UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH VERBS

For English Language Learners, Indian Speakers, School Teachers, and

Foreign Language Students

Copyright © 2021 by Goodman Publishing

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Verbs and Types

CHAPTER ONE: AUXILIARY VERBS

Verbs That Help Other Verbs

Three Common Auxiliary Verbs

How to Use the Different Forms of “To be”

Auxiliary “Do”

Auxiliary “Have”

CHAPTER TWO: MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS

Verbs with Abilities and Possibilities

The Use of “Can”

The Use of “Could”

The Use of “Will”

The Use of “May”

The Use of “Might”

The Use of “Shall”

The Use of “Should”

The Use of “Must”

The Use of “Dare”

The Use of “Ought to”

The Use of “Used to”

The Use of “Need” or “Need to”

CHAPTER THREE: LINKING VERBS AND MAIN VERBS

Verbs That Connect and Complete

Linking Verbs

Main Verbs

CHAPTER FOUR: FINITE AND NONFINITE VERBS

Finite Verbs: Verbs that Show Tense

Nonfinite Verbs

CHAPTER FIVE: TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Verbs With or Without Objects

Transitive Verbs

Intransitive Verbs

CHAPTER SIX: REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS

Verbs that Do the Tricks

Regular Verbs List

Irregular Verbs List

About the Publisher

Books by the Same Publisher

INTRODUCTION

Verbs and Types Verbs are words that show what a person or a thing is doing. Everything youdo and every action you take is a verb. Verbs help to tell other people whatyou are doing. People, animals, and things are always performing one actionor the other. Some of the actions people and animals do are walk, jump, eat,go, move, and run. Even when you think you are doing nothing, you aredoing something. For instance, when you are not working, you are still performing an actionsuch as resting, sleeping, or sitting. So you see, there is no way you can stopdoing something at any point. Even a broken car is doing something. It isoccupying a space, and “occupy” is a verb. Verb is an important part of speech. Without verbs, we do not know whatsomebody or something is doing. Look at these two sentences and point outthe one that makes sense more. Sentence one: He sat on a mat.Sentence two: He on a mat. Sentence one has a verb “sat” but sentence two has no verbs. Sentence onemakes more sense; therefore it is a good example of what a sentence shouldlook like. If you want to write in a way that makes sense, learn to use verbscorrectly in sentences. Here are examples of verbs in sentences

1. He cut his finger.2. My mother saw a snake.3. I downloaded an app yesterday.4. I watched the football match last night.

5. We drove to the big city this morning.6. I feel funny right now.7. She convinced us to eat pizza.8. The football team worked hard to win.9. We decided to change our lifestyles.10. Are you prepared to meet the governor?11. I baked a cake.12. Mother cooked a delicious meal.13. I am swimming right now.14. Bring a bottle of water.15. Come to my office tomorrow.16. Did you see John?17. We are doing our best to win.18. Who told you about the project?19. My friend is getting married next month.20. She loves him so much.

Now let’s discuss the different types of verbs we have, and how they are usedin sentences. Types of VerbsWe have a list of ten types of verbs:

1. Auxiliary or Helping Verbs2. Modal Verbs3. Linking Verbs4. Main or action Verbs5. Finite Verbs6. Nonfinite Verbs7. Transitive Verbs8. Intransitive Verbs9. Regular Verbs

10.Irregular Verbs We will discuss each type of verb in the next chapters.

CHAPTER ONE: AUXILIARY VERBS

Verbs That Help Other Verbs Some verbs cannot stand alone all the time. They need the cooperationof other verbs to make sense. Their main function is to help other verbssound meaningful in sentences. Auxiliaries are important in theformation of sentences. You use them all the time and can hardly writea sentence without one or two auxiliary verbs in it. Examples of auxiliary verbs are:

isam arewaswerebeenbe able tobeingdodidhashavehave to

hadhad better

If you look at the above verbs, you will notice one thing. Even thoughthey are verbs, they have no real meaning. But their meaning s come

out when you use them together with other verbs. Let’s use them in sentences.

1. She is looking at me.2. The children are playing.3. I am preparing lunch.4. He is doing his best.5. The radio is working.6. Tim was granted bail.7. John is always falling down.8. They were playing football.9. I am the winner.

10.She has done her best.11. He was able to succeed.

12.They had to take him to the hospital.

