CHAPTER Using Verbs Correctly - Hanover Area

Chapter Menu(continued)USAGECommon Irregular nd[is] sendingsent[have] sentset[is] settingset[have] setshake[is] shakingshook[have] shakensingsink[is] singingsangsankor sunk[have] sung[is] sinkingsit[is] sittingsat[have] satspeak[is] speakingspoke[have] spokenspend[is] spendingspent[have] spentspin[is] spinningspun[have] spunspread[is] spreadingspread[have] spreadstand[is] standingstood[have] stoodsteal[is] stealingstole[have] stolenswim[is] swimmingswam[have] swumswing[is] swingingswung[have] swungtake[is] takingtook[have] takenteach[is] teachingtaught[have] taughttear[is] tearingtore[have] torntell[is] tellingtold[have] toldthink[is] thinkingthought[have] thoughtthrow[is] throwingthrew[have] thrownwear[is] wearingwore[have] wornwin[is] winningwon[have] won[have] sunkThe verb be is probably the most common irregular verb.The Principal Parts of Be512Chapter ] beingwas, were[have] beenUsing Verbs CorrectlyCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu

Chapter MenuOral Practice 2Using the Past and Past ParticipleForms of Irregular VerbsRead each of the following sentences aloud, stressing theitalicized verb.Exercise 2USAGE1. Ray Charles has written many popular songs.2. Leigh did everything the instructions said.3. She knew the best route to take.4. Maria Tallchief chose a career as a dancer.5. He ate chicken salad on whole-wheat bread for lunch.6. The monkey had stolen the food from its brother.7. Felipe and Tonya sang a duet in the talent show.8. The shy turtle came closer to me to reach the lettuce Iwas holding.Using the Past and Past Participle Formsof Irregular VerbsGive the correct past or past participle form of the verb inparentheses in each of the following sentences.EXAMPLE1. Nobody knew why he (do) that.1. did1. Did you say that the telephone (ring) while I was in theshower?2. The outfielder (throw) the ball to home plate.3. Diana Nyad (swim) sixty miles—from the Bahamas all theway to Florida.4. Uncle Olaf has (ride) his new snowmobile up to Gunther’sski lodge.5. The librarian has (choose) a book by Jose Aruego.6. I’m afraid that the bean seedlings and the herbs in the gardenhave (freeze).7. After she finished the race, she (drink) two glasses of water.8. He (tell) me that waffle, coleslaw, and cookie are words thatcame from Dutch.9. We had (drive) all night to attend my stepsister’s collegegraduation ceremony.10. Marianne (sit) quietly throughout the discussion.The Principal Parts of a VerbCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu513

Chapter MenuExercise 3Using the Past and Past ParticipleForms of Irregular VerbsGive the correct past or past participle form of the irregular verbin parentheses in each of the following sentences.EXAMPLE1. Have you (read) about the Underground Railroad?1. readUSAGE1. Mr. Tucker, our new history teacher, (write) the wordsUnderground Railroad on the chalkboard.2. Then he (draw) black lines on a map to show us where theUnderground Railroad ran.3. What strange tracks this railroad must have (have)!4. The lines even (go) into the Atlantic Ocean.5. As you may imagine, this map (leave) the class very confused.6. Then Mr. Tucker explained that no one actually (ride) on anunderground railroad.7. The railroad was really a secret network to help slaves whohad (run) away.8. Between 1830 and 1860, thousands of slaves (get) theirfreedom by traveling along the routes marked on this map.9. The name Underground Railroad (come) from the use of railroad terms as code words.10. Mr. Tucker (say) that hiding places were called “stations” andthat people who helped slaves were called “conductors.”514Chapter 18Using Verbs CorrectlyCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu

