GMAT Verbal SC Practice-5

GMAT Verbal Online Practice – GMAT Tutoring Classes Dubai

Rules of Sentence Correction – GMAT Verbal Class Part-5

Present Tense 

Simple Present Tense

Rule 1 : For actions that are repetitive or habitual.

Usage : 

  • I exercise everyday.
  • He goes to school.
  • They eat vegetables everyday.

Rule 2 : For permanent actions or truths in the present time.

Usage : 

  • We live in Dubai.
  • He knows six languages.
  • It rains a lot in August.

Rule 3 : For non-personal fixed time-table and arrangements in future. 

Usage : 

  • Our exam begins tomorrow.
  • The match starts at 7 am.
  • The train arrives at 10 pm.

Rule 4 : With certain verbs when they are used as state verbs i.e. have, look, feel, think, see, smell, taste, appear,weigh,know,want,need,be,etc.( Note: These verbs are rarely used in the continuous tenses.

Usage : 

  • He has a bike.
  • I think you are wrong.
  • He looks sad.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Rule 1 :For something that is happening now.

Usage : 

  • We are learning Math.
  • Sam is waiting for him.
  • They are dancing.

Rule 2 : For personal arrangements having future time.

Usage : 

  • Sam is having a party tonight.
  • Julie is resigning very soon
  • They are getting engaged next year.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE 

Rule 1  : Something completed in the past or now but there is some effect / result in the present.

Usage : 

  • I have seen this movie. 
  • Lisa has taken a shower.
  • Duke has gained some weight.

Rule 2 : When we talk about a time from the past until now. Here the past is connected with the present.

Usage : 

  • I have not seen him since January.
  • They have never ridden a horse.
  • Sam has not come yet.

PAST TENSE

SIMPLE PAST 

Rule 1  : Completed actions in a specific time in the past.

Usage : 

  • I got up at 5 am yesterday.
  •  He applied in last semester.
  • She became a graduate last year.

Rule  2 : For completed actions in a time before now.

Usage : 

  • We lived in Dubai for thirteen years.
  • He went to America in 2005.
  • She came an hour ago.

Exception :For past discontinued habits we use “ used to + base form of the verb”

Examples : 

  • She used to get up at 5 am.
  • I used to play football when I was in my school.
  • James used to crack jokes.

Rule  3.: Having + past participle – When one action happens before another action , we use having (done) for the first action.

Usage : 

  • Having bought our tickets,we went into the park.
  • Having done the shopping,we stopped for a cup of coffee.

Past Continuous Tense 

Rule 1 : For something that was happening in the past. ( Incomplete action)

Usage : 

  • We were playing tennis yesterday.
  • He was dancing at the theatre at 10 pm.
  • His son was studying in the morning.

Rule 2 : For something that happened in the middle of something else. Use the past continuous tense for the longer action.

Usage : 

  • It was raining when I woke up in the morning.
  • I was injured while I was working in the office.
  • He was eating when I went to his home.

PAST PERFECT TENSE 

Rule 1 : For a past action that occurred before another past action. We use the past perfect tense for the action that happened earlier.

Usage : 

  • When you reached the station, the train had left. 
  • She had gone to work when I called her in the afternoon.
  • When we arrived, the meeting had already begun.