3 Form Of Verb

Download a complete list of common English Irregular Verbs in PDF. Improve your English. Base Form / Past Simple / Past Participle. Verb / Verb + ed. Base Form of Verb, V2 Past Simple, V3. Edem January 3, 2018. Form III verbs are transitive and often express the attempt to do the action described by the Form I root. Thus, قاتَلَ means “to fight” from the root قتل mean “to kill.” Note that the verb حَاوَلَ means “to attempt.” Many Form III verbs involve doing the action described by the Form I verb directly to some one else. Every verb has three forms (Base Form, Past Form, Past Part. Proper use of verbs is very important to speak and write correct English. Every verb has three forms (Base Form, Past Form, Past Participle Form) followed by its ‘ing’ form.

. This article describes the uses of various forms in modern standard.

This includes:. forms such as go, goes and went. forms such as (to) go, going and gone.

Combinations of such forms with, such as was going and would have gone The uses considered include expression of (time reference), and, in various configurations. For details of how inflected forms of verbs are produced in English, see. For the grammatical structure of clauses, including word order, see. For certain other particular topics, see the articles listed in the adjacent box. For non-standard dialect forms and antique forms, see individual dialect articles and the article,. Main article: The or past simple, sometimes also called the, consists of the bare past tense of the verb (ending in -ed for regular verbs, and formed in various ways for ones – see for details). In most questions (and other situations requiring ), when negated, and in certain emphatic statements, a construction consisting of did and the of the main verb is generally used instead – see.

The simple past is used for a single event in the past, for past habitual action, or for a past state: He took the money and ran. I visited them every day for a year. I knew how to fight even as a child. However, for action that was ongoing at the time referred to, the is generally used instead. For stative verbs that do or do not use progressive aspect when expressing a temporary state, see. For the use of could see in place of saw etc., see below.

The simple past is often close in meaning to the. The simple past is used when the event is conceived as occurring at a particular time in the past, or during a period that ended in the past (i.e.

It does not last up until the present time). This time frame may be explicitly stated, or implicit in the context (for example the past tense is often used when describing a sequence of past events).

I was born in 1980. We turned the oven off two minutes ago. She placed the letter on the table, sighed, and left the house.

For further discussion and examples, see below. Various compound constructions exist for denoting past habitual action. The sentence When I was young, I played football every Saturday might alternatively be phrased using (.

I used to play.) or using (. I would play.). The past simple is also used without past reference in some instances: in condition clauses and some other dependent clauses referring to hypothetical circumstances (see and below), and after certain. For the past subjunctive ( were in place of was), see. For the use of the past tense in indirect speech and similar contexts, see below. Past progressive The past progressive or past continuous construction combines aspect with tense, and is formed using the past tense of be ( was or were) with the of the main verb.

It indicates an action that was ongoing at the past time being considered: At three o'clock yesterday, I was working in the garden. For verbs that do not use the aspect, the is used instead ( At three o'clock yesterday we were in the garden). The past progressive is often used to denote an action that was interrupted by an event, or for two actions taking place in parallel: While I was washing the dishes, I heard a loud noise. While you were washing the dishes, Sue was walking the dog.

(Interrupted actions in the past can also sometimes be denoted using the, as described below.) The past progressive can also be used to refer to past action that occurred over a range of time and is viewed as an ongoing situation: I was working in the garden all day yesterday. That could also be expressed using the simple past, as I worked., which implies that the action is viewed as a unitary event (although the effective meaning is not very different). The past progressive shares certain special uses with other past tense constructions; see,. Past perfect The past perfect, sometimes called the, combines tense with aspect; it is formed by combining had (the past tense of the auxiliary have) with the of the main verb.

It is used when referring to an event that took place prior to the time frame being considered. This time frame may be stated explicitly, as a stated time or the time of another past action: We had finished the job by 2 o'clock.

He had already left when we arrived. The time frame may also be understood implicitly from the previous or later context: I was eating. I had invited Jim to the meal but he was unable to attend. I invited him before I started eating) I had lost my way.

