Key Strategies for Verb Form in SAT Grammar with Practice Questions
What is Verb Form?
There are many types of verbs so they can take different forms due to the verb tense (past, present or future tense), number (e.g. sing, sings) and other forms like modal verbs (e.g. can sing, could sing)
SAT Strategy
Questions will normally have the wrong verb form or have auxiliay verbs incorrect or missing. Have confidence in your feeling if the text is wrong and what option is correct.
SAT Tips & Advice
Recognizing the correct form of the verb is gained by reading and general exposure to English and English learning. It is a skill gained naturally rather than having to learn many grammar rules.
As a native speaker English it is easier to gain afeeling to what sounds or feels correct rahter than understand the complexity of the differnet verb forms. Preparing for the digital SAT (DSAT), it is better to use practice questions than spending time on these areas of grammar.
If you wish to check on an area of verb-related grammar there are many resources. But these questions are only a small part of the SAT test.
Official Practice Question Examples
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- While many spiders use webs to catch their food, others capture prey using hunting or burrowing techniques. Spiders from the family Ctenizidae, often called trapdoor spiders, ______ their burrows with doors, using their silk for hinges.
- A cover
- B are covering
- C will have covering
- D had covered
- Botanists recognize over fifty different species of sunflower, and variance exists even in those species. One species, the silverleaf sunflower, ______ both an early-flowering ecotype that tends to grow in coastal areas and a late-flowering ecotype that grows inland.
- A encompassing
- B to encompass
- C encompasses
- D having encompassed
- The Pando aspen grove in Fishlake National Forest, Utah, is considered to be one single organism due to its intertwined roots. Pando, currently the heaviest known organism, weighed 6,600 tons.
- A NO CHANGE
- B weighing
- C weighs
- D has weighed
4 After the explorer Hernán Cortés arrived in South America, he is setting fire to all his ships, preventing his crew from returning home.
- A NO CHANGE
- B has set fire to
- C set fire to
- D was set on fire by
- In the 1904 Olympics men’s marathon, American runner Fred Lorz takes a car to the 19 mile mark and ran from there. Originally declared the winner, Lorz later lost the gold medal.
- A NO CHANGE
- B is taking
- C was taking
- D took
- One of the most important political and scientific figures in American history, Benjamin Franklin serving as the US ambassador to France, founded the University of Pennsylvania, and published The Pennsylvania Gazette.
- A NO CHANGE
- B served
- C had served
- D was serving
- Despite being raised in a time and place in which black students were prevented or discouraged from attaining higher education, Percy Julian went on to become a PhD and a successful chemist. His most famous invention were Aero-Foam, a soy protein fire extinguisher used in World War II.
- A NO CHANGE
- B was
- C will be
- D being
- Historians suggest that biological warfare is first being used in 1347, when the Mongols intentionally spread the Black Plague to exterminate their enemies.
- A NO CHANGE
- B was first used in
- C was first using
- D was first being used in
- As part of their annual migration up the Pacific coast, gray whales and their calves to pass a chasm of open water near Monterey Bay, California. In this area, they are frequently attacked by killer whales.
- A NO CHANGE
- B have passed
- C pass
- D passing
Official Questions Explanation
- Questions 1, 3, 4 and 5 are examples of questions with verb tense errors.
- As does question 8 that also changes active and passive voice in incorrect answers.
- Question 2 uses verbs incorrectly leaving the text without a main verb.
- This is also seen in both questions 6 and 9 which also include verb tense issues.
- Question 7 is an example of subject-verb agreement.
- A cover
- C encompasses
- C weighs
- C set fire to
- D took
- B served
- B was
- B was first used in
- C pass
Verb Form Introduction Exercise
1. She _____ to the store every day.
- a) go
- b) goes
- c) going
- d) gone
2. They _____ soccer on weekends.
- a) plays
- b) playing
- c) played
- d) play
3. He _____ not like chocolate.
- a) do
- b) does
- c) did
- d) doing
4. We _____ in a big city.
- a) live
- b) living
- c) lives
- d) lived
5. The cat _____ on the mat.
- a) sits
- b) sit
- c) sitting
- d) sat
6. She _____ a book every month.
- a) read
- b) reads
- c) reading
- d) readed
7. They _____ their homework now.
- a) doing
- b) do
- c) does
- d) did
8. He _____ TV in the evening.
- a) watch
- b) watches
- c) watching
- d) watched
9. We _____ pizza for dinner yesterday.
- a) have
- b) having
- c) has
- d) had
10. The dog _____ at the strangers.
- a) bark
- b) barking
- c) barks
- d) barked
Practice Questions (Set 1)
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- The baby birds _______ loudly for their mother.
