English Grammar Drills

Present tense
Basic Verb Forms 115
With the exception of the verb be (and the modal auxiliary verbs that we will discuss later in this
chapter), the present tense of all verbs is derived directly from the base form.
However, the present tense differs significantly from the base form in that all verbs in the
present tense must enter into a subject-verb agreement relationship with their subjects (something
that base-form verbs can never do). This agreement is most easily seen in the unique use of
the third-person singular -(e)s when the subject noun phrase is a third-person singular pronoun
(he, she, it) or any grammatical structure that can be replaced by a third-person pronoun. Here
are some examples of structures that can be replaced by third-person pronouns:
Single noun
She
Anita is going to fly to Atlanta next week.
Singular noun phrase
He/She
Any person traveling in the Southeast must eventually fly through Atlanta.
Gerund phrase
It
Going anywhere in the Southeast requires you to go through Atlanta.
Infinitive phrase
It
To go anywhere in the Southeast means flying through Atlanta.
Noun clause
It
Wherever else you want to fly makes no difference.
Exercise 8.2
Replace incorrect base-form verbs with third-person singular present-tense verbs. Confirm your
answers by replacing the subject noun phrase with the appropriate third-person pronoun. If the
sentence does not require a third-person singular present-tense verb, write OK.
The traffic code in this city permit a left turn on a red light.
The traffic code in this city permits a left turn on a red light.
It permits a left turn on a red light.