Errors in Paragraphs Exercises With Answers

Instructions:
In each of the following paragraphs, some of the sentences contain errors in verb tense. Write out
the correct form of any verb that is used incorrectly.
1.
The following paragraph contains six errors in verb tense.
Hands Up!
Recently in Oklahoma City, Pat Roughen, a watchman, deposit 50 cents in a City

Hall vending machine and reach in to get a candy bar. When the machine catch
his hand, he pull out his pistol and shoot the machine twice. The second shot
sever some wires, and he got his hand out.
2. The following paragraph contains six errors in verb tense.
The Christmas Spirit
Mr. Theodore Dunnet, of Oxford, England, run amok in his house in December of
1972. He ripped the telephone from the wall, thrown a television set and a tapedeck into the street, smash to bits a three-piece suite, kicked a dresser down the
stairs, and torn the plumbing out of the bath. He offer this explanation for his
behavior: "I was shock by the over-commercialization of Christmas."
3. The following paragraph contains six errors in verb tense.
Late Bloomers
Some very remarkable adults are known to have experience quite unremarkable
childhoods. English author G.K. Chesterton, for instance, could not read until the
age of eight, and he usually finish at the bottom of his class. "If we could opened
your head," one of his teachers remark, "we would not find any brain but only a
lump of fat." Chesterton eventually become a successful novelist. Similarly,
Thomas Edison was label a "dunce" by one of his teachers, and young James
Watt was called "dull and inept."
4. The following paragraph contains 10 errors in verb tense.
Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is the most famous portrait in the history of
painting. Leonardo took four years to complete the painting: he begun work in
1503 and finish in 1607. Mona (or Madonna Lisa Gherardini) was from a noble
family in Naples, and Leonardo may have paint her on commission from her
husband. Leonardo is said to have entertain Mona Lisa with six musicians. He
install a musical fountain where the water play on small glass spheres, and he
give Mona a puppy and a white Persian cat to play with. Leonardo did what he
could to keep Mona smiling during the long hours she sit for him. But it is not
only Mona's mysterious smile that has impress anyone who has ever view the
portrait: the background landscape is just as mysterious and beautiful. The
portrait can be seen today in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
5. The following paragraph contains 10 errors in verb tense.
Hard Luck
A bank teller in Italy was jilted by his girlfriend and decide the only thing left to
do was kill himself. He stolen a car with the idea of crashing it, but the car
broken down. He steal another one, but it was too slow, and he barely dent a
fender when he crashed the car into a tree. The police arrive and charge the
man with auto theft. While being questioned, he stab himself in the chest with a
dagger. Quick action by the police officers saved the man's life. On the way to
his cell, he jumped out through a third-story window. A snowdrift broken his fall.
A judge suspends the man's sentence, saying, "I'm sure fate still has something
in store for you."
Here are the answers to the verb-tense exercises on page one. Corrected verb forms are
inbold print.
Answers
1.
Hands Up!
Recently in Oklahoma City, Pat Roughen, a watchman, deposited 50 cents in a City Hall
vending machine and reached in to get a candy bar. When the machine caught his hand,
he pulled out his pistol and shot the machine twice. The second shotsevered some wires,
and he got his hand out.
2.
The Christmas Spirit

Mr. Theodore Dunnet, of Oxford, England, ran amok in his house in December of 1972. He
ripped the telephone from the wall, threw a television set and a tape-deck into the
street, smashed to bits a three-piece suite, kicked a dresser down the stairs, andtore the
plumbing out of the bath. He offered this explanation for his behavior: "I was shocked by the
over-commercialization of Christmas."
3.
Late Bloomers
Some very remarkable adults are known to haveexperienced quite unremarkable childhoods.
English author G.K. Chesterton, for instance, could not read until the age of eight, and he
usually finished at the bottom of his class. "If we could open your head," one of his
teachers remarked, "we would not find any brain but only a lump of fat." Chesterton
eventually became a successful novelist. Similarly, Thomas Edison was labeled a "dunce" by
one of his teachers, and young James Watt was called "dull and inept."
4.
Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is the most famous portrait in the history of painting. Leonardo
took four years to complete the painting: he began work in 1503 and finishedin 1607. Mona
(or Madonna Lisa Gherardini) was from a noble family in Naples, and Leonardo may
have painted her on commission from her husband. Leonardo is said to
have entertained Mona Lisa with six musicians. He installed a musical fountain where the
water played on small glass spheres, and he gave Mona a puppy and a white Persian cat to
play with. Leonardo did what he could to keep Mona smiling during the long hours shesat for
him. But it is not only Mona's mysterious smile that has impressed anyone who has
ever viewed the portrait: the background landscape is just as mysterious and beautiful. The
portrait can be seen today in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
5.
Hard Luck
A bank teller in Italy was jilted by his girlfriend and decided the only thing left to do was kill
himself. He stole a car with the idea of crashing it, but the car broke down. He stole another
one, but it was too slow, and he barely dented a fender when he crashed the car into a tree.
The police arrived and charged the man with auto theft. While being questioned,
he stabbed himself in the chest with a dagger. Quick action by the police officers saved the
man's life. On the way to his cell, he jumped out through a third-story window. A
snowdrift broke his fall. A judge suspended the man's sentence, saying, "I'm sure fate still
has something in store for you.

Errors in Paragraphs Exercises With Answers

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Errors in Paragraphs Exercises With Answers

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Errors in Paragraphs Exercises With Answers

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Instructions:

The following paragraph contains six errors in verb tense.

Recently in Oklahoma City, Pat Roughen, a watchman, deposit 50 cents in a City

2. The following paragraph contains six errors in verb tense.

The Christmas Spirit

3. The following paragraph contains six errors in verb tense.

4. The following paragraph contains 10 errors in verb tense.

5. The following paragraph contains 10 errors in verb tense.

The Christmas Spirit

You might also like