This happened prior to the time of the past events I am describing or am about to describe) Compare He had left when we arrived (where his leaving preceded our arrival), with the form with the, He left when we arrived (where his leaving was concurrent with or shortly after our arrival). Note that unlike the present perfect, the past perfect can readily be used with an adverb specifying a past time frame for the occurrence. For example, while it is incorrect to say. I have done it last Friday (the use of last Friday, specifying the past time, would require the rather than the ), there is no such objection to a sentence like 'I had done it the previous Friday'. The past perfect can also be used for states or repeated occurrences pertaining over a period up to a time in the past, particularly in stating 'for how long' or since when'.

However, if the state is temporary and the verb can be used in the aspect, the would normally be used instead. Some examples with the plain past perfect: I had lived in that house for 10 years.

The children had been in their room since lunchtime. For other specific uses of the past perfect, see,. Past perfect progressive The past perfect progressive or past perfect continuous (also known as the pluperfect progressive or pluperfect continuous) combines aspect with tense. It is formed by combining had (the past tense of auxiliary have), been (the past participle of be), and the of the main verb. Uses of the past perfect progressive are analogous to those of the, except that the point of reference is in the past. For example: I was tired because I had been running.

By yesterday morning they had already been working for twelve hours. Among the witnesses was John Smith, who had been staying at the hotel since July 10.

This form is sometimes used for actions in the past that were interrupted by some event (compare the use of the as given above). For example: I had been working on my novel when she entered the room to talk to me. This implies that I stopped working when she came in (or had already stopped a short time before); the plain past progressive ( I was working.) would not necessarily carry this implication. If the verb in question does not use the, then the plain is used instead (see examples in the previous section).

The past perfect progressive may also have additional specific uses similar to those of the plain past perfect; see,. Simple present. Main article: The or present simple is a form that combines with (neither perfect nor progressive) aspect.

In the indicative mood it consists of the base form of the verb, or the -s form when the subject is singular (the verb be uses the forms am, is, are). However, with non verbs it also has a periphrastic form consisting of do (or third-person singular does) with the bare infinitive of the main verb — this form is used in questions (and other clauses requiring ) and negations, and sometimes for emphasis. For details of this, see. The principal uses of the simple present are given below. More examples can be found in the article. To refer to an action or event that takes place. Such uses are often accompanied by frequency adverbs and adverbial phrases such as always, often, from time to time and never.

Examples: I always take a shower. He writes for a living. This contrasts with the, which is used for actions taking place at the present moment. With in senses that do not use aspect, to refer to a present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual.

(In senses that do use progressive aspect, the present simple is used when the state is permanent or habitual.) You are happy. I know what to do. Denmark lies to the north of Germany. When quoting someone or something, even if the words were spoken in the (usually very recent) past: The label says 'External use only'. Mary says she's ready.

To refer to a single completed action, as in recounting the events of a story in the present tense (see ), and in such contexts as newspaper, where it replaces the: In Hamlet, Ophelia drowns in a stream. 40-year-old wins gold medal. Sometimes to refer to an arranged future event, usually with a reference to time: We leave for Berlin tomorrow at 1 pm. In providing a commentary on events as they occur, or in describing some theoretical sequence of events: I chop the chives and add them to the mixture. According to the manager's new idea, I welcome the guests and you give the presentation.

In many referring to the future, particularly clauses, clauses expressing place and time, and many relative clauses (see below): If he finds your sweets, he will eat them. We will report as soon as we receive any information. In certain situations in a temporal adverbial clause, rather than the present progressive: We can see the light improving as we speak. In colloquial English it is common to use can see, can hear for the present tense of see, hear, etc., and have got for the present tense of have (denoting ).

For the present subjunctive, see. For uses of modal verbs (which may be regarded as instances of the simple present) see. Present progressive. Main article: The present progressive or present continuous form combines tense with aspect.

It thus refers to an action or event conceived of as having limited duration, taking place at the present time. It consists of a form of the simple present of be together with the of the main verb and the ending -ing.

We are cooking dinner now. This often contrasts with the, which expresses repeated or habitual action ( We cook dinner every day). However, sometimes the present continuous is used with always, generally to express annoyance about a habitual action: You are always making a mess in the study. Certain do not use the progressive aspect, so the present simple is used instead in those cases (see above). The present progressive can be used to refer to a planned future event: We are tidying the attic tomorrow.

