1. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College The Grammar Business Part One 5. Common Verb Errors

2. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 2` Verbs are doing or being words Verbs change when time changes This is called a change of tense For example: - I go bonkers - I went bonkers yesterday - I will go bonkers tomorrow - I have been bonkers often

3. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 3` And there are rules Here are some different tenses of a regular verb (don’t mention the irregular ones yet!) For example: - I walk (now) - I walked (yesterday) - I had walked (day before yesterday) - I will walk (tomorrow)

4. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 4` The pattern The ‘stem’ of the verb ( ‘walk’ ) doesn’t change. But in the past tense you add ‘ed’. Further back in time you put ‘had’ before the ‘walked’ - I walk (now) - I walked yesterday - I had walked (day before yesterday) - I will walk (tomorrow)

5. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 5` And irregular verbs? Commonly-used verbs are often irregular. The stem of the verb may not stay the same. For example: - I go (now); - I went(yesterday); - I had gone (the day before yesterday) - I will go (tomorrow)

6. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 6` Another irregular verb See For example: - I see (now); - I saw (yesterday); - I had seen (the day before yesterday) - I will see (tomorrow)

7. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 7` Try making an irregular verb follow a regular pattern You’ll see why and how children make mistakes For example: - I see (now); - I seed (yesterday); - I had seed (the day before yesterday) - I will see (tomorrow)

8. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 8` Common verb errors are connected with familiar verbs like - do - go - be - see

9. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 9` We may use a verb form in speech, that is technically ‘wrong’ For example I seen my mother yesterday - instead of I saw my mother yesterday

10. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 10` Everybody understands ‘I seen my mother yesterday’ but In writing, if you want to sound correct, you’ll have to write: I saw my mother yesterday

11. The Grammar Business © 2001 Glenrothes College 11` Look at some of the common traps Ask for Handout Four