VERBS

  

Verbs: Verbs are action words. The words that show any action or work are called verbs.

v  Finite Verb: Finite verbs mean those verbs which can change their form in accordance with the subject. A finite verb makes an assertion or expression, a state of being and can stand by itself as the main verb of a sentence. Finite verbs can be main verbs or auxiliary verbs. They can appear in both dependent and independent clauses, as long as they have a subject, agree with that subject, and are set in either present or past tense.

v    Main verbs: Verbs which denote actions or states are called the main verbs. Main verbs are also called "lexical verbs". Main verbs have meaning on their own (unlike helping verbs).   Main verbs can be classified into; ·        Transitive and intransitive verbs ·        Linking verbs ·        Dynamic and stative verbs ·        Regular and irregular verbs   Examples: 1. They are planning a coup. 2. She likes pomegranates. 3. He was dismissed from service for corrupt practices. 4. Check your privilege. 5. Open the door.

v    Regular Verbs: Verbs which can be changed into past (2nd form) and past participle (3rd form) by adding 'd' or 'ed' or 't' to their present tense form are called regular verbs. Regular verbs are also known as “Weak verbs”. E.g. ·        accept – ed – accepted ·        check – ed – checked ·        fill – ed – filled ·        organize – d – organized ·        invite – d – invited ·        cause – d – caused ·        learn – t – learnt ·        burn – t – burnt ·        dream – t – dreamt   v    Irregular Verb: Irregular verbs are also known as “Strong verbs”. Strong verbs form their past and past participle forms usually in three ways; 1)               By changing the vowel (as in take + took + taken) 2)               By changing the vowels and consonants (as in bring - brought - brought) 3)               By making no change at all (as in cut - cut - cut).

v    Transitive Verb:  Verbs which require an object to complete their meaning are called transitive verbs. It is called transitive because it passes its action from subject to object. E.g. ·        Leah gave………… (gave what?) ·        Leah gave money to charity. In the above sentence, gave is said to be transitive because it requires an object (money) to complete its meaning. Examples: ·        Leena cut her hair. ·        Leah hit Leena. ·        Neela wrote an email. ·        My mom sent me a message. ·        Leah washed the dishes after dinner. ·        I loaded the washing machine for my mom. ·        She sang the national anthem. ·        He left the keys on the table.   v    Intransitive Verb: A verb that doesn't need any object to complete itself is called intransitive verb. It does not pass its action from subject to the object. E.g. ·        The building collapsed. In the above sentence, collapsed is said to be intransitive because it does not require on object. Examples: ·        She sang. ·        A light was shining. ·        Run! ·        Sing! ·        They jumped. ·        The dog ran. ·        The bus arrives at 1 p.m. ·        After he finished work, he left. ·        Sorry, but I have to go. ·        Urged by the others, she spoke. ·        Leena lives on the first floor of the building.

v    Dynamic verbs/Action verbs: Dynamic verbs usually describe actions we can take, or things that happen. Examples of dynamic verbs: become, break, buy, call, drink, eat, go, grow, hit, jump, learn, look, open, play, read, run, sleep, squash, swim, talk, type, walk, watch, work, write…..   v    Stative verbs/Non-action verbs: Stative verbs usually refer to a state or condition which is not changing or likely to change. Examples of stative verbs: adore, agree, appreciate, astonish, believe, care, concern, consist, contain, cost, deny, depend, desire, disagree, dislike, doubt, fit, forget, hate, hear, hope, imagine, impress, include, involve, know, like, love, matter, mean, need, owe, own, pack, please, possess, prefer, promise, realise, recognize, remember, satisfy, seem, sound, suppose, surprise, touch, understand, value, want, wish…..   o   Some verbs can function as both stative and dynamic verbs. E.g. ·        Stative - appear, be (is, am, are, was, were), feel, have, look, measure, mind, see, smell, taste, think, weigh….. ·        Dynamic - appearing, being, feeling, having, looking, measuring, minding, seeing, smelling, tasting, thinking, weighing…..

