Writing & Language Development Center
Verb forms for English Language Learners
Verbs contain a lot of information—about when something happens, about whether an event is complete or not, about
whether it is likely to recur, and more. Because verbs are so important in English, verb errors can be distracting and make
your writing seem confused. The first step in getting verbs right is to choose correctly from the three main verb forms.
Infinitives and three main forms (v1, v2, v3)
The first form of a verb (called v1) is the base form: register. You use it to make infinitives (to register) and commands and
requests (Register before the class fills.) It is also used to create the simple present tense (I register later than you do this
year). The second form of a verb (v2) is the past-tense form: registered. To create a past-tense verb, you usually add –ed
or –d to the base form, but many past-tense verbs are irregular and do not follow this pattern. The third form (v3) is the past
participle form. It is used with the helper, or auxiliary, verb have (has and had are other forms). The past participle form, too,
is often irregular.
Type of verb
Infinitive
Base (v1)
Simple past (v2)
Past participle (v3)
Regular verbs
to register
register
registered
registered
to work
work
worked
worked
to cook
cook
cooked
cooked
Irregular verbs
to see
see
saw
seen
to sleep
sleep
slept
slept
to freeze
freeze
froze
frozen
The –s form
There are two other important verb forms to pay attention to (turn this page to see them). One is the –s form. When you pair
a verb in the simple present tense with a subject in the 3
rd
person singular (such as he, she, it, the president, Alexa, or the
car), the verb must be in the –s form (sometimes –es, depending on the spelling):
He registers late every semester.
Alexa works at the bookstore.
He cooks for his family three or four nights a week.
The –ing form
The other important verb form is the –ing form, or present participle. When you use it as the verb in a sentence, you must
also use a form of to be as an auxiliary (am, are, is, was, were, been):
I am freezing the leftover soup.
Were you sleeping when the rain started?
He has been working late every night this week (because you can’t use the part participle been without the
auxiliary has).
However, an –ing word is not necessarily a verb. It may instead be working as an adjective or a noun. In that case, it is used
without an auxiliary verb:
Don’t wake the sleeping baby (adjective).
This room feels freezing (adjective)!
There is more to life than working late (noun).
Common verbs and verb forms
Type
Infinitive
-s form
Simple past (v2)
Present participle
Regular
to add
adds
added
adding
to answer
answers
answered
answering
to continue
continues
continued
continuing
to dance
dances
danced
dancing
to delete
deletes
deleted
deleting
to drop
drops
dropped
dropping
to erase
erases
erased
erasing
to fix
fixes
fixed
fixing
to hope
hopes
hoped
hoping
to intend
intends
intended
intending
to laugh
laughs
laughed
laughing
to marry
marries
married
marrying
to memorize
memorizes
memorized
memorizing
to persist
persists
persisted
persisting
to remember
remembers
remembered
remembering
to search
searches
searched
searching
to study
studies
studied
studying
to text
texts
texted
texting
to visit
visits
visited
visiting
to want
wants
wanted
wanting
Irregular
to be
is
Was (singular)
were (plural)
being
to become
becomes
became
becoming
to break
breaks
broke
breaking
to build
builds
built
building
to choose
chooses
chose
choosing
to do
does
did
doing
to drink
drinks
drank
drinking
to drive
drives
drove
driving
to eat
eats
ate
eating
to find
finds
found
finding
to fly
flies
flew
flying
to forget
forgets
forgot
forgetting
to grow
grows
grew
growing
to have
has
had
having
to hit
hits
hit
hitting
to know
knows
knew
knowing
to make
makes
made
making
to read
reads
read (“rĕd”)
reading
to run
runs
ran
running
to say
says
said
saying
to speak
speaks
spoke
speaking
to steal
steals
stole
stealing
to swim
swims
swam
swimming
to take
takes
took
taking
to think
thinks
thought
thinking
to throw
throws
threw
throwing
to understand
understands
understood
understanding
to wake
wakes
woke
waking
to wear
wears
wore
wearing
Contributed by Rosemary McKeever
This Yuba College Writing & Language Development Center Tip Sheet is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-
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