Proofreading Exercises to Identify Errors in Verb Tense

Proofreading Exercises to Identify Errors in Verb Tense Verb tenses tell you when the action in a sentence is happening The three verb tenses are past, present, and future. Past tense verbs describe when something has happened, present tense verbs describe things that are continuous or that are happening now, and future tense verbs describe things that havent happened yet but are likely to occur in the future. Instructions In each of the following paragraphs, some of the sentences contain errors in verb tense. Write out the correct form of any verb that is used incorrectly, and then compare your findings with the answers provided further below. Hands Up! Recently in Oklahoma City, Pat Rowley, a security guard, deposit 50 cents in a City Hall vending machine and reach in to get a candy bar. When the machine catch his hand, he pull out his pistol and shoot the machine twice. The second shot sever some wires, and he got his hand out. The Christmas Spirit Mr. Theodore Dunnet, of Oxford, England, run amok in his house in December. He ripped the telephone from the wall, thrown a television set and a tape-deck into the street, smash to bits a three-piece suite, kicked a dresser down the stairs, and torn the plumbing right out of the bath. He offer this explanation for his behavior: I was shock by the over-commercialization of Christmas. Late Bloomers Some very remarkable adults are known to have experience quite unremarkable childhoods. English author G.K. Chesterton, for instance, could not read until the age of 8, and he usually finish at the bottom of his class. If we could opened your head, one of his teachers remark, we would not find any brain but only a lump of fat. Chesterton eventually become a successful novelist. Similarly, Thomas Edison was label a dunce by one of his teachers, and young James Watt was called dull and inept. Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa is one of the most famous portraits in the history of painting. Leonardo took four years to complete the painting: he begun work in 1503 and finish in 1507. Mona (or Madonna Lisa Gherardini) was from a noble family in Naples, and Leonardo may have paint her on commission from her husband. Leonardo is said to have entertain Mona Lisa with six musicians. He install a musical fountain where the water play on small glass spheres, and he give Mona a puppy and a white Persian cat to play with. Leonardo did what he could to keep Mona smiling during the long hours she sit for him. But it is not only Monas mysterious smile that has impress anyone who has ever view the portrait: the background landscape is just as mysterious and beautiful. The portrait can be seen today in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Hard Luck A bank teller in Italy was jilted by his girlfriend and decide the only thing left to do was kill himself. He stolen a car with the idea of crashing it, but the car broken down. He steal another one, but it was too slow, and he barely dent a fender when he crashed the car into a tree. The police arrive and charge the man with auto theft. While being questioned, he stab himself in the chest with a dagger. Quick action by the police officers saved the mans life. On the way to his cell, he jumped out through a third-story window. A snowdrift broken his fall. A judge suspends the mans sentence, saying, Im sure fate still has something in store for you. Answers Here are the answers to the above verb-tense exercises. Corrected verb forms are in  bold  print. Hands Up! Recently in Oklahoma City, Pat Rowley, a security guard,  deposited  50 cents in a City Hall vending machine and reached  in to get a candy bar. When the machine caught his hand, he pulled out his pistol and  shot  the machine twice. The second shot  severed  some wires, and he got his hand out. The Christmas Spirit Mr. Theodore Dunnet, of Oxford, England, ran amok in his house in December. He ripped the telephone from the wall;  threw a television set and a tape-deck into the street; smashed  to bits a three-piece suite, kicked a dresser down the stairs, and tore the plumbing right out of the bath. He  offered  this explanation for his behavior: I was​  shocked  by the over-commercialization of Christmas. Late Bloomers Some very remarkable adults are known to have  experienced  quite unremarkable childhoods. English author G.K. Chesterton, for instance, could not read until the age of eight, and he usually  finished  at the bottom of his class. If we could  open  your head, one of his teachers  remarked, we would not find any brain but only a lump of fat. Chesterton eventually  became  a successful novelist. Similarly, Thomas Edison was  labeled  a dunce by one of his teachers, and young James Watt was called dull and inept. Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vincis  Mona Lisa  is the most famous portrait in the history of painting. Leonardo took four years to complete the painting: he  began  work in 1503 and  finished  in 1507. Mona (or Madonna Lisa Gherardini) was from a noble family in Naples, and Leonardo may have  painted  her on commission from her husband. Leonardo is said to have  entertained  Mona Lisa with six musicians. He  installed  a musical fountain where the water  played  on small glass spheres, and he  gave  Mona a puppy and a white Persian cat to play with. Leonardo did what he could to keep Mona smiling during the long hours she  sat  for him. But it is not only Monas mysterious smile that has  impressed  anyone who has ever  viewed  the portrait: the background landscape is just as mysterious and beautiful. The portrait can be seen today in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Hard Luck A bank teller in Italy was jilted by his girlfriend and  decided  the only thing left to do was kill himself. He  stole  a car with the idea of crashing it, but the car  broke  down. He  stole  another one, but it was too slow, and he barely  dented  a fender when he crashed the car into a tree. The police  arrived  and  charged  the man with auto theft. While being questioned, he  stabbed  himself in the chest with a dagger. Quick action by the police officers saved the mans life. On the way to his cell, he jumped out through a third-story window. A snowdrift  broke  his fall. A judge  suspended  the mans sentence, saying, Im sure fate still has something in store for you.