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English for Careers
Chapter 7
Mastering Verbs
Your goals for Chapter 7:
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Use correct verb tenses
Recognize regular and irregular verbs
Use subjects and verbs that agree in number
and person
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A VERB may consist of one word
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The class studies every night.
action verb
Every student is in the room.
being verb
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Verbs also consist of two or more words.
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We had been studying all week.
had been = helping verbs
studying = main verb/action verb
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INFINITIVES are the basic forms of verbs
preceded by to
An infinitive does not serve as a verb.
 David wants to dance with you.
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We are going to study for the test.
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The children went outside to play.
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VERB TENSE
Action or being takes place in the past, present,
or future
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work, works, is working
worked, had worked, has worked
will work, will have worked
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Choosing a verb form depends on tense (time),
number, and person.
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Tense - When does the action or being take
place—past, present, or future?
Number - Does the verb have a singular or plural
subject?
Person - Is the subject of the verb in first person,
second person, or third person?
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Regular verbs change tense by adding s, ed,
or ing
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Please work on the report tonight.
Jay works well with a team.
He worked hard all this year.
He is working toward earning a college
scholarship.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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PRESENT TENSE
Add s if the subject is singular, except you or I
He works really hard.
 You work hard.
 I work just as hard.
Don’t add s if the subject is plural.
 Teachers work hard, too.
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PRESENT PARTICIPLE
When action is in progress, use the – a helping
verb(s) before a main verb ending with ing.
If you are working late, please say so.
 He is going home by bus.

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PAST TENSE
Add d or ed
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He worked hard on the report.
PAST PARTICIPLE
Use a helping verb
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He has worked hard all week to finish it.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
FUTURE TENSE
Use will, shall, would, or should before the
basic verb form
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I will work late if I can get a ride home.
I would work late tonight, but I have a date.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
Irregular verbs do not follow the pattern set by
regular verbs
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Some change spelling for past, present, and
future; some change spelling only for one tense.
Use your dictionary when you are unsure of
how to form the tense of irregular verbs.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
Some irregular verbs
Present
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begin/begins
choose/chooses
do/does
drink/drinks
go/goes
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Past
Past Participle
began
chose
did
drank
went
begun
chosen
done
drunk
gone
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More irregular verbs
Present
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ring/rings
run runs
speak/speaks
take/takes
wear/wears
Past
Past Participle
rang
ran
spoke
took
wore
rung
run
spoken
taken
worn
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When a sentence has two or more verbs, generally
express them in the same tense.
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Bill thinks I am a hard worker.
He gave me a note in which he wrote that I
worked hard.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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For a general truth or something still going on,
use the present tense, even if a verb elsewhere
in the sentence is past tense.
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The guide told us that Tokyo is larger than
Kobe or Kyoto.
What are the names of the books you
purchased?
The sales rep claimed that his software is better.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Poor verb usage sounds uneducated!
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He brung it to me yesterday.
I seen it with my own eyes.
She had showed him the house.
I be going to the mall.
Joe drunk the whole bottle
They was very nice people.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Correct!
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He brought it to me yesterday.
I saw it with my own eyes.
She had shown it him the house.
I am going to the mall.
Joe drank the whole bottle!
They were very nice people.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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SUBJECTS and VERBS in sentences
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A sentence must have at least one
independent clause (a subject and a verb).
The verb is the action or being word; the
subject is the noun or pronoun that tells
who or what is doing or being.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
Recognizing clauses
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Sentences can have more than one clause.
A clause may be dependent or independent.
Every sentence must have one independent
clause.
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Independent and
dependent clauses
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A clause has both a subject and a verb.
Independent clauses communicate a complete
thought and can stand alone.
Dependent clauses cannot stand alone; they
depend on the rest of the sentence for their
meaning.
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
Which clauses are independent?
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Some designers are talented, some aren’t.
When she graduates, Tia wants to be a
designer.
Melissa is a professional model.
George is a model and he also goes to school.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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A phrase lacks either a subject or a verb.
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The bride and groom drove away in a white
limousine.
Walking tall, she appeared to be proud of
herself.
Being in the spotlight is fun, but also
exhausting.
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Make sure subjects and verbs agree in number.
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The dog runs. (singular)
The dogs run. (plural)
The dog and cat run. (plural)
The dogs and cats run. (plural)
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
Recognizing subjects and verbs
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First find the verb.
Then look for the “who” or “what” word.
That’s the subject.
Usually the subject comes before the verb.
Sometimes it comes after the verb.
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
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A subject may look like a verb when it names
an activity:
Running is my favorite way to exercise.
The understood subject may be you.
[You]Take these books back to the library.
Some sentences have more than one subject; some
have more than one verb.
George and Henry are going to read and
perform all the parts in the play.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Singular subjects
Except you or I, typically add an s to the verb form for
the present tense and use helping verbs that end in s,
such as is, has, and was.
She speaks well.
 She has spoken at all of our seminars.

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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Plural subjects and you and I
Require a verb (or helping verb) that does not
end with s.
You speak well.
 I speak well.
The graduates speak well.
 They have spoken at all of the meetings.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Compound subjects
When joined by or or nor, make the verb
agree with the noun or pronoun following the
or or nor.
The clerk or the assistants sort the mail.
Neither the workers nor the boss is getting a
raise this year.
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Indefinite pronoun subjects
Plural indefinite pronoun subjects—both,
many, several, few—require a plural verb
form.
Many choose the hardest task first.
Several ask for assistance when needed.
Both take a long time to bake.
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Singular indefinite pronoun forms - each, every, many,
a, an, one, either, neither, another, or a pronoun ending
with one, body, or thing requires a singular verb form.
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Each student and teacher needs a tutorial on the
new software.
Another error makes four in two days.
Everyone leaves at 5 p.m. on the dot.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Are these sentences right or wrong?
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You are the winner.
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I work across the street.
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They ship products everywhere on earth.
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Either Bill or Mary has the key.
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Each man and woman needs a form.
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Many an applicant is turned down.
They are all right!
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
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Right or wrong?
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Several have been chosen.
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The box of tools is on the table.
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Supervisors, as well as the CEO, are here.
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The reasons his job was difficult seem clear.
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There were several boxes of tools on the table.
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The number of restaurants here is growing.
They are all right!
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
Collective nouns represent a unit: jury, group,
committee, class, audience
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When the unit is united, it is singular.
The faculty agrees to meet.
When the unit is divided, it is plural.
The faculty disagree about the issue.
OR
The faculty members disagree about the issue.
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Let’s review:
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I paint.
I painted.
I have painted.
I will paint.
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
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I will have painted by tomorrow.
I should have painted more often.
If I were talented, you’d buy my paintings.
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.
Checkpoint
You have the ability to use verb tenses correctly
and make subjects and verbs agree in number
and person.
English for Careers: Business, Professional, and Technical, 10 th ed.
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© 2010 Pearson Higher Education,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. • All Rights Reserved.