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
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