It also appears with future reference in many condition and time clauses and other dependent clauses (see below): If he' s sleeping when you arrive, wake him up. I will finish the job while the children are playing. It can also refer to something taking place not necessarily at the time of speaking, but at the time currently under consideration, in the case of a story or narrative being told in the present tense (as mentioned above under ): The king and queen are conversing when Hamlet enters. For the possibility of a present subjunctive progressive, see. Present perfect The (traditionally called simply the perfect) combines tense with aspect, denoting the present state of an action's being completed, that is, that the action took place before the present time. (It is thus often close in meaning to the tense, although the two are not usually interchangeable.) It is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary have (namely have or has) and the of the main verb. The choice of present perfect or past tense depends on the frame of reference (period or point in time) in which the event is conceived as occurring.

If the frame of reference extends to the present time, the present perfect is used. For example: I have written a letter this morning. (if it is still the morning) He has produced ten plays. (if he is still alive and professionally active) They have never traveled abroad. (if they are still alive and considered capable of traveling) If the frame of reference is a time in the past, or a period that ended in the past, the past tense is used instead.

For example: I wrote a letter this morning (it is now afternoon); He produced ten plays (he is now dead or his career is considered over, or a particular past time period is being referred to); They never traveled abroad (similarly). See under for more examples. The simple past is generally used when the occurrence has a specific past time frame – either explicitly stated ( I wrote a book in 1995; the water boiled a minute ago), or implied by the context (for example, in the narration of a sequence of events). It is therefore normally incorrect to write a sentence like. I have written a novel yesterday; the present perfect cannot be used with an expression of past time such as yesterday. With already or yet, traditional usage calls for the present perfect: Have you eaten yet?

Yes, I've already eaten. However, current informal American speech tends to use the simple past: Did you eat yet?

Yes, I ate already. Use of the present perfect often draws attention to the present consequences of the past action or event, as opposed to its actual occurrence. The sentence she has come probably means she is here now, while the simple past she came does not.

The sentence, “Have you been to the fair?” suggests that the fair is still going on, while the sentence, “Did you go to the fair?” could mean that the fair is over. (See also below.) Some more examples: I have eaten. (implies that I'm no longer hungry) We have made the dinner.

(implies that the dinner is now ready to eat) The weather has gotten cloudier. (implies that it is now more cloudy than previously) It may also refer to an ongoing state or habitual action, particularly in saying for how long, or since when, something is the case.

For example, I have lived in Paris for five years. He has held the record since he won his Olympic gold. We have eaten breakfast together every morning since our honeymoon. This implies that I still live in Paris, that he still holds the record and that we still eat together every morning (although the first sentence may also refer to some unspecified past period of five years). When the circumstance is temporary, the is often appropriate in such sentences (see below); however, if the verb is one that does not use the aspect, the basic present perfect is used in that case too: Amy has been on the swing for ten minutes.

The present perfect may refer to a habitual circumstance, or a circumstance being part of a theoretical or story narrative being given in the present tense (provided the circumstance is of an event's having taken place previously): Whenever I get home, John has usually already arrived. According to the plan, the speeches have already been given when the cake is brought out. The present perfect may also be used with future reference, instead of the, in those dependent clauses where future occurrence is denoted by present tense (see below). For example: When you have written it, show it to me. For the possibility of a present perfect subjunctive, see. For special use of the present perfect of get to express possession or obligation, see below.

For the use of have been in place of have gone, see below. Present perfect progressive The present perfect progressive (or present perfect continuous) construction combines some of this aspect with tense. It is formed with the present tense of have ( have or has), the past participle of be ( been), and the of the main verb and the ending ″-ing″ This construction is used for ongoing action in the past that continues right up to the present or has recently finished: I have been writing this paper all morning. Why are his eyes red? He has been crying.

It is frequently used when stating for how long, or since when, something is the case: She has been working here since 1997. How long have you been sitting there? They have been arguing about it for two weeks. In these sentences the actions are still continuing, but it is the past portion of them that is being considered, and so the perfect aspect is used.

