Have you ever thought what communication would be like if verbs didn’t exist? And ¿How would we express events in time?
Verbs are one of the main parts of a sentence. They express actions, states of being, and occurrences.
They are so important that you cannot make a sentence without a verb; that is because verbs signal activity. For example, in the sentence ‘I study English’ study is the action, and without it the idea is not complete.
Verbs also show the tense of a sentence. In other words, the tense shows when the actions take place. The three major tenses are past, present and future.
At the end of the topic you will:
• Conjugate verbs (regular and irregular) in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences of the present perfect to compare the use of that expression of time with its use in Spanish.
The present perfect is used to talk about experiences in our lives in the past and that affect us until today. For express this time, in Spanish we used the auxiliary haber followed by a verb in participle, in the same way; in English we used the auxiliary to have followed a conjugated verb in participle.
For example, observe in the sentence I have visited Canada. Have is the auxiliary and visited is the main verb conjugated in the past participle.
It is important, then, that you learn the base form of verbs and their past and present participle forms, so that you can express your ideas more clearly and accurately.
Next you will be able to study the rules of use of verbs in participle
As we know, there are two types of verbs: regular and irregular. Conjugate each type of verb present perfect past participle, has rules to follow.
Click on each tab to review the rules to conjugate verbs in these forms.
It is easy to conjugate regular verbs in past participle; just add the termination ed.
Example:
Fill = Filled
Call = Called
Talk = Talked
Visit = Visited
Put in context:
I visit my uncle.
I have visited my uncle in Ireland twice this year.
consonant |
+ |
ed |
= |
ed |
Verbs ending in e, only add d
Example:
Live = Lived
Move = Moved
Dance = Danced
Arrive = Arrived
Put in context:
I live in Mexico.
I have lived in Mexico my entire life.
e |
+ |
d |
= |
ed |
Verbs that end in consonant y. Change y into i and add ed
Example:
Try = Tried
Fry = Fried
Marry = Married
Multiply = Multiplied
Put in context:
I try to find cheap tickets to Venice.
I have tried to find cheap tickets to Venice, but they’re so expensive these days!
y |
Change y into i |
i | + |
d |
= |
ed |
NOTICE! That this rule DOES NOT apply for verbs with vowel-y:
Play = Played
Stay = Stayed
Annoy = Annoyed
Verbs that end in CVC: Consonant – Vowel – Consonant, repeat the last consonant and add -ed
Example:
Stop = Stopped
Knot = Knotted
Clap = Clapped
Slip = Slipped
Drop = Dropped
Prefer = Preferred
Regret = Regretted
Program = Programmed
Put in context:
Peter stops smoking.
Peter has stopped smoking and he is feeling better now.
cvc |
Repeat last consonant c | cc | + |
ed |
= |
cced |
NOTICE! You need to pay attention to the pronunciation of verbs with CVC, because this rule only applies if theCVCis stressed; if not, then the verb must follow rule ed
Travel = Traveled
Listen = Listened
Answer = Answered
When pronouncing regular verbs in the past participle, you need to pay attention to the last SOUND of the verb before adding ed.
Click the play button below each sentence. You can hear the sound of each verb in past participle
The present participle of a verb is used to form continuous or progressive tenses. To form the present participle of a verb (regardless of regular or irregular verbs) follow the rules.
Click on each tab to review the rules to conjugate verbs in these forms.
It is easy to conjugate regular verbs in present participle; just add the termination ing.
Example:
Read = Reading
Work = Working
Start = Starting
Drink = Drinking
Put in context:
I read this book.
I have been reading this book for the last two weeks.
consonant |
+ |
ing |
= |
ing |
Verbs ending in e take out e and add ing.
Example:
Move = Moving
Live = Living
Dance = Dancing
Write = Writing
Put in context:
Jane dance.
Jane has been dancing for the last thirty minutes!
e |
Take out e | + |
ing |
= |
Move = Moving |
NOTICE! That this rule DOES NOT apply for the verbs:
Agree = Agreeing
See = Seeing
Verbs that end in CVC: Consonant – Vowel – Consonant, repeat the last consonant and add ing
Example:
Stop = Stopping
Knot = Knotting
Clap = Clapping
Slip = Slipping
Drop = Dropping
Prefer = Preferring
Regret = Regretting
Program = Programming
Put in context:
I run.
I have been running for one month every morning, I can feel the difference now.
cvc |
Repeat last consonant c | cc | + |
ing |
= |
ccing |
NOTICE! Except those that end in w,x and y, only add ing.
Box = Boxing
Snow = Snowing
Play = Playing
Special verbs that end in ie. Change ie into y and add ing.
Example:
Lie = Lying
Tie = Tying
Die = Dying
Put in context:
Peter die for a piece of that chocolate.
Peter has been dying for a piece of that chocolate you brought from Oaxaca.
ie |
Change ie |
+ |
ing |
= |
ying |
Only a few verbs ending with c add k + ing
Example:
Mimic = Mimicking
Traffic = Trafficking
Put in context:
You mimic my voice.
You have been mimicking my voice all day long, but yours is more screeching.
c |
Add |
+ |
ing |
= |
cking |
What about irregular verbs? What rules should you follow to conjugate them?
This type of verbs do not have specific rules, therefore, we recommend that you download the following list of verbs.
There you will find a list of irregular verbs and their conjugations.
Now that you have studied the conjugation and use of verbs in their participle forms, you can talk about experiences that influence your behavior and personality. Let’s put it to the test!
Activity 1.
As you read before, verbs are words that refer to actions; in the following extract some of those actions are missing. Read the extract and before you answer, think about the main idea of the text. Also, if you need to, check the rules for verbs in the past participle.
Activity 2.
Besides studying the past participle, we learned how regular verbs are pronounced (voiced and unvoiced). Then we studied conjugations for irregular and regular verbs.
Now listen to the following verbs and pay attention to their last sound. Identify the type of sound (voiced or unvoiced) and classify them according to the pronunciation of their participle.
Follow the rules you have studied, in order to solve the exercise. You can listen to the audio the times you want before you do the exercise.
Activity 3.
Now that you know how to change simple verbs into participles, listen to them in context.
Check the rules for regular verbs in the participle and the list of irregular verbs if you need help.
Read the following sentences and choose the most appropriate option for the following statements. Once you have finished, click on Send and finish and check your results. You can only do the exercise once.
Activity 4.
Here you can listen to the complete audio with all the verbs!
In previous activities, you have practiced the use of past tense verbs as well as correct pronunciation. As we have reviewed, the correct use of verbs allows us to express the actions we have taken to make sense of our conversations
In this activity, you are going to have the opportunity to demonstrate your speaking abilities.
Read the following questions and choose 5 of them. Write your answers and record it in the free application vocaroo.com Once the recording is finished, listen carefully.
Aarts, B. (2011) Oxford Modern English Grammar. USA: Oxford University Press.
Ralston, A. (2004) Between A Rock And A Hard Place. USA: Atria Books.
Azar, B. & Hagen, S. (2009) Understanding and Using English Grammar 4th Edition. USA: Pearson Education.
Murphy, R. (2005) English Grammar in Use 3rd Edition. England: Cambridge University Press.
Clare, A. & Wilson, J. (2012) Speakout Pre-interediate. England: Pearson Education.
Soars, J. & Soars, L. (2003) New Headway Intermediate. USA: Oxford University Press.