Three Common Auxiliary VerbsAs you study English, you will always come across these three commonauxiliary verbs: be, do, and have. If you observe the English you speak, youwill notice that this true. Auxiliary “To Be”“Be” or “to be”, as some textbooks call it, is a very useful verb. You can useit in many ways in English. Can you think of any time you may have used“be” or “to be”? Okay. “Be” or “to be” appears in many forms, and thismakes it a very important auxiliary verb. Some of the forms it appears are be, to be, been, is, am, are, are not, aren’t,was, was not, wasn’t, were, were not, and weren’t. These different forms of “to be” are joined with other verbs to make asentence sound better. Look at the following examples and notice therelationship between “to be” and other verbs in the same sentence.

1. I am coming.2. He is calling you.3. I was riding a bicycle.4. He wasn’t thinking about you.5. They weren’t discussing you.6. He is working hard.7. I want to be given an award.8. You weren’t telling the truth.9. He wasn’t looking at you.

10.They were being nice. Sometimes, “to be” verbs act like main verbs. That is, they stand on their ownand make some kind of sense due to the nature of the sentence.

1. You are here.2. I am late.3. They are here.

4. She is late.5. He was high.6. I am good.7. She was lonely.8. I am okay.9. She is being modest.

10.They were comfortable. Also, you can use them in the negative. The negatives are formed by adding“not” to the verbs.

1. You are not late.2. I am not late.3. They are not here.4. She is not late.5. He is not nice.6. They are not nice.7. We are not nice.8. Adams is not around.9. Sandra is not absent.

10. Sulthan was not there. You can shorten the verbs and their negative by removing the letter “o” in“not” and replacing it with the apostrophe sigh.

1. I’m not late.2. You aren’t late.3. They aren’t late.4. She isn’t late.5. We weren’t late.6. Sam wasn’t there.7. She’s not nice.8. We aren’t nice.9. Adams isn’t around.

10. Sandra isn’t absent.

Another way to shorten a sentence is by moving the short form to thepronoun instead of the verb. Pronouns are we, he, she, they, you etc. So,instead of “You aren’t late,” it becomes “You’re not late.” Examples:You’re not scared.She’s not scared.We’re not scared.They’re not scared.I’m not scared.

How to use the different forms of “to be” Each form of “to be” has its own special usage. For instance, you cannot say“I is coming home” or say “He are going away.” You must learn and masterhow each one is used in sentences. Let’s consider each of them one after the other. The Use of “is”You use “is” for pronouns such as “he, she, it for one person or one animal.” Examples

1. He is not a good friend.2. She is kind and gentle.3. He is going home.4. She is listening to music.5. It is running away.6. It is not the same book.7. Adams is my best friend.8. Sheela is the most popular girl in school.9. The lion is running away.

10.The cat is hungry. The Use of “am”Use “am” together with “I” only. Examples

1. I am not happy with you.2. I am going to say the truth.3. I am staying here.4. I am not alone.5. I am thinking of moving from this neighborhood.

The Use of “are”Use “are” when you refer to more than one person or thing.

Examples

1. They are coming.2. We are not aware of the business deal.3. Adams and John are not part of the plan.4. The two women are not educated.5. The three men are coming to the party.

You also use “are” with the pronoun “you.” Remember the pronoun “you” isused for either a person or persons. Whichever it is, use it with “are.”

1. You are my best friend.2. You should respect your parents.3. You are not serious.4. You all must come early tomorrow.5. You are the best.

The Use of “was” and “were”Use “was” as the past tense of “is” and “were” as the past tense of “are.” is = singular present tense (for one person or thing in the present tense)are = plural present tense (for two or more persons or things in the presenttense)was = singular past tense (for one person or thing in the past tense)were = plural past tense (for two or more persons or things in the past tense) Examples

1. He was my best friend during my childhood years.2. She was the company’s secretary last year.3. Aamir was the best actor a few years ago.4. It was the same cat I saw yesterday.5. They were the best of friends ten years ago.6. We were planning to give him a surprise birthday gift.7. Julie and Kareena were attending the same school.8. Andy and Dandy were in the car when the accident happened.

Auxiliary “Do”Do is one of the useful verbs. We use Do every day and many times when wespeak English. “Do” appears in different forms such as do, does, doing, did,didn’t, and did not. Do can stand on its own in many instances, and thatmeans it can act as a main verb and as an auxiliary verb. In summary, Do canserve as:

i. a main verb (action verb)ii. an auxiliary verb (helping verb)iii. a substitute

“Do” as a Main Verb “Do” functions as a main verb but when it stands alone, it performs the workof an action verb in the sentence. When “do” represents all the action in asentence, it acts as the main verb of that sentence. Examples

1. I did the job you asked of me.2. She did well in the last examination.3. Please do what I told you.4. What is she doing here?5. What do you think you are doing?6. Can you do me a favor?7. Will you do anything I ask you?8. Do as I say, will you?9. What do you do for a living?

