for a living.

2. Jim

(sell) his car to his sister.

3. I

(boil) some water for tea.

4. Water
5. We always
6. This year we

(boil) at one hundred degrees centigrade.
(visit) our grandparents during the holidays.
(visit) our grandparents during the holidays.

7. Jean

(go) to a lot of movies.

8. Jean

(go) to a movie today.

9. I

(do) my homework right now.

10. I generally

(do) my homework in the evening.

Forming Contractions: Pronouns with the Auxiliary Verb Be
Contractions are often formed by combining a pronoun and the auxiliary verb be. You will often
hear these contractions in conversation or see them in informal writing, but you will rarely find
them used in formal contexts.

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22

The Present Tense

Notice that an apostrophe indicates that a letter is omitted:
I + am = I’m moving
you + are = you’re moving
he + is = he’s moving
she + is = she’s moving
it + is = it’s moving

exercise

we + are = we’re moving
they + are = they’re moving

3-3

Use the pronoun and verb given to create a sentence that contains a contraction.
EXAMPLE: I, follow
I’m following in my parents’ footsteps.
1. He, pay

2. It, hail

3. We, meet

4. They, lose

5. She, wait

6. You, carry

7. I, wear

8. We, read

9. She, call

10. He, sell

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Present Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

11. They, stay

12. I, assist

Forming Negatives
To make a present progressive verb negative, place not after the auxiliary verb.
am not going

exercise

is not going

3-4

Make each of the following sentences negative.
EXAMPLE: We are ordering pizza for dinner tonight.
We are not ordering pizza for dinner tonight.
1. I am buying a new car tomorrow.

2. She is studying.

3. We are leaving soon.

4. They are coming with us.

5. Carla is living with her parents.

6. I am cooking dinner tonight.

7. The band is performing tonight.

8. My mother is visiting this weekend.

9. They are sleeping.

are not going

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24

The Present Tense

10. We are going to the park today.

11. They are fixing the road.

12. She is quitting her job.

Forming Contractions: Pronouns with Am Not, Is Not, and Are Not
The following contractions can be used in conversation and informal writing:
I’m not going

exercise

He’s not working
He isn’t working
She’s not working
She isn’t working
It’s not working
It isn’t working

3-5

Rewrite the sentences in exercise 3-4 using contractions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

You’re not working
You aren’t working
We’re not working
We aren’t working
They’re not working
They aren’t working

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Present Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

25

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with the auxiliary verb be. After the auxiliary verb,
place the subject and the -ing form of the main verb.
Statement: Prices are falling.
Yes/no question: Are prices falling?

exercise

3-6

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: You are finishing your paper.
Are you finishing your paper?
1. The mail carrier is delivering a package to our house.

2. The boat is sinking.

3. They are causing trouble.

4. He is worrying about his course grade.

5. Helen is publishing her autobiography.

6. The teacher is inviting everyone in class to a party.

7. The committee is announcing the winner of the contest today.

8. The engineer is explaining the process.

9. Mandy is singing at her sister’s wedding.

10. The company is expanding.

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The Present Tense

11. Phil is arranging the conference.

12. The police are accusing him of the crime.

Forming Wh-Questions
In wh-questions, when the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question
is similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Someone is talking on the telephone.
Wh-question: Who is talking on the telephone?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb be comes after the
question word and is followed by the subject and the -ing form of the main verb.
Statement: They are going to the store.
Wh-question: Where are they going?
Statement: He is writing a play.
Wh-question: What is he writing?

exercise

3-7

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: We are leaving in the morning.
When are we leaving?
1. They are eating pasta salad.
What
2. Fran is coming along.
Who
3. We are watching the soccer game on television tonight.
What
4. She is showing them some of her new paintings.
What
5. You are meeting the director.
Whom
(Who may be used instead of whom in conversation and informal writing.)

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Present Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

6. They are wearing special clothes because it is a holiday.
Why
7. He is hoping for a new job.
What
8. Something strange is happening.
What
9. Alex and Terry are playing Scrabble.
What
10. They are moving to Mexico.
Where
11. Somebody is staring at us.
Who
12. Venus Williams is winning.
Who

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Unit 4

Present Perfect

Use the present perfect when you want to refer to a situation that
originated in the past but continues into the present or to refer to
a past experience that has current relevance.
PAST SITUATION CONTINUING
Dallas for six years.

INTO THE PRESENT:

I have lived in

PAST EXPERIENCE WITH CURRENT RELEVANCE: We have traveled to
Alaska three times.
For an experience to be relevant, it is usually related to a possible
future experience. In the example “We have traveled to Alaska
three times,” the speaker may be considering another trip. The
present perfect is often used in job interviews when an employer
asks a prospective employee about his or her experience: “Have
you ever driven a large vehicle?” “Have you ever used a cash
register?”
The present perfect consists of the auxiliary verb have and the perfect/passive form of the main verb. The auxiliary verb is marked
for tense. The perfect/passive verb form is used to indicate either
the perfect aspect or the passive voice. (The passive voice will be
discussed in Part IV.) The perfect/passive form for regular verbs
consists of the base form of the verb and the ending -ed.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I have verb + ed
you have verb + ed
he, she, it has verb + ed

we have verb + ed
you have verb + ed
they have verb + ed

When a one-syllable word or a word with a stressed final syllable
ends in a single consonant sound, double the last letter before
adding -ed.
One-syllable word: pet ➞ petted
Word ending in a stressed syllable: admit ➞ admitted
BUT sew ➞ sewed [This word ends in a vowel sound.]

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The Present Tense

The perfect/passive forms of irregular verbs can be found in the appendix.
The following are common irregular verb patterns:
• Pattern 1: The final d becomes a t.
build
lend
spend

built
lent
spent

• Pattern 2: A -d or -t suffix is added. The vowel changes.
felt /fElt/
kept /kEpt/
sold /sold/

feel /fil/
keep /kip/
sell /sEl/
• Pattern 3: An -n or -en suffix is added.
eat
fall
know

eaten
fallen
known

Sometimes the vowel changes.
spoken /spokEn/
worn /worn/

speak /spik/
wear /wEr/
• Pattern 4: Just the vowel changes.

held /hEld/
met /mEt/
sat /sAt/

hold /hold/
meet /mit/
sit /sIt/

• Pattern 5: The base form and perfect/passive form are the same.
put
hit
cut

exercise

put
hit
cut

4-1

Complete each sentence with the present perfect form of the verb in parentheses. If you are unsure of the
perfect/passive form, check the chart in the appendix.
1. Pat and Tom
2. I

(build) two houses this summer.
(eat) already.

3. His parents
4. We

(lend) him some money.
(speak) to the director about our concerns.

5. The company’s stock
6. You
7. They

(fall).

(know) me for a long time.
(sell) their house.

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Present Perfect

8. It

31

(rain) every day for a week.

9. I

(keep) your secret.

10. He

(spend) too much money this month.

11. The bride and groom

(cut) the wedding cake.

