How well do you remember your verbs—present, past, future, participles, present continuous, past perfect, etc.? Take this quiz and find out!

What is the verb tense in the song title "Morning Has Broken"?

simple present

present continuous

present perfect

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Present perfect consists of a present-tense form of "to have" plus a past participle.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Present perfect consists of a present-tense form of "to have" plus a past participle.

What do you call "were" in the following sentence?

If Renny were in Switzerland, she would go skiing.

conditional

indicative

subjunctive

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

To describe something that is not true in the present, use the subjunctive: "were."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

To describe something that is not true in the present, use the subjunctive: "were."

How many present tense verbs appear in the following sentence?

She now works during the day and goes to school at night, and although she is tired, she is far happier than she was last year.

one

two

three

four

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The four present-tense verbs are "works," "goes," "is," and "is."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The four present-tense verbs are "works," "goes," "is," and "is."

Which option below describes "is ringing" in the following sentence?

The doorbell is ringing loudly.

present perfect

present continuous

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The present continuous consists of a present-tense form of "to be" plus a present participle (ing verb form). Present perfect would be "has rung" or "have rung."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The present continuous consists of a present-tense form of "to be" plus a present participle (ing verb form). Present perfect would be "has rung" or "have rung."

What is the future perfect of "to see"?

will have seen

will see

will be seeing

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

"Will see" is future, and "will be seeing" is future continuous.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

"Will see" is future, and "will be seeing" is future continuous.

What is the present continuous (also known as present progressive) of "anger"?

is angering

angers

has angered

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The present continuous of a verb is (1) a present tense form of "to be" (am, is, are) + (2) the present participle, which is the ing form.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The present continuous of a verb is (1) a present tense form of "to be" (am, is, are) + (2) the present participle, which is the ing form.

What is the past perfect of "to draw"?

would have drawn

had drawn

has drawn

was drawing

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

Past perfect consists of (1) the past tense of "have," i.e., "had" + (2) the past participle.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

Past perfect consists of (1) the past tense of "have," i.e., "had" + (2) the past participle.

Select the option that describes "was adjusting" in the following sentence.

Mitsy jumped on Alger's head as he was adjusting the shades.

past perfect

past continuous

passive voice

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The past perfect of "adjust" would be "had adjusted, and passive would require something like this: "Mitsy jumped on Alger's head as the shades were being adjusted by him."

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The past perfect of "adjust" would be "had adjusted, and passive would require something like this: "Mitsy jumped on Alger's head as the shades were being adjusted by him."

What is the future continuous of "to ban"?

will ban

will be banning

is banning

will continue banning

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

To form future continuous, combine "will be" with the present participle (ing form). As for the other answers, "will ban" is future, "is banning" is present continuous, and "will continue banning" is just a decoy.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

What is the present participle of "to lie" in the sense of "to lie down"?

lying

lied

lain

Incorrect, but never fear—an explanation is here!

The present participle is the ing form of the verb, as in "He is lying down." There is a spelling change from ie to y, because "lieing" would look weird.

That’s correct! Here’s why:

The present participle is the ing form of the verb, as in "He is lying down." There is a spelling change from ie to y, because "lieing" would look weird.

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