Verbs

BBA-LLB (SEM I) – 2020-21

Why Verbs?
In every bit of communication, we’re trying to do one of these:
1) Convey a state/fact
I am Rajat. I am a software engineer. My life is quite good. There were a few problems the
previous year, but my parents are always with me.
2) Convey an ability/inability/probability
I cannot submit my assignment today. I might have the virus.
3) Convey an action
As soon as I arrived home, my dog ran towards me. He licked my face and climbed all over me.
We have been bonding for the last two years, since I adopted him.
4) Convey an order/request
Close the door. Come and sit here. Please explain to me why have your grades dropped so much.
In all these cases, the burden of conveying a state, a fact, an ability, a probability, an order and
(most importantly) an action lies on the shoulders of one or two words:
- am, is, are, were
- cannot submit, might have
- arrived, ran, licked, climbed, have been bonding
- Close, come, sit, explain
In other words, no meaning can be conveyed without verbs. Hence, there can be no sentence
without a verb.
What is verb?
A word that conveys mainly an action or a state is called a verb.
Technically speaking, any word or group of words that fall into any of the formats/structures of
the 12 tenses is a verb. (More on this, shortly)
Why is it so important?
Look at these examples:
I didn’t went to the wedding yesterday.
Pratham have messaged me.
She brought the book for Rs. 250.
This house was build by my grandparents.
Moral of the story: Mistakes in the usage of verbs are very easily detected. They affect the
meaning being conveyed more than anything else.
As said before, no sentence, at least a proper sentence, can be without a verb.
Also, a sentence can have only verb.
E.g.
Sit.
Listen.
Come on.
What do we need to know about verbs?
1. Three forms of verbs
2. Tenses
3. Helping Verbs and Modals
4. Participles, Gerunds and Infinitives
5. Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)
1. Three Forms of Verbs
- Every verb has three forms
i) Base (V1)
ii) Simple Past (V2)
iii) Past Participle (V3)
Additionally, we have the Present Participle.
E.g.

Base Simple Past Past Participle

Paint Painted Painted
Why do we need these three forms?
They perform different functions when we use different tenses.
E.g.
The base form is used in:
Vivek likes to paint. (To + V1 is used in infinitives) (Note that “paint” is not counted as a verb here.)
Vivek will paint in the university tomorrow. (Will + V1 forms the Simple Future Tense)
Vivek painted in the university yesterday. (Simple Past (V2) form is used in Simple Past Tense)
Vivek has painted on the new canvas. (has + V3 forms the Present Perfect Tense)
Vivek had painted on the new canvas last year. (had + V3 forms the Past Perfect Tense)
Vivek has been painting for the last 12 years. (has been + Present Participle forms the Present Perfect
Continuous Tense)
A tree was painted by Vivek. (was + V3 forms Simple Past in the Passive Voice)
In the same way, we have many such verbs that follow the pattern of
- Base form without any suffixes
- Simple Past forms with the suffix –ed
- Past Participle forms with the suffix –ed
These are called Regular Verbs
Some forms you know…(Regular Verbs)
Base Simple Past Past Participle
Play Played Played
Laugh Laughed Laughed
Paint Painted Painted
Study Studied Studied
Love Loved Loved
Kill Killed Killed
Reach Reached Reached
Irregular Verbs
Irregular Verbs are ones that break the pattern we saw in Slide No. 9
E.g.