Forming Contractions: Pronouns with the Auxiliary Verb Have
Contractions are often formed by combining a pronoun and the auxiliary verb have. You will
often hear these contractions in conversation or see them in informal writing, but you will rarely
find them used in formal contexts.
Notice that an apostrophe indicates the omission of the letters h and a:
I + have = I’ve moved
you + have = you’ve moved
he + has = he’s moved
she + has = she’s moved
it + is = it’s moved

exercise

we + have = we’ve moved
they + have = they’ve moved

4-2

Use the pronoun and verb given to create a sentence that contains a contraction.
EXAMPLE: I, ask
I’ve asked too many questions.
1. He, rent
an apartment for the summer.
2. It, work
until now.
3. We, be
friends for a long time.
4. They, lose
another game.
5. She, wait
a long time.
6. You, reach
your goal.

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32

The Present Tense

7. I, apply
for a new job.
8. We, develop
some new software.
9. She, ignore
our advice.
10. He, find
his keys.
11. They, go
home.
12. I, forget
my books.

Forming Negatives
To make a present perfect verb negative, place not after the auxiliary verb.
has not gone

exercise

4-3

Make each of the following sentences negative.
EXAMPLE: We have calculated the cost.
We have not calculated the cost.
1. They have chosen a location for the conference.

2. She has completed her work.

3. We have studied our options.

4. I have received my test results.

5. You have mentioned his name before.

have not gone

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Present Perfect

33

6. He has reviewed the plans.

7. It has disappeared.

Forming Contractions: Hasn’t and Haven’t
The following contractions can be used in conversation and informal writing:
I haven’t gone
You haven’t gone
He hasn’t gone
She hasn’t gone
It hasn’t gone

exercise

We haven’t gone
They haven’t gone

4-4

Rewrite the sentences in exercise 4-3 using contractions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with the auxiliary verb have. After the auxiliary
verb, place the subject and the perfect/passive form of the main verb.
Statement: His personality has changed.
Yes/no question: Has his personality changed?

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34

The Present Tense

exercise

4-5

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: She has followed the directions.
Has she followed the directions?
1. You have put the dishes away.

2. They have offered her a new job.

3. We have received good news.

4. He has checked the oil in the car.

5. Jackson has obtained a driver’s license.

6. The new student has arrived.

7. Jeanette has responded to our message.

8. The archaeologists have discovered new fossils.

9. You have made your lunch.

10. The business has expanded.

11. Sarah has arranged the meeting.

12. The program has been successful.

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Present Perfect

35

Forming Wh-Questions
In wh-questions, when the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question
is similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Michael has represented us.
Wh-question: Who has represented us?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb have comes after
the question word and is followed by the subject and the perfect/passive form of the main verb.
Statement: They have collected old cars.
Wh-question: What have they collected?
Statement: You have moved three times.
Wh-question: How many times have you moved?

exercise

4-6

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: Scott has prevented an accident.
Who has prevented an accident?
1. They have given computers to charities.
What
2. The governor has appeared on television.
Who
3. She has missed three games.
How many games
4. Dan has passed the first part of the test.
Who
5. You have read three of his novels.
How many of his novels
6. Les has painted his house green.
What color
7. She has sung at the White House.
Who
8. Something unbelievable has happened.
What

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The Present Tense

9. She has influenced your decision.
Who
10. He has taken all of the required courses.
Which courses
11. You have taught English for fifteen years.
How many years
12. They have invited everyone in class to the party.
Whom
(Who may be used instead of whom in conversation and informal writing.)

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Unit 5

Present Perfect Progressive

When you want to refer to an action, a state, or an event that originated in the past but is still ongoing or incomplete, use the present
perfect progressive.
ONGOING

STATE:

INCOMPLETE
May.

I have been living on a ship for three months.

ACTION:

We have been organizing this trip since

The present perfect progressive consists of two auxiliary verbs, have
and be, and the -ing form of the main verb. The auxiliary verb have
comes first, and it is marked for tense. Next comes the perfect/passive form of the verb be—been. The final element of the present perfect progressive is the -ing form of the main verb.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

exercise

Singular

Plural

I have been
verb + ing
you have been
verb + ing
he, she, it has
been verb + ing

we have been verb + ing
you have been verb + ing
they have been verb + ing

5-1

Complete each sentence with the present perfect progressive form of the verb
in parentheses.
1. My knee
2. The new policy
some confusion.
3. Janice
hour.

(hurt) for a week.
(cause)

(exercise) for an

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38

The Present Tense

4. I

(drink) a lot of coffee today.

5. He

(worry) too much.

6. She

(earn) good grades in all her classes.

7. Her parents

(pay) for her apartment.

8. We

(follow) your instructions.

9. We

(sit) here too long.

10. I

(apply) for scholarships.

11. They

(help) each other.

12. Temperatures

(rise).

Forming Contractions: Pronouns with the Auxiliary Verb Have
Contractions can be formed by combining a pronoun and the auxiliary verb have. You will often
hear these contractions in conversation or see them in informal writing, but you will rarely find
them used in formal contexts.
Notice that an apostrophe indicates the omission of the letters h and a:
I + have = I’ve been living
you + have = you’ve been living
he + has = he’s been living
she + has = she’s been living
it + has = it’s been living

exercise

we + have = we’ve been living
they + have = they’ve been living

5-2

Use the pronoun and verb given to create a sentence that contains a contraction.
EXAMPLE: We, hope
We’ve been hoping for better weather.
1. He, expect
a phone call.
2. It, change
day by day.
3. We, develop
a new game.
4. They, check
their e-mail every day.

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Present Perfect Progressive

5. She, explore
her new home.
6. You, complain
about your sore back all day.
7. I, calculate
my income tax.

Forming Negatives
To make a present perfect progressive verb negative, place not after the auxiliary verb have.
has not been going

exercise

have not been going

5-3

Complete each of the following sentences using the subject and verb provided.
EXAMPLE: We, fall, not
We have not been falling behind in our work.
1. He, ignore, not
the evidence.
2. It, improve, not
much.
3. We, commute, not
together this year.
4. They, buy, not
much lately.
5. She, do, not
her work.
6. You, finish, not
your projects on time.
7. I, ride, not
the bus to school.

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40

The Present Tense

Forming Contractions: Hasn’t and Haven’t
The following contractions can be used in conversation and informal writing:
I haven’t been going
You haven’t been going
He hasn’t been going
She hasn’t been going
It hasn’t been going

exercise

We haven’t been going
They haven’t been going

5-4

Rewrite the sentences in exercise 5-3 using contractions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with the auxiliary verb have. After a tensed form of
have, place the subject, the perfect/passive form of the auxiliary verb be (been), and the -ing form
of the main verb.
Statement: You have been tiring easily.
Yes/no question: Have you been tiring easily?

exercise

5-5

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: She has been using the new database.
Has she been using the new database?
1. You have been paying all your bills on time.

2. The noise has been bothering them.

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Present Perfect Progressive

41

3. Traffic has been moving slowly.

4. She has been waiting a long time.

5. They have been reducing the number of accidents.

6. The suspect has been lying.

7. You have been reading an interesting novel.

8. The government has been allowing journalists into the country.

9. She has been keeping good records.

10. They have been considering the proposal.

11. He has been staying close to home.

12. She has been making progress.

Forming Wh-Questions
In wh-questions, when the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question
is similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Brad Omans has been reporting the news.
Wh-question: Who has been reporting the news?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb have comes after
the question word and is followed by the subject, the perfect/passive form of the auxiliary verb
be (been), and the -ing form of the main verb.
Statement: Many people have been going to the carnival.
Wh-question: Where have many people been going?
Statement: You have been looking at something.
Wh-question: What have you been looking at?

