Right forms of verb

Forms of Verbs:
Base Do, work, love be (am, is, are) have
Past Did, worked, loved - (was, were) had
Past Participle Done, worked, loved been had
Present Participle Doing, working, loving being having
Gerund (noun) Doing, working, loving ----
Infinitive To do, to work, to love to be to have
Rule #1: 3rd Person & singular number
If your subject is 3rd Person & singular number and the verb is in Simple Present Tense, then
Add ‘s’/’es’ to the verb Example: He drinks coffee.

Rule #2:In the case of Universal truth & the habitual fact the sentence is in Simple Present
Tense. Example: The sun gives us light. One plus one equals two.
Rule #3: If the work is continuing at present - the verb is in the present continuous. Indicative
words: now, at present, at this moment, etc.
Example: She is singing now.

Rule #4: If a sentence contains just, just now, already, yet, ever, lately, recently, etc., then:
The verb will be in the present perfect tense. Example: He has just left the house

Rule #5: If a sentence contains words indicating past time, such as yesterday, ago, long since,
etc., then: The verb will be in the past form. Example: I went to my village home last week.

Rule #6: ‘No sooner had…than’

If a sentence contains “No sooner had …. than”, “scarcely had when”, “hardly had before”, etc.,
then:
The first verb will be in the past participle form and the second verb will be in the past form.
Example: No sooner had the thief seen the police than he ran away.
Scarcely had the police reached when the man died.
Hardly had I finished writing before the teacher ordered to stop writing.
Rule #7: If the first part of ‘since’ is in present indefinite or present perfect tense then the next
part will be past indefinite.

Example: It has been many years since I came to Paris.

If the first part of ‘since’ is in past indefinite tense then the next part becomes past perfect.
Example: It was many years since they had first met.
 1. If since is used to indicate a cause, the verbs of the two clauses will be of the same
tense.
Example:
o I didn’t go since you didn’t come.
o Since you were busy, I didn’t disturb you.
2. If since is used to indicate time, the verb of the second clause will be different from
the first.
Example:
o We haven’t seen(present perfect) each other since he left(simple past).
o It has been 20 years since he played football.
o 20 years passed (simple past) since we had met(past perfect).
I could not sleep well for a single night since you had left me
Rule #8: ‘nor, or, either.’

When nouns or pronouns are joined by ‘or, nor, either…or, neither… nor’:
The verb form usually agrees with the noun that is closest to the verb.
Example: Neither the President nor the two houses are governing now.
Rule #9: ‘after’

If the first part of ‘after’ is in past indefinite tense, then the next part will be past perfect.
Example: The teacher started the class after Raju had come.
Rule #10: ‘while’

1. If the verb comes after ‘while’, then the verb will take ‘ing’ with it.

2.if comes after ‘while + subject’, then the verb will be in the past continuous tense.

Example: While going to school, I saw a snake. While walking through the zoo, I saw a
monkey. While it was raining, I was watching a movie.

Rule #11: To be, being, having, getting, etc. are generally followed by the past participle form
of the verbs and other adjectives.
Example: Being tired, he took some time off from work. He became astonished
being robbed in the daylight. John went to bazar having eaten a burger. He wanted to
be educated.
Rule #12: Future indicative words

For future indicative words like ‘by this time, by morning, by Sunday’, etc., then:

the verb will be in the future perfect tense.

Example: They will have reached by this time.
Rule #13: ‘tomorrow’, ‘next year’, etc.

If a sentence contains tomorrow, next year, coming month, etc., then:

the verb will be in the future indefinite tense.
Example: I will leave for Kolkata tomorrow.
Rule #14: two verbs

If a simple sentence contains two verbs, then:

The 2nd verb will take ‘Ing’ or ‘to’ before it or will take the past participle form.
Example: I saw him running
Rule #15: ‘had rather’, ‘had better’, etc.

