The tense, moody lives of verbs

By Randy Koch

I have no desire to be a teenager again, to endure puberty or the embarrassment of revealing in front of Maureen, the girl I had a seventh grade crush on, that I thought Alice Cooper was a woman. I don't want to have to think about towel snapping or jock strap yanking in the locker room, and I don't want to puzzle over pimples and peach fuzz again. However, if I could go back to that time knowing what I know now, things would probably be a lot easier. Maybe that's why I enjoy movies like Back to the Future, Minority Report, and The Mummy in which characters go back and forth through time, often as they are, not as who they were. In Back to the Future Christopher Lloyd plays the eccentric Doc Brown, who builds a time machine out of a DeLorean, and he and Marty, played by Michael J. Fox, struggle to send Marty back to the 1980s after he inadvertently lands in 1950s Hill Valley. In Minority Report, set in 2054, three psychic "pre-cogs" see future murders, and the Precrime Unit arrests the murderers before they commit the crime. And in The Mummy, Brenda Weisz plays Evelyn Carnahan, a young librarian who, as we and she discover, was the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh in another lifetime three thousand years earlier. I love imagining the possibility of moving back to the past or into the future, and I realize now that this is one reason why I prefer - rather than self-indulgent nouns, fawning adjectives, overly dramatic adverbs, insecure pronouns, or clamorous interjections - verbs, those grammatical time travelers. Yes, they're constantly checking their watches, concerned with agreeing with self-serving nouns, and susceptible to frequent mood swings, but I can't help myself. Verbs - particularly action verbs - are irresistible.
Like Agent Smith, the nearly indestructible bad guy who is able to inhabit others' bodies in the movie The Matrix, verbs can take on the outward appearance of nouns, breathe life into them, and make them actions. You might be at a wedding reception, standing to the right (a noun) of Gloria, the bride, and drinking punch (also a noun) when suddenly a burly young man staggers up to René, the groom, and punches (a verb) him in the face (yet another noun). The groom staggers backward into the three-tiered cake, rights (now a verb) himself, wipes frosting off his elbow (a noun), and faces (also a verb) the young man. In a rush (noun) of emotion, Gloria rushes (verb) between them, but the burly, young man elbows (verb) her away. Undoubtedly this situation will escalate into a cake- and punch-throwing affair, but if not for verbs creating action and bringing life to several of the nouns, nothing would happen.
Of course, not all verbs provide action; two small groups of them - helping verbs and linking verbs - serve other purposes. The 23 helping verbs - eight forms of "to be" (be, being, been, is, are, was, were, am), the modals (would, will, should, shall, could, can, may, might, must), and the forms of "have" (have, has, had) and of "do" (do, does, did) - are used in different combinations with action verbs to relate different times and/or actions that are completed or in-process. We'll see how this works when we talk about verb tenses. Linking verbs, however, focus on the sometimes necessary but all too often dull and static state of being or existence. These include the "to be" verbs and verbs of perception (seems, appears, remains, becomes, sounds, feels, looks, smells, tastes, etc). They commonly identify the subject's condition, as in The young man was jealous, the groom looked angry, the bartender seemed worried, I am surprised by Gloria's actions, etc. Philosopher René Descartes' pronouncement, "I think; therefore, I am" suggests that the sole indicator of existence or of life is the ability to cogitate, to form ideas. However, while writers' interests might eventually lead to questions about existence, the writing should begin with the act or actions that show existence. "I am; therefore, I think and dance the rumba and kiss Gloria and drink champagne and collapse on the cake and throw my cummerbund and bellow and laugh, etc." I'm much less interested in the limited choices of helping and linking verbs than I am in the thousands of colorful options I have with action verbs.