(A sentence without perfect aspect, such as I am sitting here for three hours, implies an intention to perform the action for that length of time.) With stative verbs that are not used in the, and for situations that are considered permanent, the present perfect (nonprogressive) is used instead; for examples of this see above. Simple future The term simple future, future simple or future indefinite, as applied to English, generally refers to the combination of the modal auxiliary verb will with the of the main verb. Sometimes (particularly in more formal or old-fashioned English) shall is preferred to will when the subject is ( I or we); see for details. The auxiliary is often contracted to 'll; see. This construction can be used to indicate what the speaker views as facts about the future, including confident predictions: The sun will rise tomorrow at 6:14. It will rain later this week. It may be used to describe future circumstances that are subject to some condition (see also ): He will go there if he can.

However English also has other ways of referring to future circumstances. For planned or scheduled actions the or may be used (see those sections for examples). There is also a, common in colloquial English, which is often used to express intentions or predictions ( I am going to write a book some day; I think that it is going to rain). Use of the will/shall construction when expressing intention often indicates a spontaneous decision: I know!

I'll use this book as a door stop. Compare I'm going to use., which implies that the intention to do so has existed for some time. Use of present tense rather than future constructions in condition clauses and certain other is described below under. The modal verbs will and shall also have other uses besides indicating future time reference. For example: I will pass this exam.

(often expresses determination in addition to futurity) You will obey me! (insistence) I will not do it! (negative insistence, refusal) At this moment I will tolerate no dissent. (strong volition) He hasn't eaten all day; he will be hungry now. (confident speculation about the present) One of his faults is that he will make trouble unnecessarily.

(habit) Shall we get to work? (suggestion) For more examples see and in the article on modal verbs, and the article. Future progressive The future progressive or future continuous combines aspect with time reference; it is formed with the auxiliary will (or shall in the first person; see ), the bare infinitive be, and the of the main verb. It is used mainly to indicate that an event will be in progress at a particular point in the future: This time tomorrow I will be taking my driving test.

I imagine we will already be eating when you arrive. The usual restrictions apply, on the use both of the future and of the progressive: simple rather than progressive aspect is used with some stative verbs (see ), and present rather than future constructions are used in many dependent clauses (see and below). The same construction may occur when will or shall is given one of its other uses (as described under ), for example: He will be sitting in his study at this time. (confident speculation about the present) Future perfect The combines aspect with time reference. It consists of the auxiliary will (or sometimes shall in the first person, as above), the bare infinitive have, and the of the main verb. It indicates an action that is to be completed sometime prior to a future time of perspective, or an ongoing action continuing up to a future time of perspective (compare uses of the above).

I shall have finished my essay by Thursday. When I finally search him he will have disposed of the evidence. By next year we will have lived in this house for half a century. For the use of the present tense rather than future constructions in certain dependent clauses, see and below. The same construction may occur when will or shall is given one of its other meanings (see under ); for example: He will have had his tea by now. (confident speculation about the present) You will have completed this task by the time I return, is that understood?

(giving instruction) Future perfect progressive The future perfect progressive or future perfect continuous combines aspect with time reference. It is formed by combining the auxiliary will (or sometimes shall, as above), the bare infinitive have, the past participle been, and the of the main verb. Uses of the future perfect progressive are analogous to those of the, except that the point of reference is in the future. For example: He will be very tired because he will have been working all morning. By 6 o'clock we will have been drinking for ten hours.

For the use of present tense in place of future constructions in certain dependent clauses, see and below. The same construction may occur when the auxiliary (usually will) has one of its other meanings, particularly expressing a confident assumption about the present: No chance of finding him sober now; he 'll have been drinking all day. Simple conditional The simple conditional or conditional simple, also called conditional present, and in some meanings simple, is formed by combining the modal auxiliary would with the of the main verb. Sometimes (particularly in formal or old-fashioned English) should is used in place of would when the subject is first person ( I or we), in the same way that shall may replace will in such instances; see.

