All verbs—except be (you so special, be)—have six different forms:
- base
- infinitive
- past tense
- past participle
- present participle
- -s form
Simple, right?
Yeah, we didn't think so. Fortunately, we can give you the lowdown on all six forms.
Base
The base form of the verb is also called the dictionary form. We'll give you one guess as to why.This form is the starting point: you can change a base verb into all of the other forms of verb. It'...
Infinitive
Don't confuse infinitive with infinite. Infinite verbs are too frightening to even think about.The infinitive form of a verb is made up of the word to plus the base form of the verb. They never sta...
Past Simple
The past is never simple… except in grammar.The past simple form is used to show the past tense of actions that began and ended in the past. It doesn't matter when they began and ended; it just m...
Past Participle
Here's where things get a little tricky.First, let's check out a couple of charts that show how the past participle stacks up against the base form and the past tense of verbs. We love charts, alm...
Present Participle
Wouldn't a participle make the best ever birthday present?No, no it wouldn't.The present participle form consists of the base form plus –ing. It has all sorts of uses, like a Swiss army knife or...
Present Simple
The present simple form is used for verbs that express an action happening right now. It's also known as the –s form because the present simple form is made up of the base form plus –s. Hey, we...