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42

The Present Tense

exercise

5-6

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: Barbara has been studying at night.
When has Barbara been studying?
1. Paula has been traveling all over Asia.
Where
2. He has been living in Miami for five years.
How long
3. They have been searching for their lost dog.
What
4. My grandfather has been watching the children.
Who
5. They have been going to the Virgin Islands every spring.
How often
6. The guide has been arranging a special tour of the ruins.
What
7. Pei-Hsuan has been taking notes.
Who
8. You have been attending the university since 2012.
How long
9. They have been planning a surprise party for Marta.
What
10. He has been talking about his new design.
What
11. You have been feeling better lately.
How
12. She has been standing there for two hours.
How long

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Present Perfect Progressive

Summary of Tense-Aspect Combinations
TENSE/ASPECT

PRESENT

simple
progressive
perfect
perfect progressive

simple present: talk, talks
present progressive: am/is/are talking
present perfect: has/have talked
present perfect progressive: has/have been talking

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PA R T I I

THE PAST TENSE
Verbs in the past tense occur in four forms, each signaling a different aspect. (Aspect is explained in the Introduction.) These forms
convey information about actions, states, or events that are remote
in the speaker’s mind. The past tense most often refers to past time.
SIMPLE PAST:

I waited patiently.

PAST PROGRESSIVE:
PAST PERFECT:

I was waiting for a bus.

I had waited long enough.

PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE:

I had been waiting for three hours.

In the following units, you will learn about these verb forms and
the reasons for using them.

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Unit 6

Simple Past

When you refer to past or completed actions, states, or events, use
simple past verb forms.
COMPLETED ACTION: We drove three hundred miles.
PAST STATE: They seemed uneasy.
PAST EVENT: The schedule changed.
You can also use the simple past to refer to a hypothetical action,
state, or event.
HYPOTHETICAL ACTION: If you joined our team, we could win the
championship.
Sentences such as this one will be discussed in more detail in Part
IV.
The simple past for regular verbs consists of the verb and the ending -ed.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I verb + ed
you verb + ed
he, she, it verb + ed

we verb + ed
you verb + ed
they verb + ed

For regular verbs, the simple past form and the perfect/passive
form (see pages 29–30) are the same.
When a one-syllable word or a word with a stressed final syllable
ends in a single consonant sound, double the last letter before
adding -ed.
One-syllable word: plan ➞ planned
Word ending in a stressed syllable: occur ➞ occurred
BUT row ➞ rowed [This word ends in a vowel sound.]
Irregular verbs have a variety of simple past forms, which can be
found in the appendix.

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48

The Past Tense

The following are common irregular verb patterns. Some of these irregular simple past forms
are the same as the perfect/passive forms.
• Pattern 1: The final d becomes a t. (Same as perfect/passive)
send
lend
spend

sent
lent
spent

• Pattern 2: A -d or -t suffix is added. The vowel changes. (Same as perfect/passive)
felt /fElt/
slept /slEpt/
told /told/

feel /fil/
sleep /slip/
tell /tEl/

• Pattern 3a: The vowel changes. (Different from perfect/passive)
eat /it/
speak /spik/
know /no/

ate /et/
spoke /spok/
knew /nu/

• Pattern 3b: The vowel changes. (Same as perfect/passive)
held /hEld/
met /mEt/
sat /sAt/

hold /hold/
meet /mit/
sit /sIt/

• Pattern 4: The base form and the simple past form are the same. (Same as perfect/passive)
put
hit
cut

exercise

put
hit
cut

6-1

Complete each sentence with the simple past form of the verb in parentheses. The first five verbs are regular; the
second five are irregular.
1. We

(work) hard all day.

2. The fans
3. I

(wait) in line for tickets.
(remember) her face.

4. He

(need) a computer upgrade.

5. She

(miss) class now and then.

6. They

(sell) some of their land.

7. Chen

(go) to work at 3:00.

8. Tim and Andrea first

(meet) at a mutual friend’s party.

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Simple Past

9. I accidentally

49

(cut) my finger.

10. Everyone at the party

(wear) a costume.

6-2

exercise

Complete each sentence with either the simple past or the present perfect. Remember that the simple past indicates
completion, while the present perfect indicates continued relevance. If you need help, review pages 29–30 and 47.
1. Joe and Donna

(live) here in the 1990s.

2. Joe and Donna

(live) here since the 1990s.

3. Maria and I
Wednesday night at 7:00.

(study) together for two years. We meet in the library every

4. Maria and I

(study) together last year.

5. We

(travel) to London in April.

6. We

(travel) to many countries, but this year we’re staying home.

7. I

(work) for Safeway since May.

8. I

(work) for Safeway in 2015.

9. He

(build) many houses. He is currently building one on Madison Street.

10. He

(build) a house for his sister.

Forming Negatives
To make a verb negative, add the auxiliary verb did, which is the simple past form of do, and the
word not before the main verb.
did not believe

exercise

6-3

Make each of the following sentences negative.
EXAMPLE: I made a mistake.
I did not make a mistake.
1. He came to work on time.

2. My roommate liked the movie.

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The Past Tense

3. She understood the problem.

4. We took a wrong turn.

5. The students needed help with the homework.

6. The driver blamed me for the accident.

7. I listened to the directions.

8. She earned a degree in economics.

9. He calculated the taxes.

10. They complained about the weather.

Forming Contractions
In English, verbs are often combined with other words to form contractions. These shortened
forms include an apostrophe (’) to indicate missing letters. It is important to learn contractions
because you will often hear them in conversation or see them in informal writing. Formal writing, though, rarely contains contractions.
The auxiliary verb did is often combined with not to form a contraction. Notice that an apostrophe indicates that the letter o is omitted:
did + not = didn’t

exercise

6-4

Rewrite the sentences you wrote in exercise 6-3 using contractions.
1.
2.
3.

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Simple Past

51

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form questions that can be answered yes or no (yes/no questions), begin the question with
the auxiliary verb did. After the auxiliary verb, place the subject and the main verb.
Statement: He took the bus to work.
Yes/no question: Did he take the bus to work?

exercise

6-5

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: You finished your application letter.
Did you finish your application letter?
1. They elected a new president.

2. She delivered the report.

3. You expected us earlier.

4. Tho passed his driver’s test.

5. The committee explored the issues.

6. He explained the problem.

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The Past Tense

7. The director had an appointment at 3:00.

8. You forgot the map.

9. The bank lent him some money.

10. They offered him a job.

Forming Wh-Questions
Wh-questions are used to elicit specific pieces of information. They usually begin with what, who,
why, where, when, how, or combinations such as how much, how many, and how often. When the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question is similar to the form of a
statement.
Statement: Someone knocked on the door.
Wh-question: Who knocked at the door?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb did comes after the
question word and is followed by the subject and the main verb.
Statement: She bought a new cell phone.
Wh-question: What did she buy?
Statement: They left last night.
Wh-question: When did they leave?

exercise

6-6

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: He found the missing document on the top shelf.
Where did he find the missing document?
1. Toni Morrison wrote Beloved.
Who
2. Patty won the contest.
Who
3. He turned left.
Which way

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Simple Past

4. They traveled to four different countries.
How many countries
5. You taught biology for thirty years.
How long
6. The repair cost $35.00.
How much
7. They stayed at the party until midnight.
How long
8. She ran fifteen miles.
How far
9. They moved to Hong Kong.
Where
10. They climbed to the summit.
How far

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Unit 7

Be Verb Forms, Simple Past

The verb be has two different forms in the simple past: was and were.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

exercise

Singular

Plural

I was
you were
he, she, it was

we were
you were
they were

7-1

Complete each sentence with the simple past form of the verb be.
1. The test
2. You
3. They
4. Bill

difficult.
right.
envious.
ill yesterday.