The auxiliary is often shortened to 'd; see. The simple conditional is used principally in a main clause accompanied by an implicit or explicit condition ( if-clause). (This is described in more detail in the article on; see also below.) The time referred to may be (hypothetical) present or future. For example: I would go tomorrow (if she asked me). If I were you, I would see a doctor.

If she had bought those shares, she would be rich now. In some varieties of English, would (or 'd) is also regularly used in the if-clauses themselves ( If you'd leave now, you'd be on time), but this is often considered nonstandard. This is widespread especially in spoken American English in all registers, though not usually in more formal writing. There are also situations where would is used in if-clauses in British English too, but these can usually be interpreted as a use of would (e.g. If you would listen to me once in a while, you might learn something). For more details, see. For the use of would after the verb wish and the expression if only, see.

The auxiliary verbs could and might can also be used to indicate the conditional mood, as in the following: If the opportunity were here, I could do the job. I would be able to do. ) If the opportunity were here, I might do the job.

Maybe I would do.) Forms with would may also have ' meaning: We moved into the cottage in 1958. We would live there for the next forty years. For other possible meanings of would and should (as well as could and might), see the relevant sections of. Conditional progressive The conditional (present) progressive or conditional continuous combines mood with aspect. It combines would (or the contraction 'd, or sometimes should in the first person, as above) with the bare infinitive be and the of the main verb. It has similar uses to those of the (above), but is used for ongoing actions or situations (usually hypothetical): Today she would be exercising if it were not for her injury. He wouldn't be working today if he had been given the time off.

It can also have meanings: We didn't know then that we would be waiting another three hours. For the use of would in condition clauses, see above (see also and below).

For use in indirect speech constructions, see. For other uses of constructions with would and should, see. For general information on conditionals in English, see (and also below). Conditional perfect The construction combines mood with aspect, and consists of would (or the contraction 'd, or sometimes should in the first person, as above), the bare infinitive have, and the of the main verb.

It is used to denote conditional situations attributed to past time, usually those that are or may be contrary to fact. I would have set an extra place if I had known you were coming. I would have set an extra place (but I didn't because someone said you weren't coming). (implicit condition) For the possibility of use of would in the condition clauses themselves, see (see also below).

For more information on conditional constructions, see below, and the article. The same construction may have ' meanings (see ). For other meanings of would have and should have, see. Conditional perfect progressive The conditional perfect progressive or conditional perfect continuous construction combines mood with aspect. It consists of would (or sometimes should in the first person, as above) with the bare infinitive have, the past participle been and the of the main verb. It generally refers to a conditional ongoing situation in hypothetical (usually counterfactual) past time: I would have been sitting on that seat if I hadn't been late for the party. Similar considerations and alternative forms and meanings apply as noted in the above sections on other conditional constructions.

Have got and can see In colloquial English, particularly British English, the of the verb get, namely have got or has got, is frequently used in place of the indicative of have (i.e. Have or has) when denoting, broadly defined. For example: Formal: I have three brothers; Does he have a car? Informal: I've got three brothers; Has he got a car? Note that in American English, the form got is used in this idiom, even though the standard past participle of get is gotten.

The same applies in the expression of present obligation: I've got to go now may be used in place of I (must) go now. In very informal registers, the contracted form of have or has may be omitted altogether: I got three brothers. Another common idiom is the use of the modal verb (or could for the tense or ) together with verbs of perception such as see, hear, etc., rather than the plain verb. For example: I see three houses or I can see three houses. I hear a humming sound or I can hear a humming sound. Distinctions can be made, particularly in the past tense: I saw it (event) vs.

I could see it (ongoing state). Been and gone In constructions apparently requiring the verb, the normal past participle gone is often replaced by the past participle of the be, namely been. This gives rise to sentences of contrasting meaning. When been is used, the implication is that, at the time of reference, the act of going took place previously, but the subject is no longer at the place in question (unless a specific time frame including the present moment is specified).

When gone is used, the implication is again that the act of going took place previously, but that the subject is still at (or possibly has not yet reached) that place (unless repetition is specified lexically). For example: My father has gone to Japan. (he is in Japan, or on his way there, now) My father has gone to Japan five times. (he may or may not be there now) My father has been to Japan.