Base Simple Past Past Participle

Buy Bought Bought
E.g.
- I wish to buy a house by the time I am 30.
- I bought a book yesterday.
- We have bought so many toys for the children, yet they keep asking for more.
Exercise
Look at these examples and try to guess the base form of the verb:
1. Father has swept the floor in the morning.
2. The house stank of rotten garbage owing to the waste collectors’ strike.
3. The ground rules have been laid and we should try and follow them.
4. Anjali sought her mother’s advice about a problem at her office.
5. Jon has risen after his death.
Similarly…
Base Simple Past Past Participle
Sit Sat Sat
Ring Rang Rung
Cut Cut Cut
Come Came Come
Be Was/Were Been
Write Wrote Written
Tear Tore Torn
Lay Laid Laid
Lie Lay Lain
Remember!
You need to go through these forms for as many
verbs as possible.
2. Tenses
Tenses indicate the time when something happens (action) or when something is/was/will be in
existence (state).
We have seen the basic sentence structures:
S-V-O
S-V-C
S-V
In all of these, the ‘V’ part is in one of the 12 tenses.
In other words, only those words/group of words in the format prescribed by these 12 tenses
are counted as verbs.
Classification of Tenses
You know the three basic types:
1. Present 2. Past 3. Future
And the sub-types in each:
1. Simple 2. Continuous 3. Perfect 4. Perfect Continuous
There are two things we need to understand:
A) The functional importance of the subtypes
B) The format of verbs in each of the 12 categories
1. Simple Present Tense
A) Format of the Verb
B) Function/Usage
Simple past is used mainly in five cases:
i) To tell about a habit/trait
- Shakti goes for a walk every morning.
ii) To tell about a universal fact
- The earth goes round the sun.
iii) To narrate a story or a live event
- Kabir sees Preeti and likes her.
- Virat hits the ball and it goes straight to a fielder.
iv) To tell about an existing state/fact
- Kabir is an idiot.
- The tea is hot.
v) To tell about a fixed event in the future
- The train leaves at 11.
Exercise
Identify what function is Simple Present tense doing in the following sentences:
The college reopens in January.
>> A fixed event in the future
Verbs is a very important topic.
>> An existing fact
Krishna then tells Arjuna that this is only his duty that he is doing.
>> Narration of a story
Roohul likes looking at things critically.
>> Habit/trait
2. Simple Past Tense
A) Format of the Verb
B) Function/Usage
Simple Past has two important functions (the first one is extremely important, as it is the common way in which we
narrate an incident):
i) To narrate a singular event in the past, generally with the time specified
- I submitted the assignment yesterday.
- I went to Mysore in 2010.
The time can also be implied.
- <When you talk to the host of party the next day>
I enjoyed the party. <the party yesterday>
- <When both the parties know of the time>
We talked about this. <a boss to her/his employees or any two people who were there during the previous
conversation>
ii) To tell about a habit in the past
Sheena chew her nails as a child.
*A more common form of telling about a habit in the past is:
Sheena used to chew her nails as a child.
When do we separate the helping verb?
When we need to stress something.
E.g.
- You never reply on time.
I do reply as soon as I see your message.
- I didn’t even reply to my messages.
I did reply!
*Remember the helping verb is stressed on while speaking in such cases.
This is to be done in other tenses as well:
- I have replied to your messages.
Other instances where helping verb is separated;
- Negative Sentences
I do not like plagiarism.
- Verbal Questions
Do you like horror movies?
We will now jump a little and look at two particular tenses which are related to Simple Past,
namely,
- Present Perfect Tense
- Past Perfect Tense
These are also two of the most frequently used tenses in the language.
They are also frequently confused with each other, i.e. one is used instead of another.
3. Present Perfect Tense
A) Format of the Verb

Person and Number Format

Singular - He/She/It/Proper Has + V3 (Finished)
Noun/Common Noun
Plural – You/We/They/Proper Have + V3
Noun/Common Noun
Singular (Exceptions) – I/You Have + V3
B) Function/Usage
The traditional definition of the tense is it is used to narrate recently completed action.
While this is technically correct, Simple Past also serves the same function:
e.g. I just told you…
What is then the particular function of Present Perfect?
There are two factors that differentiate the two. Present Perfect is used when:
i) The event is relevant to the present
- no matter when it happened
- that is why it is called Present Perfect
Look at these examples:
- I have prepared the presentation.
Here it implies that I am now ready to present it.
- She has injured her leg.
Here it implies that she is still hurting.
- Rahim has completed his PhD.
Here it implies that Rahim should now get a job based on his qualification.
In other words, Present Perfect gives a call to further action. The event being narrated is
relevant to the present.
As opposed to this, Simple Past only states an event. It does not give any call to action.
- I prepared the presentation yesterday.
- She injured her leg in the afternoon.
- Rahim completed his PhD in 2020.
All these are only pieces of information. They are closed statement. They do not necessarily
establish relevance to the present.
ii) Present Perfect is usually used without any time indication*
- When the event happened is not important
- What’s important is that it is still relevant
So Rahim, in the previous example, might have completed his PhD in 2010. It is still relevant if he can
get a job/a promotion based on it
Similarly,
- My parents have given me the best childhood.
>> It is implied here that the happy childhood still reflects in my nature.
- Shakespeare has written many wonderful dramas.
>> It is implied here that they are still available to read and should be read.
As opposed to this, time indication is important in Simple Past. It makes the statement of an
event precise.
*However, we can use a time indication if we need to convey both the relevance and the time:
- I have completed my graduation in 2009.
(This is not a good way to frame sentences, but can be done when required).
4. Past perfect Tense
A) Format of the Verb

