Introduction
Right Form of Verbs is one of the most reliable question types in the NTRCA and BCS preliminary English papers. Usually two to four questions come from tenses, verb patterns (gerund, infinitive, bare infinitive) and special structures such as wish, if only, as if, and it is high time. The good news is that these questions follow fixed patterns. Once you know the pattern, you can answer in seconds without translating the sentence in your head.
The twelve tenses at a glance
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Indefinite | S + V1 (s/es) | He plays football. |
| Present Continuous | S + am/is/are + V-ing | He is playing football. |
| Present Perfect | S + has/have + V3 | He has played football. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | S + has/have been + V-ing | He has been playing since morning. |
| Past Indefinite | S + V2 | He played football. |
| Past Continuous | S + was/were + V-ing | He was playing football. |
| Past Perfect | S + had + V3 | He had played football. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | S + had been + V-ing | He had been playing for an hour. |
| Future Indefinite | S + shall/will + V1 | He will play football. |
| Future Continuous | S + shall/will be + V-ing | He will be playing football. |
| Future Perfect | S + shall/will have + V3 | He will have played football. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | S + shall/will have been + V-ing | He will have been playing for two hours. |
Signal words: reading the tense from the sentence
| Signal words | Usual tense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| always, usually, often, every day, generally | Present Indefinite | He always tells the truth. |
| now, at this moment, Look!, Listen! | Present Continuous | Look! The baby is crying. |
| already, yet, just, ever, never, so far, recently | Present Perfect | I have just finished my work. |
| since, for (still continuing) | Present Perfect or Perfect Continuous | I have lived here for ten years. |
| yesterday, ago, last week, in 2010, just now | Past Indefinite | He came here two days ago. |
| while, when (an action in progress), at that time | Past Continuous | It was raining when I left. |
| before, by the time, after (the earlier of two past actions) | Past Perfect | The patient had died before the doctor came. |
| tomorrow, next week, soon, by tomorrow | Future | I shall meet him tomorrow. |
Key rules with examples
Rule 1: Universal truths and habits take the Present Indefinite
Even when the reporting verb is in the past, a permanent fact stays in the present. Example: The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun. Wrong: ...that the earth moved round the sun.
Rule 2: Since and for
- Present Perfect (or Perfect Continuous) in the main clause, Past Indefinite in the since clause: I have not seen him since he left the school.
- It is ten years since he died. means the same as He died ten years ago.
- Since points to a starting moment (since 2010, since Monday). For gives a length of time (for ten years).
Rule 3: Wish, as if, as though, if only use the past subjunctive
- I wish I were a bird. Use were with every subject.
- He talks as if he knew everything.
- I wish I had known it earlier. A regret about the past takes the Past Perfect.
- If only I were rich!
Rule 4: It is time, high time, about time
These take a subject and the Past Indefinite: It is high time we started the work. The action is due now but has not begun.
Rule 5: Would rather, had better, would sooner
- Same subject: would rather + V1. I would rather stay at home.
- Different subjects: would rather + subject + V2. I would rather you stayed at home.
- Had better + V1. You had better go now.
Rule 6: Conditionals
| Type | If clause | Main clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero (general truth) | Present Indefinite | Present Indefinite | If you heat ice, it melts. |
| Type 1 (possible) | Present Indefinite | will/shall + V1 | If it rains, I shall stay home. |
| Type 2 (imaginary present) | Past Indefinite (were) | would/could + V1 | If I were a king, I would help the poor. |
| Type 3 (imaginary past) | Past Perfect | would have + V3 | If he had tried, he would have succeeded. |
Rule 7: Two past actions
- The earlier action takes the Past Perfect and the later one the Past Indefinite: The train had left before I reached the station.
- After he had finished the work, he went home.
- No sooner had he seen the police than he ran away. Use than here.
- Hardly (or scarcely) had he reached the station when the train left. Use when or before here.
Rule 8: Bare infinitive (V1 without to)
- After modals: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must.
- After let, make, bid, help, see, hear, watch, feel + object: The teacher made the boy read the lesson.
- After had better, would rather, cannot but, do nothing but.
Gerund or infinitive?
| Verb + V-ing (gerund) | Verb + to + V1 (infinitive) |
|---|---|
| enjoy, avoid, mind, finish, suggest, deny, admit, consider, postpone, practise, escape, delay, resist, risk, imagine, miss, keep | want, hope, decide, plan, refuse, promise, manage, afford, expect, agree, learn, fail, wish, intend, offer, pretend, seem, tend |
After a preposition, always use V-ing
- look forward to seeing you, be used to getting up early, be accustomed to working, object to going, insist on paying, with a view to getting, cannot help laughing, it is no use crying, it is worth reading.
