---
title: It is given that a speaker says "I were going to the shop". Ascertai… — Tense consistency and verb forms · tree and pragmatics
description: It is given that a speaker says "I were going to the shop". Ascertain the corresponding Standard English form. Exam question 4 of lesson 31 «Tense consistency and verb forms» of the English course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; M
---

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# Exam question 4 · Tense consistency and verb forms

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
It is given that a speaker says "I were going to the shop". Ascertain the corresponding Standard English form.

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 3 · wrong ✗ · **Who acts:** speaker, you · **What happens:** give, say, go, ascertain, correspond · **To what, where:** It, shop, corresponding form, Standard English · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
This is exam question 4 of lesson 31 «Tense consistency and verb forms» of the English course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/31-tense-consistency-and-verb-forms/#e4).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* It is given that a speaker says "I were going to the shop".

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:31-tense-consistency-and-verb-forms:e4:1
# text = It is given that a speaker says "I were going to the shop".
1	It	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj:pass	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux:pass	_	_
3	given	give	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
4	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	7	mark	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	speaker	speaker	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	nsubj	_	_
7	says	say	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	advcl	_	_
8	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	11	nsubj	_	_
10	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	11	aux	_	_
11	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	7	ccomp	_	_
12	to	to	ADP	IN	_	14	case	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	shop	shop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
15	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	11	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
16	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **give** | present · passive |  | It |  |  |  |  | vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme |
| 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | present | a speaker |  |  |  |  |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **go** *in a quote* | past · progressive | a speaker *= speaker* |  |  | the shop |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to shop=Initial\_Location |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Ascertain the corresponding Standard English form.

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:31-tense-consistency-and-verb-forms:e4:2
# text = Ascertain the corresponding Standard English form.
1	Ascertain	ascertain	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
3	corresponding	correspond	VERB	VBG	VerbForm=Ger	6	compound	_	_
4	Standard	Standard	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	compound	_	_
5	English	English	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
6	form	form	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ascertain** | imperative | you *not said here* | the corresponding form |  |  |  |  | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent form=Topic |
| 2 | **correspond** | gerund |  | Standard English |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I were went to the shop

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:31-tense-consistency-and-verb-forms:e4:o1:1
# text = I were went to the shop
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	cop	_	_
3	went	go	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	shop	shop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | I |  |  |  |  | to the shop; go *property* | tree rules |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I be going to the shop

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:31-tense-consistency-and-verb-forms:e4:o2:1
# text = I be going to the shop
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	3	aux	_	_
3	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	shop	shop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go** | infinitive · progressive | I |  |  | the shop |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to shop=Initial\_Location |

### Option 3 · ✓ the right answer {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I was going to the shop

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:31-tense-consistency-and-verb-forms:e4:o3:1
# text = I was going to the shop
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	shop	shop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go** | past · progressive | I |  |  | the shop |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to shop=Initial\_Location |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
I am going to the shop yesterday

```conllu
# sent_id = question:english:31-tense-consistency-and-verb-forms:e4:o4:1
# text = I am going to the shop yesterday
1	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	3	nsubj	_	_
2	am	be	AUX	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	going	go	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	shop	shop	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	yesterday	yesterday	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl:unmarked	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go** | present · progressive | I |  |  | the shop | yesterday |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to shop=Initial\_Location |

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**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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