Verb Tense Agreement Warm Ups

Multiple Choice

What change, if any, is needed in sentence 24?

(24) After retiring from NASA, Ride becomes a fierce advocate for science education. (25) Focusing on the middle grades and on female students in particular, she wrote books, gave talks, and started programs to promote her cause. (26) Her new goal became helping others to discover their own love of science and the world of opportunity a strong science background can open.

• Change becomes to became

• Change fierce to fierce

• Change advocate to advocates

• No change is needed in sentence 24.

Multiple Choice

What change needs to be made in sentence 4?

(4) The moon towers, which is what people now call the structures, is no longer a practical source of light. (5) They are, however, a special part of Austin’s history. (6) In 1976 the famous towers were added to an official list known as the National Register of Historic Places.

• Delete the comma after towers

• Change call to called

• Change is to are

• Change practical to practacal

Multiple Choice

What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 2? 

(1) The acrid scent of burning firewood wafts through the crisp night air. (2) Suddenly being transported back to childhood as a memory plays in my mind like a movie. (3) My dad, brothers, and I are lounging around a campfire, spearing marshmallows with sticks and holding them over the open flames. (4) My marshmallow catches fire, and I turn it slowly, letting it brown on all sides before blowing it out.

• Change being to I am

• Insert a comma after childhood

• Change plays to playing

• Sentence 2 should not be changed.

Multiple Choice

What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 8? 

(6) The 1,000 miles of trail are not all complete. (7) That means that many portions of the trail need to be built, which takes a crew of volunteers called the Mobile Skills Crew. (8) Some members of the Mobile Skills Crew needed to be trained in crew leadership and trail construction. (9) The leaders then teach teams of volunteers how to construct trails, improve portions of the trail that are already built, and build trail markers and signs to cue visitors on where to hike. 

• Change needed to need

• Change needed to needs

• Change needed to will need

• Sentence 8 should not be changed.

Multiple Choice

What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 8? 

(7) In Cenote Azul, the first cenote we visited, my parents, my grandparents, and I swam through water that seemed too blue to be real. (8) Underneath us, meandering through the same turquoise pool, was schools of tropical fish. (9) I witnessed countless younger kids diving into the water from a small cliff, but I was hesitant to jump at first. (10) I finally worked up the courage, and my initial splash instantly put all my worries to rest, the experience was invigorating. 

• Change meandering to meanders

• Change turquoise to turquoys

• Delete the comma after pool

• Change was to were 

Multiple Choice

What change, if any, needs to be made in sentence 10?

(8) In order to catch the eyes of a car’s occupants as they speed by, typical highway billboards must be large. (9) Multiple studies have shown that external distractions of that magnitude can be dangerous, as they take the driver’s attention away from the road for a longer period of time than is considered safe. (10) When drivers take their concentration off the road, accidents are caused.

• Change drivers to driver’s

• Change their to they’re

• Change concentration to consintration

• Change accidents are caused to they cause accidents