v    Linking Verb: Linking verbs are sometimes described as performing the function of an equal sign because they provide the connection between the subject of a sentence and a certain state.   ·        Examples: act, acted, am, appear, appeared to be, are, are being, be, became, become, can be, come, could be, could have come, did, do, does, fall, feel, fell, felt, get, go, got, grew, grow, had, had become, had been, had seemed, has, has appeared, has become, has been, has seemed, have, have appeared, have become, have been, have seemed, indicate, is, is being, is getting, keep, look, looked, may be, might be, might have been, must, prove, remain, remained, seem, seemed, seeming, seems, shall be, shall have been, should be, should have appeared, should have been, smell, sound, stay, stayed, taste, tasted, turn, was, was being, went, were, will be, will become, will have become, will have been, will seem, would be………   ·        True Linking Verbs: Some words are always linking verbs. These are considered "true" linking verbs. They do not describe the action, but always connect the subject to additional information. The most common true linking verbs are forms of "to be", "to become" and "to seem".   o   Basic Forms of "to Be" am, is, are, was, has, will have been, shall, shall have been, should be, might, might have been, could be, may be, must be, am being, is being, are being, were, have been, had been, shall be, should, should have been, might be, could, may, may have been, must have been   o   Forms of "to Become" become, became, have become, will become, becomes, has become, had become, will have become   o   Forms of "to Seem" seemed, seems, have seemed, seeming, has seemed, had seemed   E.g. ·        I am overjoyed. ·        Leah is annoyed. ·        My dogs are thirsty.   ·        Some linking verbs can function as either action verbs or linking verbs. ·        An easy test to distinguish between these two types of verbs is to replace the verb in the sentence that you suspect is a linking verb with a true linking verb. ·        If the sentence still makes sense, then it is a linking verb. ·        If it isn't logical after the substitution, then it is an action verb.   E.g. ·        The soup tasted delicious. (Linking verb) ·        He tasted the delicious soup. (Not a linking verb)   ·        The first sentence, "The soup is delicious", works, but "He is the delicious soup" is illogical. ·        The verb tasted is functioning as a linking verb in the first sentence, but not in the second one.

v    Auxiliary verbs: The word auxiliary means giving help or support to the main verb. An auxiliary verb, also known as “Helping Verb”, is a word which helps or supports the main verb in the formation of sentences.   E.g.: be, being, been, am, is, are, was, were, do, did, does, done, have, has, had, having, can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, ought to, have been…..   Auxiliary verbs are of two types: ·        Primary Auxiliaries ·        Modal Auxiliaries   v    Primary auxiliaries: The primary auxiliary verbs be, have, and do are some of the most commonly occurring verbs in English. They can also be used as a main verb in a clause, and each of these verbs is able to conjugate to reflect plurality and tense as a result. Be and have are used as auxiliaries to conjugate the continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous tenses. Do is used to make main verbs negative or to form interrogative sentences, and it can also be used to add emphasis to a sentence.   Note - Conjugate - to inflect (a verb) - to recite or display all or some subsets of the inflected forms of a verb.   Conjugations of be: be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being Conjugations of have: have, had, has, having Conjugations of do: do, does, did   v    Modal auxiliaries: Modal verbs are a type of Auxiliary verbs (also known as Helping verbs). That means they work alongside other verbs to give your sentence a new meaning.   They can change the tense of your main verb, or indicate the possibility, permission or necessity for something to happen.   E.g.: can, could, may, might, will, going to, would, shall, should, must, ought to…..

v    Non-finite Verbs: Non-finite verbs cannot by themselves be main verbs. If a verb doesn’t have a subject or a tense, or is part of a verb phrase, it’s a non-finite verb. There are mainly three types of non-finite verbs: infinitives, gerunds and participles.

