| What is a verb? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| What are various examples of verbs? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| What is the difference between types and forms of verbs? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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How do you classify verbs? There are many different classifications of verbs. You need to follow the classification that solves real-world problems. You need to follow those details so that you can write declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. Verb conjugation and verb tenses: what is the difference? How many total verb tenses are there? What are primary auxiliary verbs? What are modal auxiliary verbs? How many primary auxiliary verbs are there? How many modal auxiliary verbs are there? When do you put a question in quotation marks? If you have to put a question in quotation marks, will you put quotation mark at the end of sentence after the question mark or before the question mark? Are there any regional and structural variations? How do you write a question starting with a helping verb? How do you write a question starting with a question word? How many question words are there? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Verb Conjugation Table
What are various verb forms? How many verb forms are there? Is there a difference between verb conjugation and verb forms? No. What should you be able to identify and know about a verb? All verbs have four principal forms. The be verb has nine forms. Not all verbs have nine forms.
Is it regular or irregular? Is it infinitive, base, past simple, past participle, present participle, present simple, or third person singular? What are the headings under which verb forms are classified? There are six headings under which verb forms are classified: infinitive, base, past simple, past participle, present participle, present simple, or third person singular. What should you be able to identify and know about a verb? What is the form of the verb? Is it regular or irregular? Is it infinitive, base, past simple, past participle, present participle, present simple, or third person singular? Forms of a verb can be identified as a separate word or in a sentence. Function of a verb can be identified in the sentence. What is the function of a verb in the sentence? Is the function of a verb in the sentence helping, main, transitive, intransitive, regular, irregular, linking, dynamic, static, active, or stative? Can you identify transitive or intransitive verb while having a separate word? No. You need to have a complete sentence. An auxiliary verb can function as a linking verb. You need to have a complete sentence to identify whether a verb is functioning as an auxiliary verb or linking verb. A question should be a complete sentence, not a fragment. A question should not be a complex question with many parts. How do you identify different verb tense sentences? Each verb tense sentence has a particular word or feature different than other verb tense sentences. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| What is an irregular verb? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| What is the difference between regular verbs and irregular verbs? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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What is a transitive verb? What is an intransitive verb? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| What is an infinitive? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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How do you write a question starting with a helping verb? How do you write a question starting with a question word? How many question words are there? What are the different types of verbs? The Verb's Role in a Sentence Verbs can be divided according to the job they do in a sentence. The grammar-expert's way of saying this is that we can divide verbs syntactically. These are the divisions and sub-divisions according to syntax: Main Verbs * finite verbs
o intransitive verbs o linking Verbs
o gerunds o participles
+ past participle + perfect participle Helping Verbs (auxiliaries)
Modal helping verbs We know that verbs are words, just like any other part of speech. The words that represent the verbs follow different patterns of spelling or sound. Verbs can, therefore, be divided into various kinds depending upon how they are formed. Grammarians would call this a morphological division. * regular verbs * irregular verbs * compound verbs * phrasal verbs Verbs According to Meaning I have earlier answered the question: what is a verb? There I used this division of verbs according to meaning to explain what a verb is. Those who know grammar well call this division of verbs a semantic classification. * action words (action verbs) * being * having Now you know the names of different verbs and how they are classified. We can classify them according to their role in a sentence (syntactically), or their formation (morphologically), or their meaning (semantically). Dynamic and stative verbs What are some of the examples? or We can classify them according to their role in a sentence (syntactically), or their formation (morphologically), or their meaning (semantically). | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Helping Verbs Helping verbs are also called "auxiliary verbs". Primary helping verbs Modal helping verbs What is an auxiliary verb? What is a modal verb? What is the difference between an auxiliary verb and a modal verb? Can you give some examples? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Auxiliary verbs are used together with a main verb to give grammatical information and therefore add extra meaning to a sentence, which is not given by the main verb.
