SAT Reading & Writing – Standard English Conventions
Verb Forms
Selecting correct verb tenses, aspects, and forms to express time and completion accurately
Verb Forms questions test your ability to select the correct verb tense (past, present, future), use appropriate verb aspects (simple, progressive, perfect), form irregular verbs correctly, maintain tense consistency within passages, and recognize when specific tenses best express time relationships. On the SAT, you'll identify which verb form accurately reflects when actions occur and how they relate temporally.
Success requires understanding tense meanings and uses, recognizing time indicators in context, knowing irregular verb forms, maintaining consistency unless meaning requires a shift, and selecting tenses that accurately express temporal relationships. These verb skills aren't just grammar rules—they represent precise time expression essential for academic writing, professional communications, clear narration, and any context where verb tense errors create confusion about when events occur.
Understanding Verb Forms
Basic Tense System
Three main time frames with four aspects each.
Simple Past: Completed actions in the past (She walked. They played.)
Simple Future: Actions that will happen (She will walk. They will play.)
Present Perfect: Past actions relevant now (She has walked. They have played.)
Past Perfect: Actions before other past actions (She had walked. They had played.)
Present Perfect vs. Simple Past (Key Distinction!)
This is THE most tested verb concept on the SAT.
Present Perfect: Past action relevant to present; unspecified time (I have visited Paris.)
Time markers for Simple Past: yesterday, last week, in 2010, ago
Time markers for Present Perfect: already, yet, ever, never, recently, so far, since, for
Key difference: Specific past time = simple past; ongoing relevance = present perfect
Irregular Verb Forms
Common irregular verbs that don't follow -ed pattern.
Begin / began / begun • Ring / rang / rung • Sing / sang / sung
Break / broke / broken • Choose / chose / chosen • Speak / spoke / spoken
Go / went / gone • Do / did / done • See / saw / seen
Lie (recline) / lay / lain • Lay (place) / laid / laid
Common error: Using past tense instead of past participle with "have/has/had"
Verb Aspect: Progressive Forms
Showing ongoing or continuous actions.
Past Progressive: Was happening at specific past time (She was walking.)
Future Progressive: Will be happening (She will be walking.)
Usage: Emphasizes ongoing nature or temporary situation
Not for states: Don't use with "know," "believe," "love," "want" (stative verbs)
Essential Verb Form Selection Strategies
Look for Time Markers
Specific past time: yesterday, last year, in 2010, three days ago → Simple Past
Unspecified/ongoing: already, yet, recently, so far, since, for → Present Perfect
Right now: now, currently, at this moment → Present Progressive
Future indicators: tomorrow, next week, will, going to → Future tenses
Check for Tense Consistency
Match surrounding verbs: If passage is in past tense, maintain past
Look at context: What tense are other verbs in the paragraph?
Deliberate shifts: Sometimes meaning requires tense change (flashback, general truth)
General truths: Can use present even in past-tense passage (facts, scientific laws)
Identify Temporal Relationships
Before other past action: Use past perfect (had + past participle)
Example: She had finished dinner before he arrived. (finish happened first)
Sequence matters: When one past action precedes another, show it with tense
Ongoing to present: Started in past, continues now = present perfect
Verify Irregular Forms
With have/has/had: Must use past participle (I have seen, not I have saw)
Check three forms: Base form, simple past, past participle all differ for many verbs
Common mistakes: "I seen," "He done," "She begun" (missing "have/has/had")
Memorize irregulars: Study common irregular verb forms to recognize errors quickly
Common Pitfalls & Expert Tips
❌ Using simple past with unspecified time
"I visited Paris" (simple past) requires specific time. If no specific time is mentioned or action has present relevance, use present perfect: "I have visited Paris."
❌ Confusing irregular past tense and past participle
"He has went" is WRONG. With "has," need past participle "gone." "He went" (simple past) vs. "He has gone" (present perfect). Know your irregular forms!
❌ Not recognizing when past perfect is needed
When two past actions occur, use past perfect (had + past participle) for the earlier one: "She had studied before she took the test" (studying came first).