Infinitive verbs can be divided into bare infinitive and 'to infinitive'. v  To Infinitive: An infinitive is a verb which has "to" before it. The preposition 'to' + the root of a verb forms a 'to infinitive'. The "to" is a part of the verb. It is not acting as a preposition in this case. 'To infinitive' is also known as full infinitive. E.g. ·        She went to the hospital to see her friend. ·        I want to teach them a lesson. Using 'to – Infinitive' Ø  Verb + to – infinitive ·        We hope to win the game. ·        Leah decided to buy a bike. ·        He seems to be very annoyed.   Ø  Verb + Object + to – infinitive ·        He allowed her to copy his notes. ·        Leah advised me to stop procrastinating. ·        We encouraged him to tell us the truth.   Ø  Adjective + to – infinitive ·        I was pleased to receive the letter. ·        I am delighted to hear that she has recovered. ·        We are sorry to hear about your loss.   v  Bare Infinitives A bare infinitive is an infinitive without “to.” It’s not the same thing as a base verb; bare infinitives are still used as verbals in a sentence. Bare Infinitive is also known as zero infinitive. Note: A verbal is a verb form that does not function as a verb but as a noun, an adjective or an adverb. The three verbals - gerunds, infinitives, and participles - are formed from verbs, but are never used alone as action words in sentences.   Using bare infinitives Ø  Bare infinitives are used after the modal verbs will, would, shall, should, may, might, can, could and must. Examples: ·        Leena does not like to gossip. ·        She can speak three languages. ·        I must get up early in the morning. ·        You should come to work in time. ·        Did Leah pass the test?   Ø  Bare infinitives are used after the object after verbs of perception like Feel, Hear, Listen, Notice, Observe, See, Smell, Watch….. (Verb + Object + Zero Infinitive) Examples: ·        I heard him scream yesterday. ·        I saw Leah leave thirty minutes ago. ·        She saw him disappear by the river.   Ø  Bare infinitives are used after the object after the verbs make, let, need and dare. Examples: ·        The teacher made us work all night. ·        Leah let me use her laptop. ·        She made me cry. ·        The teacher made her students rewrite their essays. ·        Leah lets her friends borrow her notes often. ·        Let them eat cake. ·        You need not come tomorrow. ·        Need I say more?   Ø  Bare infinitives are used after Verbal Idioms had better, would rather, sooner than and rather than. Examples: ·        I would rather stay at home than go out tonight. ·        I would rather die than surrender. ·        I would rather stay with you. ·        He would rather play than study. ·        You had better consult a doctor. ·        You had better ask her permission.   Ø  Bare infinitives are used after the question word why. Examples: ·        Why leave before the game ends? ·        Why not buy a new laptop? ·        Why wait until tomorrow?

v  Gerund: The gerund is a form of verb ending with ing, which acts as a noun. Gerunds can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and predicate nouns. E.g. 1. Drinking is injurious to health. 2. Reading is a good hobby. 3. Running is good for your heart. 4. He considered quitting. 5. She spent her life teaching. 6. Singing is her favourite hobby.   Gerunds and gerund phrases, which are defined as phrases that begin with a gerund, can function as many different parts of a sentence. Gerunds can function as subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions, and predicate nouns.     v  Gerunds as Subjects When the gerund is performing an action in the sentence, it functions as the subject. Swimming helps me unwind. (The word swimming is performing the action helps.) Meditating is relaxing. Trading is an exchange of goods and services for money. Shouting isn't conducive to healthy public debate. Gerund phrases as subjects: Writing short stories is an interesting hobby. Smoking cigarettes is not permitted in the hospital. Screaming at me isn't going to make you feel better. Reading novels is comforting.     v  Gerunds as Direct Objects When the gerund is receiving the action in the sentence, it is working as the direct object. Leena enjoys singing. (The word singing is receiving the action enjoys.) They practiced driving. I don't mind staying. Leah dislikes journaling. Gerund phrase as a direct object: Leena enjoys dancing to house music. They practiced parking parallel to the road. I don't mind paying the bill. He considered quitting the team.     v  Gerunds as Indirect Objects An indirect object indicates who, whom or what the action is directed toward. She never took his nagging seriously. (Nagging is the indirect object. It shows whom took seriously is directed toward.) The skater taught us skating. He made jogging his routine. He gave knitting a try. Gerund phrases as indirect objects: We never took revising for midterms seriously. They learned dancing in sync from her. He made reading in the morning a daily activity. Leena gave running the marathon her best shot.     v  Gerunds as Objects of Prepositions When a gerund follows a preposition, it's an object of the preposition. I express myself by writing. (Writing is the object of the preposition by.) Leah always talks about hiking. They got in trouble for gossiping. Leena made us proud by graduating. Gerund phrases as objects of prepositions: My love for reading novels was immediate. After revising for four hours, we took a break. Leah planned on running the marathon. He got expelled for cheating on the test. v  Gerunds as Predicate Nouns Predicate nouns (also known as predicate nominatives) follow a form of the verb to be (are, am, is, was, were, been and being) and rename or explain the subject of the sentence. His hobby is knitting. His story was boring. Leah's worst habit is gossiping. My least favourite sport is jogging. Gerund phrase as a predicate noun: Leah's favourite pastime is drawing portraits of her friends. Her occupation is writing ad copies. My favourite form of exercise is lifting weights in the gym. Her apathy was concerning to say the least.