5. The news
6. We
7. I

good.
embarrassed.
ready for the exam.

8. The keys
9. It
10. The house

in the car.
fun.
old and decrepit.

The word there is often used with the verb be to acknowledge the
existence of someone or something. The form of the verb is based
on the subject that follows it.

55

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The Past Tense

Singular subject: There was a storm last night.
Plural subject: There were twelve people in the cast.

exercise

7-2

Circle the verb that agrees in number with the subject that follows it.
1. There was/were a parade yesterday.
2. There was/were many celebrities at the rally.
3. There was/were a lot of traffic.
4. There was/were pizza for everyone.
5. There was/were several buildings in need of repair.
6. There was/were no more tickets left.
7. There was/were a four-hour delay.
8. There was/were an empty seat in the back row.
9. There was/were many tourists at this year’s festival.
10. There was/were a nice breeze earlier this morning.

Forming Negatives
To make the verb be negative, just add not.
was not

were not

Forming Contractions
In conversation and informal writing, you can use contractions.
was not = wasn’t

exercise

7-3

Complete the sentences using either wasn’t or weren’t.
1. They
2. I
3. There

at home yesterday.
prepared for such a long trip.
any leftovers.

were + not = weren’t

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Be Verb Forms, Simple Past

4. Carlos

57

at work on Tuesday.

5. We

pleased with the report.

6. There

much time left.

7. Jenny and Sik

in class.

8. The lights

on.

9. You

at the party.

10. The accident

serious.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with a form of the verb be and place the subject
after it.
Statement: John was late.
Yes/no question: Was John late?
Statement: They were surprised.
Yes/no question: Were they surprised?
To form yes/no questions with there, place there after the be verb.
Statement: There was a message for Natalie on the answering machine.
Yes/no question: Was there a message for Natalie on the answering machine?

exercise

7-4

Rewrite the following statements as questions.
EXAMPLE: He was sick last week.
Was he sick last week?
1. The concert was in the park.

2. The road was under construction.

3. Everyone was on time.

4. The textbooks were expensive.

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The Past Tense

5. The job was stressful.

6. The program was a success.

7. There were many apartments for rent.

8. The parking lot was full.

9. The tickets were free.

10. The computer was on.

Forming Wh-Questions
To form wh-questions, place the be verb after the question word. When the question word is the
subject of the sentence, the form of the question is similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Cindy was the winner.
Wh-question: Who was the winner?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the subject follows the be verb.
Statement: They were in Mexico last week.
Wh-question: Where were they last week?
Statement: She was in the office on Tuesday.
Wh-question: When was she in the office?

exercise

7-5

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: The weather was good.
How was the weather?
1. In 1980, Jimmy Carter was the president of the United States.
Who
2. The trip was long and arduous.
How

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Be Verb Forms, Simple Past

3. His grandparents were from Brazil.
Where
4. They were in the library.
Where
5. The field trip was on Wednesday.
When
6. The gym was open four hours on Sunday.
How long
7. Many DVDs were on sale.
What items
8. The traffic was bad.
How
9. Seth was there.
Who
10. The movie was two hours long.
How long

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Unit 8

Past Progressive
(Be Verb + -ing)

When you refer to a past action, state, or event that is incomplete
or in progress, use the past progressive.
PAST ACTION: In 2012, I was working for a large company in
Houston.
PAST STATE: I was feeling fine ten minutes ago.
PAST EVENT: Something strange was happening.
A specific time reference is often used with the past progressive.
This reference is generally a prepositional phrase or another
clause with a simple-past verb form.
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE: By 5:00, all the participants were packing
their bags.
CLAUSE: While I was preparing breakfast, I heard the news on the
radio.
When you want to indicate two simultaneous ongoing actions, use
the past progressive for both.
SIMULTANEOUS ACTIONS: While I was preparing breakfast, I was
listening to the news.
The past progressive consists of the auxiliary verb be and the -ing
form of the main verb. The auxiliary verb is marked for tense.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I was verb + ing
you were verb + ing
he, she, it was verb + ing

we were verb + ing
you were verb + ing
they were verb + ing

When a one-syllable word or a word with a stressed final syllable
ends in a single consonant sound, double the last letter before
adding -ing.
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The Past Tense

One-syllable word: swim ➞ swimming
Word ending in a stressed syllable: permit ➞ permitting
BUT show ➞ showing [This word ends in a vowel sound.]
When a word ends with the letter e, drop the e before adding -ing.

exercise

8-1

Complete each sentence with the past progressive form of the verb in parentheses.
1. The customer

(be) rude.

2. The telephone

(ring) all day long.

3. While I

(wait), I

4. When you visited last year, they

(live) in a different apartment.

5. My roommate

(take) a nap while I

6. She

(study).

(put) on her coat when I walked in.

7. Someone
out of bed.

(knock) at the door just as I

8. It

(get)

(rain) a few minutes ago.

9. They saw an accident while they
10. We found old books and toys when we

exercise

(dream) of distant places.

(go) to work.
(clean).

8-2

The verb forms in the following sentences are either simple past or past progressive. Decide whether the verb in each
sentence indicates a complete action or an ongoing past action. If you need help, review pages 47–48 and 61.
1. He played the piano beautifully.
Complete action

Action in progress

2. He was playing the piano as the guests were arriving.
Complete action

Action in progress

3. I was cooking dinner when I remembered his name.
Complete action

Action in progress

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Past Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

4. I cooked dinner for everyone.
Complete action

Action in progress

5. They were shopping for a new lamp, but they couldn’t find a nice one.
Complete action

Action in progress

6. They shopped for a lamp until they found a nice one.
Complete action

Action in progress

7. When we lived in the suburbs, we commuted to work.
Complete action

Action in progress

8. While we were commuting to work, we talked about our families.
Complete action

Action in progress

9. She was working for Apex Law Firm when she received a new job offer.
Complete action

Action in progress

10. She worked for Apex Law Firm from 1999 to 2002.
Complete action

Action in progress

Forming Negatives
To make a past progressive verb negative, place not after the auxiliary verb.
was not going

exercise

8-3

Make each of the following sentences negative.
EXAMPLE: We were visiting our relatives.
We were not visiting our relatives.
1. He was attending a conference.

