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Course: Digital SAT Reading and Writing > Unit 5
Lesson 4: FSS: Verb formsGrammar guide: Verb forms
A guide to the Standard English conventions for verbs in various forms
What are verb forms?
Verbs can take many different forms. They can have different and . They can also be or . There are modal verbs, auxiliary verbs, and a dozen other possible categories.
The grammar science behind these different verb forms is complex. Luckily, you don't need to actually do any of this tricky classification to succeed on the SAT.
You've already been exposed to all these different verb forms in your everyday studies, and you likely use them all the time without thinking about it. If you rely on your instincts and familiarity with Standard English, choosing the correct verb form should come pretty naturally.
Incorrect:
- Yesterday, I am running to the lake.
Correct:
- Yesterday, I ran to the lake.
The verb phrase "am running" is in the present tense and the progressive aspect. However, the sentence tells us the action happened "yesterday", so we should use the past tense and the simple aspect: "ran".
Verb forms may be tested in one of the Form, structure, and sense questions that you encounter on test day.
How to identify verb form questions
When approaching form, structure, and sense questions, it's important to identify which Standard English conventions are being tested.
You'll know to look for verb form errors if
- different choices use different verb tenses (past/present/future)
- some choices add or remove helping verbs
If you don't see one or both of these differences among the choices, then the question doesn't deal with verb forms.
Let's look at a verb forms question now:
What can make verb form errors difficult to spot?
Complex sentence structures
Verb form errors in simple sentences tend to be pretty obvious. But as sentences get more complex, it becomes easier to miss those little context clues that tell us when and how the verb is taking place.
Missing helping verbs
Only simple verbs can function without help.
When a helping verb is missing from any other type of verb phrase, that verb phrase can no longer function as the main verb of the sentence. This often creates a sentence fragment error.
When we're reading quickly, our brains have a tendency to fill in these missing verbs, which can cause us to overlook the error. Take your time as you read and make sure that each verb phrase has everything it needs to function.
Top tips
Conjugate in context
To determine if an action happens in the past, present, or future, we'll need to rely upon context clues in the sentence. The same goes for whether an action is completed or ongoing. Common context clues include dates, times, and other conjugated verbs.
Match other verbs
If you're not sure how to conjugate a verb, match the tense of other verbs in the same sentence or paragraph. Verb tense usually stays consistent unless some shift in time occurs within the passage.
Simple present tense for general facts
General statements of fact use simple present tense (e.g., "the sky is blue"). So, if there are no context clues that suggest a shift in tense or aspect, simple present tense is likely the best way to go.
Your turn
Are you struggling with the concepts in this article?
You can learn more about verbs and their many forms here!
Want to join the conversation?
should not the option be "occurs" instead of "occur" cause the subject in focus is basically Antartic Pearwort which is singular.....not sure though(25 votes)
no it's occur because the subject in focus is plural - "...two native plants which __ in Australia"(74 votes)
- I pick the answer that " sounds right " without following any rules. Is this fine or I may face difficulties later on the advanced levels ?(33 votes)
Depends. That's generally how I do it, but if the sentences are longer and more complex, it might help to cross out all the useless stuff (adverbs, adjectives, prepositional phrases) so that you can really know which verb sounds better with the correct noun.(22 votes)
These standard English questions, filling in the missing verb and etc are the only things I genuinely find easy to solve in the exam. The rest are just in a die-die situation.(16 votes)
how is "occur" matches the singular verb "is" ??(0 votes)
Here, "occur" has been used for "...native flowering plants" and not "Antarctic pearlwort"(23 votes)
are not these question like so easy for native speakers?(9 votes)- i don't think, the SAT is only for native speakers, but everyone in the world(1 vote)
- Why this is a lesson! I was impressioneding that all everyone people English good.(4 votes)
Antarctic pearlwort, a low-growing shrub with characteristic yellow flowers, is one of only two native flowering plants which ____ in Antarctica.
in this question why is the answer 'occur' not 'occures'?isnt the subject singular here ?(1 vote)- The subject for the verb "occur" is the word "plants", I believe. And that's obviously plural(3 votes)
Wait so when do I use the perfect and perfect-progressive verbs??(2 votes)- well this is the simplest part of reading and writing section. However, how can i make sure that i score more than 750 on reading and writing section. Thats the part i find difficulties. I am writing my first digital SAT on 4 may as an international student from zambia(2 votes)
- What is the writing section about I dont see any writing in sat(1 vote)
- are you non binary?(2 votes)
