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By: Patrick Girouard,
on 4/24/2015
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By: Diana Hurwitz,
on 6/13/2014
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By: Diana Hurwitz,
on 5/16/2014
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Most verbs are regular and are turned into past tense by adding ed or en.
amble, ambled
be, been
Irregular verbs do not follow this rule. Here is a list of irregular verbs in present, past, then past perfect order.
Present tense: You are doing the action.
Past tense: You have completed the action.
Past perfect tense: You completed the action at some point in the past before something else happened.
arise, arose, arisen
ask, asked, asked
attack, attacked, attacked
awaken, awakened/awoke/ awakened
bear, bore, borne/born
begin, began, begun
blow, blew, blown
break, broke, broken
bring, brought, brought
burst, burst, burst
choose, chose, chosen
cling, clung, clung
come, came, come
dive, dived/dove, dived
do, did, done
drag, dragged, dragged
draw, drew, drawn
drink, drank, drunk
drive, drove, driven
drown, drowned, drowned
eat, ate, eaten
fall, fell, fallen
fly, flew, flown
forgive, forgave, forgiven
freeze, froze, frozen
get, got, got/gotten
give, gave, given
go, went, gone
grow, grew, grown
hang (things), hung, hung
hang (people), hanged, hanged
happen, happened, happened
know, knew, known
lay, laid, laid
lead, led, led
lie, lay, lain
loosen, loosened, loosened
lose, lost, lost
pay, paid, paid
ride, rode, ridden
ring, rang, rung
rise, rose, risen
run, ran, run
see, saw, seen
set, set, set
shake, shook, shaken
shrink, shrank/shrunk, shrunk/shrunken
sing, sang, sung
sink, sank/sunk, sunk
sit, sat, sat
speak, spoke, spoken
spin, spun, spun
spit, spat, spat
spring, sprang/sprung, sprung
steal, stole, stolen
sting, stung, stung
stink, stank/stunk, stunk
strive, strove, striven
study, studied, studied
swear, swore, sworn
swim, swam, swum
swing, swung, swung
take, took, taken
tear, tore, torn
throw, threw, thrown
wake, woke/waked, woken/waked
wear, wore, worn
weave, wove, woven
wring, wrung, wrung
write, wrote, written
As you go through your revision process, do a search for these verbs and make sure you have used them properly.
By: Karen Strong,
on 5/12/2011
Blog: Musings of a Novelista (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: LAURIE WALLMARK,
on 5/8/2011
Blog: Just the Facts, Ma'am (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Karen Strong,
on 10/28/2009
Blog: Musings of a Novelista (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Patrick Girouard,
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By: Diana Hurwitz,
on 6/13/2014
Blog: Game On! Creating Character Conflict (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: fiction, novel, editing, writing, grammar, revision, subject, nouns, howto, tense, verb, sentencestructure, Add a tag
When revising, it is important to look at each sentence for subject-verb agreement. This is one of those skills that comes naturally over time.
There are a few tricky circumstances to double check.
1) A singular subject requires a singular verb. A plural subject requires a plural verb with a few exceptions.
I sing. You sing. We all sing for ice cream.
The little girls all sang for their supper.
2) If the subject has two singular nouns joined with and use a plural verb.
Dick and Jane are ready to go home.
3) If the subject has two singular nouns joined with or or nor, use a singular verb.
Neither Dick nor Jane is ready to go home.
4) If the subject has a singular noun joined to a plural noun by or or nor, the verb should agree with whichever noun comes last.
Neither Dick nor his friends want to play catch outside.
Either Sally or Jane visits everyday.
5) The contractions doesn't (does not) and wasn't (was not) are always used with a singular subject.
Dick doesn’t want to go.
6) The contractions don't (do not) and weren't (were not) are always used with a plural subject. The exception to this rule is I and you require don't.
We don’t want to go with Jane.
You don’t believe me.
I don’t want to go home yet.
1) A singular subject requires a singular verb. A plural subject requires a plural verb with a few exceptions.
I sing. You sing. We all sing for ice cream.
The little girls all sang for their supper.
2) If the subject has two singular nouns joined with and use a plural verb.
Dick and Jane are ready to go home.
3) If the subject has two singular nouns joined with or or nor, use a singular verb.
Neither Dick nor Jane is ready to go home.
4) If the subject has a singular noun joined to a plural noun by or or nor, the verb should agree with whichever noun comes last.
Neither Dick nor his friends want to play catch outside.
Either Sally or Jane visits everyday.
5) The contractions doesn't (does not) and wasn't (was not) are always used with a singular subject.
Dick doesn’t want to go.
6) The contractions don't (do not) and weren't (were not) are always used with a plural subject. The exception to this rule is I and you require don't.
We don’t want to go with Jane.