Verbs are so life-like that they, too, have moods, though only three: the indicative, the subjunctive, and the imperative. Notice how the form and function of the verb changes in each. In the indicative mood, verbs participate in statements or questions about whether things are true or actual. In active voice statements, the verb follows the subject - Gloria fell in the cake - while in questions a helping verb often precedes the subject - Did Gloria fall in the cake? In the subjunctive mood, verbs express desires or possibilities, and where we would normally use "was" we now use "were": I wish that Gloria were not in the cake or If Gloria were not in the cake, I would have a slice. In the imperative mood, verbs offer invitations (Come to the fight in the alley after the reception), or they plead (Forgive me for crying), or they give orders (Help Gloria out of the cake!). Here, the verb is first, and the subject - usually "you" - is implied. Remember: a verb's function does not depend on its mood; rather, the mood depends on the function of the sentence with which the verb is involved: calm or inquisitive when indicative, wishful or dreamy when subjunctive, polite or insistent when imperative.
It's even worth noting that in certain circumstances - specifically when the verb is in present tense - it must agree in number with its subject. However, in simple past tense, action verbs don't worry about how many people got involved in the brawl: The best man (singular) pummeled the drunk or The best man and bride's maids (plural) pummeled the drunk. The verb is the same regardless of the number of people doing the pummeling. And in future tense (called present modal), verbs again pay no attention to number: The drunk (or drunks) will wake up with a headache and baby's breath in his (or their) hair. But when we talk about now, numbers matter to verbs. Unlike singular nouns, which generally don't end with "-s," singular, present tense verbs do: The best man pummels the drunk. ("Man" is the singular subject, and "pummels" is the singular verb.) However, when the bride's maids - this noun, like most, is made plural by adding "-s" - get involved, the verb becomes plural by dropping the "-s": The best man and bride's maids pummel the drunk.
Probably the most difficult and confusing but valuable function of verbs is that they, like Doc Brown's DeLorean, allow us to move through time. While this gives writers a great deal of flexibility, it also often confuses non-native and even occasionally native speakers of English since we can choose from thirty different forms of finite verb phrases in English. Here, first, are some general rules about using helping verbs with action verbs:
1. Use the infinitive form of the action verb when it's immediately preceded by a modal verb or by a form of "do." I will remember this for a long time or I do enjoy a good fight.
2. Use the present participle (-ing) form of the action verb when it's immediately preceded by a form of the verb "to be" (unless it's a passive construction): The groomsmen were going to steal the bride.
3. In the passive construction, the subject does not perform the action of the main verb but instead receives the action of the verb. Use the past participle (usually -ed or -en) form of the action verb preceded by a form of the verb "to be": The bottle of champagne was smashed by the headwaiter.
4. Use the past participle (usually -ed or -en) form of the action verb when it's immediately preceded by a form of the verb "have." Gloria's cousin has ushered at several weddings prior to this one.
5. When two or more helping verbs precede the action verb, the helping verb nearest the action verb determines the form of the action verb; consequently, even in this situation, follow rules 1-4 above.
6. Negating a statement with "never," "not," or "neither/nor" doesn't change any of the above rules: I will never remember this, I do not enjoy a good fight, or The bottle of champagne was neither smashed by the headwaiter nor drunk by the cook.
Now for some of the most common forms of verb phrases:
Past tense verbs generally end with -ed (unless they're irregular, like take/took, give/gave, fight/fought, run/ran, etc.). For example, Gloria toppled into her mother-in-law. Gloria could have toppled at any time in the past - five minutes ago, yesterday, last week, last month, last year, or even further back in time - but in simple past tense, the toppling is finished.
Present tense verbs take an -s or -es ending if they work with a singular subject, or they take no ending if they work with a plural subject. For example, The mariachis play a romantic ballad. The present tense means that the musicians are playing a romantic ballad at this moment, OR it may suggest, if the sentence said, "The mariachis play romantic ballads," that the band routinely plays this type of song.
Past perfect tense begins with "had" followed by a past tense action verb. For example, René had expected a joyous celebration. Prior to some point in the past, René expected a joyous celebration, but he hasn't expected it since that time.
Present perfect tense begins with "have" (plural) or "has" (singular) followed by a past tense action verb. For example, The burly young man has glared at René. At some point in the past the burly young man glared at René, but he is no longer in the process of glaring. He glared, and the glaring is complete.
