VERB FORMS – WHEN
DO YOU USE THAT ONE
When you use the
base form: Examples
1. As basic present
in 1st and 2nd person I
work You
work
2. As a second verb after “do” or modals I didn’t go
She will go
3. In imperatives
(commands) Turn right Stand up
4. As a second verb
in causatives (make, let, help, have) I
made her do it Let me go
5. As a second verb
after suggest, recommend, insist, demand I
insist that she be there.
When you use the
–s form:
1. As a first verb
only She
works She
doesn’t work
2. In all present
tenses when
the subject is 3rd person singular That store sells good stuff.
The
bird is singing right now.
My
son has gone to the store.
When you use the
present participle/gerund/-ing form
1. As a second verb
only I
am talking She likes cooking
2. In a progressive
tenses after “be” I was driving when I heard it.
3. When the meaning
is “in process” I
saw it falling
4. As a noun subject
or object – name of activity Writing
is hard. My hobby is sewing.
5. After certain verbs:
admit, avoid, can’t stand, consider, deny, dislike, enjoy, feel like, finish,
give up, imagine, keep (continue), mind (object to), miss, practice, prevent,
prohibit, quit, recommend, resent, risk.
When you use the
past form:
1. As a first verb
only I
didn’t go She liked to swim
2. When you mean a
past finished event I
worked yesterday
When you use the
past participle form:
1. As a second verb
only
2. In present perfect
tense after “have” I
have eaten I haven’t done it yet
3. As an adjective The
broken window
4. In passive voice
after “be” I
was born My car was stolen
5. In past and future
perfect after “have” I
had finished I will have eaten
When you use the
infinitive form:
1. As a second verb
only I
plan to go I learned to swim
2. When you tell why
(“infinitive of purpose”) Why
did you go? To see the doctor.
3. As the name of the
verb The
verb “to be” is very difficult.
4. As a noun subject
or object To eat right is very important.
My
fear is to die alone.
5. After verbs:
agree, ask, arrange, can’t afford, can’t wait, choose, decide, deserve, expect,
fail, hesitate, hope, intend, learn, manage, mean, need, offer, plan, prefer,
prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, want, wish, would like
EXCEPTIONS
Note: there are a few
verbs that can be followed by either a gerund or infinitive with no major
change in meaning. These are: begin, continue, like, love, hate, start
and try.
I like cooking, I like to cook. I start studying, I start to study.
A few verbs change meaning when you change from gerund to infinitive:
forget, remember, stop
Example: I stop
smoking (no more) I stop to
smoke (I take a break and go smoke)
I remember
locking the door (I did it and can remember it still.)
I remember to lock the door (I
think about it before I leave, so I always do it)
I forgot
locking the door (I did it, but didn’t remember that I did)
I forgot to
lock the door (I forgot first, so I didn’t lock it.