Be, Do and Have are auxiliary verbs, they are irregular verbs and can be used as main verbs. The verbs 'to be' and 'to have' are the most commonly used auxiliary verbs and work alongside the main verbs in any statement. Modal verbs are also auxiliary verbs, but will be treated separately, these are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and would, they differ from the others in that they can never function as a main verb. To be Be is the most common verb in the English language. It can be used as an auxiliary and a main verb. It is used a lot in its other forms. Base form = be Present form = am/is/are Past form = was/were Present Participle / Gerund = being Past Participle = been More on the Verb To Be | |||||||||||||||||||||
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To do
The verb do is one of the most common verbs in English. It can be used as an auxiliary and a main verb. It is often used in questions. Base form = do Present form = do/does Past form = did Present Participle / Gerund = doing Past Participle = done More on the Verb To Do !Note - The auxiliary verb 'do' is always followed by the base form (infinitive). To have Have is one of the most common verbs in the English language. Base form = have Present form = have / has Past form = had Present Participle / Gerund = having Past Participle = had Uses of Do, Does and Did Uses of Have, Has and Had Other common auxiliaries are "can," "could," "may," "might," "must," "ought," "should," "will," and "would." A verb like these is called a modal auxiliary and expresses necessity, obligation, or possibility. Uses of Can and Could Can versus May Uses of May and Might Uses of Will and Would Uses of Shall and Will and Should Uses of Used to | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Main Verbs Main verbs are also called "lexical verbs". There are thousands of main verbs, and we can classify them in several ways: Transitive and intransitive verbs Linking verbs Dynamic and stative verbs Regular and irregular verbs Main verbs have meaning on their own (unlike helping verbs). Transitive and intransitive verbs A transitive verb takes a direct object: Somebody killed the President. An intransitive verb does not have a direct object: He died. Many verbs, like speak, can be transitive or intransitive. Look at these examples: transitive: * I saw an elephant. * We are watching TV. * He speaks English. saw watching speaks intransitive: * He has arrived. * John goes to school. * She speaks fast. arrived goes speaks Linking verbs A linking verb does not have much meaning in itself. It "links" the subject to what is said about the subject. Usually, a linking verb shows equality (=) or a change to a different state or place (>). Linking verbs are always intransitive (but not all intransitive verbs are linking verbs). * Mary is a teacher. (mary = teacher) * Tara is beautiful. (tara = beautiful) * That sounds interesting. (that = interesting) * The sky became dark. (the sky > dark) * The bread has gone bad. (bread > bad) is sounds became has gone Dynamic and stative verbs Some verbs describe action. They are called "dynamic", and can be used with continuous tenses. Other verbs describe state (non-action, a situation). They are called "stative", and cannot normally be used with continuous tenses (though some of them can be used with continuous tenses with a change in meaning). dynamic verbs (examples): * hit, explode, fight, run, go stative verbs (examples): * be * like, love, prefer, wish * impress, please, surprise * hear, see, sound * belong to, consist of, contain, include, need * appear, resemble, seem Regular and irregular verbs This is more a question of vocabulary than of grammar. The only real difference between regular and irregular verbs is that they have different endings for their past tense and past participle forms. For regular verbs, the past tense ending and past participle ending is always the same: -ed. For irregular verbs, the past tense ending and the past participle ending is variable, so it is necessary to learn them by heart. regular verbs: base, past tense, past participle * look, looked, looked * work, worked, worked irregular verbs: base, past tense, past participle * buy, bought, bought * cut, cut, cut * do, did, done One way to think of regular and irregular verbs is like this: all verbs are irregular and the so-called regular verbs are simply one very large group of irregular verbs. Often the above divisions can be mixed. For example, one verb could be irregular, transitive and dynamic; another verb could be regular, transitive and stative. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Active and Passive Verbs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| What are phrasal verbs? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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What is a linking verb? What is a copula? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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What is a conjunctive verb?
What is a defective verb? What is a finite verb? What is a nonfinite verb? What is an impersonal verb? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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What is a lexical verb? What is a phrasal verb? What is a reflexive verb? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| What is a gerund? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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What is Tense? Are there exceptions? What are some of the examples? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Verb phrases consist of one main verb and one or more helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs). | |||||||||||||||||||||
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What are verbals? How do verbals cause sentence fragments? What is a split infinitive? | |||||||||||||||||||||
| What should you look for to identify the verb in a sentence? | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Why is the word "to" followed by a verb in these sentences: I would like to go now; she used to smoke, as a preposition is followed by a "noun" but never by a verb?