“Do” as an Auxiliary VerbWhen “do” helps other verbs to make clear meanings, it serves as anauxiliary verb, no longer a main verb. “Do” is also used to make negativeswith the use of “not.” Examples

1. He did see me when I passed by.

2. She did write well.3. He does look very good.

In the negatives, “do” is used in the following ways:

1. I didn’t see a car coming.2. I don’t know who you are.3. She doesn’t care if he fails or succeeds.4. They don’t know what to say.5. We didn’t plan it to end this way.

You can use “do” to ask questions, as in:

1. Do you know me?2. Don’t they know who is at the gate?3. Do you like her?4. Do you enjoy football?5. Does he miss her?6. Does the medicine work well?7. Does the clock keep accurate time?8. Does our friendship have to end this way?9. Doesn’t your father tell you to avoid bad friends?

10.Didn’t I tell you to be very careful?11.Didn’t he know it was already late for visits?12.Didn’t I warn you to stay away from bad friends?13.Didn’t the manager inform you of the change of duty?14.Didn’t she tell you she’s no longer interested?

“Do” shows how important something is. When you use “do” that way, youmake the other person realize how important what you are saying is. Using“do” this way is called “emphasis”, and it also means you are using “do”emphatically. Let’s compare between normal and emphatic uses of “do.” Normal

You know I like you very much. EmphaticYou know I do like you very much. NormalShe looks so cute. EmphaticShe does look so cute. NormalI liked him then. EmphaticI did like him then. Can you see how ‘’do’’ helps us place more emphasis on what we say? Canyou make your own sentences using “do” in the emphatic form? Great! ‘Do’ as a SubstituteThe beauty of the English language is that you always have many ways to saythe same thing. This makes the language interesting and less boring. The verb‘do’ is used in order to avoid repeating the same words especially aftersomebody asked you a question. Look at these examples below: Speaker A: Did you attend the ceremony?Speaker B: Yes, I did. The response ‘Yes, I did’ is the same thing as ‘Yes, I attended the ceremony.’Instead of repeating the same words, you use ‘did’ to make it short and stillmean the same thing. More Examples

Speaker A: Do you consider me your best friend?Speaker B: Yes, I do. (not Yes, I consider you my best friend) Speaker A: Does he go to work every day?Speaker B: Yes, he does. (not Yes, he goes to work every day) Speaker A: Do you know me?Speaker B: Yes, I do. (not Yes, I know you) Speaker A: Did you see what she just did?Speaker B: yes, I did. (not Yes, I saw what she just did) Speaker A: Didn’t you know it wouldn’t work?Speaker B: No, I didn’t. (not No, I didn’t know) Now you know how to make use of “do, does and did.”

Auxiliary “Have”The auxiliary ‘have’ has four forms: has, have, having, and had. These fourrepresent the present: The present singular – hasThe present plural – haveThe present continuous – havingThe past tense of has and have – had The Use of “Has”Has is used for a singular person or object. It is wrong to use it for two ormore persons. Has is used for pronouns such as he, she, it. It is also used forsingular persons, such as Ben, John, Sarah. Examples

1. He has seen me.2. She has done her assignment.3. It has finished the food.4. Abraham has spoken to her.5. Ali has done it again.6. Reema has gone to school.

Note: The auxiliary ‘has’ together with ‘have’ and ‘had’ is used with theparticiple of another verb, not with its past tense. Remember your schoollessons on participle? Even if you don’t, let’s visit it briefly. Present Past ParticipleSee saw seen You cannot say “He has saw her” but you can say “He has seen her.” Present Past ParticipleGo went gone You cannot say “She has went there” but you can say “She has gone there.”

Do you now understand how to make sentences with has? Nice. Not to worry,we will discuss this more in later chapters. Has is also used to describe an activity, ability or possession, as in:

1. She has a big bag.2. He has a round face.3. It has large eyes.4. Aamir has good acting skills.5. He has everything he needs in life.6. She has a good husband.

The Use of “Have”The auxiliary ‘have’ is the plural form of has. It is used for more than oneperson or thing and you use it with pronouns like You, I, We, and They. Examples

1. I have eaten my food.2. We have done our best.3. They have spoilt everything.4. You have forgotten what I told you.5. I have made a silly mistake.