(he has visited Japan at some time in his life) My father has been in Japan for three weeks. (he is still there) When I returned, John had gone to the shops.

(he was out of the house) By the time I returned, John had gone to the shops three times. (he may or may not still be there) When I returned, John had been to the shops. (the shopping was done, John was likely back home) When I returned, John had been at the shops for three hours. (he was still there) Note that been is used in such sentences in combination with to as if it were a verb of motion (being followed by adverbial phrases of motion), which is different from its normal uses as part of the copula verb be. Compare: Sue has been to the beach.

(as above; Sue went to the beach at some time before now) Sue has been on the beach. (use of been simply as part of be; she spent time on the beach) The above sentences with the can be further compared with alternatives using the, such as: My father went to Japan. As usual, this tense would be used if a specific past time frame is stated ('in 1995', 'last week') or is implied by the context (e.g.

The event is part of a past narrative, or my father is no longer alive or capable of traveling). Use of this form does not in itself determine whether or not the subject is still there. Conditional sentences. Main article: A usually contains two clauses: an if-clause or similar expressing the condition (the protasis), and a main clause expressing the conditional circumstance (the apodosis). In English language teaching, conditional sentences are classified according to type as first, second or third conditional; there also exist 'zero conditional' and mixed conditional sentences. A 'first conditional' sentence expresses a future circumstance conditional on some other future circumstance.

It uses the tense (with ) in the condition clause, and the with will (or some other expression of future) in the main clause: If he comes late, I will be angry. A 'second conditional' sentence expresses a hypothetical circumstance conditional on some other circumstance, referring to nonpast time. It uses the tense (with the past were optionally replacing was) in the condition clause, and the formed with would in the main clause: If he came late, I would be angry. A 'third conditional' sentence expresses a hypothetical (usually counterfactual) circumstance in the past. It uses the in the condition clause, and the in the main clause: If he had come late, I would have been angry. A 'mixed conditional' mixes the second and third patterns (for a past circumstance conditional on a not specifically past circumstance, or vice versa): If I knew Latin, I wouldn't have made that mistake just now. If I had gotten married young, I would have a family by now.

The 'zero conditional' is a pattern independent of tense, simply expressing the dependence of the truth of one proposition on the truth of another: If Brian is right then Fred has the jewels. See also the following sections on. Expressions of wish Particular rules apply to the tenses and verb forms used after the verb wish and certain other expressions with similar meaning.

When the verb wish governs a, the past tense ( or as appropriate) is used when the desire expressed concerns a present state, the (or ) when it concerns a (usually counterfactual) past state or event, and the with would when it concerns a desired present action or change of state. For example: I wish you were here.

(past tense for desired present state) Do you wish you were playing in this match? (past progressive for present ongoing action) I wish I had been in the room then. (past perfect for counterfactual past state) I wish they had locked the door. (past perfect for counterfactual past action) I wish you would shut up! (desired present action) Do you wish it would rain? (desired present change of state) The same forms are generally used independently of the tense or form of the verb wish: I wished you were there. (past tense for desired state at the time of wishing) The same rules apply after the expression if only: If only he knew French!

If only I had looked in the bedroom! If only they would stop talking! In finite clauses after would rather and it's (high) time, the past tense is used: I'd rather you came with me. It's time they gave up.

After would rather the present is also sometimes possible: I'd rather you/he come with me. After all of the above expressions (though not normally it's (high) time) the were may be used instead of was: I wish I were less tired.

If only he were a trained soldier. Note that other syntactic patterns are possible with most of these expressions. The verb wish can be used with a or as an ordinary ( I wish to talk; I wish you good health).

The expressions would rather and it's time can also be followed by a to-infinitive. After the verb hope the above rules do not apply; instead the logically expected tense is used, except that often the present tense is used with future meaning: I hope you get better soon. Indirect speech Verbs often undergo tense changes in.

This commonly occurs in (typically that-clauses and ), when governed by a predicate of saying (thinking, knowing, etc.) which is in the tense or mood. In this situation the following tense and aspect changes occur relative to the original words:. changes to: 'I like apples.' → He said that he liked apples. 'We are riding.' → They claimed that they were riding.