- – a) chirps
- – b) chirping
- – c) chirp
- – d) chirped
- Maria _______ the book before the class starts.
- – a) read
- – b) reading
- – c) reads
- – d) have read
- The students _______ the assignment on time.
- – a) complete
- – b) completed
- – c) will completes
- – d) completes
- Every morning, Tom _______ a cup of coffee before heading to work.
- – a) drinks
- – b) drinking
- – c) drank
- – d) drink
- The sun _______ in the east and sets in the west.
- – a) rise
- – b) rising
- – c) rises
- – d) risen
Practice Questions (Set 2)
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- While the chef _______ the vegetables, the assistant prepared the sauce.
- – a) chopping
- – b) chop
- – c) chopped
- – d) chops
- The committee _______ its decision by the end of the week.
- – a) announce
- – b) announced
- – c) announcing
- – d) announces
- When the movie ______, the audience applauded loudly.
- – a) end
- – b) ends
- – c) ended
- – d) ending
- The company _______ a new product line next month.
- – a) launching
- – b) launches
- – c) launch
- – d) launched
- By the time the fire department arrived, the building _______.
- – a) burns
- – b) burning
- – c) burn
- – d) had burned
Practice Questions (Set 3)
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- The ancient ruins _______ tourists from all over the world.
- – a) attract
- – b) attracting
- – c) attracted
- – d) attracts
- The scientist _______ a groundbreaking discovery in her research.
- – a) makes
- – b) making
- – c) make
- – d) made
- After the meeting, the team members _______ their tasks for the project.
- – a) discussing
- – b) discuss
- – c) discussed
- – d) discusses
- The athlete _______ several records during his career.
- – a) breaking
- – b) break
- – c) breaks
- – d) broke
- By the time we arrived, the concert _______.
- – a) start
- – b) started
- – c) had started
- – d) starts
Practice Questions (Set 4)
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- While many artists _______ traditional methods, others experiment with new techniques.
- – a) using
- – b) use
- – c) uses
- – d) used
- The committee _______ over fifty different proposals before making a decision.
- – a) reviewed
- – b) reviews
- – c) review
- – d) reviewing
- The novelist _______ his latest book at a local bookstore next week.
- – a) signing
- – b) sign
- – c) signed
- – d) will sign
- The historical document _______ significant insights into ancient civilizations.
- – a) providing
- – b) provide
- – c) provides
- – d) provided
- By the time the experiment concluded, the scientist _______ conclusive results.
- – a) obtained
- – b) obtain
- – c) obtaining
- – d) obtains
Practice Questions Answers
Introduction Questions
1. She **goes** to the store every day.
– b) goes
2. They **play** soccer on weekends.
– d) play
3. He **does** not like chocolate.
– b) does
4. We **live** in a big city.
– a) live
5. The cat **sits** on the mat.
– a) sits
6. She **reads** a book every month.
– b) reads
7. They **do** their homework now.
– b) do
8. He **watches** TV in the evening.
– b) watches
9. We **had** pizza for dinner yesterday.
– d) had
10. The dog **barks** at the strangers.
– c) barks
Set 1
1. The baby birds **chirp** loudly for their mother.
– c) chirp
2. Maria **reads** the book before the class starts.
– c) reads
3. The students **completed** the assignment on time.
– b) completed
4. Every morning, Tom **drinks** a cup of coffee before heading to work.
– a) drinks
5. The sun **rises** in the east and sets in the west.
– c) rises
Set 2
1. While the chef **chopped** the vegetables, the assistant prepared the sauce.
– c) chopped
2. The committee **announces** its decision by the end of the week.
– d) announces
3. When the movie **ended**, the audience applauded loudly.
– c) ended
4. The company **launches** a new product line next month.
– b) launches
5. By the time the fire department arrived, the building **had burned**.
– d) had burned
Set 3
1. The ancient ruins **attract** tourists from all over the world.
– a) attract
2. The scientist **made** a groundbreaking discovery in her research.
– d) made
3. After the meeting, the team members **discussed** their tasks for the project.
– c) discussed
4. The athlete **broke** several records during his career.
– d) broke
5. By the time we arrived, the concert **had started**.
– c) had started
Set 4
1. While many artists **use** traditional methods, others experiment with new techniques.
– b) use
2. The committee **reviewed** over fifty different proposals before making a decision.
– a) reviewed
3. The novelist **will sign** his latest book at a local bookstore next week.
– d) will sign
4. The historical document **provides** significant insights into ancient civilizations.
– c) provides
5. By the time the experiment concluded, the scientist **had obtained** conclusive results.
– a) obtained