Basics of verbs. 45 questions on action vs linking verbs, auxiliary verbs, and regular/irregular forms.
What this test covers
- Action & Linking Verbs
- Auxiliary Verbs
- Regular & Irregular
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1She ___ happy today.
Answer: C. is
Use "is" to describe how someone feels or what they are like. Words like "runs" or "jumps" describe physical movements, but "happy" is a feeling, not an action.
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Q2He ___ the ball across the field.
Answer: C. kicks
"Kicks" is an action word that describes a physical movement with the feet. "Is" and "seems" are used to describe a state or feeling, which does not fit with moving a ball.
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Q3They ___ tired after the long walk.
Answer: C. feel
Use "feel" to describe a state or sensation like being tired. "Walk," "jump," and "run" are actions you do, but they don't fit before the adjective "tired" in this sentence.
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Q4The soup ___ delicious.
Answer: C. tastes
"Tastes" describes the flavor of the soup. In English, we use this word to describe the quality of food. The soup cannot "eat" or "make" anything itself.
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Q5I ___ my homework every evening.
Answer: B. do
Use "do" for tasks, chores, or activities like homework. "Become" and "seem" describe a change or a state, which does not work here.
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Q6The flowers ___ beautiful in the spring, but they are not fragrant.
Answer: D. look
Use "look" to describe appearance. "Smell" would be wrong because the sentence says they are "not fragrant" (no smell). "Grows" would need to be "grow" because "flowers" is plural.
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Q7He ___ a book to his sister.
Answer: A. reads
"Reads" describes the action of using a book. Words like "is," "seems," and "appears" describe what someone is like, but they don't describe an activity you do with an object.
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Q8The sky ___ dark before the storm.
Answer: C. became
"Became" describes a change from one state to another (from light to dark). Actions like "ran" or "walked" are things people or animals do, but the sky cannot do them.
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Q9She ___ to the store yesterday.
Answer: D. walked
"Walked" is a physical action that happened in the past ("yesterday"). Words like "is" or "seems" describe a current state and do not show movement to a place.
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Q10You ___ hungry, don't you?
Answer: C. look
Use "look" when you can see that someone is likely in a certain state. Activities like "play" or "run" do not work with the adjective "hungry."
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Q11They ___ soccer in the park.
Answer: D. play
"Play" is the correct word for taking part in a sport like soccer. "Seem" and "become" describe feelings or changes, not games.
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Q12The cat ___ very soft.
Answer: A. feels
Use "feels" to describe the texture of something when you touch it. "Runs," "walks," and "jumps" are movements, but they don't describe the quality of the cat's fur.
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Q13He ___ the door carefully.
Answer: D. opened
"Opened" is a physical action someone does to a door. "Seems" and "is" are used for descriptions, but you cannot "is" a door.
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Q14It ___ cold outside right now.
Answer: B. is
Use "is" to describe the current state of the weather. Words like "runs" or "plays" describe actions that people or animals do, not the temperature outside.
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Q15She ___ a song for her friends.
Answer: A. sang
"Sang" is the past action of singing music. Words like "seems" or "is" are used for descriptions and do not show the action of performing a song.
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Q16___ you like coffee?
Answer: A. Do
Use "Do" to start a question about a general preference or a regular action. We don't use "Are" or "Be" directly with an action word like "like" in this way.
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Q17She ___ not going to the party.
Answer: B. is
Use "is" with an "-ing" word (like "going") to talk about an action. "Has," "do," and "does" do not work with "going" in this sentence.
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Q18___ they finished the work?
Answer: B. Have
Use "Have" to ask if an action is completed. We use "Have" with words like "finished," "seen," or "done." "Do" and "Are" do not fit with "finished" here.
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Q19He ___ not eat meat.
Answer: A. does
Use "does" for negative sentences about "he," "she," or "it." We use "does not" before the base action word "eat."
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Q20We ___ studying English right now.
Answer: A. are
Use "are" with an "-ing" word (like "studying") for "we," "you," or "they." "Have" and "do" are not used to describe actions happening right now.
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Q21___ she have a pen?
Answer: A. Does
Use "Does" to ask a question about "he," "she," or "it" in the present. While "Has" is about having, the standard question form is "Does she have...?"
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Q22I ___ not see him yesterday.
Answer: B. did
Use "did" for negative sentences about the past ("yesterday"). "Do" is only for the present, and "am" does not work with the word "see" here.
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Q23They ___ been to Paris twice.