I/You/He/She/It/We/They/Proper and Had + V3 (e.g.

Common Nouns (Singular and Plural) had completed; had asked)
B) Function/Usage
Again, Past Perfect Tense is generally defined as one used to describe something in the distant
past.
Again, while this is technically correct, we can use Simple Past and Present Perfect for the same
function:
E.g. 1. I graduated in 2009.
E.g. 2. I have completed my graduation in 2009.
Hence, we need to define the specific function of Past Perfect Tense.
There are two specific characteristic of Past Perfect:
i) It is used to describe events that are no more relevant
- irrespective of when the happened – distant or recent past
- they are in the past because they are irrelevant
Look at these examples:
- It’s a pity we have already lost the client. I had prepared a detailed presentation yesterday to
convince them.
- What’s the mark on your forehead?
I had injured it when I was 4.
(indicating that it doesn’t hurt anymore)
- How can the government suddenly announce that PhD is not an essential requirement for a
job! Rahim had completed his PhD with such diligence!
The meaning conveyed here is diametrically opposite to what Present Perfect conveys, i.e. it is
stating something which is irrelevant.
This is also different from Simple Past, as it is not merely stating the event.
ii) Past Perfect Tense is used when two events in the past are to be sequenced.
So if there are two events in the past which you’re narrating, the event that happened first should
be in Past Perfect and the one that happened second should be in Simple Present.
- When I woke up, mom had left for work.
- I arrived late for the class. The teacher had already finished an important topic.
(Note the sequence of sentences is not important; the sequence of events is).
*Time indication is not a necessity in Past Perfect. Nor is it specifically required. You can take a call
based on what you want to say.
e.g. I had gone to the mall yesterday. I met Shirish there.
I had gone to mall, but it was closed.
Exercise 1
Identify A) in which tense(s) (past, present perfect, past perfect) are the following sentences; and
B) why are they in that tense, i.e. what function are they doing
1. I was tired yesterday because I had worked non-stop.
2. The BJP came to power in 2014.
3. It was re-elected in 2019.
4. The BJP government has initiated an aggressive privatisation. It is causing a lot of stir in the
country.
5. The class has started.
6. The deadline was given a week ago.
7. Everyone had predicted that the BJP will at least lose some seats in 2019.
Exercise 2
Correct the following sentences in terms of tenses. Use Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect
correctly.
1. We are planning a trip to Goa. Will you join?
I had already seen Goa.
2. When did India become independent?
India has gained it’s independence in 1947.
3. Why should we value our independence?
We gained it with a lot of struggle.
4. I decided to tell my friend a secret. But then I remembered what a terrible secret-keeper he is!
5. Simple Future
A) Format
B) Function
i) To tell about something that will certainly happen – an inevitable event, a plan, commitment
- The Nisarg Cyclone will hit the coasts of Mumbai tomorrow.
- I will leave for Pune this weekend.
*Note that when the certainty is less, we use helping verbs like would, may, might. We shall
study them in Modals.
ii) A formal commitment
- I shall appear for the interview the next week.
Will and Going To
“Will” is used for a spontaneous decision:
I will return your book tonight.
“Going to” is for a pre-planned thing:
I am going to gift you a book on your birthday.
*However, “will” can be used in both the places.