You don’t believe me.
I don’t want to go home yet.
7) When a modifying phrase comes between the subject and the verb, it does not change the agreement. The verb always agrees with the subject, not the modifying phrase.
Dick, as well as his friends, hopes the Colts win.
Jane, as well as Sally and Dick, hopes the meeting will be over soon.
Dick, as well as his friends, hopes the Colts win.
Jane, as well as Sally and Dick, hopes the meeting will be over soon.
8) Distributives are singular and need a singular verb: anybody, anyone, each, each one, either, everybody, everyone, neither, no, one, nobody, somebody, someone.
Each of them will go there someday.
Nobody knows Dick is here.
Either way works.
Neither option is viable.
9) Plural nouns functioning as a single unit, such as mathematics, measles, and mumps, require singular verbs. An exception is the word dollars. When used to reference an amount of money, dollars requires a singular verb; but when referring to the bills themselves, a plural verb is required.
Five thousand dollars would suffice.
Dollars are easier to exchange than Euros.
Each of them will go there someday.
Nobody knows Dick is here.
Either way works.
Neither option is viable.
9) Plural nouns functioning as a single unit, such as mathematics, measles, and mumps, require singular verbs. An exception is the word dollars. When used to reference an amount of money, dollars requires a singular verb; but when referring to the bills themselves, a plural verb is required.
Five thousand dollars would suffice.
Dollars are easier to exchange than Euros.
10) Another exception is nouns with two parts. They can usually be prefaced with a pair of and require a plural verb: glasses, pants, panties, scissors, or trousers. Why they are considered pairs is another question.
Dick's trousers are worn.
Jane's scissors are missing.
Dick's trousers are worn.
Jane's scissors are missing.
11) When a sentence begins with the verb phrases there is and there are and they are followed by the subject, the verb must agree with the subject that follows.
There are many who would agree with you.
There is the question of who goes first.
There are many who would agree with you.
There is the question of who goes first.
12) A subject can be modified by a phrase that begins with: accompanied by, as well as, as with, in addition to, including, or together with. However, this does not modify the plurality of the subject. If the subject is single, it requires a singular verb. If the subject is plural, it requires a plural verb.
Dick, accompanied by his wife Jane, will arrive in ten minutes.
Everything, including the kitchen sink, is up for auction.
The cousins, together with their dog, are going to be here for a week.
Dick, accompanied by his wife Jane, will arrive in ten minutes.
Everything, including the kitchen sink, is up for auction.
The cousins, together with their dog, are going to be here for a week.
Revision Tips
? This step needs to be done sentence by sentence and is best done on a printed copy. Identify the complicated sentences.
? Underline the subject and verb. Do they agree? If not, correct them.
? Make sure the modifying phrases are used correctly.
For all of the revision tips on verbs and other revision layers, pick up a copy of:
0 Comments on Subject-Verb Agreement as of 6/13/2014 11:27:00 PM
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By: Diana Hurwitz,
on 5/16/2014
Blog: Game On! Creating Character Conflict (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: fiction, editing, writing, grammar, craft, structure, time, sentence, tense, verb, noun, Add a tag
amble, ambled
be, been
Irregular verbs do not follow this rule. Here is a list of irregular verbs in present, past, then past perfect order.
Present tense: You are doing the action.
Past tense: You have completed the action.
Past perfect tense: You completed the action at some point in the past before something else happened.
arise, arose, arisen
ask, asked, asked
attack, attacked, attacked
awaken, awakened/awoke/ awakened
bear, bore, borne/born
begin, began, begun
blow, blew, blown
break, broke, broken
bring, brought, brought
burst, burst, burst
choose, chose, chosen
cling, clung, clung
come, came, come
dive, dived/dove, dived
do, did, done
drag, dragged, dragged
draw, drew, drawn
drink, drank, drunk
drive, drove, driven
drown, drowned, drowned
eat, ate, eaten
fall, fell, fallen
fly, flew, flown
forgive, forgave, forgiven
freeze, froze, frozen
get, got, got/gotten
give, gave, given
go, went, gone
grow, grew, grown
hang (things), hung, hung
hang (people), hanged, hanged
happen, happened, happened
know, knew, known
lay, laid, laid
lead, led, led
lie, lay, lain
loosen, loosened, loosened
lose, lost, lost
pay, paid, paid
ride, rode, ridden
ring, rang, rung
rise, rose, risen
run, ran, run
see, saw, seen
set, set, set
shake, shook, shaken
shrink, shrank/shrunk, shrunk/shrunken
sing, sang, sung
sink, sank/sunk, sunk
sit, sat, sat
speak, spoke, spoken
spin, spun, spun
spit, spat, spat
spring, sprang/sprung, sprung
steal, stole, stolen
sting, stung, stung
stink, stank/stunk, stunk
strive, strove, striven
study, studied, studied
swear, swore, sworn
swim, swam, swum
swing, swung, swung
take, took, taken
tear, tore, torn
throw, threw, thrown
wake, woke/waked, woken/waked
wear, wore, worn
weave, wove, woven
wring, wrung, wrung
write, wrote, written
As you go through your revision process, do a search for these verbs and make sure you have used them properly.