- Used to + V1 is a past habit (He used to smoke). Be used to + V-ing means being accustomed (He is used to smoking).
Verbs that change meaning: stop, remember, forget
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| stop + V-ing | quit the activity | He stopped smoking. |
| stop + to V1 | pause in order to do something | He stopped to smoke. |
| remember/forget + V-ing | a past event | I remember meeting him. |
| remember/forget + to V1 | a task still to do | Remember to post the letter. |
Common exam traps
- The teacher said that the sun rose in the east. Wrong. A universal truth stays in the present: rises.
- I wish I was a king. Wrong. Use were.
- He has gone yesterday. Wrong. Yesterday, ago and last need the Past Indefinite: went.
- I look forward to meet you. Wrong. Here to is a preposition, so use meeting.
- No sooner had he come when... Wrong. No sooner goes with than.
- He suggested to go. Wrong. Suggest takes V-ing: suggested going.
Memory tips
- Wish takes were. After wish, as if and if only, use were with every subject.
- Preposition, then ING. Any preposition is followed by V-ing.
- High time means past. After it is high time, use the Past Indefinite.
- Since needs Perfect. If the since clause is past, the main clause is Present Perfect.
- Gerund verbs: remember MEAP, meaning Mind, Enjoy, Avoid, Postpone, Practise, plus Admit, Deny, Finish, Suggest and Consider.
Solved examples
Example 1. He said that honesty ____ the best policy. Answer: is. Honesty as the best policy is a general truth, so the present tense stays.
Example 2. It is ten years since my father ____. Answer: died. The pattern It is + period + since + Past Indefinite is fixed.
Example 3. She looked as if she ____ a ghost. Answer: had seen. As if here describes an earlier, unreal experience, so it takes the Past Perfect.
Example 4. If I ____ (know) the answer, I would tell you. Answer: knew. The main clause has would, so this is a Type 2 conditional and the if clause takes the Past Indefinite.
Example 5. The patient ____ (die) before the doctor arrived. Answer: had died. The dying happened first, so use the Past Perfect.
Example 6. I ____ (know) him for ten years. Answer: have known. Know is a state verb. It takes the simple Perfect, not have been knowing.
Practice problems
- She (be) ill for three days.
- He left the room without (say) a word.
- I am not used to (drive) at night.
- The boy ran away as soon as he (see) the teacher.
- If it (rain) tomorrow, we shall cancel the picnic.
- He suggested (go) by train.
- She wishes she (can) swim.
- The sun (set) in the west.
Answers: 1. has been. 2. saying. 3. driving. 4. saw. 5. rains. 6. going. 7. could. 8. sets.
Practice MCQs with solutions
Note: these are practice questions written in the style of past NTRCA/BCS preliminary papers. Please cross-check with the official question bank.
Question 1. She is looking forward to ____ her cousin.
- (a) meet
- (b) meeting
- (c) met
- (d) have met
Correct answer: (b) meeting
Explanation: Look forward to ends in a preposition, so a V-ing form follows.
Question 2. Would you mind ____ the window?
- (a) to close
- (b) close
- (c) closing
- (d) closed
Correct answer: (c) closing
Explanation: Mind is followed by a gerund.
Question 3. I wish I ____ more time yesterday.
- (a) have
- (b) had had
- (c) would have
- (d) having
Correct answer: (b) had had
Explanation: A wish about the past takes the Past Perfect: had had.
Question 4. The children ____ noise when the teacher entered.
- (a) make
- (b) were making
- (c) have made
- (d) made
Correct answer: (b) were making
Explanation: An action in progress when another action happened takes the Past Continuous.
Question 5. He ____ the piano since morning.
- (a) plays
- (b) played
- (c) has been playing
- (d) is playing
Correct answer: (c) has been playing
Explanation: Since morning shows an action that started in the past and is still going on.
Question 6. She cannot but ____ his kindness.
- (a) admiring
- (b) to admire
- (c) admire
- (d) admired
Correct answer: (c) admire
Explanation: Cannot but is followed by the bare infinitive.
Question 7. It is time we ____ for the airport.
- (a) leave
- (b) left
- (c) shall leave
- (d) have left
Correct answer: (b) left
Explanation: It is time is followed by a subject and the Past Indefinite.
Question 8. If he had studied harder, he ____ the test.
- (a) would pass
- (b) would have passed
- (c) will pass
- (d) passed
Correct answer: (b) would have passed
Explanation: Type 3 conditional: if + Past Perfect, then would have + V3.
Key takeaways
- Read the signal word first. It usually decides the tense.
- Universal truths stay in the present tense, even in reported speech.
- After a preposition, always use the V-ing form.
- Wish, as if and it is high time all take a past form for a present idea.
- For two past actions, put the earlier one in the Past Perfect.