Chapter MenuReview AProofreading Sentences for CorrectRegular and Irregular Verb FormsMany of the following sentences contain incorrect verb forms. Ifa sentence has an incorrect verb form, write the correct form. Ifthe sentence is already correct, write C.EXAMPLEGo to the Chapter Menufor an interactive activity.1. I had spoke to my parents last week about thisrestaurant.1. had spokenReview BProofreading Sentences for CorrectVerb FormsSome of the following sentences contain incorrect verb forms. If asentence has an incorrect verb form, write the correct form. If thesentence is already correct, write C.EXAMPLEUSAGE1. My big brother Mark drived us there in Mom’s car.2. We sitted down, and the waiter brought our menus.3. When we arrived at the restaurant, I runned ahead of everyone else and told the hostess we needed five seats.4. Have you ever drunk water with lemon slices in the glasses?5. Dad chose the ravioli.6. My little sister Emilia taked two helpings of salad.7. The waiter bringed out our dinners on a huge tray.8. Mark given me a taste of his eggplant parmigiana.9. Emilia stealed a bite of my lasagna.10. Dad telled the waiter that the food was delicious.Link toLiterature1. I thinked I had a copy of A Journey to theCenter of the Earth.1. thought1. During the 1800s, Jules Verne wrote many scientific adventure tales.2. Back then, readers founded his stories amazing.3. Some people believe that he seen into the future.4. For example, in some of his novels he telled aboutspace exploration and boats that traveled underwater.5. These books fascinated readers in the days before space traveland submarines!6. Verne lead a quiet life but had incredible adventuresin his imagination.The Principal Parts of a VerbCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu515

Chapter MenuGo to the Chapter Menufor an interactive activity.7. He writed some wonderful stories.8. Some inventors of modern rockets have said that they readVerne’s stories.9. Some of his books, such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Underthe Sea, been made into great movies.10. People have gave Verne the title “Father of Modern ScienceFiction.”Verb TenseUSAGE18d. The tense of a verb indicates the time of the action orstate of being expressed by the verb.The six tenses are present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect,and future perfect. These tenses are formed from the principalparts of verbs.Each of the six tenses has its own uses. The time line belowshows how the six tenses are related to one another.Pastexisting orhappeningin the pastPast Perfectexisting orhappeningbefore aspecific timein the pastEXAMPLESPresentexisting orhappeningnowPresent Perfectexisting orhappeningsometimebefore now;may becontinuing nowFutureexisting orhappeningin the futureFuture Perfectexisting orhappeningbefore aspecific timein the futureMelissa has saved [present perfect] her money, and nowshe has [present] enough for a guitar.The scouts had hiked [past perfect] five miles beforethey stopped [past] for lunch.The executive will have seen [future perfect] the reportby next week and will make [future] a decision.516Chapter 18Using Verbs CorrectlyCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu

Chapter Menu18dListing the different forms of a verb in the six tenses is calledconjugating a verb.Conjugation of the Verb WriteSingularPluralPresent TenseI writewe writeyou writeyou writehe, she, or it writesthey writeI wrotewe wroteyou wroteyou wrotehe, she, or it wrotethey wroteUSAGEPast TenseFuture TenseI will (shall) writewe will (shall) writeyou will (shall) writeyou will (shall) writehe, she, or it will (shall) writethey will (shall) writePresent Perfect TenseI have writtenwe have writtenyou have writtenyou have writtenhe, she, or it has writtenthey have writtenSTYLETIPIn the past, careful speakers and writers of Englishused shall and will in different ways. Now, however,shall can be used almostinterchangeably with will.Past Perfect TenseI had writtenwe had writtenyou had writtenyou had writtenhe, she, or it had writtenthey had writtenFuture Perfect TenseI will (shall) have writtenwe will (shall) have writtenyou will (shall) have writtenyou will (shall) have writtenhe, she, or it will (shall)have writtenthey will (shall) have writtenVerb TenseCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu517