In these sentences, "to" is not a preposition. It is part of the infinitive: to go, to smoke.
How many verbs are in this sentence: I do not want you to explain? 1 2 3 4 5 How many verbs are in these sentences: I want you to update records displayed online; whatever you have displayed, others get confused; you need to submit text file format? 1 2 3 4 5 What are the different types of conjunctions? How are they used in sentences? What do adverbs of time and adverbs of frequency reveal? What should you keep in mind while writing a question or interrogative sentence? Can this question or an interrogative thought be written in already existing types of questions? |
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1) Which is not a past form of a verb? was had looked spoke hear 2) Which is not a present form of a verb? are saw has talk speak 3) Which is not a plural form of a verb? are were am have do 4) Which is not a 3rd person singular form of a verb? goes has was are does 5) Which is not a modal? must is should can may 6) Which is a regular verb? looked saw was spoke heard 7) Which is not a simple tense of a verb? will move heard has spoken will talk see 8) Which is not used as an auxiliary of a verb? was have did will sees 9) Which verb can be both singular and plural? sees has do am is 10) Which verb can be both singular and plural? was does have comes hears 1.hear 2.saw 3.am 4.are 5.is 6.looked 7.has spoken 8.sees 9.do 10.have |
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What is Tense?
Tense is a method that we use in English to refer to time - past, present and future. Many languages use tenses to talk about time. Other languages have no tenses, but of course they can still talk about time, using different methods. Auxiliary verbs and question words: What's the difference? Helping verbs are also called "auxiliary verbs". | |
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A gerund is a verbal that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. The term verbal indicates that a gerund, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. However, since a gerund functions as a noun, it occupies some positions in a sentence that a noun ordinarily would, for example: subject, direct object, subject complement, and object of preposition. Gerund as subject: * Traveling might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (Traveling is the gerund.) * The study abroad program might satisfy your desire for new experiences. (The gerund has been removed.) Gerund as direct object: * They do not appreciate my singing. (The gerund is singing.) * They do not appreciate my assistance. (The gerund has been removed) Gerund as subject complement: * My cat's favorite activity is sleeping. (The gerund is sleeping.) * My cat's favorite food is salmon. (The gerund has been removed.) Gerund as object of preposition: * The police arrested him for speeding. (The gerund is speeding.) * The police arrested him for criminal activity. (The gerund has been removed.) A Gerund Phrase is a group of words consisting of a gerund and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the gerund, such as: Points to remember: 1. A gerund is a verbal ending in -ing that is used as a noun. 2. A gerund phrase consists of a gerund plus modifier(s), object(s), and/or complement(s). 3. Gerunds and gerund phrases virtually never require punctuation. | |
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When a verb ends in -ing, it may be a gerund or a present participle. It is important to understand that they are not the same.
When we use a verb in -ing form more like a noun, it is usually a gerund:
When we use a verb in -ing form more like a verb or an adjective, it is usually a present participle:
In this lesson, we look at the different ways in which we use gerunds, followed by a quiz to check your understanding:
| Many grammarians do not like to use the expression "gerund". That is because there is sometimes no clear difference between a gerund and a present participle. |
All helping verbs are used with a main verb (either expressed or understood*). There are 2 groups of helping verbs:
Study the table below. It shows the prinicipal forms and uses of helping verbs, and explains the differences between primary and modal helping verbs. * Sometimes we make a sentence that has a helping verb and seems to have no main verb. In fact, the main verb is "understood". Look at the following examples:
But if somebody walked into the room and said "Hello. I can", we would understand |
| Helping Verbs | |||
| Primary | Modal | ||
| do | (to make simple tenses, and questions and negatives) | can | could |
| be | (to make continuous tenses, and the passive voice) | may | might |
| have | (to make perfect tenses) | will | would |
| shall | should | ||
| must | |||
| ought (to) | |||
| "Do", "be" and "have" as helping verbs have exactly the same forms as when they are main verbs (except that as helping verbs they are never used in infinitive forms). | Modal helping verbs are invariable. They always have the same form. | ||
Primary helping verbs are followed by the main verb in a particular form:
| "Ought" is followed by the main verb in infinitive form. Other modal helping verbs are followed by the main verb in its base form (V1).
