ALF Guide - Verb forms

Why are verb forms important?

A verb is the part of speech that signals an action. The incorrect choice of a verb form or verb tense may interfere with the intended message and make it unclear.

Verb forms in English: Infinitives

Verb form names	Example – irregular verb	Example – regular verb	Use
Infinitive	to write	to submit	The tutor asked us to write a short reflection about our learning.
Bare infinitive	write	submit	We must submit assignments on Moodle.
Continuous infinitive	to be writing	to be submitting	It would be lovely to be writing assignments without worrying about deadlines.
Perfect infinitive	to have written	to have submitted	To have written that long assignment in 12 days was a huge achievement for students.
Passive infinitive	to be written	to be submitted	All assignments need to be submitted before the mid-semester break.

More verb forms in English

Verb form names	Example – irregular verb	Example – regular verb	Use
Present participle	writing	submitting	Writing their assignments, the students were not sure about the result.
Gerund	writing	submitting	Accurate writing was a challenge for some students.
Past simple	wrote	submitted	Students submitted their assignments last week.
Past participle	written	submitted	Written assignments were quite difficult.
Passive present participle	being written	being submitted	The problems were caused by too many assignments being submitted at the same time.

Verb complementation (verb + another verb form)

We need to be careful when deciding on the verb form to use in a sentence. Here are some basic rules:

1) We always use the -ing form after prepositions. Please note, that ‘to’ can be a preposition in some cases:

The student was worried about submit assignments on time.		The student was worried about submitting assignments on time.
I look forward to hear from you soon.		I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Be aware of differences between active and passive verb forms:

The teacher was worried about asking questions by students.

The teacher was worried about being asked questions by students.

Verb complementation (verb + another verb form)

2) Verbs directly followed by other verb forms often cause problems – but the rules are quite simple.

Verb + infinitive agree, aim, decide, decline, demand, deserve, fail, hesitate, hope, hurry, intend, manage, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, refuse, threaten, volunteer, want, wish	V + the -ing form admit, avoid, consider, delay, deny, discuss, imagine, involve, miss, recall, resent, risk, suggest
He failed to read enough before the exam. I intend to demonstrate to my students that I care about them.	He admitted committing the crime. We discussed doing that assignment together.
Some verbs can be followed by either infinitive or gerund.
Sometimes the meaning changes only slightly (after begin, cease, continue start). For example: We began studying for the exam. = We began to study for the exam.
Sometimes the meaning changes (after come, mean, regret, remember, stop, try). For example: I remember locking the door last night. (I remember how I did it) or Please remember to lock the door when you leave. (= don’t forget to do it)

Verb complementation (verb + another verb form)

3. We often use participles to add information about timing, causes and results. If this information is given in a participle clause, please ensure that the implied subject of a participle clause is the same as the subject of the main clause*. For example:

Having focused, the assignments were submitted on time.		Having focused on their assignments, the students were able to manage the study load and progress in their course.
Reading their first peer-reviewed articles, it was evident that different disciplines had different academic conventions.		Reading their first peer-reviewed articles, students became aware of academic conventions in their respective disciplines.

* For more information about clauses and sentence structure, please go to the following modules:
“Word order”, “Sentence length” and “Fragmented phrases”.

Apply what you have learnt in this module and click on the correct option(s) below

Students often decide applying for an extension when it is too late.

Learn about theories was more challenging than some students had thought.

Having submitted their assignments on Moodle, the students could enjoy a well-deserved break.

Try again

'Decide' needs to be followed by an infinitive. Suggested revision:
Students often decide to apply for an extension when it is too late.

Incorrect verb form choice. The subject of a sentence can be an infinitive with ‘to’ or the –ing verb form. Suggested revision:
Learning about theories was more challenging than some students had thought.

Correct

Quick Tip 1

When you use verb forms in your writing and speech, be aware of the purpose of each verb form.

Quick Tip 2

Refresh your knowledge by studying verb forms in advanced grammar books.

Quick Tip 3

Look at the use of verb forms in your reading and listen to the news/lectures in order to understand the purpose for each use.

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Copyright © Monash University (2017). All rights reserved. Except as provided in the Copyright Act 1968, this work may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of English Connect web administrator. Material created by Dr Anna Podorova, Ms Julia Ghazarian and Dr Amber McLeod.

The ALF Guide

Example from a student assignment – read through this paragraph looking for mistakes with verb forms

For explanation, click on the underlined text

Suggested revision