Identify whether the predicate is singular or compound. D. Underline any direct objects. Circle any indirect objects.

4. Past tense: the verb form that expresses what happened in the past.

It rained four inches yesterday. The cat felt better after it ate. 5. Past participle: the verb form that describes an action that happened in the past and is used with a helping verb, such as has, have, or had. It had rained for days. Chester has not smiled for days. R EGULAR V ERBS Regular verbs follow a standard set of rules for forming the present participle, past tense, and past participle forms. The present participle is formed by adding -ing. The past and past participle are formed by adding -ed. If the verb ends with the letter e, just add d. If the verb ends with the letter y, for the past tense, change the y to an i and add -ed. Here are some examples: PRESENT PRESENT PARTICIPLE PAST PAST PARTICIPLE connect connecting connected connected exercise exercising exercised exercised follow following followed followed multiply multiplying multiplied multiplied notice noticing noticed noticed solve solving solved solved wash washing washed washed Some verbs in the English language have the same present, past, and past participle form. Here is a partial list of those verbs followed by several examples: SAME PRESENT, PAST, AND PAST PARTICIPLE FORM: bet hit set bid hurt shut burst put spread cost quit upset cut read Present: I bet that he will be late. Past: Yesterday I bet 20 that he would be late. Past participle: Yesterday I had bet 20 that he would be late. Present: That antique lamp cost Jude over 500. Past: That antique lamp cost Jude over 500. Past participle: That antique lamp had cost Jude over 500. – S T R U C T U R E : G R A M M A R A N D S T Y L E – 6 0 I RREGULAR V ERBS About 150 verbs in the English language are irregular. They don’t follow the standard rules for changing tense. We can divide these verbs into three categories: ■ irregular verbs with the same past and past participle forms ■ irregular verbs with three distinct forms ■ irregular verbs with the same present and past participle forms. The table below lists the most common irregular verbs. – S T R U C T U R E : G R A M M A R A N D S T Y L E – 6 1 Present Past Past Participle Same past and past participle forms: bite bit bit dig dug dug bleed bled bled hear heard heard hold held held light lit lit meet met met pay paid paid say said said sell sold sold tell told told shine shone shone shoot shot shot sit sat sat spin spun spun spit spat spat swear swore swore tear tore tore creep crept crept deal dealt dealt keep kept kept kneel knelt knelt leave left left mean meant meant send sent sent sleep slept slept spend spent spent bring brought brought Present Past Past Participle buy bought bought catch caught caught fight fought fought teach taught taught think thought thought feed fed fed flee fled fled find found found grind ground ground Three distinct forms: begin began begun ring rang rung sing sang sung spring sprang sprung do did done go went gone am was been is was been see saw seen drink drank drunk shrink shrank shrunk sink sank sunk stink stank stunk swear swore sworn tear tore torn wear wore worn blow blew blown draw drew drawn fly flew flown Present Past Past Participle grow grew grown know knew known throw threw thrown drive drove driven strive strove striven choose chose chosen rise rose risen break broke broken speak spoke spoken fall fell fallen shake shook shaken take took taken forget forgot forgotten Present Past Past Participle get got gotten give gave given forgive forgave forgiven forsake forsook forsaken hide hid hidden ride rode ridden write wrote written freeze froze frozen steal stole stolen Same present and past participle forms: come came come overcome overcame overcome run ran run – S T R U C T U R E : G R A M M A R A N D S T Y L E – 6 2 S PECIAL C ASE : T O B E The verb to be can pose special problems because the principal parts are formed in such unusual ways. The table below shows how to conjugate to be: SUBJECT PRESENT PAST PAST PARTICIPLE I am was have been you are were have been he, she, it is was has been we are were have been they are were have been H ELPING V ERBS Helping verbs also called auxiliary verbs are very important. They help signal exactly when an action took place or will take place. They also suggest very specific meanings, such as the subject’s ability or intention to do something. The following table lists the helping verbs, their forms, and their meanings.