Chapter 21: Verb Shifts Verbs tell about time and when events occurs. Future time: He will run to...

Chapter 21: Verb Shifts• Verbs tell about time and when events occurs.

• Future time: He will run to the park.• Past time: Ralph was my neighbor.• Present time: The cake tastes delicious.

Chapter 21: Verb Shifts• Verb Tense Chart1. Past perfect had + -ed furthest in the past; happened before

verb form another past action• Past Perfect Tense Example: The Easter Bunny had hopped down the trail.

2. Past -ed verb form in the past, happened before now• Past Tense Example: The Easter Bunny hopped down the trail.

3. Present perfect have or has + in the past, but extending to present-ed verb form

• Present Perfect Tense Example: The Easter Bunny has hopped down the trail.

Chapter 21: Verb Shifts4. Present base verb form or happens regularly or often, or is

base verb + -s happening now• Present Tense Example: The Easter Bunny hops down the trail.

5. Future perfect will have + -ed happens in the future but beforeverb form another event

• Future Perfect Tense Example: The Easter Bunny will have hopped down the trail.

6. Future will + base verb happens at some time in the future• Future Tense Example: The Easter Bunny will hop down the trail.

Chapter 21: Verb Shifts

Consistent Verb Tenses• Staying in one tense (unless you have reason to change tenses) is called

consistency of verb tense.• Wrong shift in tense: The waitress ran to the kitchen, raced back to her

customers with drinks, and smiles calmly.• Correct consistent tense: The waitress ran to the kitchen, raced back to her

customers with drinks, and smiled calmly. (The tenses should be the same in a sentence; this sentence has consistent past tense.)

• Correct consistent tense: The waitress runs to the kitchen, races back to her customers with drinks, and smiles calmly. (The tenses should be the same in a sentence; this sentence has consistent present tense.)


Providing Necessary Tense Shifts• Another type of verb error can occur when writers need to shift from the past to

the more distant past and use past perfect tense.• Example: By the time I arrived at the lake, they finished sailing.• This is incorrect because they had finished sailing before I arrived at the lake,

even though both situations occurred in the past.• Example Corrected: By the time I arrived (past tense) at the lake, they had

finished (past perfect tense) sailing.


Passive and Active Voice• Active voice: when the subject of the sentence is doing something• Passive voice: when something is done to the subject

• Active voice: I painted the house. (I, the subject, did it.)• Active voice: The people on the corner made a donation to the emergency fund.

(The people, the subject, did it.)

• Passive voice: The house was painted by me. (The house, the subject, didn’t do anything. It received the action; it was painted.)

• Passive voice: A donation to the emergency fun was made by the people on the corner. (The donation, the subject, didn’t do anything. It received the action; it was given.)


Avoiding Unnecessary Shifts in Voice• Do not shift from active voice to passive voice, or from passive voice to active

voice.

• Wrong, a shift in voice: I designed (active) the decorations for the dance, and they were (passive) arranged by Charles.

• Correct: I designed (active) the decorations for the dance, and Charles arranged (active) them.

• Correct: The decorations for the dance were (passive) designed by me, and they were (passive) arranged by Charles.

Chapter 21: Verb ShiftsExercises

• Identify and correct the incorrect uses of verbs.

Q. Kirsten has curly ringlets in her hair, and she have dimples on her cheeks.A. Kirsten has curly ringlets in her hair, and she has dimples on her cheeks.

Q. On the last holiday weekend, the police do everything to stop drunk drivers from injuring other drivers.

A. On the last holiday weekend, the police did everything to stop drunk drivers from injuring other drivers.



Q. The wedding gown was not ready when we was supposed to pick it up.A. The wedding gown was not ready when we were supposed to pick it up.

Q. Yesterday, I won the lottery; now I felt happy.A. Yesterday, I won the lottery; now I feel happy.

Q. Before I began my homework, I ate an entire bowl of popcorn.A. Before I began my homework, I had eaten an entire bowl of popcorn.



Q. Even before we arrived at the ice rink, Millicent spent all her money.A. Even before we arrived at the ice rink, Millicent had spent all her money.

Q. Every day the zookeeper feeds the animals and cleaned their cages.A. Every day the zookeeper feeds the animals and cleans their cages.



Q. Ashley bought the boots, but the boots were given to Nikki by Ashley.A. Ashley bought the boots, but she gave the boots to Nikki.

Q. Alyssa and Madelyn walked home, and each eats a granola bar.A. Alyssa and Madelyn walked home, and each ate a granola bar.

Q. Evan prepared the birdhouse, and then the birdhouse was painted by Nathaniel.A. Evan prepared the birdhouse, and then Nathaniel painted it.

Chapter 21: Verb Shifts Verbs tell about time and when events occurs. Future time: He will run to...

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