If a sentence contains had rather, had better, would better, let, would rather, dare, must,
need , etc., then:
• The verb is in the present form.
• If there is ‘to’ before that verb, the ‘to’ will be omitted.
Example: You had better go to the class. I let them use my shoes. I had better go to the
market by this time. I need not do the work.

Rule #16: The verb after it is high time, it is time, wish, fancy, etc. will be in the past form.
Example:
It is high time we did the work. It is high time you studied attentively. It was high time we
had returned home. I fancy I flew in the sky. I wish I won the first prize. (It was high
time requires past perfect tense)

Rule #17: ‘though’, ‘as if’, etc.

After as though, as if, wish, etc., the ‘to be verb’ transforms into ‘were’.
Example: I wish I were a butterfly.
Rule #18: The conjunction as if/as though takes simple past/past perfect tense in the following
clause.

Subject + simple present + as if/ as though + subject + past simple

Subject + simple past + as if/ as though + subject + past perfect

Example:
o Robert talks as if he were the prince. (Were is the only ‘be verb’ in this kind of
sentence)
o Latham played as though he had seen the ball very clearly.
o I slept as if I had been dead.
o He behaves as if he were her husband.

Rule #19: Prepositions (For, of, in, without, with, before, after), articles and possessives are
always followed by nouns or gerund form of the verbs.
Example: He is keen on moving to California. I am thinking about doing the job. Alex insisted
on going out then.
To is the only preposition that takes the base form of the verb. However, there some phrases
with to being at the end of them, which require the gerund form of the verbs.

With a view to, look forward to, being accustomed to, being used to, admit to, confessed to

Example:
o He went there with a view to confessing his crimes.
o I am looking forward to meeting the princess.
o I was used to sleeping at this hour of the day.
o He confessed to stealing that phone.
Rule #20: ‘am’, ‘is’, ‘are’, etc.

The verb after

• am, is, are, was, were, takes ‘ing’ inactive form,
• But it will be in the past participle in passive form.
Example: He is doing the work
Rule #21: Causative Verb

If have, has, had, got, etc. work as a causative verb in a sentence, then:
The verb after them will be a past participle.
Example: I got the work done.
Rule #22: ‘get used to’, ‘without’, etc.

After phrases such as get used to, without, cannot help, past, could not help, with a view
toward, look forward to, would you mind, etc. the Given verb takes ‘ing’ form
Example: I went to Chittagong with a view to attend the wedding.
Rule #23: ‘there’

Sentences starting with ‘there’

• If there is a singular number, the verb will be singular
• If there is a plural number, the verb will be plural
Example: There is a high school in our town, there are 2 high schools in our town.
Rule #24: The conjunction lest requires a modal should in the following clause regardless of the
tense of the first clause.
Example:
Run faster lest you should miss the bus.
He will work hard lest he should get fired.
He worked hard lest he should get fired.
He worked hard lest he might miss the deadline.

Rule #25: (CONDITIONALS) The Zero Conditional

“If Clauses” that refer to any universal truth having an “if clause” in the present simple tense is
called Zero Conditional sentences.

Structure: (if + present simple, … present simple)

In Zero Conditionals, the “if clause” and the “main clause” are always in the present simple
tense and the main clause. The verb has to be in its base form.

Example: If you heat any metal, it melts. If I have the money, I always buy the necessary
things. If Alex gets a break, he usually calls me. He works hard if the payment is good.

The First Conditional

“If Clauses” that are used to talk about things that might happen in the future are called First
Conditional Sentences. Since we don’t know about the future, they always refer to the
possibility of easily coming true.

Structure: (if + present simple, … will + infinitive)

 In First Conditionals, the “if clause” is always in the present simple tense, and the main clause
takes “will” before the verb. The verb has to be in its base form.

Example:

If it rains today, we will go to the theatre. I’ll go if you give me the ball. If I feel better, I’ll
certainly play. If you do well in the exams. I will buy you a gift.