❌ Ignoring time marker clues
Words like "since," "for," "already," "yet" signal present perfect. "In 2010," "yesterday," "last week" signal simple past. Time markers are huge clues!
✓ Expert Tip: Use "have/has" test for present perfect
If the sentence makes sense with "have" or "has," you need present perfect. "She (has) lived here for 5 years" → present perfect needed.
✓ Expert Tip: Check other verbs in passage
Look at surrounding sentences. If everything is past tense, your verb probably should be too (unless expressing general truth or flashback).
✓ Expert Tip: Memorize common irregular verbs
Learn the top 50 irregular verbs (base/past/past participle). This prevents errors like "I have went," "She has began," "They had ran."
Fully Worked SAT-Style Examples
Passage:
Scientists ______ significant progress in developing renewable energy technologies over the past decade, with solar panel efficiency improving dramatically.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) made
B) have made
C) had made
D) are making
Correct Answer: B
Time marker analysis: "Over the past decade" signals a time period starting in the past and continuing to the present. This requires present perfect tense.
Present perfect rule: Use present perfect (have/has + past participle) for actions that started in the past and continue to present or have present relevance.
Why B is correct: "Have made" is present perfect (have + past participle "made"), appropriate for progress occurring over time period extending to present. The progress is ongoing and still relevant.
Why A is wrong: "Made" is simple past, used for completed actions at specific past times. "Over the past decade" isn't a specific point but an ongoing period to present.
Why C is wrong: "Had made" is past perfect, used for actions completed before another past action. No earlier past action is referenced here.
Why D is wrong: "Are making" is present progressive, emphasizing action happening right now. The sentence describes progress over a decade, not just current activity.
Passage:
By the time the rescue team arrived at the site, the survivors ______ shelter from the storm in a nearby cave.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) found
B) had found
C) have found
D) were finding
Correct Answer: B
Sequence analysis: Two past events with clear time order: (1) survivors found shelter, then (2) rescue team arrived. The earlier action (finding shelter) needs past perfect.
Past perfect rule: Use past perfect (had + past participle) when one past action occurred before another past action. Shows which happened first.
Why B is correct: "Had found" is past perfect (had + past participle "found"), correctly indicating that finding shelter happened before the team's arrival. "By the time" signals this sequence.
Why A is wrong: "Found" is simple past. While grammatical, it doesn't clearly show that finding shelter happened before arrival—past perfect is more precise for sequence.
Why C is wrong: "Have found" is present perfect, connecting past to present. The entire scenario is in the past (rescue team "arrived"), so present perfect doesn't fit.
Why D is wrong: "Were finding" is past progressive, emphasizing ongoing action. The shelter had already been found by arrival time, not still being found.
Passage:
The archaeological team has ______ artifacts dating back over 3,000 years at the excavation site.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) found
B) founded
C) find
D) finded
Correct Answer: A
Irregular verb identification: The verb "find" is irregular: find (base) / found (past) / found (past participle). With "has," we need the past participle form.
Present perfect structure: "Has" + past participle is the present perfect form. "Find" is irregular, so past participle is "found," not "finded."
Why A is correct: "Found" is the past participle of "find," correctly used with "has" to form present perfect. "Has found" indicates discovery with present relevance.
Why B is wrong: "Founded" is the past tense/participle of "found" (meaning establish/create), a different verb. "To found a company" vs. "to find artifacts"—different meanings!
Why C is wrong: "Find" is base form. Can't use base form after "has"—need past participle. "Has find" is grammatically incorrect.
Why D is wrong: "Finded" is not a word. "Find" is irregular, so it doesn't take -ed ending. Past participle is "found."
Passage:
The novelist described her writing process in an interview. She explained that she typically ______ character outlines before beginning the first draft.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) created
B) creates
C) had created
D) will create
Correct Answer: B
General habit analysis: The sentence describes her typical writing process (a habitual action), not a one-time past event. "Typically" signals recurring habit, requiring simple present.
Present tense in past context: Even though surrounding verbs are past (described, explained), describing general habits or facts uses present tense within reported speech.
Why B is correct: "Creates" is simple present, appropriate for describing habitual actions or general processes. "Typically creates" indicates her regular practice, not specific past instance.
