Use of Verbs and Common Mistakes

In this post I will discuss about common mistakes while using verbs in sentence through some examples.

Incorrect:  We have finished the task a week ago.

Correct: We finished the task a week ago.

Incorrect: They have visited him yesterday.

Correct: They visited him yesterday.

Adverbs cannot be used with present perfect tense because it refers to a specific point of time in the past. Use simple past tense while writing about something happened in the past. 

Incorrect: We had seen her yesterday.

Correct: We saw her yesterday.

Incorrect: I had gone to the movie last evening.

Correct: I went to the movie last evening.

You can not use past perfect tense for something happened some time ago. By using simple past tense that idea is expressed. 

You can only use past perfect tense to suggest an action finished before another action initiated.

For example, you can say: I had eaten my dinner before I went to the movie last night. (Done)

Incorrect: I had spoken to the boys about my holiday.

Correct: I have spoken to the boys about my holiday.

We use the present perfect tense to talk about actions and situations that happened at an unspecified point of time in the past.

Note that we use the past simple tense if we mention a specific point of time in the past.

Incorrect: He hanged the pictures on the wall.

Correct: He hung the pictures on the wall.

Incorrect: The terrorist was hung.

Correct: The terrorist was hanged.

Use hanged to talk about execution by hanging.