Tense Practice
(Identify the tense) I have studied English.
Present perfect because it has the form “has/have verb+ed” (have studied).
Did he left the library already?
Did he leave the library already? -> When asking a yes-no question, the question word (did) signifies the tense, not the verb itself. We will call this “redundant past tense”.
(Which voice is this): Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you!
Formal. The word “pleasure” is always formal when used in a short phrase .
(Gerund or infinitive) I don't even want to look at my test results.
Infinitive. Infinitives have the form “to verb.”
(Spot the error) The patience is very important.
Patience is very important. -> You only have to use a definite article when you are discussing a specific noun. Abstract concepts rarely have articles attached to them. We will call this an “extra article.”
(Identify the tense) I have been waiting for a long time.
Present perfect continuous because it has the form “has/have been verb+ing” (have been waiting).
Do you have any apple?
Do you have any apples? -> When speaking about a zero count noun, you must use a plural noun. We will call this a “singular zero.”
(Which voice is this): You look hungry. You want something to eat?
Informal. We dropped the question word “do.”
(Identify the subject of this sentence) Exercising is important for your health.
Exercising. Except in the passive voice and other rare situations, the subject always comes before the main verb of the sentence.
(Spot the error) I have a cat black that likes to sit on my stairs.
I have a black cat that likes to sit on my stairs. -> The word order is incorrect. Adjectives always come before nouns in English. We will call this “incorrect adjective order.”
(Conjugate, present progressive tense) I _______ (to run) five miles today.
Am running. To form a present progressive, use the form “am/are/is verb+ing”
(Two errors) I can't believe is still raining outside, is awful.
I can't believe it's still raining outside, it is awful. -> The two clauses are missing the impersonal/nondescript subject “it.” We will call this a “missing subject”
(Convert to conversational): I'm going to play soccer at the field today, would you like to come?
I'm gonna play soccer at the field today, want to come? -> “Going to” can be shortened to “gonna,” and “would you like” can be shortened to “want.”
(Choose the proper form) I want you _______ (give) your honest opinion.
To give. This is an example of a “subjunctive” sentence in English. In English, the subjunctive is rarely used. An infinitive is used instead.
(Spot the error) Police is investigating the case.
Police are investigating the case. -> Unlike in Spanish, collective nouns are usually treated as plurals in English, especially when they are not marked with the article “the”. We will call this a “singular collective.”
(Conjugate, present perfect tense) I _______ (to fly) to Japan before, and honestly it goes by faster than you'd think.
Have flown. Present perfect verbs use the form “has/have verb+ed,” but this is an irregular verb.
(Which word order(s) are correct) He doesn't like fish? Doesn't he like fish? Does like he fish?
1 and 2. The subject almost always comes before the verb (except in the passive voice and other rare exceptions). We will call this an “SVO error.”
(Convert to formal): I don't have any right now, but I'm gonna get some later today.
I don't have any right now, but I'm going to get some later today. -> “Gonna” can be expanded to “going to.”
(Choose the proper form) We were thinking about _______ (move) to Costa Rica.
Moving. When a verb follows a preposition, it must be in the gerund form.
(Spot the error) Not only he was my doctor, but he was also my best friend.
Not only was he my doctor, but he was also my best friend. -> When we start a sentence with a negative clause, the word order changes from SVO to VSO. We will call this a “negative inversion error.”
(Conjugate, present tense) He ______ (to go, not) there anymore.
Doesn't go. Tricky! To form a negative in English, we must use an auxiliary verb. The proper conjugation is “does/should/… not verb.”
(Three errors) He asked we for a favor, but was busy and no had time to help him.
He asked us for a favor, but I was busy and had no/did not have time to help him. -> The pronoun “we” is used as a subject, and the word “us” is used as an object. We will call this a “pronoun case error.” The pronoun “I” is missing (missing subject). In the phrase “no had,” we put the negative before the verb. To remedy this, we can put the negative next to the noun to create a zero count noun, or use the auxiliary verb “did not” to negate the verb. We will call this a “negation error.”
(Convert to formal): Hello! What can I do for ya today?
Hello! How can I help you? -> This is a tricky one! In general, formal English is grammatically simpler, though there are exceptions (like “would you…” sentences). Also, the word “ya” is an informal version of "you.”
(Choose the proper form) I am so happy ______ (hear) that!
To hear. When a verb follows an adjective, it must be in the infinitive form.
(Spot the error) You should have any questions, let me know.
Should you have any questions, let me know. -> In this sentence, the word should is used to mean “if,” and “if” always comes before the subject. We will call this a “conditional order error.”