Answer: A. have
Use "have" with "been" to talk about your experiences in life. "Did," "do," and "are" cannot be used with "been" in this context.
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Q24___ you sleeping when I called?
Answer: A. Were
Use "Were" with "you" to ask about an action that was happening in the past. "Are" is for the present, and "Did" cannot be used with "-ing" words like "sleeping."
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Q25She ___ done her chores already.
Answer: B. has
Use "has" with "he," "she," or "it" to show that an action (like "done") is finished. "Does" and "is" do not work with "done" here.
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Q26___ it rain yesterday?
Answer: A. Did
Use "Did" to ask a question about a past event ("yesterday"). "Does" is for the present, and "Has" would need the word "rained" instead of "rain."
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Q27We ___ not want to leave yet.
Answer: D. do
Use "do" with "not" for present-tense negative sentences with "we," "I," or "they." "Are" would need "wanting," and "did" is for the past.
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Q28___ he working today?
Answer: B. Is
Use "Is" to ask about an action happening now with "he," "she," or "it." "Does" cannot be used with an "-ing" word like "working."
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Q29I ___ had lunch already.
Answer: B. have
Use "have" with "had" to show that an action is finished. "Did" and "do" are not used before the word "had" in this type of sentence.
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Q30___ you enjoy the movie?
Answer: B. Did
Use "Did" to ask about a finished action in the past. "Do" is for the present, and "Have" would need the word "enjoyed" instead of "enjoy."
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Q31He ___ to school every day.
Answer: D. goes
For "he," "she," or "it," we add "-s" or "-es" to the action word in the present. So, "go" becomes "goes." "Going" needs a helping word like "is."
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Q32They ___ a movie last night.
Answer: D. saw
"Saw" is the past form of "see." We use it for things that happened before now, like "last night." "Sees" is only for the present.
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Q33She ___ a letter yesterday.
Answer: A. wrote
"Wrote" is the past form of "write." In English, we do not say "writed." We use "wrote" for past events like "yesterday."
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Q34The dog usually ___ loudly at night.
Answer: A. barks
For a single subject like "the dog," we add "-s" to the action word in the present. So, "bark" becomes "barks." "Barking" would need the word "is."
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Q35We ___ dinner early last night.
Answer: C. ate
"Ate" is the past form of "eat." Since it happened "last night," we use the past word. "Eats" is for the present, and "eaten" needs "have" or "has."
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Q36He ___ tennis on Sundays these days.
Answer: C. plays
For "he," "she," or "it," we add "-s" to the action word in the present. So, "play" becomes "plays." The phrase "these days" shows this is a current habit, so "played" (past tense) does not fit.
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Q37They ___ a new car last week.
Answer: C. bought
"Bought" is the past form of "buy." The word "buyed" does not exist. We use "bought" for things that happened in the past.
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Q38She ___ TV every evening these days.
Answer: C. watches
For "he," "she," or "it," we add "-es" to words that end in "ch" (like "watch"). The phrase "these days" shows this is a current habit, so "watched" (past tense) does not fit.
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Q39I ___ water every day these days.
Answer: C. drink
With "I," "you," "we," or "they," we use the basic form of the action word in the present. We say "I drink," not "I drinks." The phrase "these days" shows this is a current habit, so "drank" (past tense) does not fit.
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Q40He ___ the bus to work.
Answer: A. takes
For "he," "she," or "it," we add "-s" to the action word in the present. "Takes" is correct. "Taking" would need "is" to be correct.
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Q41They ___ to the party last night.
Answer: D. came
"Came" is the past form of "come." We use it for events that already happened. "Comed" is not a correct word in English.
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Q42The baby ___ soundly every night these days.
Answer: B. sleeps
For a single subject like "the baby," we add "-s" to the action word. "Sleeps" is correct for a current regular habit. The phrase "these days" shows this is happening now, so "slept" (past tense) does not fit.
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Q43We ___ in the park every morning these days.
Answer: D. run
With "we," "I," "you," or "they," use the basic form of the action word in the present. So we say "We run." "Runs" is only for "he," "she," or "it." The phrase "these days" shows this is a current habit, so "ran" (past tense) does not fit.
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Q44She ___ me a gift yesterday.
Answer: A. gave
"Gave" is the past form of "give." Since the gift was given "yesterday," we use the past word. "Gives" is for the present.
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Q45The birds ___ south last winter.
Answer: C. flew
"Flew" is the past form of "fly." We use it for actions that happened in a finished time like "last winter." "Flies" is for the present.
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