You can use “have” to show an activity, event or experience as in thefollowing examples:

1. I have an examination tomorrow.2. We have a matter to discuss.3. They have a large house.4. You have what it takes to succeed.5. Politicians have no concrete plans for the people.6. Can I have a glass of milk, please?7. Did you have a bath?8. Shall we have dinner together tonight?

9. We have an amazing party tonight10.I have work to do.

The Use of “Had”“Had” is the past tense of both “Has and Have.” You use “had” with the pastparticiple of another verb. Remember how to get past participle of verbs?Brilliant! But the only difference between has, have and had is that had isused when two events are involved. In other words, use Had when somethinghappened after another had happened in the past. See examples below: I had seen the movie before Samir told me. Note: Two events are involved here:

Number one: I had seen the movie.Number two: Before Samir told me.

More examples

1. She had agreed to marry him before he had an accident.2. We had thought he knew the truth before he told us he didn’t.3. You had gone out before your fiancée arrived.4. He had finished his exams before he fell ill.

Note: Had is used for all the pronouns he, she, we, it, you etc. as long as youare talking about what took place in the past.

CHAPTER TWO: MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS

Verbs with Abilities and Possibilities Modal auxiliary verbs, also called modals, perform special functions. Theyhelp other verbs make sense as they also indicate abilities, possibilities,probabilities, requests and so on. Examples of modals are:

cancouldwillwouldmaymightshallshouldmustdareought toused toneed to

The Use of “Can”The modal “can” is used to express ability, possibility and for makingrequests. Here are different ways to use “can.” Can is used to express capability or ability:

1. I can lift that box.2. She can speak good English.3. They can support your organization.4. He can drive you home.5. It can work perfectly.

Can is used to express possibility:

1. New Delhi can be a dangerous place.2. I can be angry sometimes.3. He can be deceptive.4. She can be unreliable.5. They can be dangerous to walk on the main road.

Can is used to make requests or seek permission:

1. Can I borrow your pen, please?2. Can you lend me your book?3. Can I ask you a question?4. Can you open the window please?5. Can you please sit down?

The Use of “Could”Could is the past tense of “can” and can be used in the same way as “can”.However, when you want to be more polite in asking permission, use “could”instead of “can” For permission:

1. Could we go back now?2. Could I speak to Samir?3. Could I use your toilet?4. Could I use your phone?5. Could I see you for a minute?6. Could you move a little?

For Possibility and Impossibility:

1. She could speak seven languages.2. I could take a walk.3. He could dance very well.4. She couldn’t walk well.5. They couldn’t pass the examination.

For requests:

1. Could you come back later?2. Could you pay attention to your work?3. Could you send my message to the director, please?4. Could you answer the phone, please?5. Could you show me the way to the restroom, please?

The Use of “Will”The Modal “will” is one of the most useful modal auxiliaries. It is used toexpress willingness, future events, requests etc. To express ability or willingness:

1. I will see you.2. She will wash the dishes and dry them.3. The man will come again.4. They will think about the matter.5. It will come back to you.6. I will win this fight.7. I will work hard.

To express future events:

1. I will start the task tomorrow.2. It will rain tomorrow.3. They will come next week.4. She will give you an answer soon.5. Aamir Khan will win an award this year.

To make requests or offers:

1. Will you have coffee?2. Will you have a glass of water?3. Will Sam walk the dog?4. Will Kim prepare dinner?5. Will he bring my nose mask?

To give commands:

1. You will do your home work.2. You will listen to your parents.3. You will learn how to speak and write English.4. This house will not be sold.5. He will do as I say.6. She will bake the cake before noon.

The Use of “May”You use “May” for permissions, possibility etc. To give permission:

1. You may see the doctor now.2. She may come in.3. They may sit down now.4. He may start the tests.5. You may take your books along.

To ask for permission:

1. May I go out now?2. May I come in?3. May I use your phone?4. May we see you for a minute?5. May I go out now?

To express a wish:

1. May God bless you!2. May you never lack!3. May you live long!4. May we enjoy the fruits of our labor!5. May God grant your heart desires!6. May both of you find happiness in marriage.

The Use of “Might”“Might” is the past tense of “may” and you use “might” when you thinksomething is less likely to be true. When you are not sure of something being true:

1. It might rain this evening.2. His wife might be looking for him now.3. Her life might be in danger.4. They might think you are not serious.5. I might fail if I am impatient.