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| "Do", "be" and "have" can also function as main verbs. | Modal helping verbs cannot function as main verbs. | ||
| V1 | V2 | V3 | ||||
| infinitive | base | past simple | past participle | present participle | present simple, 3rd person singular | |
| regular | (to) work | work | worked | worked | working | works |
| irregular | (to) sing (to) make (to) cut | sing make cut | sang made cut | sung made cut | singing making cutting | sings makes cuts |
| (to) do* (to) have* | do have | did had | done had | doing having | does has | |
| infinitive | base | past simple | past participle | present participle | present simple | |
| (to) be* | be | was, were | been | being | am, are, is |
In the above examples:
These example sentences use main verbs in different forms.
| Present | Past Tense: |
| (Today) | (Yesterday) |
| talk | talked |
| walk | walked |
| play | played |
| laugh | laughed |
| help | helped |
| ask | asked |
| answer | answered |
| shout | shouted |
| finish | finished |
| look | looked |
| am / are / is | was |
| do | did |
| can | could |
| have / has | had |
| go | went |
| run | ran |
| speak | spoke |
| learn | learnt |
| drive | drove |
| eat | ate |
| cry | cried |
| hurry | hurried |
| stop | stopped |
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Verbs are a necessary component of all sentences. Verbs have two important functions: Some verbs put static objects into motion while other verbs help to clarify the objects in meaningful ways.
The important thing to remember is that every subject in a sentence must have a verb. Otherwise, you will have written a fragment, a major writing error. Remember to consider word function when you are looking for a verb. Many words in English have more than one function. Sometimes a word is a subject, sometimes a verb, sometimes a modifier. As a result, you must often analyze the job a word is doing in the sentence. Look at these two examples: Know an action verb when you see one. If you are unsure whether a sentence contains an action verb or not, look at every word in the sentence and ask yourself, "Is this something that a person or thing can do?" Know a linking verb when you see one. How do you tell when they are action verbs and when they are linking verbs? If you can substitute am, is, or are for the verb and the sentence still sounds logical, you have a linking verb on your hands. If, after the substitution, the sentence makes no sense, you are dealing with an action verb. Realize that a verb can have more than one part. You must remember that verbs can have more than one part. In fact, a verb can have as many as four parts. A multi-part verb has a base or main part as well as additional helping or auxiliary verbs with it. Check out the examples below: Phrasal Verbs and other multi-word verbs Phrasal verbs are part of a large group of verbs called "multi-word verbs". Phrasal verbs and other multi-word verbs are an important part of the English language. Multi-word verbs, including phrasal verbs, are very common, especially in spoken English. A multi-word verb is a verb like "pick up", "turn on" or "get on with". For convenience, many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. These verbs consist of a basic verb + another word or words. The other word(s) can be prepositions and/or adverbs. The two or three words that make up multi-word verbs form a short "phrase" - which is why these verbs are often all called "phrasal verbs". The important thing to remember is that a multi-word verb is still a verb. "Get" is a verb. "Get up", is also a verb, a different verb. "Get" and "get up" are two different verbs. They do not have the same meaning. So you should treat each multi-word verb as a separate verb, and learn it like any other verb. Look at these examples. You can see that there are three types of multi-word verb: Single-word verb (look) You must look before you leap. Multi-word verbs Prepositional Verbs Phrasal Verbs Phrasal-prepositional Verbs prepositional verbs (look after) (Who is looking after the baby?) phrasal verbs (look up) (You can look up my number in the telephone directory.) phrasal-prepositional verbs (look forward to)I look forward to meeting you. What is a Main Verb Tense? What are auxiliary verbs? What are model verbs? What is a Main Verb Tense? The main verb tense states the action of the subject. The main verb can be the only verb in the sentence, but the main verb can also be used with an auxiliary verb or a verb. The auxiliary verb and the modal verb must be used with a main verb tense. The main verb tense is: The main verb tense can be in its infinitive/basic form (simple past/v2), past participle/v3. The main verb tense states what the action of the subject. -ed -ing -s -es are some common endings that can be added to the main verb according to the tense. It is common that the main verb doesn't change form, because the auxiliary words change form. When using the continuous tense and the perfect verb tense auxiliary verb(s) are used with the main verb tense. When an auxiliary verb is used the main verb doesn't change form according to the subject. The main verb tense can change form when an auxiliary verb is used to according to the verb form. Examples: * The cat eats fish. * The cats eat the fish * The cat has eaten the fish. * The cat ate the fish. * The cat has been eating the fish. |