2. They were laughing.

3. I was complaining about the work.

were not going

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The Past Tense

4. She was helping us.

5. Ted was studying last night.

6. They were paying attention.

7. I was talking to myself.

8. You were speaking loud enough.

9. They were doing their homework.

10. We were trying hard.

Forming Contractions
Contractions are often formed by combining the auxiliary verb be and not. You will often hear
these contractions in conversation or see them in informal writing, but you will rarely find them
used in formal contexts.
Notice that an apostrophe indicates that the letter o is omitted:
I wasn’t moving
He wasn’t moving
She wasn’t moving
It wasn’t moving

exercise

8-4

Rewrite the sentences in exercise 8-3 using contractions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

We weren’t moving
You weren’t moving
They weren’t moving

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Past Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

65

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with the auxiliary verb be. After the auxiliary verb,
place the subject and the -ing form of the main verb.
Statement: Prices were dropping.
Yes/no question: Were prices dropping?

exercise

8-5

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: You were singing to yourself.
Were you singing to yourself?
1. The band was giving a free concert.

2. The light was blinking on and off.

3. You were watching the championship on television.

4. They were being careful.

5. It was snowing all day.

6. Gabe and Don were singing together.

7. They were closing the store.

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The Past Tense

8. The companies were considering a merger.

9. They were recycling most of the waste products.

10. As young children, they were always getting into trouble.

Forming Wh-Questions
In wh-questions, when the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question
is similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Ken was demanding your attention.
Wh-question: Who was demanding your attention?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb be comes after the
question word and is followed by the subject and the -ing form of the main verb.
Statement: They were going to church.
Wh-question: Where were they going?
Statement: He was playing solitaire.
Wh-question: What was he playing?

exercise

8-6

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: The assistant was making travel arrangements.
Who was making travel arrangements?
1. They were protesting in front of the post office.
Where
2. Carmen was using this computer.
Who
3. You were watching a funny movie on television last night.
What
4. The committee was discussing the new plan.
What
5. The noise was bothering them.
What

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Past Progressive (Be Verb + -ing)

6. Lev was spreading rumors.
Who
7. He was working at McDonald’s.
Where
8. She was driving seventy-five mph.
How fast
9. He was reading a newspaper during class today.
What
10. They were standing in front of city hall.
Where

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Unit 9

Past Perfect

Use the past perfect when you want to refer to a past action, state,
or event that occurred prior to another time in the past. The more
recent past time may be expressed as a prepositional phrase or as a
clause in which another action, state, or event is mentioned.
PAST ACTION BEFORE PAST TIME: They had finished the project by
Friday.
PAST STATE BEFORE PAST ACTION: He had been depressed before he
went on vacation.
You can also use the past perfect to refer to a hypothetical action,
state, or event.
HYPOTHETICAL ACTION: If they had come earlier, they would have
received free tickets.
Sentences such as this one will be discussed in more detail in
Part IV.
The past perfect consists of the auxiliary verb have and the perfect/passive form of the main verb. The auxiliary verb is marked
for past tense. The perfect/passive verb form is used to indicate
either the perfect aspect or the passive voice. (The passive voice
will be discussed in Part IV.) The perfect/passive form for regular
verbs consists of the base form of the verb and the ending -ed.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I had verb + ed
you had verb + ed
he, she, it had verb + ed

we had verb + ed
you had verb + ed
they had verb + ed

When a one-syllable word or a word with a stressed final syllable
ends in a single consonant sound, double the last letter before
adding -ed.
One-syllable word: pat ➞ patted
Word ending in a stressed syllable: occur ➞ occurred
BUT tow ➞ towed [This word ends in a vowel sound.]
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The Past Tense

The present/passive forms of irregular verbs can be found in the appendix.
If you would like to see the common patterns that irregular verbs follow, see those listed for the
present perfect on pages 29–30.

exercise

9-1

Complete each sentence with the past perfect form of the verb in parentheses. If you need help with irregular verb
forms, check the appendix.
1. Before 2016, they

(attend) college in Philadelphia.

2. After we

(hold) a meeting, we announced our decision.

3. They

(sell) most of their furniture before they moved.

4. The employees
5. I

(meet) the new director already.
(feel) uneasy before I gave my speech.

6. He

(hit) twenty home runs before the All-Star Game.

7. We

(sit) down right before the concert began.

8. She

(run) three marathons by the age of twenty.

9. It

(snow) so much that school was canceled.

10. She

exercise

(be) there so often that everyone knew her.

9-2

Using the verbs in parentheses, complete each sentence with either the simple past or the past perfect.
1. The taxi

(arrive) after he

2. After we

(finish) the dishes, we

(left).
(go) for a walk.

3. The teacher
(assign) twenty problems, but most students
(complete) only fifteen of them.
4. She

(be) tired because she

5. He

(wear) the ring that his grandfather

6. I
7. She

(revise) a paper that I
(knock) on the door before she

(work) late the night before.
(give) him.
(write) a year ago.
(enter).

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Past Perfect

8. All of a sudden we
the freeway.
9. He

(know) that we

(take) the wrong exit off

(read) aloud from a new book he

10. They

(celebrate) because they

71

(receive) as a gift.
(pass) all their classes.

Forming Negatives
To make a past perfect verb negative, place not after the auxiliary verb.
had not gone

exercise

9-3

Complete each of the following sentences with a negative form of the past perfect. Use the subject and verb provided.
EXAMPLE: He, finish
It was midnight, and he had not finished his paper.
1. They, meet
before.
2. It, change
Because

color, no one could see it.

3. We, consider
all the possibilities.
4. He, want
help from us.
5. She, drive
to the party.
6. You, speak
English before you came here.
7. I, sent
my application in on time.

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The Past Tense

Forming Contractions
Contractions are often formed by combining pronouns and the auxiliary verb had or by combining the auxiliary verb had and not. You will often hear these contractions in conversation or
see them in informal writing, but you will rarely find them used in formal contexts.
Notice that an apostrophe indicates that at least one letter is omitted:
I’d gone
You’d gone
He’d gone
She’d gone
It’d gone
We’d gone
They’d gone

exercise

I hadn’t gone
You hadn’t gone
He hadn’t gone
She hadn’t gone
It hadn’t gone
We hadn’t gone
They hadn’t gone

9-4

Rewrite each sentence in exercise 9-3 using a contraction. First, write a positive sentence; then write a negative
sentence (with not).
EXAMPLE: He, finish
It was midnight, and he’d finished his paper.
It was midnight, and he hadn’t finished his paper.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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Past Perfect

73

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with the auxiliary verb had. After the auxiliary
verb, place the subject and the perfect/passive form of the main verb.
Statement: She had taught in Mexico before she moved here.
Yes/no question: Had she taught in Mexico before she moved here?

exercise

9-5

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: He hadn’t known about the bad roads before he left.
Hadn’t he known about the bad roads before he left?
1. She hadn’t called before she arrived.

2. They hadn’t obtained permission before they started the experiment.

3. Pat had won the first race before he ran the second race.

4. They had closed the road.

5. They had canceled the game without prior notice.

Forming Wh-Questions
In wh-questions, when the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question
is similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Jackie had not studied English before coming to the United States.
Wh-question: Who had not studied English before coming to the United States?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb had comes after the
question word and is followed by the subject and the perfect/passive form of the main verb.
Statement: He had walked two miles before he realized his mistake.
Wh-question: How far had he walked before he realized his mistake?