When you speak of the past tense:

1. He might have called when I was not at home.2. They might have done this before I arrived.3. His wife might have prepared dinner before he returned from

travel.4. I might have missed your calls. Sorry.5. They might have lost interest in cooperating with our company.

The Use of “Shall”The modal “shall” is used with pronouns “I and we.” It is used to talk aboutwhat will happen in the future, just as “will” is used with “you, he, she, andit” to foretell future actions. Examples

1. I shall phone him tomorrow.2. We shall make our decision on Monday.3. He will go to sleep.4. She will come back.5. It will run away.

Using “shall” to express future events:

1. I shall meet the president tomorrow.2. I shall have what I want.3. We shall continue the meeting next week.4. We shall elect a new president next year.

Using “shall” to show determination:

1. I shall go there, come what may.2. We shall succeed, no matter the difficulties.3. They shall recover despite the defeat.

Using “shall” to give orders:

1. You shall do as I say.2. You shall continue the assignment.3. She shall not be late.4. He shall close the window.

Using “shall” to make a promise:

1. The boy shall get a reward.2. You shall be praised for your good work.3. They shall be honored for helping the poor.

Using “shall” in legal matters

Shall is used in writing agreement between two organizations, two parties ortwo businesses. The use of shall makes it compulsory for the two parties tofollow the terms and conditions of the agreement.

1. The buyer shall pay the seller as at when due.2. Both parties shall provide quality services as required by the

contract.

The Use of “Should”“Should” is the past tense of “shall” and is often used to give advice or toexpress obligation. Advice:

1. You should stop drinking alcohol.2. He should stop smoking before it is too late.3. We should close the door.4. They should watch their back.

Obligation:Obligation means duty or what you know is right to do.

1. You should wake up early.2. We should stop telling lies.3. They should respect those people.4. She should forgive him and move on.

To express purpose:

1. He spoke slowly in order that they should understand what hesaid.

2. She put his phone in his bag so that she should find it when sheneeds it.

To make polite requests:

1. I should like to talk to the person in charge here.2. He should be grateful for your support.

To express surprise:

1. I looked back and who should be calling but my twin brother.2. She was falling down and who should be running to save her but

her ex-boyfriend.

The Use of “Must”To indicate obligation:

1. I must see her at once.2. He must beg for forgiveness.3. Drivers must respect other road users.

For recommendation and advice:

1. We must wait for official announcement.2. I must you to mind what you say.3. He must think before he speaks.

To make logical/sensible conclusion:

1. He must be very hungry now.2. She must be really mad by now.3. They must be begging her father now.

To insist on something:

1. She must put her name down for the competition.2. You must sit and write the letter.3. They must think before they act.

The Use of “Dare”“Dare” has two meanings: to have the courage to do something, and to bebold enough to challenge somebody or something.

1. She dares not speak to him after the breakup.2. He dares not visit her after the last fight.3. I dare not say a word to anyone about my missed opportunity.

Dare is used to make negative sentences and questions:

1. Nobody dared pass their house since the incident.2. He never dared to come to the public since his disgrace.

Dare is used to accept something as true:

1. I dare you to prove your innocence.2. She dared him to prove his love for her.

The Use of “Ought to”The modal auxiliary “ought to” is used: To indicate obligation:

1. They need to start the project at once.2. She ought to say she is sorry.3. I ought to confess my mistakes.

To give advice or recommendation:

1. You ought to study English every day.2. Anita ought to take her job seriously.3. John ought to forgive and forget the past.

To make unsure conclusion:

1. Look the wall – it ought to be washed clean.2. If he leaves early, he ought to be home before 6 pm.3. Since she is a good girl, they ought to give her a full scholarship.

The Use of “Used to”The modal “used to” is an interesting verb. It serves as an adjective and anauxiliary verb. As an adjective:

1. I am used to my father sharp rebuke.2. We are used to watching Indian movies.3. She is used to wearing traditional clothing.

As an auxiliary:

1. I used to like chocolate.2. He used to visit the zoo.3. She used to like watching TikTok.

The Use of “Need” or “Need to”“Need” as a modal verb indicates: Obligation:

1. We need to know what’s wrong with her.2. He needs to have access to the company site.3. She needs to quit the job to take care of her mental health.