Past progressive tense begins with either "was" (singular) or "were" (plural) plus the -ing form of the action verb. For example, René was wondering who the young man was. At some point in the past, René was in the process of wondering about the young man. The past progressive tense identifies an action begun and still in progress in the past.
Present progressive tense begins with either "is" (singular) or "are" (plural) plus the -ing form of the action verb. For example, Gloria is crawling on the floor. The present progressive tense identifies an action begun in the past and which is still in progress now, in the present.
Past modal tense begins with any past tense modal (could, should, would, might) followed by the infinitive form of the action verb (the verb without any endings). For example, If René thought about the night he proposed, he could/should/would/might figure out the identity of the young man. The past modal tense concerns speculation or predictions relative to some point in the past.
Present modal tense begins with any present tense modal (will, may, shall, can, must) followed by the infinitive form of the action verb. For example, The best man's toast will/may/shall/can/must occur soon. At some point - anywhere from the immediate to the distant future - the best man is going to, is likely to, will be permitted to, is able to, or will be required to propose a toast.
Past modal perfect tense begins with any past tense modal (could, should, would, might) followed by "have" plus a past tense action verb. For example, The bride's maids could/should/would/might have seen Gloria on the floor. It's unknown if the bride's maids saw Gloria on the floor sometime in the past, but it's possible, necessary or likely that they did.
Present modal perfect tense begins with any present tense modal (will, may, shall, can, must) followed by "have" plus the past tense of the action verb. For example, Gloria will/may /shall/ can/ must have torn her wedding dress. It's unknown if Gloria will tear her dress prior to some designated point in the future, but it's possible, necessary or likely that she will, OR it's unknown if Gloria has torn the dress prior to some designated point in the past, but it's possible, necessary or likely that she has.
Past modal progressive tense begins with any past tense modal (could, should, would, might) followed by "be" plus the -ing form of the action verb. For example, The fight could/should/would/might be ruining the entire evening. It's unknown if the fight is now in the process of ruining the evening, but it's possible, necessary or likely that it is.
Present modal progressive tense begins with any present tense modal (will, may, shall, can, must) followed by "be" plus the present participle (-ing) form of the action verb. For example, The burly young man will/may/shall/can/ must be thinking of his senior prom. It's unknown if the burly young man will be in the process of thinking OR plans to think at some point in the future, but it's possible, necessary or likely that he is or will.
Past perfect progressive tense begins with "had" followed by "been" plus the -ing form of the action verb. For example, Gloria had been planning this wedding for a long time. At some point in the past, Gloria had been in the process of planning this wedding, but the planning is over.
Present perfect progressive tense begins with "has" (singular) or "have" (plural) followed by "been" plus the -ing form of the action verb. For example, René has been puzzling over the look on Gloria's face ever since the burly young man arrived. At some point in the past, René began puzzling over the look on Gloria's face, and he continues to even up to the present.
It's easy to see why verbs (and sometimes writers) are tense when there are so many different ways to combine helping and action verbs, all of which result in different time frames and differing degrees of progress or completion of the action. Above are the most common and less than half of those possible; we haven't even considered the past or present form of the modal perfect passive, the perfect progressive passive, or (God help us) the modal perfect progressive passive. And while the possibilities might be frightening, the challenges and levels of meaning are intriguing. Because of all these things that verbs can do and the variety of ways that they can be used or misused, writers should become well acquainted with them and their multi-faceted lives.
One last trip through time: When I was a kid, my favorite possession was a survival knife - one of those jackknives that not only contained a large and small blade but which unfolded tool after tool - a corkscrew, a spoon and fork, a bottle opener, a screwdriver, a file, an awl, a leather punch, and even a scissors. I still carry an all-purpose tool in my backpack and get a similar satisfaction from knowing I'm always prepared for whatever emergency might necessitate the magical unfolding of the Phillip's screwdriver, the eight-inch ruler, or the wire cutter/needle-nose pliers. This, I suppose, is just one of those habits that I haven't outgrown, similar to my writer's fascination with the all-purpose, versatile verb.

(Randy Koch teaches English and directs the Writing Center at Texas A&M International University.)