Juliette is a middle school English teacher at Sacred Heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Juliette earned a BA in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Elon University and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Classroom Teacher license from the Connecticut State Department of Education. Juliette possesses strong skills in English language arts, writing, editing, and literature study. She has a deep passion for working with young people and contributing to the education of America's youth in the classroom.
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If you want to improve your English grammar skills and have some fun while you’re at it, try this quiz on regular and irregular verbs! A regular verb follows a simple pattern to create simple past and past participle forms, whereas irregular verbs have their own rules for creating past forms. This quiz has questions of both kinds; your job is to pick the right form of the verb while keeping the concept of the regular and irregular verbs in mind. Good luck, and don’t forget to have fun!
Questions and Answers
1.
We had just(drink) _______________ our lemonade.
Explanation The correct answer is "drunk" because it is the past participle form of the verb "drink" which is used to describe the action of consuming the lemonade in the past.
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2.
When Joanna (run)_______________ into our cottage, she told us the news.
Explanation The correct answer is "ran" because it is the past tense form of the verb "run". In the given sentence, it is implied that Joanna entered the cottage in a quick manner, indicating an action that happened in the past. Therefore, "ran" is the appropriate verb form to use in this context.
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3.
She claimed that she had (see)_______________ the great sea serpent of Indian Lake.
Explanation The correct word to complete the sentence is "seen." The sentence uses the past perfect tense, which requires the past participle of the verb. The past participle of "see" is "seen." The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past. In this case, the woman claimed that she had seen the sea serpent before she made the claim.
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4.
Before we could question her, she had already(go) _______________ on to tell the neighbors.
Explanation Before we could question her, she had already gone on to tell the neighbors. This means that she left or departed from the current location to continue with the action of telling the neighbors.
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5.
The enormous sea serpent had been (speak) _______________ about often throughout town.
Explanation The correct answer is "spoken" because the sentence is in the past perfect tense and the verb "had been" indicates an action that happened before another action in the past. In this case, the sea serpent had been speaking about something.
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6.
The monster was often (write)_______________ about in the newspaper during that summer.
Explanation The word "written" is the past participle form of the verb "write". The sentence suggests that the person mentioned in the question has written something during the summer.
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7.
I had almost(begin) _______________ to believe in it.
Explanation The correct answer is "begun". The sentence is in the past tense and the word "almost" suggests that the action of believing had already started but was not fully completed. Therefore, the correct verb form to use is "begun", which is the past participle form of "begin".
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8.
Vacationers had hesitated to let their children go into the water for fear that the monster might devour them. For many people it had really(take) ________________ all the fun out of swimming.
Explanation The correct answer is "taken". In the sentence, the word "really" suggests that the fear of the monster devouring their children has significantly affected the enjoyment of swimming for many people. The word "taken" in this context means that the fear has completely removed or eliminated the fun from swimming.
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9.
We rushed down to the beach, where a large crowd had (come) _______________ together.
Explanation The correct answer is "come" because it is the past participle form of the verb "come" that agrees with the subject "a large crowd." The sentence is describing an event in the past where the speaker and others hurriedly went to the beach, and upon arrival, they observed that a large crowd had already gathered there.
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10.
Everybody was pointing to a long, black line on the surface of the water, which had(throw)_______________ the swimmers into a panic.
Explanation The correct answer is "thrown." In this sentence, the word "had" indicates that the action of throwing had already happened in the past. The subject "line" is the one performing the action of throwing, and it causes the swimmers to panic. Therefore, the correct form of the verb "throw" to use in this sentence is "thrown."
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11.
It was only a few hundred feet from the shore. A person could have (swim)_______________ to it in a few minutes, but no one volunteered to do so.
Explanation The correct answer is "swam". In this sentence, the word "swam" is the past participle form of the verb "swim". It is used to indicate that someone has swam in the past. In this context, it suggests that someone could have swam to the object in a few minutes, but nobody offered to do it.
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12.
Some of the onlookers were sure that they (see)________________ the monster’s great jaws and lashing tail.
Explanation The correct answer is "saw". This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the subject "onlookers" is plural. Therefore, the verb "see" needs to be conjugated in the past tense for plural subjects, which is "saw".
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13.