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The Past Tense

exercise

9-6

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: Sharon had worked in Taiwan before she moved to Kuala Lumpur.
Where had Sharon worked before she moved to Kuala Lumpur?
1. Peggy and Mel had received job offers before they graduated.
Who
2. Peter had broken six track records by the age of eighteen.
How many track records
3. She had taught English for ten years before she went to law school.
How long
4. He had arrived at the gate a minute before the flight attendant closed the door to the plane.
When
5. They had dated for two years before they got married.
How long

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Unit 10

Past Perfect Progressive

When you want to refer to an action, a state, or an event that originated prior to another time in the past but is still ongoing or
incomplete, use the past perfect progressive.
ONGOING STATE: I had been having frequent headaches, so I
decided to visit a doctor.
INCOMPLETE ACTION: We had been making plans when someone
interrupted us.
You can also use the past perfect progressive to refer to a hypothetical action or event.
HYPOTHETICAL ACTION: If they had been paying attention, they
would have found the clues.
Sentences such as this one will be discussed in more detail in
Part IV.
The past perfect progressive consists of two auxiliary verbs, have
and be, and the -ing form of the main verb. The auxiliary verb had
comes first, and it is marked for tense.
Next comes the perfect/passive form of the verb be —been. The
final element of the past perfect progressive is the -ing form of the
main verb.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I had been
verb + ing
you had been
verb + ing
he, she, it had
been verb + ing

we had been verb + ing
you had been verb + ing
they had been verb + ing

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The Past Tense

10-1

exercise

Complete each sentence with the past perfect progressive form of the verb in parentheses.
1. I

(work) ten-hour days, so I was very tired.

2. We

(discuss) that issue when the supervisor walked in.

3. They

(study) English since they came in 2017.

4. The company’s profits
December.
5. They

(increase) until they dropped in

(play) soccer together for years.

6. It

(rain) all day, so the game was postponed.

7. The children

(watch) television before we arrived.

8. He

(write) newspaper editorials for twenty years.
(study) since 6:00 A.M.

9. Sally
10. I

(work) for the telephone company before I came here.

Forming Negatives
To make a past perfect progressive verb negative, place not after the auxiliary verb had.
had not been going

exercise

10-2

Complete each of the following sentences with the negative form of the past perfect progressive. Use the subject and
verb provided.
EXAMPLE: We, expect, not
We had not been expecting your call.
1. The supervisor, assign, not
much work lately.
2. The weather, improve, not
, so we returned home.
3. Jodi and I, follow, not

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77

his directions.
4. They, check, not
the oil in their car frequently enough.
5. She, ignore, not
the phone messages.
6. You, get, not
to work on time.
7. I, exercise, not
, so I was feeling sluggish.

Forming Contractions
Contractions are often formed by combining pronouns and the auxiliary verb had or by combining the auxiliary verb had and not. You will often hear these contractions in conversation or
see them in informal writing, but you will rarely find them used in formal contexts.
Notice that an apostrophe indicates that at least one letter is omitted:
I’d been going
You’d been going
He’d been going
She’d been going
It’d been going
We’d been going
They’d been going

exercise

I hadn’t been going
You hadn’t been going
He hadn’t been going
She hadn’t been going
It hadn’t been going
We hadn’t been going
They hadn’t been going

10-3

Use the pronoun and verb given to create a sentence that contains a contraction. If not is also given, use a negative
contraction.
EXAMPLE: We, hope
We’d been hoping for a nice day.
1. He, expect, not
a phone call.
2. It, change
slowly.
3. We, hope
for good news.

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The Past Tense

4. They, look, not
in the right places.
5. She, lie
on the couch when the doorbell rang.
6. You, joke, not
about the possible danger.
7. I, think
about you when your letter arrived.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with the auxiliary verb have. After a tensed form of
have (had), place the subject, the perfect/passive form of the auxiliary verb be (been), and the
-ing form of the main verb.
Statement: She had been doing all her work.
Yes/no question: Had she been doing all her work?

exercise

10-4

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: The administration had been putting pressure on the employees.
Had the administration been putting pressure on the employees?
1. You had been working too hard.

2. He had been living by himself.

3. She had been talking too loudly.

4. They had been waiting a long time.

5. The suspect had been telling the truth.

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79

Forming Wh-Questions
In wh-questions, when the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question
is similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Joseph had been driving when the accident happened.
Wh-question: Who had been driving when the accident happened?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb had comes after the
question word and is followed by the subject, the auxiliary verb been, and the -ing form of the
main verb.
Statement: She had been living in St. Louis at the time.
Wh-question: Where had she been living at the time?

exercise

10-5

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: The band had been playing together for five years.
How long had the band been playing together?
1. Michelle had been making the arrangements.
Who
2. He had been thinking about moving for the last few months.
How long
3. They had been using my old computer before the new shipment arrived.
What
4. Vladimir had been leading the discussion when the argument started.
Who
5. They had been working on the project since June.
How long

Summary of Tense-Aspect Combinations
TENSE/ASPECT

PAST

simple
progressive
perfect
perfect progressive

simple past: talked
past progressive: was/were talking
past perfect: had talked
past perfect progressive: had been talking

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PA R T I I I

THE FUTURE TENSE
Verbs in the future tense occur in four forms, each signaling a different aspect. (Aspect is explained in the Introduction.) Each of
these forms can be used to predict future actions, states, or events.
SIMPLE FUTURE:

I will work on my project tomorrow.

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE:
FUTURE PERFECT:

I will be working for my father next year.

By the end of the winter, I will have worked here

for five years.
FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE: On Monday, I will have been working

with you for ten years.
In the following units, you will learn about these verb forms and
the reasons for using them.

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Unit 11

Simple Future

When you are referring to a future action, state, or event, use the
simple future.
FUTURE ACTION: We will take our final exam on Friday.
FUTURE STATE: They will be late.
FUTURE EVENT: The weather will improve.
To form the simple future for both regular and irregular verbs,
place the modal auxiliary verb will before the base form of the
verb.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

exercise

Singular

Plural

I will verb
you will verb
he, she, it will verb

we will verb
you will verb
they will verb

11-1

Complete each sentence with the simple future form of the verb in
parentheses.
1. We
2. The project
patience.
3. I
4. He
5. Dr. Kobashi
6. They
7. Bob

(commute) to work with Megan next year.
(require) a lot of hard work and

(give) my report on Tuesday.
(visit) his parents this weekend.
(be) out of the office next week.
(announce) the winners on the radio.
(leave) next month.
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The Future Tense

8. Lilik and Rebecca
9. I

(complete) their training in February.

(call) you tomorrow.

10. They

(expand) the airport next year.

Forming Contractions: Pronouns with the Auxiliary Verb Will
In English, verbs are often combined with other words to form contractions. These shortened
forms include an apostrophe (’) to indicate missing letters. It is important to learn contractions
because you will often hear them in conversation or see them in informal writing. Formal writing, though, rarely contains contractions.
The modal auxiliary verb will is often combined with a pronoun to form a contraction. Notice
that an apostrophe indicates that the letters w and i are omitted:
I + will = I’ll
he + will = he’ll
she + will = she’ll
it + will = it’ll

exercise

we + will = we’ll
you + will = you’ll
they + will = they’ll

11-2

Complete each sentence with a contraction using the pronoun and the verb provided.
EXAMPLE: I, see
I’ll see you in the morning.
1. They, believe
your story.
2. I, deliver
the package myself.
3. You, like
their new apartment.
4. It, end
soon.
5. He, help
us.
6. She, introduce
you.
7. We, sit
together.