'You have sinned.' → I was told that I had sinned. changes to (and sometimes to ): 'They finished all the wine earlier.' → He thought they had finished all the wine earlier. This change does not normally apply, however, when the past tense is used to denote an rather than a past circumstance (see, and ): 'I would do anything you asked.'

→ He said he would do anything she asked. changes to, also referred to as (i.e. Will/shall changes to would/should): 'The match will end in a draw.' → He predicted that the match would end in a draw. The can and may change to their preterite forms could and might: 'We may attend.' → She told us that they might attend.

Verb forms not covered by any of the above rules (verbs already in the past perfect, or formed with would or other modals not having a preterite equivalent) do not change. Note that application of the above rules is not compulsory; sometimes the original verb tense is retained, particularly when the statement (with the original tense) remains equally valid at the moment of reporting: 'The earth orbits the sun.' → Copernicus stated that the earth orbits the sun. Note also that the above tense changes do not apply when the verb of saying (etc.) is not or in form; in particular there are no such changes when that verb is in the: He has said that he likes apples.

For further details, and information about other grammatical and lexical changes that take place in indirect speech, see. For related passive constructions (of the type it is said that and she is said to), see. Dependent clauses Apart from the special cases referred to in the sections above, many other use a tense that might not logically be expected – in particular the tense is used when the reference is to future time, and the tense is used when the reference is to a hypothetical situation (in other words, the form with will is replaced by the present tense, and the form with would by the past tense). This occurs in condition clauses (as mentioned ), in clauses of time and place, and in many relative clauses: If he finds your sweets, he will eat them. We will report as soon as we receive any information. The bomb will explode where it lands.

Go up to the first person that you see. In the above examples, the is used instead of the, even though the reference is to future time.

Examples of similar uses with other tense–aspect combinations are given below: We will wash up while you are tidying. ( instead of ) Please log off when you have finished working. ( instead of ) If we were that hungry, we would go into the first restaurant that we saw. ( instead of ) We would be searching the building while you were searching the grounds. ( instead of ) In that case the dogs would find the scent that you had left. ( instead of ) This does not apply to all dependent clauses, however; if the future time or hypothetical reference is expressed in the dependent clause independently of the main clause, then a form with will or would in a dependent clause is possible: This is the man who will guide you through the mountains. We entered a building where cowards would fear to tread.

Uses of nonfinite verbs The main uses of the various nonfinite verb forms (infinitives, participles and gerunds) are described in the following sections. For how these forms are made, see above. For more information on distinguishing between the various uses that use the form in -ing, see. Bare infinitive A bare (the base form of the verb, without the particle to), or an infinitive phrase introduced by such a verb, may be used as follows:. As complement of the auxiliary do, in negations, questions and other situations where is used: Do you want to go home?

Please do not laugh. As complement of will ( shall) or would ( should) in the and constructions described above: The cat will come home. We should appreciate an answer at your earliest convenience. More generally, as complement of any of the can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would (including would rather), and also dare and need in their modal-like uses: I can speak Swedish. Need you use so much flour? I dare say he will be back.

As complement of the expression: You had better give back that telephone. As second complement of the let (including in the expression 'let's.' , short for 'let us'), make, have (in the sense of cause something to be done) and bid (in archaic usage). These are examples of verbs (the logical subject of the governed infinitive is raised to the position of of the governing verb): That made me laugh. (but passive voice: I was made to laugh; see under to-infinitive below) We let them leave. Let's play Monopoly!

I had him look at my car. She bade me approach her.

(archaic). As second or sole complement of the verb help (the to-infinitive can also be used): This proposal will help (to) balance the budget. Can you help me (to) get over this wall?. As second complement of verbs of perception such as see, hear, feel, etc., although in these cases the is also possible, particularly when an ongoing state rather than a single action is perceived: We saw him try to escape. (with present participle: We saw him trying to escape.) She felt him breathe on her neck. (with present participle: She felt him breathing on her neck.). As a in pseudo- of the following type: What I did was tie the rope to the beam.

What you should do is invite her round for dinner. After why, in questions: Why bother? The form of the bare infinitive is also commonly taken as the dictionary form or citation form of an English verb.

