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Modals are special verbs, sometimes known as auxiliary verbs. A modal verb always has the same form and never has the -s, -ing or -ed suffixes. That means, modal verbs are always followed by the base form. Here’s a list of modals:

MODALS

• can
• could
• must
• should
• ought
• may
• might
• will
• would
• shall

Look at the following examples. You will see that modals are followed by the base word come instead of came or coming, and run instead of ran or running:

Examples:

1. You can come in when you’re ready. (√)
   You can came in when you’re ready. (X)
2. We should run if you want to catch the bus. (√)
   We should ran if you want to catch the bus. (X)

Functions of modal verbs in sentences

Take note that modals change form in the past and future tenses. For example:

• I can do it. – present tense
• I could do it just now. – past tense
• I could do it later today. – future tense

The table above gives some example sentences to illustrate this point.

Verbs generally are action words. When written in a sentence, verbs may change in form to suit the verb tense used in the sentence. However, verb forms do not always change. There are instances when the forms remain the same no matter what the tense. That’s why there is a need to learn regular and irregular verbs.

Verbs that have quite the same spelling and pronunciation in any tense are called regular verbs. On the other hand, verbs that remain unchanged or are spelt differently are called irregular verbs.

Examples of regular verbs in use:

All the verbs below come from the root word collect. The change in spelling and sound is very minimal.

• I collect stamps. (simple present)
• I collected stamps last time. (simple past)
• I have collected stamps before. (present perfect)

Examples of irregular verbs in use:

All the verbs below come from the root word drink. Notice that the spelling and pronunciation change as the tenses change.

• She drinks milk. (simple present)
• She drank milk a few minutes ago. (simple past)
• She has drunk a bottle of milk. (present perfect)

In the following examples, nothing changes! You’ll see that the verb “put” is spelt the same in all tenses.

• They put their books on the desk. (simple present)
• They put their books on the desk and left. (simple past)
• They have put their books on the desk. (present perfect)

Here are some examples of irregular verbs:

IMPORTANT:
* founded (v.) = established, started - it’s not the same meaning as “found”
** loose (adj.) =  The word “loose” is an adjective, not a verb. Take note of the difference in spelling, too.

Verb consistency is important to ensure harmonious and clear sentences.  What if your friend tells you this:

• I’m so happy today because my mother was coming back from abroad. She was supposed to be home yesterday afternoon but the flight will be delayed. She arrived late evening.

As you can see from the above example, the shift in tenses would obviously cause chaos to the meaning of the message. You’ll wonder whether his mother is already back from abroad, or she is coming back this evening.

In a single sentence, the verb tense that you use is straight forward. You would know whether it should be in the present tense, the past and so on. It is also easy to point out the errors. However, it’s not as easy to spot a verb tense error in a paragraph, or more. There will be inconsistencies. Take a look at these paragraphs and see if there are errors in tenses.

• Kamal Prasad Sharma, aged 12, was a student at Saraswati Secondary School in a small village not far from Kathmandu. He was afraid when he saw a computer for the first time. He didn’t dare enter the room, thinking the computer would harm him. However, things are changing now. The E-library has helped him with his studies.

How many errors did you find, or is the paragraph error-free? Here’s the corrected version:

• Kamal Prasad Sharma, aged 12, is a student at Saraswati Secondary School in a small village not far from Kathmandu. He was afraid when he saw a computer for the first time. He didn’t dare enter the room, thinking the computer would harm him. However, things have changed now. The E-library has helped him with his studies.

Explanation for the first error:

The sentence is factual. The boy, Kamal, is a student at Saraswati Secondary school. There is nothing to indicate that he is not studying there anymore. Besides, the second sentence indicates the past when Kamal first saw the computer.

Explanation for the second error:

Athough you see the word “now” in the sentence, don’t be fooled into thinking that the present continuous tense should be used. Therefore, it is wrong to say, “…things are changing now” because in reality, they have already changed. This is shown in the next sentence about the E-library which also uses the present perfect tense.

Identifying inconsistencies:

The question is, how do you know which tense to use in long paragraphs (in a text) to ensure that tenses do not shift incorrectly?

• Read the entire text to get a grasp of the timelines (in each paragraph).
• Once that’s done, tackle each paragraph carefully.
• Do not attempt to shift tenses before you even read the text once.

This guide is good for learning Writing; however, it doesn’t mean that it cannot be used in spoken English. Remember the first example I gave earlier about your friend’s mother? That is a good example of its usage in the verbal form.