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Simple Future

Forming Negatives
To form a negative, place not between the modal auxiliary verb will and the main verb.
will not go

exercise

11-3

Make each of the following sentences negative.
EXAMPLE: You will find your book over there.
You will not find your book over there.
1. He will finish by tomorrow.

2. You will have a lot of fun there.

3. She will know the answer.

4. We will ignore the problem.

5. They will keep your secret.

6. He will lie to you.

7. I will need help with my homework.

8. Marian will be alone.

9. I will mention your name.

10. They will be late.

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The Future Tense

Forming Contractions: Won’t
In conversation and informal writing, will and not are often contracted. The letter i in will
changes to o in won’t. The apostrophe indicates that at least one letter is omitted:
will + not = won’t

exercise

11-4

Rewrite the sentences you wrote in exercise 11-3 using contractions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form questions that can be answered yes or no (yes/no questions), begin the question with
the modal auxiliary verb will. After the modal verb, place the subject and the main verb.
Statement: You will be away a long time.
Yes/no question: Will you be away a long time?

exercise

11-5

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: You will know more tomorrow.
Will you know more tomorrow?
1. They will tell us on Friday.

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87

2. She will report the incident.

3. You will laugh at my mistakes.

4. Mitch will need some help.

5. The noise will bother you.

6. He will lend us some money.

7. Dr. Silvis will be free at 4:00.

8. We will meet later.

9. They will use your plan.

10. Federal Express will deliver the package to our house.

Forming Wh-Questions
Wh-questions are used to elicit specific pieces of information. They usually begin with what, who,
why, where, when, how, or combinations such as how much, how many, and how often. When the question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question is similar to the form of a
statement.
Statement: McGraw-Hill will publish his new book.
Wh-question: Who will publish his new book?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary modal verb will comes
after the question word, followed by the subject and the main verb.
Statement: The play will begin at 8:00.
Wh-question: When will the play begin?
Statement: The package will contain two books and a DVD.
Wh-question: What will the package contain?

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The Future Tense

exercise

11-6

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: My entire family will be there.
Who will be there?
1. His friends will repair his car.
Who
2. The class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
When
3. Rhonda will finish the report by Monday.
When
4. It will cost $30.00.
How much
5. They will blame me for the mistake.
Whom
(Who may be used instead of whom in conversation and informal writing.)
6. Professor Johnson and Professor Lee will choose the scholarship winners.
Who
7. The supervisor will be on vacation for two weeks.
How long
8. They will complain about the mess.
What
9. Two students from our class will lead the discussion.
Who
10. The dance group will perform on Thursday.
When

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Unit 12

Be Going To

The phrasal modal auxiliary verb be going to is also used to indicate
future time.
The verb be takes three different forms: am, is, and are.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I am going
to verb
you are going
to verb
he, she, it is
going to verb

we are going to verb
you are going to verb
they are going to verb

Be going to is less formal than will.
Friend to friend: I’m going to finish the project by Friday.
Employee to supervisor: I’ll finish the project by Friday.
Although sometimes be going to and will can be used interchangeably, there are two special uses. Be going to signals that something is
imminent.
The alarm is going to sound in a second.
Will is used to make commitments.
I’ll meet you at 5:00.
You will learn more about modal auxiliary verbs in Part V.

exercise

12-1

Complete each sentence with a form of be going to and the main verb.
1. This job
2. Our neighbors
garage.

(be) difficult.
(build) a new
89

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The Future Tense

3. My roommate

(buy) a new printer.

4. I

(cancel) my magazine subscription.

5. Members of the Outing Club

(climb) Mt. Hood.

6. We

(celebrate) tonight.

7. He

(call) me today.

8. Matt

(come) over this evening.

9. Someone from the firm
10. They

(deliver) the letter tomorrow.
(elect) a new prime minister this year.

12-2

exercise

Complete each sentence with either will or a form of be going to. Circle the reason that supports your answer.
1. Watch out. It

fall.

Imminent action
2. I

Commitment
work for you on Friday.

Imminent action
3. I

Commitment
sit down right now.

Imminent action
4. Sit down. The movie
Imminent action
5. Beth and I

Commitment
start.
Commitment
help you next week.

Imminent action

Commitment

Forming Negatives
To make the phrasal modal verb be going to negative, just add not after be.
am not going to

exercise

12-3

is not going to

are not going to

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Be Going To

91

Complete each of the following sentences using a negative form of be going to and the subject and verb provided.
EXAMPLE: He, accept
He is not going to accept the job offer.
1. Taxes, increase
this year.
2. It, snow
tonight.
3. We, go
to the party.
4. He, listen
to your advice.
5. She, travel
alone.
6. You, have
enough time.
7. I, forget
you.

Forming Contractions
Contractions are often formed by combining pronouns and the verb be or by combining the
verb be and not. You will often hear these contractions in conversation or see them in informal
writing, but you will rarely find them used in formal contexts.
Notice that an apostrophe indicates that a letter is omitted:
I’m going to
You’re going to
He’s going to
She’s going to
It’s going to
We’re going to
They’re going to

exercise

I’m not going to
You’re not going to
He’s not going to
She’s not going to
It’s not going to
We’re not going to
They’re not going to

You aren’t going to
He isn’t going to
She isn’t going to
It isn’t going to
We aren’t going to
They aren’t going to

12-4

Complete the following sentences using contractions. For some sentences more than one form can be used.

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The Future Tense

EXAMPLE: He, appear
He’s going to appear on television this evening.
1. He, come, not
with us.
2. It, rain
soon.
3. I, clean
my room tonight.
4. They, believe, not
your story.
5. She, call, not
tonight.
6. You, do
well on the exam.
7. I, cook, not
anything special.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with a form of the verb be and the subject.
Statement: They are going to win.
Yes/no question: Are they going to win?

exercise

12-5

Rewrite the following statements as questions.
EXAMPLE: He is going to design a new line of clothing.
Is he going to design a new line of clothing?
1. They are going to consider your proposal.

2. You are going to enter the park at the north gate.

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Be Going To

93

3. The doctor is going to explain the procedure.

4. We are going to explore our new neighborhood today.

5. He’s going to fix it for free.

6. You are going to follow us.

7. She’s going to get into trouble.

8. It’s going to happen soon.

9. He’s going to like this idea.

10. We’re going to look for a new apartment today.

Forming Wh-Questions
In wh-questions, when a question word is the subject of a sentence, the form of the question is
similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Judy is going to assist us.
Wh-question: Who is going to assist us?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, place a form of the verb be and the
subject after the question word.
Statement: They are going to leave next week.
Wh-question: When are they going to leave?
Statement: He is going to park the car in the corner lot.
Wh-question: Where is he going to park the car?

exercise

12-6

Complete the following questions based on the statements provided.