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What are auxiliary verbs? What are model verbs? Model verbs are also called auxiliary verbs, helping verbs and model auxiliaries. Model verbs are not complete verbs, and they can only be used with a verb. The usage of model verbs: Model verbs stay in the base form - bare infinitive - the bare infinitive is the infinitive without "to" before the verb. The following model verbs are used to with the present tense: can, will, shall, ought to, must, need, may The following model verbs are used in the past tense: would, should, could, might Model verbs are used to answer questions in the short form Model verbs can be used as part of the grammar structure of the sentence, such as when used with the perfect tenses. When are model verbs used: Prediction - Will and Shall Will and shall can be used to state predict that an event or an action will take place or will occur The model verbs can used to make a prediction about an event or action about the future. * I think we will be able to go and see the move tonight. * My mother thinks we will not get home be it starts to rain. Requests - Offers - Suggestions - Can - Could - May - Shall To make requests, offers or suggestions can be stated with the model verbs Permission - Can - Could - May - Might Can, could, may and might are model verbs that can be used to give permission or deny permission to do something or to someone. Can I help you cook dinner? You may not watch T. V. after dinner. Certainty - Possibility - Can - Might - may- Could - Shall -Can, might - and could are model verbs that can be used to state certainty and possibility. Do you think it might rain tomorrow night? I might be home before midnight. You can come over tonight if you would like to. Ability - Inability - Can - Could - Able to My father hopes that we will be able to go to the moves. In some languages, verb tenses are not very important or do not even exist. In English, the concept of tense is very important. The English Tense System The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses. In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense: * Structure: How do we make the tense? * Use: When and why do we use the tense? Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding. Present Tense I do do, I do Present Continuous Tense I am doing, I am doing tomorrow Present Perfect Tense I have done Present Perfect Continuous Tense I have been doing Past Tense I did do, I did Past Continuous Tense I was doing Past Perfect Tense I had done Past Perfect Continuous Tense I had been doing Future Tense I will do Future Continuous Tense I will be doing Future Perfect Tense I will have done Future Perfect Continuous Tense I will have been doing |
In all the simple tenses, the verb "have" can be used as the main verb.
In all the perfect tenses the verb "have" is used as an auxiliary verb.
When the verb "have" is used as the main verb, it is usually used only in the simple form (static verbs).
The verb "have" can be used in the progressive tense, only in the present and future.
The verb have can not be used in the past progressive tenses.
Subject |
Main Verb "Have" |
Continue the Sentence |
I |
have /had/will have |
a car. |
We |
have /had/will have |
a lot of homework. |
You |
have/had/will have |
a nice house. |
The cars |
have/had/will have |
new tires. |
Natalie |
has/had/will have |
a great time in the States. |
Her father |
has/had/will have |
a very good job. |
*have is used in the present simple tense.
*has is used in the past simple tense.
*will have is used in the future simple tense.
Subject |
Auxiliary verb |
Not |
Main Verb "Have" |
Continue the Sentence |
I |
do/did/will |
not |
have |
time to visit him. |
We |
do/did/will |
not |
have |
to cook dinner when I got home. |
They |
do/did/will |
not |
have |
a lot of time to visit Mary. |
The car |
does/did/will |
not |
have |
a new paint job. |
Our teacher |
does/did/will |
not |
have |
a hard time teaching us. |
My father |
does/did/will |
not |
have |
me spent a lot of money on candy. |
*Do is used in the present simple tense with the following pronouns I. you, we, they, and plural nouns.
*Does is used in the Present Simple Tense with the following pronouns he, she, it and plural nouns and uncountable nouns.