0 Comments on Irregular verbs as of 5/16/2014 11:32:00 AM
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By: Karen Strong,
on 5/12/2011
Blog: Musings of a Novelista (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: POV, tense, present tense, 1st Person, Fiction Craft, My Writing Projects, Add a tag
For my first three “drawer” novels, I wrote in 3rd person point of view (POV), but I then for the last two projects, I’ve written in 1st person POV.
However, it was always in past tense.
For this current project, I’ve played with using present tense with past revisions. My story has a lot of suspense and a few major action scenes so I’m thinking it may be more effective written in the present tense.
I’ve also noticed the last few YA novels that I’ve read have been in 1st person present tense as well. Especially if they contain a lot of suspense and/or action scenes. I’ve also noticed that it has a more immediate effect — almost like you’re watching a movie unfold. It makes me wonder if the story form is changing to this more dramatic form. At least in YA.
I may try it this summer. But it’s not as easy as just changing all of the verbs from past tense to present tense. It will take some tweaking.
So writer friends, what about you? Is your current novel project in past or present tense? Do you think present tense is the “new thing?” Or do you have a preference for past tense?
5 Comments on First Person Present Tense, last added: 5/13/2011
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By: LAURIE WALLMARK,
on 5/8/2011
Blog: Just the Facts, Ma'am (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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What are some of the problems with using the present tense?
http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2011/05/present-tense-problems.html
0 Comments on Present Tense as of 5/8/2011 3:18:00 PM
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By: Karen Strong,
on 10/28/2009
Blog: Musings of a Novelista (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I’m on Day 5 of my 25 scenes in 25 days. But I’ve also cut a scene. So much for my catchy phrase. I’m thinking it will be replaced but not sure. It may have to wait until the next revision round.
I also cut a character. Alexis was a character in my draft who was supposed to help Grace, my protagonist, but she was only in one scene in Act 1 and didn’t really do anything else—didn’t even make another appearance until Act 3. So even though I do like this character, I decided Alexis would have to go. The things she does to help Grace can be done by two other characters who have a major impact with the storyline.
Two writer friends, Christine Taylor-Butler and Anna Staniszewski, also gave me some great advice about the present vs. past tense situation. I think at least for this revision, I’m going to stick with the past tense. I can always change it later.
Another thing that Christine pointed out was the use of “I’s”. I need to pay attention to this during my revision. Since this novel is in 1st POV, I need to find better ways to re-craft sentences. Not use so many “I’s.” Also working on active verbs. I’m pretty good with spotting passive voice, but now I’m looking for better and stronger verbs.
So, that’s what’s going on with the revision. I have 20 more scenes to revise and so far good progress. Breaking it up like this has taken a lot of stress off me. I still have a long way to go with this revision, but little steps make progress.
2 Comments on Revision Update: Cutting Characters, last added: 10/30/2009
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I can so far only write third person past tense, however, I am trying to practice writing first person POV. I have a hard time with it so it is going really slow. It is a form I definitely to work on. I like reading first person POV in past and present, but I only like to read third person POV in past tense (don’t ask me why, I am still trying to figure it out myself)
Anne: You know that could be it too. The last few novels I’ve read have been in present tense but I just finished a novel last night and it was in past tense and still very exciting with the action and emotion. I think it could possibly work both ways, but I can see what you mean, you can be influenced by what you read.
Anna Ha, why does it not surprise me that we’ll be working on this same “experiment” this summer. We’ll have to touch base with each and see how it all turns out. :)
Lisa: See this is funny. I remember first reading a present tense novel and I didn’t like it. But maybe since after reading THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy and other books, I’m really liking the immediacy of it too.
Laura: Thanks! We’ll see how it goes. Worse case, I try it and it doesn’t work. At least I’ll know right? Ha.
Saba: When I first started writing, I only wrote in 3rd POV, but now I find it harder to get into. I feel too far away from the character. However, I think my next project will be in 3rd POV. We’ll see!
I’m trying it, Karen! Can’t say it will stay but I am trying it in present tense…
I used to always right in past tense, but my past few WIPs have been in present. I love it–it’s like the reader is discovering everything along with the narrator. :)
The MG that I’ve finished is 1st person past tense, but the YA I’m working on now is 1st person present. present tense is definitely working for my YA. I love it.