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The Future Tense

EXAMPLE: They are going to cut costs by closing some plants.
How are they going to cut costs?
1. My cousin is going to move to Chile.
Who
2. She is going to earn $10.00 an hour.
How much
3. We are going to eat late tonight.
When
4. They are going to improve the roads this year.
When
5. You are going to develop the film tomorrow.
When
6. They are going to invite everyone in the neighborhood.
Whom
(Who may be used instead of whom in conversation and informal writing.)
7. The legislators are going to discuss the bill on Friday.
When
8. He is going to live in Tokyo.
Where
9. My daughter is going to march in the parade.
Who
10. The eclipse is going to occur on Saturday.
When

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Unit 13

Future Progressive
(Will Be Verb + -ing)

Use the future progressive when you refer to an action or event
that will be ongoing at some time or for some period of time in the
future.
FUTURE ACTION OCCURRING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME: I will be studying all night.
FUTURE EVENT OCCURRING AT A POINT IN TIME: At approximately
7:30, the sun will be sinking behind the horizon.
The future progressive consists of the auxiliary verbs will and be and
the -ing form of the main verb.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I will be
verb + ing
you will be
verb + ing
he, she, it will
be verb + ing

we will be verb + ing
you will be verb + ing
they will be verb + ing

When a one-syllable word or a word with a stressed final syllable
ends in a single consonant sound, double the last letter before
adding -ing.
One-syllable word: plan ➞ planning
Word ending in a stressed syllable: emit ➞ emitting
BUT sew ➞ sewing [This word ends in a vowel sound.]
When a word ends with a consonant and the letter e, drop the e
before adding -ing : come ➞ coming. The letter e is not dropped
from words such as be, see, and free.

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The Future Tense

13-1

exercise

Complete each sentence with the future progressive form of the verb in parentheses.
1. Sean

(represent) us at the meeting.

2. They

(leave) at 6:00.

3. Their car

(follow) ours.

4. We

(wait) for you on the corner.

5. He

(watch) the clock.

6. They

(produce) more energy than they need.

7. The tour company
8. It

(provide) lunch.
(snow) in the mountains.

9. Look for me by the entry. I
10. The Copy Shop

(wear) a red hat.
(open) a new store downtown this year.

Forming Negatives
To make a future progressive verb negative, place not after will.
will not be flying

exercise

13-2

Complete each of the following sentences with a negative form of the future progressive. Use the subject and verb
provided.
EXAMPLE: I, attend
I will not be attending the meeting.
1. They, appear
on television.
2. It, start
on time.
3. We, read
that novel this term.

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97

4. He, arrive
in time for the party.
5. She, stay
in a hotel.
6. You, live
by yourself.
7. I, make
much money next year.

Forming Contractions
Contractions are often formed by combining pronouns and the auxiliary verb will or by combining the auxiliary verb will and not. You will often hear these contractions in conversation or
see them in informal writing, but you will rarely find them used in formal contexts.
Remember that an apostrophe indicates that at least one letter is omitted and that the letter i in
will changes to o in the negative contraction won’t:
I’ll be working
You’ll be working
He’ll be working
She’ll be working
It’ll be working
We’ll be working
They’ll be working

exercise

I won’t be working
You won’t be working
He won’t be working
She won’t be working
It won’t be working
We won’t be working
They won’t be working

13-3

Use the pronoun and verb given to create a sentence that contains a contraction. If not is also given, use a negative
contraction.
EXAMPLE: She, come, not
She won’t be coming to the party.
1. He, joining, not
us this evening.
2. It, affect
everyone.
3. I, treat
for dinner tonight.

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The Future Tense

4. They, need, not
any more help.
5. She, arrive, not
until midnight.
6. You, fly
Tomorrow

to Honolulu.

7. I, think, not
of much besides the exam.

Forming Yes/ No Questions
To form yes/no questions, begin the question with the auxiliary verb will. Follow will with the
subject, be, and the -ing form of the main verb.
Statement: He will be coming along.
Yes/no question: Will he be coming along?

exercise

13-4

Rewrite the following statements as yes/no questions.
EXAMPLE: She will be playing for our team this year.
Will she be playing for our team this year?
1. I will be seeing you next week.

2. They will be traveling by bus.

3. Takamitsu will be assisting Heather.

4. They will be offering special packages at the end of the season.

5. You will be checking your e-mail daily.

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99

Forming Wh-Questions
In wh-questions, when a question word is the subject of the sentence, the form of the question is
similar to the form of a statement.
Statement: Debbie Little will be running for office next year.
Wh-question: Who will be running for office next year?
When the question word is any other part of the sentence, the auxiliary verb will comes after the
question word and is followed by the subject, be, and the -ing form of the main verb.
Statement: They will be playing soccer on Sunday.
Wh-question: When will they be playing soccer?

exercise

13-5

Complete the questions below based on the statements provided.
EXAMPLE: Alison will be accompanying them.
Who will be accompanying them?
1. Kenji will be taking notes.
Who
2. The star of the show will be receiving an award.
Who
3. They will be sitting in the back row.
Where
4. You will be driving two hundred miles on your first day.
How far
5. She will be finishing her project in May.
When

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Unit 14

Future Perfect

Use the future perfect when you want to refer to a future action,
state, or event that will be completed by a specific time in the
future.
FUTURE ACTION: By next week, she will have completed the course.
FUTURE STATE: In 2025, we will have known each other for twenty
years.
FUTURE EVENT: The ship will have sunk by then.
The future perfect consists of the modal auxiliary verb will, the
auxiliary verb have, and the perfect/passive form of the main verb.
The perfect/passive verb form is used to indicate either the perfect
aspect or the passive voice. (The passive voice will be discussed in
Part IV.) The perfect/passive form for regular verbs consists of the
base form of the verb and the ending -ed.

First Person
Second Person
Third Person

Singular

Plural

I will have
verb + ed
you will have
verb + ed
he, she, it will
have verb + ed

we will have verb + ed
you will have verb + ed
they will have verb + ed

When a one-syllable word or a word with a stressed final syllable
ends in a single consonant sound, double the last letter before
adding -ed.
One-syllable word: flip ➞ flipped
Word ending in a stressed syllable: refer ➞ referred
BUT bow ➞ bowed [This word ends in a vowel sound.]
The perfect/passive forms of irregular verbs can be found in the
appendix.

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The Future Tense

If you would like to see the common patterns irregular verbs follow, see those listed for the present perfect on pages 29–30.

14-1

exercise

Complete each sentence with the future perfect form of the verb in parentheses. If you need help with irregular verb
forms, check the appendix.
1. By the time you arrive, most guests
2. I

(leave).

(write) the report by the time you get here.

3. By 10:00 A.M., all the participants

(introduce) themselves.

4. By the time they reach Sydney, they
5. We

(fly) four thousand miles.

(eat) dinner by the time they get here.

Forming Negatives
To make a future perfect verb negative, place not after will.
will not have gone

exercise

14-2

Make each sentence negative. Be sure to use the subject and the future perfect form of the verb provided.
EXAMPLE: admit
By the time he’s ninety years old, he still will not have admitted his mistake.
1. You, rest
before you meet the chair of the committee.
2. They, eat
By the end of the fast, they

for twenty-four hours.

3. We, finish
our lunch by the time she arrives.
4. Mark, sleep
much before he makes his presentation.
5. She, save
enough money for college by the time classes begin.

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Future Perfect

103

Forming Contractions
Contractions are often formed by combining