Chapter MenuEach of the six tenses has an additional form called theprogressive form, which expresses continuing action or state ofbeing. It consists of the appropriate tense of the verb be plus thepresent participle of a verb. The progressive is not a separatetense but rather another form of each of the six tenses.USAGEPresent ProgressivePast ProgressiveFuture ProgressivePresent Perfect ProgressivePast Perfect ProgressiveFuture Perfect ProgressiveSTYLETIPThe emphatic form is alsoused in questions and negative statements. These usesdo not place any specialemphasis on the verb.QUESTIONWhy do bears hibernate?NEGATIVE STATEMENTIf the car doesn’t [doesnot] start, check thebattery.Only the present and the past tenses have another form, calledthe emphatic form, which is used to show emphasis. In the presenttense, the emphatic form consists of the helping verb do or doesand the base form of the verb. In the past tense, the emphatic formconsists of the verb did and the base form of a verb.Present EmphaticPast Emphatic18e. Do not change needlessly from one tense to another.When describing events that occur at the same time, use verbs inthe same apter 18do, does writedid writeConsistency of TenseINCONSISTENT518am, are, is writingwas, were writingwill, shall be writinghas, have been writinghad been writingwill, shall have been writingWhen we were comfortable, we begin to do ourhomework. [Were is past tense, and begin is present tense.]When we are comfortable, we begin to do ourhomework. [Both are and begin are present tense.]When we were comfortable, we began to do ourhomework. [Both were and began are past tense.]Suddenly the great door opened, and an uninvitedguest comes into the dining hall. [Opened is pasttense, and comes is present tense.]Suddenly the great door opens, and an uninvitedguest comes into the dining hall. [Both opens andcomes are present tense.]Using Verbs CorrectlyCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu

Chapter MenuWhen describing events that occur at different times, useverbs in different tenses to show the order of events.EXAMPLELisa plays basketball now, but last year she was on thevolleyball team. [Lisa’s basketball playing is occurring inthe present, so plays is correct. Her volleyball playingoccurred at a time in the past, so the past tense, was, iscorrect.]Susana won the regional spelling bee; next week shewill compete in the state tournament. [Susana won thespelling contest sometime in the past, so the past tense,won, is correct. The state spelling tournament will occurin the future, so will compete is correct.]Exercise 4Proofreading a Paragraph to Make theVerb Tense ConsistentRead the following paragraph, and decide whether to rewrite itin the present or past tense. Then, change verb forms to correctany unnecessary changes in tense.EXAMPLE18eSuddenly the great door opened, and an uninvitedguest came into the dining hall. [Both opened andcame are past tense.]C OM P U T E R T I PMost word-processing programs can help you checkyour writing for correctverb forms. For example, aspellchecker will highlightmisspelled verb forms suchas drownded or costed.Style-checking softwaremight point out inconsistent verb tenses or highlight questionable uses ofproblem verbs such as lieand lay and rise and raise.Remember, though, thatthe computer is just a toolto help you improve yourwriting. As a writer, you areresponsible for making allthe style and contentchoices that affect yourwriting.[1] At my grandparents’ house, I wake up before anyoneelse and quietly grabbed the fishing pole and headfor the pond.1. At my grandparents’ house, I wake up before anyoneelse and quietly grab the fishing pole and head forthe pond.orAt my grandparents’ house, I woke up before anyoneelse and quietly grabbed the fishing pole andheaded for the pond.HELPThe paragraphin Exercise 4 may correctlybe rewritten in the presentor the past tense, as long asyou are consistent.[1] Across the water, I saw the ripples. [2] “I hope the fish arecooperative,” I say to myself. [3] I threw my lure near where I seethe ripples and reeled in the line. [4] The fish are not biting. [5] Isaw more ripples and throw the line in the water again. [6] “I havea strike!” I shout to the trees around me. [7] As I reeled in the line,a beautiful trout jumps out of the water and spit out the hook.[8] Gloomily, I walk back to the house. [9] Grandpa was sitting atthe kitchen table with a bowl of hot oatmeal for me. [10] I say,“Ohwell, maybe tomorrow we’ll have fresh trout for breakfast.”Verb TenseCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu519USAGECONSISTENT

