Many GMAT students begin attacking sentence correction questions by trying to identify incorrect uses of verbs. While that’s a logical way to start on these questions, a common mistake by many of these test-takers is to do so without a concrete understanding of how verbs are used. This can be quickly remedied by reviewing the basics of verb tenses. This might seem like a daunting task, especially given the seemingly endless number of rules associated with verb tenses, so let’s begin by focusing on the perfect forms of verbs.


Past perfect verbs


Past perfect verbs use the past form of the phrase “to have” as a helping verb. We will dive deeper into this rule in the following paragraph, but let’s take a look at the example below.

John sold the car that he had bought.

This may look like a simple example, but there are a number working parts at play. To ensure the past form of “to have” is properly serving as a helping verb, it must be followed immediately by the past participle of the verb. If that isn’t resonating with you, just remember this formula: Past Perfect = Had + Past Participle (The past participle is also called V3).

The past perfect tense can also be used to describe a condition and its result. It is used mainly in the third conditional form (a condition that has no way of happening therefore the result will not transpire either—it is a bit like a ‘wishful thinking’ condition with 0% chance of happening).

For example: “If I had studied for the GMAT, I would have gotten a higher score.” The past perfect verb in this example describes clearly the relationship between a lack of studying and a higher score. There was 0% chance of my having gotten a decent score because the subject had not studied (notice the Past Perfect I just used).


Present perfect verbs


Present perfect verbs are indicative of a number of situations. They describe one (or more, in some cases) of the following:


  • An action that has happened and is continuing to happen.
  • An action that is still relevant to what is currently happening.
  • An action in the past that has no identifiable time frame.


Let’s take a look at the following example: “John has been a barista for the past two years.” The word “has” clearly indicates that John is still a barista after two years of experience on the job. Remember that the Present Perfect is similar to the Past Perfect construction except that the verb to have is in the present: have/has + Past Participle (V3).

Unlike a verb in past simple tense, there is no definitive beginning and/or end to an action in the present perfect tense. If you’re having trouble discerning between the two tenses on test day, look for words like “recently,” “just,” “yet” and “since,” all of which are telling clues that the sentence you’re looking may be or perhaps should be in the present perfect tense.

There are also situations in which you would use a present perfect verb to describe an “infinitive.” An infinitive typically points to the future and is coupled with common verbs such as “hope,” “plan” and “expect.” An example of this is the following: “I hope to have begun studying for the GMAT by June.” This sentence indicates a previous plan to study for the GMAT, followed by the commencement of that study plan.


Future perfect verbs


Future perfect verbs are fairly simple in nature: they indicate an action that someone is planning on completing by a certain point in the future. For example, you would use a future perfect verb to describe the following: “I will have taken the GMAT by the time you return from your vacation next week.” You could also use a future perfect verb to describe something coming up more recently: “By this weekend, I will have taken the GMAT for the first time.” Although simple in nature, it’s always helpful to review these tenses to get a better grasp of what you should be looking for when you come across sentence correction questions GMAT.

This was a sample of the in-depth instruction that Economist GMAT Tutor offers about grammar in the GMAT Verbal section. For complete and interactive lessons, practice tests, and online tutor support, subscribe to one of Economist GMAT Tutor's top-rated GMAT prep plans. Commitment-free trials are available for seven days.