I
begin each day with joy. (present)
I
am beginning to understand English grammar. (present participle)
I
began music lessons yesterday. (past)
I
have begun to appreciate music. (past participle)
We can also write the following sentence.
I
have begun to appreciate music. (present perfect tense)
We have applied two names to the same verb form. Present perfect tense
identifies a time function. Past participle is a name for a
category of verb that can also be used as an adjective.
We
fly C 17s. (present)
We
are flying to Rheinmein. (present participle verb form)
We
flew over the coast at sunrise. (past)
We
have flown through hostile fire. (past participle verb form)
You
dig here. (present)
You
are digging in the wrong place. (present participle verb form)
You
dug that hole in the wrong place. (past)
You
have dug the hole in the wrong place. (past participle verb form)
She
draws very well. (present)
She
is drawing a new sketch. (present participle verb form)
She
drew the school logo. (past)
She
has drawn several prize winning designs. (past participle verb form)
I
lay bricks for my living. (present)
I
am laying a brick facade adjacent to the entrance. (present participle verb form)
I
laid the bricks for the sidewalk in front of city hall. (past)
I
have laid thousands of bricks. (past participle verb form)
I
lie on the beach every evening. (present)
I
am lying on the beach, and I am talking to you on my cell phone. (present participle verb form)
I
lay on the sofa yeaterday. (past)
I
have lain on this beach many times. (past participle verb form)
Do you
lie? (present)
You
are lying to me. (present participle verb form)
You
lied to him. (past)
You
have lied about your grades. (past participle verb form)
They
set dinner tables to meet their school expenses. (present)
They
are setting the tables for the luncheon. (present participle verb form)
They
set the dinner tables for the banquet. (past)
They
have set tables for many school functions. (past participle verb form)
I
sit in the leather chair. (present)
I
am sitting by the window. (present participle verb form)
I
sat at my desk for an hour. (past)
I
have sat on that hard bench. (past participle verb form)
I
sing in the choir. (present)
I
am singing the school song. (present participle verb form)
I
sang at the civic center. (past)
I
have sung the Battle Hymn of the Republic. (past participle vrb form)
He
speaks professionally. (present)
He
is speaking at the library. (present participle verb form)
He
spoke to the students about the consequences of smoking. (past)
He
has spoken to members of Congress. (past participle verb form)
They
swim competitively. (present)
They
are swimming today. (present participle verb form)
They
swam before breakfast. (past)
They
have swum the English Channel. (past participle verb form)
I
bring good news. (present)
I
am bringing the trophy home. (present particple verb form)
I
brought the team to the track field. (past)
I
have brought the first aid kit to team practice many times. (past participle verb form)
Most of us do not memorize all of the verbs in the English language. How can we
determine the correct spelling for each form of the verb? We can use a dictionary. I
used the The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition
for the following example. I chose the verb, take, for the
example. The verb and its derivations are listed in the following order.
take,
took,
taken,
taking,
takes
The classification of each verb is shown below.
take (present tense)
took (past tense)
taken (past participle)
taking (present participle)
takes (present tense, third person singular)
There is a special information section in the front part of the dictionary that explains
the listing pattern, i.e., present, past, past participle, present participle, and present--third person singular.
NOTE: Present tense, third person singular could be expressed as follows.
He
takes calculus on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Some verbs conjugate differently. The verb, bring, and its derivations are displayed
in the dictionary in the following pattern.
bring,
brought,
bringing,
brings
The classification for this verb is shown below.
bring (present tense)
brought (past tense and past participle)
bringing (present participle)
brings (present tense, third person singular)
Voice
English sentences may be written in active or passive voice.
If the subject of the sentence acts, the sentence is written in active voice. If the subject of the
sentence is passive, the sentence is written in passive voice. Consider the following
sentence examples.
Mr.
Clayton hosted* the reception.
The
reception was hosted by Mr. Clayton.
Mr. Clayton is the subject of the first sentence. Mr. Clayton acted. The sentence is written
in active voice.
Reception is the subject of the second sentence. The subject did not act. The subject was passive.
The sentence is written in passive voice.
Notice that the verb used in the passive sentence requires an auxiliary word.
*Some grammarians contend that the word, host, is not a verb. Americans
routinely use the word, host, as a verb.
Sheep graze in this pasture.
The
sheep were shorn for the
exhibit at the county fair.
Sheep is the subject of the first sentence. The sheep act; they graze. The sentence
is written in active voice.
Sheep is the subject of the second sentence, but the subject is passive. The sheep are passive.
The sentence is written in pasive voice.