Question 1

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Some people __________ screaming children while others struggled under loads of furniture other valuable objects.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is written in past tense, so the verb needs to be in the past tense too. "Carried" is the past tense form of "carry."

Question 2

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-It was the morning of April 18, 1906. Alfred Hunt ________ peacefully in the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

Accepted Answer

"Slept" is the past tense of the verb "sleep" and is the correct form to use in this sentence. "Sleeped" is not a valid verb form in standard English.

Question 3

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-When a team of Saint Bernards ________ a hurt traveler, one of the dogs lies down next to the sufferer to keep him or her warm and licks the person's face to restore consciousness.

Accepted Answer

The subject of the sentence is "a team," which is singular, so the correct verb form is "finds."

Question 4

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-At 5:12, a violent jolt suddenly _________ his room and sent him rolling from bed.

Accepted Answer

The correct past tense form of "shake" is "shook." "Shaked" is not a word.

Question 5

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Muriel _________ the bird home and followed Dr. Jacobs's orders carefully.

Accepted Answer

"Took" is the correct past tense form of the verb "take." "Taked" is not a valid verb form.

Question 6

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Hunt, watching in terror, could ________ believe his eyes.

Accepted Answer

"Hardly" means "barely or almost not," so the sentence is saying "Hunt, watching in terror, could barely believe his eyes." "Not hardly" would be a double negative and not grammatically correct.

Question 7

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-On the sixth day of the third week, Muriel awoke to find that the tiny bird __________ away, returning to nature.

Accepted Answer

"Had flown" is the correct past participle form of the verb "fly." This choice agrees in tense with the rest of the past tense verbs in the sentence. "Had flew" is not correct because "flew" is the simple past tense form of the verb, not the past participle.

Question 8

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Then fires __________ out and started to spread.

Accepted Answer

The past tense of "break" is "broke." "Breaked" is not a correct verb form.

Question 9

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Crowds of rushing people ___________ his path.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is in past tense, indicating that the action of people blocking his path has already occurred. Therefore, the past tense verb "blocked" is the correct choice.

Question 10

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-It _____________ Hunt four hours to push through the four blocks from his hotel to the safety of the Oakland ferry.

Accepted Answer

The correct verb form for the past tense of "take" is "took." Therefore, option B is the correct choice. Option A is incorrect as "taked" is not a correct verb form.

Question 11

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Bred in the wild mountains of Switzerland, they _________ find paths in the worst snowstorm, smell human beings buried in snow, and detect avalanches before they occur.

Accepted Answer

"Can" expresses present ability and is the appropriate verb form in this context. "Could" is past tense and would suggest that they no longer have this ability.

Question 12

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Later, he learned that the great San Francisco earthquake ________ 520 city blocks and had killed more than seven hundred people.

Accepted Answer

The sentence is in past perfect tense which is used to refer to an action that happened before another past action. The word "had" is used to indicate past perfect tense. Therefore, the correct verb form to use would be "had destroyed" as it matches the past participle form of the verb "destroy".

Question 13

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Buildings reeled and ___________ to the ground.

Accepted Answer

The past tense form "reeled" suggests that the action of the buildings falling down is also in the past tense. Therefore, the past tense form "tumbled" is the correct choice.

Question 14

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Saint Bernards ________ legendary dogs famous for their many acts of bravery.

Accepted Answer

The subject "Saint Bernards" is plural, so the correct verb form is "are."

Question 15

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Another tremor __________the city twenty-five more seconds.

Accepted Answer

The paragraph is in past tense, so the correct verb form to use for the blank is the past tense "rocked".

Question 16

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-the calm of the next ten seconds, Hunt ___________ to the window.

Accepted Answer

The correct verb form is "staggered" because it is the past tense, which matches the narrative style of the sentence.

Question 17

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-The shaking __________ for forty-five seconds.

Accepted Answer

The verb "shaking" is in the past tense, indicating that the action occurred in the past. Therefore, the correct verb form to use in this context is "lasted," which is the past tense form of the verb "last."

Question 18

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-Hunt quickly dressed, threw open his door, and __________ downstairs into the street.

Accepted Answer

The past tense of "run" is "ran," not "runned." Therefore, the correct verb form is "ran."

Question 19

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-The whole city _________ like breaking waves.

Accepted Answer

"The whole city" is singular, therefore the verb form should be "looked" instead of "look".

Question 20

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form.
-These powerful yet sensitive creatures _________ in rescue patrols.

Accepted Answer

The subject "creatures" is plural, so the correct verb form is "work."

Quiz 15: Fixed-Form Helping Verbs and Verb Problems

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Some people __________ screaming children while others struggled under loads of furniture other valuable objects.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -It was the morning of April 18, 1906. Alfred Hunt ________ peacefully in the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -When a team of Saint Bernards ________ a hurt traveler, one of the dogs lies down next to the sufferer to keep him or her warm and licks the person's face to restore consciousness.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -At 5:12, a violent jolt suddenly _________ his room and sent him rolling from bed.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Muriel _________ the bird home and followed Dr. Jacobs's orders carefully.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Hunt, watching in terror, could ________ believe his eyes.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -On the sixth day of the third week, Muriel awoke to find that the tiny bird __________ away, returning to nature.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Then fires __________ out and started to spread.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Crowds of rushing people ___________ his path.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -It _____________ Hunt four hours to push through the four blocks from his hotel to the safety of the Oakland ferry.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Bred in the wild mountains of Switzerland, they _________ find paths in the worst snowstorm, smell human beings buried in snow, and detect avalanches before they occur.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Later, he learned that the great San Francisco earthquake ________ 520 city blocks and had killed more than seven hundred people.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Buildings reeled and ___________ to the ground.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Saint Bernards ________ legendary dogs famous for their many acts of bravery.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Another tremor __________the city twenty-five more seconds.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -the calm of the next ten seconds, Hunt ___________ to the window.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -The shaking __________ for forty-five seconds.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -Hunt quickly dressed, threw open his door, and __________ downstairs into the street.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -The whole city _________ like breaking waves.

The following sentences form a paragraph. For each blank, select the correct verb form. -These powerful yet sensitive creatures _________ in rescue patrols.