Question

Yesterday afternoon, clouds rolled in, the sky grew ominous, and thunder (was, is) heard in the distance.

Short answer

The completed sentence is 'Yesterday afternoon, clouds rolled in, the sky grew ominous, and thunder was heard in the distance.'

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Context

Look at the sentence and identify the time reference. The word 'Yesterday' indicates the sentence is set in the past.

Identify the Correct Verb Tense

According to the context, decide on the correct form of the verb 'to be'. Here, the sentence requires past tense, so the correct form is 'was'.

Insert the Correct Verb

Replace the bracketed verbs (was/is) with the correct verb 'was'.

Key concepts

Understanding Past Tense

The past tense is a verb form that indicates actions or events that have already happened. It often involves changing the verb to align with past time references. In our example, the use of "Yesterday" as a temporal marker clearly shows the need for past tense. Past tense verbs are critical in storytelling, reporting, and everyday conversation because they help convey what has already occurred.

There are several types of past tense, but the most common in English is the simple past. To form the simple past for regular verbs, we usually add "-ed" to the base verb (e.g., "walk" becomes "walked"). However, many verbs are irregular and require specific past forms (e.g., "see" becomes "saw").

• For regular verbs: Add "-ed" to the base form.
• For irregular verbs: Memorize their unique past tense forms.
• Time markers like "yesterday" or "last year" often indicate past tense use.

Understanding past tense can significantly improve your ability to communicate actions and events that happened at a definite point in time.

Using Context Clues

Context clues are hints found within a sentence or paragraph that help readers figure out meaning or tense. They can include words or phrases that give information about time, place, or the nature of an action. In the given exercise, the presence of "Yesterday" is a powerful context clue signaling the past tense.

To accurately determine which verb form to use, look for clues around the verb:

• Temporal markers: Words like "yesterday," "last night," or "a week ago" tell us the action is in the past.
• Adverbs or adjectives: Words describing frequency or manner can also guide tense usage.
• Logical sequence: Look at the order of events in the narrative for tense consistency.

By paying attention to these clues, you can correctly adjust verb tenses to match the context.

Grammar Rules for Verb Tenses

Grammar rules are essential for constructing sentences that are clear and precise. Verb tense rules dictate how verbs change form to convey different times. In the exercise, the rule involves selecting the correct past form of "to be," which is "was" for singular subjects.

Here are some essential verb tense rules:

• Subject-verb agreement: Ensure verb forms match the subject. "He/she/it" takes "was," while "they" would take "were."
• Regular vs irregular verbs: Know the differences in forming past for regular vs irregular verbs.
• Consistency: Maintain the same tense throughout a connected narrative unless there's a good reason to shift.

Following these rules will help you construct grammatically correct sentences and improve your writing quality. Whenever you're in doubt, refer to context clues and tense rules to guide your choice of verbs.