The Second Conditional

“If Clauses” that are used to talk about things that happened in the past are called Second
Conditional Sentences.

Structure: (if + past simple, … would + infinitive)

In the Second Conditionals, the “if clause” is always in the simple past tense, and the main
clause takes “would” before the verb. The verb has to be in its base form.

Example: If I had a bike, I would have a ride now. If I had the money, I would buy a new
phone. If I were the president, I would not support war policies. If he were not ill, he could
come with us.

The Third Conditional

“If Clauses” that are in the past perfect tense are called Second Conditional Sentences.

Structure: (if + past perfect, … would + have + past participle)

In Third Conditionals, the “if clause” is always in the past perfect tense, and the main clause
takes “would have” before the verb. The verb is always in its past participle form.

Example: If he had gone to bed early, he would have attended the class. If I had played well,
we would have won the match. I could have caught you if you had been a little closer. If he
had written well, I could have given him a better mark.

Note: There is another structure of unreal conditional which does not use the
conjunction if. Had replaces if and creates a conditional sentence.

Had + subject + verb in past participle + subject + would/could/might + have + verb in past participle

Example: Had I reached earlier, I could have caught the train. Had she found the watch, she would have told
me.
 Rule #26: ‘would that ‘For sentences starting with ‘would that’, there comes a ‘could’ after the
subject and the verb is in present form. Example: Would that I could see a lion.
Rule #27:‘to be’ and ‘having’After ‘to be’ and ‘having’:

The verb is in past participle

Example: The game is yet to be (play)_______.
Rule #28:A verb must agree with its subject, regardless of the verb coming after or before the
subject. they must agree with the subjects according to their number and person.

Example: At the end of the road (be)_____ the secretary’s Office.

Rule #29: Multiple subjects

If multiple subjects are joined with ‘and’ then:

The verb takes the plural form.
Example: She and Mahir (be)____friends.
Rule #30: After Each, every, everyone, any,
anyone, many a, everybody, everything,
anybody, nobody, no one, nothing, anything,
someone, something, one of, either, neither:

The verb is in the singular form.

Example: one of the managers is ill today. Each of the students was present. Every father
dedicates his life to his children.
One of the students was very talented. Neither of the two brothers was present in the class

Rule #31: Subjects that are singular in meaning but plural in a form such as poetry news,
politics, information, economics, scenery, advice, furniture, wages, etc., have singular verbs.

Example: The news (be)____spreading fast. Mathematics (be)____ never easy for Tom.
People say that the police (be)_____ investigating the case.
These scissors (be)____ for cutting paper.
Your clothes (be)____ dirty. Twenty miles was a long way. Two hundred miles is not a long
distance in this modern era

Rule #32: Interrogative sentences

 If interrogative sentences start with who, which, what, where, etc., then:
There comes an auxiliary verb according to tense and person. Example: Where do you live?
#Rule 33: In the case of uncountable nouns such as oxygen, water, air, etc., the verb takes
a singular form. Example: Milk is white.

#Rule34: Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, yet, so) and although/though, as, because,
till/until, when, whenever, as soon as, while, which, what, that, etc. connect two clauses
which have the verbs of the same tense.

o Example: We went to London when we were young. I got up, and he left the
room. As soon as I came here, he greeted me.I could not go there because I was
sick. He told that he would go home the next week. She said that she would
buy land next year.
#Rule 34: The causative verbs always take the next verb in its base form. See causative verbs
and their usages.

HAVE – GET – MAKE – HELP – LET

*Note: Get takes the next verb as infinitives/past participle.

Example: I had him wash the dishes. He makes me do all the work. He got me to make his
dinner. I got the glass broken.
Let him help her finish the assignment
#Rule 35: Modals always take the base form of the verbs after them.

Present Tense Past Tense

Will Would (used to)

Can Could
Must (have to)
May (Had to)
Should (ought to) (had better)
Might

Should (ought to)