“We should have (ring) _______________ for the police,” somebody suggested.
Explanation The correct answer is "rung". The sentence is in the past tense and the verb "should have" indicates a missed opportunity or regret. The word "rung" is the past participle form of the verb "ring", which means to make a sound or call by striking a bell or similar object. Therefore, the suggestion is that someone should have made a phone call or alarm for the police in the past.
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14.
However, no one knew what our single police officer could have (do) _______________ about a sea serpent.
Explanation The sentence requires the past participle of the verb "do" to complete the past perfect tense. The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. In this case, the police officer's potential actions (or lack thereof) regarding the sea serpent occurred before the situation being described in the sentence. Sources and related content
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15.
It soon grew dark and (begin) _______________ to rain.
Explanation The sentence is in the past tense and describes an action that occurred after it grew dark. The word "began" is the past tense form of the verb "begin," which accurately conveys the action of the rain starting.
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16.
Everybody (go)____________ home.
Explanation The correct answer is "went". In this sentence, the verb "go" needs to be in the past tense to match with the subject "everybody". Therefore, "went" is the correct past tense form of "go".
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17.
The townspeople (do)_______________ nothing about the monster.
Explanation The correct answer is "did" because it is the past tense form of the verb "do". It indicates that the people in the town did not do anything else about the sea monster.
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18.
The next morning the sea serpent was found (lie)_______________ on the beach.
Explanation The correct answer is "lying" because it is the present participle form of the verb "lie." In this context, "lying" indicates that the sea serpent was found in a reclining or resting position on the beach.
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19.
It turned out to be a long pillar that must have (break) _______________ loose from a nearby pier.
Explanation The correct answer is "broken". The sentence states that the pillar must have been loose from a nearby pier, indicating that it was no longer intact or whole. Therefore, the appropriate word to fill in the blank is "broken."
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20.
Someone with a paintbrush and a sense of humor had ( give)_______________ the monster a ferocious head with glaring eyes.
Explanation The sentence is written in the past tense, and the past tense of the verb “give” is “given.”
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21.
The perpetrator had even (write) _______________ along its side, “Captured by David Hudg—”
Explanation The correct answer is "written" because the sentence is in the past tense and the word "had" is used, indicating an action that occurred before another past action. In this case, the word "written" is the past participle form of the verb "write" and fits grammatically in the sentence.
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22.
The person doing the graffiti had apparently (run) ______________ out of either paint or patience.
Explanation In this sentence, the word "run" is used in a phrasal verb form, "run out of," which means to have no more of something or to have used up all of a particular resource. The sentence suggests that the person doing the graffiti had either used up all their paint or lost their patience while creating the graffiti, and therefore had to stop. The context implies that the graffiti might be unfinished or incomplete due to the lack of either paint or patience.
The phrasal verb "run out of" is a common expression in English to describe the situation when a supply or resource is exhausted. In this case, it effectively communicates the idea that the person doing the graffiti could not continue their work due to either a lack of materials or a loss of patience.
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23.
From miles around, people (drive)_______________ over to see it.
Explanation The correct answer is "drove". In this sentence, the verb "drive" needs to be in the past tense to match the subject "people". Therefore, "drove" is the correct past tense form of "drive" to complete the sentence.
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24.
The Greenville Gazette ( give)_______________ the complete story of the famous sea serpent of Indian Lake.
Explanation The correct answer is "gave" because it is the past tense of the verb "give" and matches the subject "The Greenville Gazette." It indicates that the newspaper provided or presented the complete story of the famous sea serpent of Indian Lake.
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25.
There was even a picture that someone had (take)_______________ of it.
Explanation The word "taken" is the past participle form of the verb "take." In this sentence, it is used to indicate that someone had taken a picture of something. The past participle form is commonly used in passive voice constructions or to form perfect tenses. In this case, it suggests that the action of taking the picture was completed in the past.
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Juliette Firla |MA (Teaching Writing)|
English Teacher
Juliette is a middle school English teacher at Sacred Heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Juliette earned a BA in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Elon University and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Classroom Teacher license from the Connecticut State Department of Education. Juliette possesses strong skills in English language arts, writing, editing, and literature study. She has a deep passion for working with young people and contributing to the education of America's youth in the classroom.
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