Wh - word (if needed) |
Auxiliary Verb |
Subject |
Main Verb "Have" |
Continue the Sentence |
When |
do/did/will |
I |
have |
time to visit him? |
- |
Do/Did/Will |
we |
have |
to cook dinner when we got home? |
Why |
do/did/will |
they |
have |
little homework? |
When |
does/did/will |
the car |
have |
to get a new paint job? |
- |
Does/Did/Will |
our teacher |
have |
a hard time teaching us?. |
Why |
does/did/will |
your father |
have |
so much candy in the car?. |
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What are verbals? How do verbals cause sentence fragments? What is a split infinitive? A verbal is the form of a verb used as a noun, adjective or adverb. Identifying verbals can be somewhat tricky. While verbals are forms of verbs, they are NOT the action associated with the subject. In other words, they are not verbs. 1. Gerunds are forms of the verb that function as nouns. They always end in "ing." 2. Participles are forms of the verb that function as adjectives. They can end in "ed," "en," or "ing. 3. Infinitives are forms of the verb that may acts as adjectives, adverbs or nouns. They include "to" plus the base form of the verb, as in "to run." Prepositional verbs are a group of multi-word verbs made from a verb plus another word or words. Many people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. On these pages we make a distinction between three types of multi-word verbs: prepositional verbs, phrasal verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. On this page we look at prepositional verbs. Prepositional verbs are made of: verb + preposition Because a preposition always has an object, all prepositional verbs have direct objects. Here are some examples of prepositional verbs:
Prepositional verbs cannot be separated. That means that we cannot put the direct object between the two parts.
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Lexical Verb or
Main Verb:
A main verb is also known as a lexical verb. The main verb in a verb phrase is the word that expresses the activity, event and feeling etc. that is being described in the sentence. All main verbs are either action verb or linking verbs. He plays football. Sumeet is reading a novel. Action Verb: A verb may describe an action or activity, or an event or happening. The word 'verb' comes from Latin word - 'verbum' means word. An action verb may equally describe a mental process such as thinking, knowing or wanting: Remember, forget, fear, suspect, wonder, need. An action verb may also describe something that happens to a person or thing: Get, receive and sustain etc. To find out the action verb in a sentence, ask yourself which word describes what someone or something is doing or thinking or what is happening. There are two kinds of action verb: i) Transitive Verb ii) Intransitive Veb Transitive Verb: A lexical verb that has a direct object is a transitive verb. Some transitive verbs have both a direct object and an indirect object. Transitive comes from Latin word 'transire' meaning 'to go across'. The action of the verb 'goes across' from the subject of the verb to the direct object of the verb: e.g. I like cows. It is further divided into three classes. Mono transitive verbs: Mono transitive verbs have only one object, a direct object. For example: I know the answer. Di transitive verbs: Di transitive verbs have two objects, a direct object and an indirect object. I told him (indirect) the answer. (direct) Complex Transitive Verbs: Complex transitive verbs have a direct object and a complement (a word or phrase that says something about the direct object.) They have painted their house purple. (complement) I will prove you wrong. Intransitive Verb: A lexical verb that has neither a complement nor a direct object is an intransitive verb. All intransitive berbs are action verbs. e.g. : My brother never smokes in the house. Some verb can be transitive, intransitive and linking verbs. She could smell the smoke. (Transitive Verb) The rose smells sweet. (Linking verb) Your feet smell. (intransitive)
Linking Verb: Some verbs don't describe actions, thoughts, events etc. but are used in description of what someone or something is or what they are like. Such verbs are known as linking verb. It is also known as an intensive verb or a copula, a Latin word, meaning 'link' between subject and complement. The main linking verbs in English are: Appear, be, become, feel, get, grow, keep, look, make, prove, remain, seem, smell, sound, stay, taste and turn etc. e. g. The soup smells good. The verbs appear, prove and seem are often followed by to be. She was proved to be wise. Auxiliary Verb: An auxiliary verb is a verb that is used along with a main verb to make different tenses or to express ideas such as possibility, necessity and permission. There are two kinds of these verbs: Primary auxiliaries :- be, have and do. They can act both as lexical verbs and as auxiliary verb: I have a new car. I have bought a new car. Modal auxiliaries :- can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should and must. They are followed by bare infinitive whereas Lexical verbs are followed by to infinitives: I want to know what happened. I do like ice cream. We should work hard. Reflexive Verb: When the object of a transitive verb is a reflexive pronoun such as himself, myself or ourselves, the verb is sometimes called a reflexive verb. It comes from Latin word 'reflectere' means 'to bend back'. The action of the verb 'bends back' to the subject of the verb, that is to say, it is something that the subject of the verb does to himself or herself. He warmed himself at the fire. Have you ever asked yourself that question? Performative Verb: These verbs describe actions that are actually performed by using the verb itself in a sentence (such as promise, swear, apologize, thank, confess. e.g. I promise I will do there. I swear to speak the truth. I apologize for the delay. We thank you for your recent letter. I confess I had forgotten all about our arrangement to meet up with them.
