Verb Forms Quiz for English Learners

Study Notes

Verb Forms in English

Nonfinite verb forms include infinitives (e.g., to run, to eat) and gerunds (e.g., running, eating) which do not show tense or agree with a subject.
Finite verb forms indicate tense and agree with the subject (e.g., runs, ran). They provide information about when an action happens.

Uses of Verb Forms

Verb forms in modern standard English serve various grammatical functions including acting as main verbs, auxiliaries, and in constructing different tenses and aspects.
They can imply mood, such as indicative, imperative, and subjunctive, to express facts, commands, or hypothetical situations.

Inflected Forms of English Verbs

A typical English verb can have multiple inflected forms, commonly including the base form, past tense, past participle, present participle, and third person singular present.
This results in five distinct forms for regular verbs, while irregular verbs may vary.

Examples of Finite Verb Forms

Finite verbs reflect tense and subject agreement, such as "he runs" (present tense) or "they ran" (past tense). These forms are crucial for constructing sentences that conform to standard subject-verb agreement.

Base or Plain Form of a Verb

The base form (or plain form) represents the verb without any inflections. It serves as the form used in the infinitive without "to" (e.g., run, eat), as well as the root for derivations.

Description

Test your knowledge of English verb forms with this quiz covering finite and nonfinite verb forms, as well as combinations with auxiliary verbs. Explore the uses of verb forms in expressing tense, aspect, mood, modality, and voice in modern standard English.