Two irregular verbs
, to be and
to have, appear more frequently than a movie star with a new film to promote. And like a movie star, they tend to cause trouble. Both change according to time and according to the person with whom they’re paired. (Amazing that the movie-star comparison works on so many levels!) Because they’re common, you need to be sure to master all their forms, as this table shows.
| Verb Forms for the Irregular Verbs To Be and To Have |
| Pronoun(s) |
Present-Tense Verb for “To Be” |
Past-Tense Verb for “To Be” |
Present-Tense Verb for “To Have” |
Past-Tense Verb for “To Have” |
| I |
am |
was |
have |
had |
| you/we/they |
are |
were |
have |
had |
| it/he/she |
is |
was |
has |
had |
The form of “to be” used with helping verbs is
been.
Practice questions
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of
to be or
to have:
- Kristin, never outdone, __________________ a different idea.
- You __________________ to taste her dish anyway.
Answers to practice questions
- has or had. This answer depends on the tense. If you’re speaking about a past event, choose had, but if you’re speaking about something in the here and now, has is your best bet.
- have. The verb, have, doesn’t express ownership in this context. Instead it implies obligation.