Strong Verb: Verbs that form their past tenses and past participles by changing the vowel of the stem or by adding -n are called strong verbs. Arise arose arisen,
Weak Verb: Verbs that form their past tenses and past participles by adding -ed, -d and -t are known as weak verb. Phrasal verb: A phrasal verb is an expression that consists of lexical verbs plus an adverb or a preposition or both an adverb and a preposition. Ø With adverb: away, back, by, down, off, on and out. For example: Sit down Go away Get back the papers. Ø With prepositions: At, by, for, into, of, on and with. For example: He broke into the house. What are you looking for? Ø With adverb and prepositions: Put up with, run out of, go in for, do away with. The adverbs (up, out, in, along, through, away) always precede the prepositon (such as with, of , for). I can't put up with you. I have run out of money. If the direct object is a noun or noun phrase, it may stand either behind or in front of the adverb. e.g. Hand over the money. or Hand the money over. If the direct object is a pronoun, it must come between the verb and the adverb. e.g. Of course, we'll come and see you off at the station. An indirect object always comes between the verb and the adverb. e.g. Give me back my pencil. If there are two objects, the indirect object precedes the direct object. e.g. Please give me it back. Verb Phrase: A verb phrase is a group of two or more words that have the same function as a single verb in a sentence. Be (is, am, are, was, were) + V1+ing, (Has, have, had) + V3 I am reading a book. Mrs. Revathi has taught us well. A verb phrase can also be analysed in terms of finite and non-finite verbs. It consists of a finite verb plus one or more non-finite verbs. e.g. She is (finite verb) singing (non-finite verb). She has (finite verb) been (non-finite verb) singing (non-finite verb). Finite verb: Any verb that change, or that may change, in form to match its subject or to indicate present, past or future is a finite verb. It is said to agree with its subject. This is known as agreement or concord. e.g. She teaches English. We teach English.
In verb phrases, it is the auxiliary verb that is the finite verb. e.g. He is going to school. They are going to school. Although modal auxiliary verbs are finite verbs and change to indicate reference to the past, the present or the future, they don't, unlike other finite verbs, change in form to agree with their subject. e.g. He can go tomorrow. They can go tomorrow. They could not go last week. Verbs that express wishes or commands are also considered finite verb, even though, they don't change in form to agree with their subject, and infect usually don't have a subject expressed in the sentence at all. e.g. Don't touch him. Non-finite verb: They don't change in form to agree with a subject, or to indicate past, present and future: He is working hard. I am working hard. He was working hard. An infinitive need not always follow an auxiliary verbs, it may also follow a lexical verb. But note that while an auxiliary verb is followed by a bare infinitive (V1), a lexical verb is usually followed by a to + V1. But lexical verb 'let' always followed by bare infinitive (V1). He will come with us. He wants to come with us. Let them come in. Adjective and nouns are sometimes followed by to + V1. e.g.: I am very glad to see you. It is time to take tea. Kinds of non-finite Verb: Infinitive: Infinitives are often used after other verbs. A modal verb is followed by a bare infinitive and a lexical verb is followed by to infinitive:
Gerund (Verbal Noun): Verbal nouns or gerunds have the same form as present participles, but behave as nouns rather than verbs. For example, a verbal noun can act as the subject or object in a sentence:
Participle: Present participles are used to form continuous tenses while past participle are used in the formation of perfect tenses and passive constructions:
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