Chapter MenuActive Voice and Passive Voice18f. A verb in the active voice expresses an action done byits subject. A verb in the passive voice expresses an actiondone to its subject.STYLETIPUSAGEOverusing the passive voicemakes your writing soundweak and awkward. Ingeneral, use the activevoice to help make yourwriting direct and forceful.WEAKShingles were torn fromthe roof by the highwinds.FORCEFULThe high winds toreshingles from the roof.Compare the following sentences:ACTIVE VOICEPASSIVE VOICEThe school librarian has formed a book club.A book club has been formed by the schoollibrarian.ACTIVE VOICEPASSIVE VOICEA happy clown delivered the balloons.The balloons were delivered by a happy clown.ACTIVE VOICEPASSIVE VOICEThe illustrator had used watercolors.Watercolors had been used by the illustrator.ACTIVE VOICEPASSIVE VOICESomeone broke the shop window last night.The shop window was broken by someonelast night.Notice that the object of the active sentence becomes the subjectof the passive sentence. The subject of the active sentence is nowexpressed in a prepositional phrase. This prepositional phrasecan be omitted.PASSIVE VOICEReference NoteFor more about helpingverbs, see page 372.Go to the Chapter Menufor an interactive activity.The show window was broken last night.In a passive sentence, the verb phrase always includes a formof be and the past participle of the main verb. Other helpingverbs may also be included.ACTIVE VOICEPASSIVE VOICEMrs. Edwin fixed the computer.The computer was fixed by Mrs. Edwin.ACTIVE VOICEPASSIVE VOICELucinda had planted those marigolds.Those marigolds had been planted by Lucinda.The passive voice emphasizes the person or thing receivingthe action. The passive voice is useful when you do not knowwho performed the action or when you do not want to reveal theperformer of the action.520Chapter 18Using Verbs CorrectlyCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu

Chapter MenuEXAMPLES18fThese flowers were left on the doorstep sometime thisafternoon. [The performer is unknown.]“A large donation was given anonymously,” saidMrs. Neal. [The speaker does not want to reveal theperformer of the action.]Exercise 5Identifying Active and Passive VoiceTell whether each verb in the following sentences is in active voiceor passive voice.EXAMPLE1. Jared’s birthday dinner was paid for by his uncle.1. passive voiceUSAGE1. Trees were being blown over by the wind.2. The streetlights made long, scary shadows on the sidewalk.3. The cave was explored by the science class.4. The Gettysburg Address was written by Abraham Lincoln.5. Marion considered the book an inspiration.6. The cake had been eaten by the time Sandy arrived.7. Kenny’s fans cheered him on to victory.8. The snow drifted over the fence and across the road.9. The swelling on Kehl’s arm was caused by a bee sting.10. Bob and Judy were setting out birdseed for the cardinalsand chickadees.Special Problems with VerbsSit and SetThe verb sit means “to rest in an upright, seated position” or“to be in a place.” Sit seldom takes an object. The verb set means“to put (something) in a place.” Set usually takes an object.Notice that set has the same form for the base form, past, andpast iplesit[is] sittingsat[have] satset[is] settingset[have] setReference NoteFor information onobjects of verbs, seepage 401.Special Problems with VerbsCopyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.Chapter Menu521

Chapter MenuEXAMPLESHELPYou may knowthat the word set has moremeanings than the onegiven on page 521. Checkin a dictionary to see if themeaning you intendrequires an object.Let’s sit under the tree. [no object]Let’s set our backpacks under the tree.[Let’s set what? Backpacks is the object.]The tourists sat on the bench. [no object]The tourists set their suitcases on the bench. [Thetourists set what? Suitcases is the object.]We had just sat down when the telephone rang.[no object]We had just set our books down when the telephonerang. [We had set what? Books is the object.]EXAMPLEThe sun sets in the West.[Here, set does not takean object.]USAGEOral Practice 3Using the Forms of Sit and SetRead the following sentences aloud, stressing each italicized verb.1. Sit down here, please.2. The dog is sitting on the porch.3. Our teacher set a deadline for our term projects.4. Some mornings I sit on the steps and watch the sun rise.5. I have always sat in the front row.6. Please set the carton down inside the doorway.7. Where have I set my book on judo?8. After I had set the mop in the closet, I sat down to rest.Exercise 6Choosing the Forms of Sit and SetChoose the correct verb in parentheses in each of the followingsentences. If the verb you choose is a form of set, identifyits object.EXAMPLE1. Please (sit, set) the serving platter on the table.1. set; object—platter1. Has he (sat, set) anything down here?2. The kitten cautiously (sat, s

the present participle, the past, and the past participle. The words is and have are included in the following chart because helping verbs are used with the present participle and past participle to form some tenses. EXAMPLES I singin the school Glee Club. We are singingat the music festival