Symbols in the patterns
S = subject; V1 = base form (write); V2 = past simple (wrote); V3 = past participle (written); V-ing = -ing form (writing). An auxiliary helps build a tense, negative or question: be, have, do. A modal includes can, could, may, might, must, should, will and would.
What this section tests
Read the entire text before filling gaps. Establish who acts, when events occur, and whether the passage narrates, describes a habit or explains a fact. A nearby time word helps, but it is not a mechanical tense selector.
Time and aspect
Use past simple for a completed narrative event, past continuous for an event in progress, and past perfect for an earlier past event when that relationship needs marking. Present perfect connects a past event to now; a finished past date normally requires past simple.
| Meaning | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Habit / fact | V1 / V-s | She works on Fridays. |
| In progress now | am/is/are + V-ing | She is working now. |
| Completed past | V2 | She worked yesterday. |
| Earlier past | had + V3 | She had left before I arrived. |
| Result up to now | have/has + V3 | She has finished the report. |
Auxiliaries and verb patterns
After a modal use V1 without to. After a preposition use a noun or -ing form. Distinguish a full infinitive from prepositional to: want to leave, but look forward to leaving. Passive forms need be + V3; perfect forms need have + V3.
Logical links
Because introduces a reason; although introduces contrast. Both take a clause. Because of and despite normally take a noun or -ing phrase. So expresses a result; so that often introduces a purpose. Check pronoun reference and singular/plural agreement across sentences.
Worked example
The arrival is a past reference point. The train’s departure happened earlier, so had left makes the sequence explicit. Has left would connect departure to the present instead.
When we reached the station, the train had left. We waited for the next one.
Final checklist
- Identify the gap’s grammatical role.
- Check both sides and the paragraph’s timeline.
- Eliminate impossible structures.
- Read the completed paragraph for meaning and consistency.