v  Phrasal verbs or verb phrases: A phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or adverb or both and that functions as a verb whose meaning is different from the combined meanings of the individual words. E.g. ·        She asked around but nobody has seen her notebook. ·        My friends backed me up in the argument. ·        Somebody broke into my apartment and stole my TV. ·        I have to check out of the hotel before 10 AM. ·        She came down with fever this weekend. ·        Leah dropped back to third place in the mid-terms. ·        I have to drop my sister off at school before I go to work. ·        I tried to get my point across/over to the manager but she wouldn't listen. v  Phrasal Verbs and Transitivity Phrasal verbs can also be classified as transitive or intransitive. E.g. ·        Ravi decided to give up smoking. ·        I hope Ravi doesn’t give up.   o   Give up is just one of many phrasal verbs that can be transitive or intransitive. o   Whether give up has an object or not will alter the meaning it conveys. o   The first sense of give up means to forgo something, whereas the second sense means to stop trying.

v  Causative verbs: Causative verbs designate the action necessary to cause another action to happen. Causative verbs do not indicate something the subject did for themselves, but something the subject got someone or something else to do for them. The causative verbs are: let (allow, permit), make (force, require), have, get, and help. These verbs are Intransitive.   v  Let(allow/permit) Structure: Subject + let (any tense) + object (always person) + base form of verb + . . . Examples: ·        I don’t let my brother play with my Nintendo switch. ·        She let him take a slice of the pizza. ·        They won’t let me watch anime. ·        I don’t let them get to me.   Subject + permit/allow + object + infinitive + . . . Examples: ·        Leah allowed me to borrow her laptop. ·        She always allows her daughter to watch anime after studying. ·        My teacher permits students to stay late for tutoring. ·        Leena permitted Leah to drive her bike.   v  Make(force/require) Structure: Subject + make (any tense) + object (always person) + base form of verb + . . . Examples: ·        My mother made me clean my bedroom. ·        The teacher made us read five novels per month. ·        She always makes me do most of the chores. ·        She made him wash the dishes.   Subject + require/force + object + infinitive + . . . Examples: ·        The college requires students to submit their school certificates. ·        You cannot force me to do your bidding. ·        She forced me to write an apology. ·        The host required us to attend the party in black suits.   v  Have Structure: Subject + have (any tense) + object (usually person) + base form of verb + . . . Examples of structure #1: ·        I'll have my assistant send you the documents. ·        The teacher had us decorate the classroom. ·        She always has me do her chores. ·        Leah will have Leena prepare the dinner.   Subject + have (any tense) + object (usually thing) + past participle form of verb + . . . Examples of structure #2: ·        I need to have my laptop fixed soon. ·        Leah had her car washed. ·        She always has her clothes ironed. ·        Leah will have her notes prepared.   v  Get Structure: Subject + get (any tense) + object (usually person) + infinitive + . . . Examples of structure #1: ·        My friends got me to wear a saree even though it is not my style. ·        We should get a travel agent to plan our trip to Europe. ·        She always gets me to cook her breakfast. ·        The class president is getting the students to stand in a line.   Subject + get (any tense) + object (usually thing) + past participle form of verb + . . . Examples of structure #2: ·        Ravi got his hair trimmed. ·        She always gets her doubts clarified after class. ·        Leah will get her nails done tomorrow. ·        Leena got her house furnished by an interior designer.   v  Help Structure: Subject + help (any tense) + object (usually person) + base form of verb + . . . Examples of structure #1: ·        They helped her carry her groceries. ·        She helped me brush my hair. ·        Leah helps me do my chores. ·        Leena helps me practice playing the piano.   Subject + help + object + infinitive + . . . (It is unnecessary but “to” can be used after the verb “help”. It is more common not to use “to” after “help”.) Examples of structure #2: ·        Leena helped her to lift the table. ·        Leah helped me to decorate the apartment. ·        My mother always helps me to find my stuff. ·        The teacher helped me to understand the poem.

v  Factitive verbs: Factitive verbs are used to indicate the resulting condition or state (known as the object complement) of a person, place, or thing (the direct object) caused by the action of the verb. These verbs are transitive and they usually take two objects. Examples of factitive verbs include elect, appoint, make, choose, deem, assign, name, select, judge, designate…… E.g. ·        I consider it a pleasure to help those in need.  ·        She thinks Emily Dickinson a great poet. ·        Mia judged Leena too harshly. ·        He deemed her a person with self-respect. ·        Leah designated Leena as team captain. ·        Mia made Leena the regional manager. ·        She called her friend ignorant. ·        They elected Leah the president of the association. ·        The committee named Leena chairman of the board. ·        She considers that to be ridiculous.