For perfect and progressive (continuous) infinitive constructions, see below. To-infinitive The to-infinitive consists of the bare infinitive introduced by the particle to. Outside dictionary, it is commonly used as a of the English verb ('How do we conjugate the verb to go?' ) It is also commonly given as a translation of foreign infinitives ('The French word boire means 'to drink'.' ) Other modifiers may be placed between to and the verb (as in to boldly go; to slowly drift away), but this is sometimes regarded by some as a grammatical or stylistic error – see for details. The main uses of to-infinitives, or infinitive phrases introduced by them, are as follows:. As complement of the and auxiliary verbs ought (to) and: We ought to do that now.

I used to play outside every day when I was a child. As complement of many other verbs used, including need and dare (when not used as modal-like verbs), want, expect, try, hope, agree, refuse, etc. These are verbs, where the logical subject is promoted to the position of subject of the governing verb. With some verbs the infinitive may carry a significantly different meaning from a gerund: compare I stopped to talk to her with I stopped talking to her, or I forgot to buy the bread with I forgot buying the bread. I need to get to a telephone. Try not to make so many mistakes. They refused to assist us.

As second complement of certain transitive verbs. These are mostly raising-to-object verbs, as described above for the; however, in some cases, it is the subject of the main clause that is the logical subject of the infinitival clause, as in 'John promises Mary to cook', where the person who will cook is John (the subject of the main sentence), and not Mary (the object). I want him to be promoted. He expects his brother to arrive this week. As an adverbial modifier expressing purpose, or sometimes result (also expressible using in order to in the first case, or so as to in either case): I came here to listen to what you have to say. They cut the fence to gain access to the site.

She scored three quick goals to level the score. As a of a sentence or as a. (A can often be used for this also. ) To live is to suffer. For them to be with us in this time of crisis is evidence of their friendship. In to a subject it, in sentences of the following type: It is nice to live here.

It makes me happy to feed my animals. Alone in certain exclamations or sentences, and in certain sentence-modifying expressions.

To think that he used to call me sister. To be honest, I don't think you have a chance. In certain fixed expressions, such as in order to (see above), so as to, as if to, about to (meaning on the point of doing something), (for obligation or necessity). For more on the expression am to, is to, were to, etc. (usually expressing obligation or expectation), see. We are to demolish this building. He smiled as if to acknowledge his acquiescence.

In questions (direct or indirect), where no subject is expressed (but for those introduced by why, see above): Well, what to do now? I wondered whether to resign at that point.

As a modifier of certain nouns and adjectives: the reason to laugh the effort to expand anxious to get a ticket. As a relative clause (see ).

These modify a noun, and often have a -like construction where the object (or a preposition complement) is in the infinitive phrase, the gap being understood to be filled by the noun being modified. An alternative in the prepositional case is to begin with a prepositional phrase containing a relative pronoun (as is done sometimes in finite relative clauses).

For example, Jacqueline Morton, English Grammar for Students of French, 6th Edition, Olivia and Hill Press, 2009, p. Jeanette S. DeCarrico (December 1986). 'Tense, Aspect, and Time in the English Modality System'. TESOL Quarterly. 20 (4): 665–682. Jeanette S.

DeCarrico (June 1987). 'Comments on Jeanette S. DeCarrico's 'Tense, Aspect, and Time in the English Modality System'. Response to Nelson: Modals, Meaning, and Context'. TESOL Quarterly. 21 (2): 382–389. Comrie, Bernard, Tense, Cambridge Univ.

Press, 1985, pp. ^. Payne, Thomas Edward (1997).

Cambridge University Press. Pearson Longman, Longman Exams Dictionary, grammar guide: 'It is possible to use would in both clauses in U.S. English, but not in British English: U.S.: The blockades wouldn't happen if the police would be firmer with the strikers. British: The blockades wouldn't happen if the police were firmer with the strikers.' ., 'Questions and Answers'. Retrieved 3 December 2012. ' Being is doing' may be more natural than the abstract and philosophical sounding ' To be is to do.'

See References. Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use, 3rd edition, 2004.