Unit 14: VERB FORMS
English verbs have very few forms. Most verbs are REGULAR and have four forms. It is easy to make these forms because they all change in the same way. But some important verbs are IRREGULAR, and we make their forms in different ways. Only the verb be (Unit 16) has more than five forms.
Base form
This is the form you can find in a dictionary.
EXAMPLES: work/ hurry/ do/ live/ have/ cut
-s form
HOW TO FORM IT: Add s
PROBLEMS: Verbs ending in ch/ sh/ o/s / y/ z change spelling (Appendix 5).
EXAMPLES: works/ lives/ cuts/ hurries/ has/ does
-ing form
HOW TO FORM IT: Add ing
PROBLEMS: Verbs ending in e or 1 vowel + 1 consonant change spelling (Appendix 6).
EXAMPLES: working/ living/ cutting/ hurrying/ having/ doing
Past form
HOW TO FORM IT: Add ed
PROBLEMS: Verbs ending in e or y change spelling (Appendix 6).
Irregular verb forms are different (Appendix 10).
EXAMPLES: worked/ lived/ hurried/ cut/ had/ did
Past participle
HOW TO FORM IT (REGULAR VERBS): With regular verbs, use the same as the past form (ed).
EXAMPLES: worked/ lived/ hurried/
HOW TO FORM IT (IRREGULAR VERBS): Irregular verb forms are sometimes the same as their past forms and sometimes different (Appendix 10).
EXAMPLES: cut/ had/ done
