Common mistake Agreement error: past participle without 'have'
Agreement Error: Past Participle without 'Have'
One common mistake in English grammar is the use of a past participle without the auxiliary verb 'have' or 'be' before it. Let's explore this error in more detail and learn how to correct it.
What is a Past Participle?
A past participle is a form of a verb used to create various verb tenses, passive voice, and perfect tenses in English. It usually ends in '-ed' for regular verbs, such as 'worked,' 'played,' 'finished,' and 'talked,' but irregular verbs have different forms like 'eaten,' 'gone,' and 'written.'
The Role of Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs, such as 'have' and 'be,' are essential to indicate the tense or voice of a verb. In the case of past participles, the auxiliary verb 'have' is used to form the present perfect and past perfect tenses, while 'be' is used to form the passive voice and various continuous tenses.
The Common Mistake
The mistake occurs when a past participle is used without the appropriate auxiliary verb. For example:
- Incorrect: I ate dinner and went to bed.
- Correct: I have eaten dinner and gone to bed.
In this example, the correct version uses the auxiliary verbs 'have' and 'gone' before the past participles 'eaten' and 'gone' to indicate the completion of the actions.
How to Correct the Error
To avoid this agreement error, always ensure you include the appropriate auxiliary verb before a past participle. Consider the tense or voice you intend to convey and select the correct auxiliary verb accordingly. Here are some examples:
- Past Perfect Tense (have + past participle):
- Incorrect: She finished her work and went home.
- Correct: She had finished her work and gone home.
- Passive Voice (be + past participle):
- Incorrect: The book wrote by the author became a bestseller.
- Correct: The book written by the author became a bestseller.
Remember that using the correct auxiliary verb with the past participle is crucial to convey the intended meaning and maintain grammatical accuracy in your writing.
Linguix grammar checker is a helpful tool that can detect and highlight agreement errors, including the use of past participles without the appropriate auxiliary verbs, allowing you to correct them effortlessly.
Agreement error: past participle without 'have' mistake examples
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Incorrect:Okay, it done by the end of the month.Correct:Okay, it's done|it has done by the end of the month.
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Correct:Consider it done.
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Incorrect:He done it.Correct:He has done|did it.
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Incorrect:He been there.Correct:He has been|was|were there.
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Incorrect:... and then it begun to rain.Correct:... and then it has begun|began to rain.
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Incorrect:It is rumored that he gone bankrupt.Correct:It is rumored that he has gone|went bankrupt.
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Correct:It was done by him.
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Correct:"Haven't you seen it?"
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Correct:“Haven't you seen it?”
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Correct:Haven't you seen it?
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Correct:Hasn't he seen it?
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Correct:But honestly, hasn't he seen it?
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Correct:“Hasn't he seen it?”
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Correct:Call it done.
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Correct:Push the job and get it done this week.
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Correct:"How would you like it done?"
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Correct:I want to see it done right.
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Correct:I need it done sooner than that.
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Correct:The prince made it known all over the land that he would ...
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Correct:It was there she spent the winters.
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Correct:How long's it been since Tom died?
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Incorrect:It not required.Correct:It is not required.
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Incorrect:It correctly done that.Correct:It has correctly done|correctly did that.
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Incorrect:I think it never been there.Correct:I think it has never been|never was|never were there.
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Incorrect:Okay, I done.Correct:Okay, I'm done|I have done.
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Incorrect:Okay, they done by the end of the month.Correct:Okay, they're done|they have done by the end of the month.
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Correct:Consider it done.
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Incorrect:When I seen your note ...Correct:When I have seen|saw your note ...
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Incorrect:They don't honor you like that OU unless they done taken a real liking to you.Correct:They don't honor you like that OU unless they have done|did taken a real liking to you.
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Correct:I was surprised by him.
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Correct:Ma'am I got the wrong one.
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Correct:Does it only take the smell to make you drunk?
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Correct:Where've you been?
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Correct:Have Tom and I done enough?
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Correct:We had an excellent technology shop and while I was there I built the EDS later to be ETC trading floor infrastructure.
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Incorrect:You not required to do that.Correct:You are not required|have not required to do that.
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Incorrect:I not required to do that.Correct:I am not required|have not required to do that.
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Correct:I am not required to do that.
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Correct:His last words, "Ne frusta vixisse vidar" (May I not seemed to have lived in vain") were recorded ...
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Incorrect:Well I never seen something like that.Correct:Well I have never seen|never saw something like that.
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Correct:Zog I also known as Skenderbeg III, (1895–1961), king of Albanians We don't know how to get around that right now.
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Incorrect:You could been from Russia.Correct:You could have been|be from Russia.
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Correct:They should break away from Russia.
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Incorrect:You can gone from Russia.Correct:You can go|be gone from Russia.
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Correct:They shall break away from Russia.
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Correct:I knew almost exactly what the will had said.
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Correct:The Bible is clear that humans do not achieve greatness without having their sinful will broken.
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Incorrect:You can been gone from Russia.Correct:You can be gone from Russia.
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Incorrect:It can been seen at night.Correct:It can be seen at night.
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Correct:They shall break away from Russia.
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Incorrect:You used to been stupid.Correct:You used to be stupid.
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Correct:They need to do this.
