ENGLISH GRAMMAR

VERB

1. Verb. The verb is a word that expresses some action, feeling or exist¬ence. It tells us something about
the subject; as
Lions roar. (action)
Boys fly kites. (action)
I feel sorry. (feeling)
Ashoka was a great king. (existence)

2. All the verbs (shown above in black) ‘roar’, ‘fly’, ‘feel’, and ‘was’, are limited by the number and person
of their subjects. Therefore, ‘roar’, ‘fly’, ‘feel’, and ‘was’, are Main Verbs—main verbs are also called
Finite Verbs.

3. Verbs are divided in two parts :

A. Main Verbs (also called lexical verbs)
B. Helping Verbs (Auxiliaries-Primary and Modals)

All verbs in English except the 24 helping verbs are main verbs.

Look at the chart below :

Main Verbs are also of two kinds :

(a) Finite verbs
(b) Non-finite verbs
Finite verbs change their forms according to the person and number of the subject and the tense also,
e.g.
He reads. I read
They read. She goes
I go.
They go.
Non-finite verbs do not change their forms according to the number, person or tense of the subject. The
iitflnitives, gerunds and participles are called non-Jinites.

4. Read the following sentences :

Lata sang a song.
I wrote a letter.
Children like sweets.
In each of these sentences the verb takes an object. ‘Song’, ‘letter’ and ‘sweets’ are objects. A verb that
takes an object is called a Transitive Verb. The object usually answers the question what ? Or whom ?
Now look at the following sentences :
Birds fly.
The sun shines.
These verbs do not require objects. They express the actions by them¬selves and make the sense
complete. They are called Intransitive Verbs. Some Verbs can be used both Transitively and
Intransitively.

Verbs Used Intransitively Verbs Used Transitively

1. Birds fly Boys fly kites.

2. The horse runs fast I ran a race.

Pick out the Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in the following sentences. Name the Object of each
Transitive Verb :
1. I killed a snake.
2. The ship sank.
3. She jumped into the well.
4. She spoke slowly.
5. The sun rose in the East.
6. I broke the plates.
7. The play lasted an hour.
8. This pen costs five rupees.
 II. The Conjugation of Verbs

To Conjugate a Verb means to give its four Principal forms :

Present Past
Past Participle Present Participle
If the Past or Past Participle is formed from the Present Tense by chang¬ing the Vowel of a Verb ; as—
Take, took, taken and do, did, done
The Verb is said to be a Strong Verb. .
If the Verb requires the addition of ‘ed’, ‘d or T to form their Past and Past Participles, they are called
Weak Verbs ; as—
Finish, finished, finished ; die, died, died and build, built, built.

Group I
[Where no ‘n’ is added to the Past Participle)

Present Past Past Participle Present Participle

Abide abode abode abiding

Awake awoke awoke awaking

Become became become becoming

Begin began begun beginning

Dig dug dug digging

Drink drank drunk drinking

Fight fought fought fighting

Find found found finding

Hold held held holding

Lie lied lied lying

Ring rang rung ringing

Run ran run running

Shine shone shone shining

Sing sang sung singing

Sit sat sat sitting

Stand stood stood standing

Swim swam swum swimming

Win won won winning

Wind wound wound winding,

 Group II
(Where ‘n’ is added to the Past Participle)

Present Past Past Participle Present Participle

Arise arose arisen arising

Bear bore bom bearing

Bear bore borne bearing

Bid bade bidden bidding

Blow blew blown blowing

Break broke broken breaking

Choose chose chosen choosing

Draw drew drawn drawing

Drive drove driven driving

Fall fell fallen falling

Fly flew flown flying

Forget forgot forgotten forgetting

Freeze froze frozen freezing

Grow grew grown growing

Hide hid hidden hiding

Know knew known knowing

Lie lay lain lying

Ride rode ridden riding

Shake shook shaken shaking

Sink sank sunk, sunken sinking

Speak spoke spoken speaking

Steal stole stolen stealing

Strike struck struck, stricken striking

Tear tore tom tearing

Throw threw thrown throwing

Wake waked, woke waked, woken waking

Wear wore worn wearing

Write wrote written writing

Note. Since the Present Participle is only the ing form of the Present, we are giving below only the first
three forms.
 Group III—Mixed Verbs
(Partly Strong and Partly Weak)

Present Past Past Participle

Beat beat beaten

Do did done

Hang hung, hanged hung, hanged

Melt melted melted, molten

Sew sewed sewn

Shave shaved shaved, shaven

Show showed shown

 Group IV
(Conjugation of Weak Verbs)

Present Past Past Participle

Bend bent bent

Bring brought brought

Build built built

Bum burned, burnt burned, burnt

Catch caught caught

Deal dealt dealt

dreamed dreamed

Dream

dreamt dreamt

Feed fed fed

Feel felt felt

Have had had

Hear heard heard

Kneel knelt knelt

Lay laid laid

Lead led led

Leave left left

Lend lent lent

Light lighted, lit lighted, lit

Lose lost lost

Make made made

Mean meant meant

Say said said

Seek sought sought

Send sent sent

Sleep slept slept

Smell smelt smelt

Spell spelled, spelt spelled, spelt

Spend spent spent

Stay stayed stayed

Teach taught taught

Wed wedded, wed wedded, wed

Weep wept wept

Exceptions

Present Past Past Participle

Cleave cleft cleft

Have had had

Hear heard heard

Lay laid laid

Leave left left

Lose lost lost

Make made made

Measure measured measured

Pay paid paid

The Present, Past and Past Participle forms of the following weak Verbs are alike :

Cast Cut Hit

Hurt Let Put

Set Shed Shut

Spread

The Present and Past Participle forms of certain verbs are alike.

come came come

run ran run

Mark the difference between the following Pairs of Verbs :

 Present Past Past Participle

 Fall fell Fellen

Fell felled Felled

Find found Found

Found founded Founded

Lie lay Lain

3 Lie lied Lied

Lay laid laid

Exercise 1

Give the Past and Past Participle forms of the following Verbs :

(a) Speak lie catch do have fall hang go

draw grow write take sit sing know.

(b) Meet wring weave spring beat hear seek teach

lose smell tell weep shoot put win.

Multiple Choice Questions

Read the statements given below and tick the correct option :
I. Identify as directed :

Question 1. II. Fill in the blanks with suitable verbs :

Identify the Main verb Question 5.
(i) fly Children ……… to see ‘Three Idiots’
(ii) ought to fly (i) hooked
(iii) will fly (ii) booked
(iv) can fly (iii) flocked
(iv) shook
Question 2.
Identify the Modal Question 6.
(i) is Sonia ……… a fairy tale
(ii) ought (i) said
(iii) am (ii) attended
(iv) are (iii) showed
(iv) narrated
Question 3.
Identify the Intransitive verb Question 7.
(i) Birds fly She ………. to go for a party
(ii) I wrote a letter (i) will
(iii) Leela sang a song (ii) can
(iv) Children love sweets (iii) dares
(iv) ought
Question 4.
Identify the Past Participle form Question 8.
(i) Ringing The lizard …….over the books
(ii) Rung (i) crashed
(iii) Ring
(ii) crawled
(iv) Rang
(iii) floated
 SHAMMI JAMWAL

*************************!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!***********************!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**************************