Why A is wrong: "Created" is simple past, suggesting a one-time action. "Typically created" is awkward—"typically" calls for present tense to describe ongoing habit.
Why C is wrong: "Had created" is past perfect, for actions before other past actions. Doesn't fit with "typically" describing general habit.
Why D is wrong: "Will create" is future tense. The sentence describes her established process (habit), not future intentions.
Passage:
Marie Curie ______ the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) wins
B) won
C) has won
D) had won
Correct Answer: B
Specific past time marker: "In 1911" provides a specific date in the past, requiring simple past tense. Actions at specific past times always use simple past.
Simple past rule: Use simple past for completed actions at specific times in the past. Dates, years, "yesterday," "last week," etc. signal simple past.
Why B is correct: "Won" is simple past, appropriate for completed historical event at specific date (1911). Event is finished and located at particular point in past.
Why A is wrong: "Wins" is simple present, for current or habitual actions. Curie winning in 1911 is historical past event, not present.
Why C is wrong: "Has won" is present perfect, for unspecified past time with present relevance. "In 1911" specifies exact time, requiring simple past not present perfect.
Why D is wrong: "Had won" is past perfect, for actions before other past actions. No second past action is mentioned—sentence describes single historical event.
Verb Tense Quick Reference
| Tense | Form | When to Use | Time Markers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | walk, walks | Habits, facts, general truths | usually, always, every day |
| Simple Past | walked | Completed action at specific past time | yesterday, in 2010, last week, ago |
| Present Perfect | have/has walked | Past action with present relevance; unspecified time | already, yet, ever, since, for, recently |
| Past Perfect | had walked | Action before another past action | before, by the time, after |
| Future | will walk | Actions that will happen | tomorrow, next week, will, soon |
Common Irregular Verbs to Memorize
| Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| begin | began | begun |
| break | broke | broken |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| do | did | done |
| go | went | gone |
| see | saw | seen |
| write | wrote | written |
Verb Form Selection Checklist
Decision Process
1. Look for time markers
2. Check surrounding verb tenses
3. Identify temporal relationships
4. Verify irregular forms
Key Time Markers
Simple Past: in 2010, yesterday, ago
Present Perfect: since, for, already, yet
Past Perfect: before, by the time
Future: tomorrow, next week, will
Verb Forms: Mastering Tense and Temporal Expression
Verb Forms questions assess your ability to select correct tenses and verb forms that accurately express when actions occur and how they relate temporally—fundamental grammatical skills transcending standardized testing to become essential for clear academic writing, professional communications, precise narration, and any context where verb tense errors create confusion about timing or sequence of events. The SAT tests this competency because proper verb usage represents temporal precision: understanding that different tenses express different time relationships, recognizing time markers that signal specific tenses, knowing irregular verb forms that don't follow regular patterns, maintaining tense consistency unless meaning requires shifts, and developing sensitivity to how verb choices affect clarity about when events occur. When ensuring "the text conforms to conventions of Standard English," you practice the same temporal awareness required for academic papers where tense consistency maintains coherent narration, professional documents where precise timing affects understanding of project sequences, historical writing where verb tenses locate events accurately in time, scientific reports where present perfect indicates ongoing research while simple past describes completed experiments, and any narrative where readers must understand chronological relationships between events. Verb form selection follows systematic, learnable principles: identify time markers in context (specific past dates require simple past; "since/for" require present perfect; "before" signals past perfect), check surrounding verbs for consistency patterns, recognize when one past action preceded another (requiring past perfect for earlier action), form irregular verbs correctly by memorizing base/past/past participle forms, distinguish present perfect (unspecified past time with present relevance) from simple past (specific completed time), and understand that general truths use present tense even in past-tense passages. Every time you select appropriate verb tenses based on time markers, maintain consistent tenses throughout narratives, correctly form irregular past participles with "have/has/had," or use past perfect to show sequence of past events, you're exercising the temporal awareness that enables not just grammatically correct but temporally precise writing where verb choices clearly communicate when events occur and how they relate chronologically without confusion about timing or sequence.