EXERCISESComplete the sentences with the correct modals:

1. I _____ see you tomorrow.2. You ____ obey your parents.3. He ____ carry this big box.4. Nobody ____ drink the sea dry.5. We ____ save his life with whatever we got.6. It ____ rain tomorrow.7. It ____ rain now.8. She said that she ___ come to my house this evening.9. He ____ sleep for more than fourteen hours a day.10. She ____ speak several languages.

CHAPTER THREE: LINKING VERBS AND MAIN VERBS

Verbs That Connect and Complete

Some verbs serve as connectors in sentences. They link the subject (theperson or thing talked about) and the information regarding that person orthing. In other words, linking verbs serve as a bridge between a subject andother parts of a sentence.

Look at these examples: He is the leader.They are the problem.

Linking VerbsIn the above two examples, is and are are linking verbs. The linking verb“is”connects“He” with“the leader”, while the linking verb “are” connects“They” with “the problem.” Let’s see more examples of linking verbs in sentences.

1. I am excited about the Olympics.2. He seems angry at you.3. The examination was difficult.4. She became a doctor.5. They remained with their parents.6. The kids are playful.7. She is a teacher.8. The family seems nice.9. They have become tired of paying their debts.

10.All the roads were slippery.11.They remained faithful to each other.

Can you indentify linking verbs in the above sentences? Try it. Did you getthem all? If you did, congratulations! If you didn’t, do not worry. Here is afull list of linking verbs you will come across in your study of English.

beamisarewas werehasbeenbecomeseem

Did you notice anything? These linking verbs were also part of our auxiliaryverbs. Yes, they are, but they also serve as linking verbs. They connectsentences. Other examples of linking verbs are;

growproveremainturnappeartouchtastesoundlookfeelsmell

Grow, taste, prove etc. are also action verbs but they can connect parts ofsentences together. If you look at the sentences above, you will notice weused some of these verbs in the examples given. More Examples of Linking Verbs

actappeared to becoulddoesgrewhas beenhas becomehave appeared

indicatekeep might beseemingshould besoundwentwill have becomewill have beenremainedmight have beencould have beenhad seemedis gettingprovegotfeltmay bestayedtaste

Now let’s use them in sentences

1. The meal tastes bad.2. He appeared to be unhappy.3. This sounds untrue.4. It might have been true.5. They could have husband and wife.6. She went away.7. This thing indicates a big problem.8. The matter grew worse.9. He is getting what he deserves.

10.He felt cheated after everything he did for her.

Main Verbs Action verbs are the most important types of verbs because they expressphysical or mental actions. They show you what somebody or something isdoing. When you look at the action verb in a sentence, you immediately getwhat the sentence in saying and what the subject is doing. An action verb makes sentences sound strong and meaningful. When youread a sentence with an action verb, the message comes clear to you and youfeel the effect of that verb. Read these sentences aloud and notice how strong the actions are.

1. He killed a snake.2. They jumped over the fence.3. A car hit the wall.4. I stood on the table.5. We cried all day.

Did you notice the actions in the sentences? The action verbs killed, jumped,hit, stood and cried made the sentences strong on the mind. You understandwhat each sentences is saying because the actions are clear. That is thepurpose of action verbs. They make you understand what somebody orsomething is doing in a sentence. Examples of action verbs

actagreeaskattackappealbakebeg

bringbuildbuycallclimbclosecleancomecry createdancedrinkelopeelevateencouragefallfightgivegograbhithophopeinsultinspectinspireinputlaughliftlistenreadreturnretakereleaserun

singsewshaveshoutstandshakespendtaketalkthinkthrowthinkwaitwakewishwarnwritewashwatch

Examples in action verbs in sentences

1. Adams threw a stone at the snake.2. I accepted her offer.3. I think you are telling the truth.4. He visited me yesterday.5. The man ran out of the house.6. They left the phones on the table.7. She yelled at him.8. The cat walked on the wall.9. The boys played football all day.

10I will ride my bicycle this afternoon.11.Help me, please.12.Close the door behind you.

13.The student read the story aloud.

14.I bought a new house. Can you form a sentence with action verbs? Okay. Here is a list you can try.

attachactivateassistbitecheckclosecompleteclapcallcollectconnectconsultcopycontactcoughcutdelaydenydisconnectdisposedrawdropengageenterexpandexceedevaluatefillfindfoldgenerate

givegrabgreetholdinsertintendinjectimpactimpartjokejogjestliftleavelovemarkmountmovemakemeltnotifynotenotifyobserveoperateopenputpresspushpullraiserestraiserinsereaprecord

replacescrubselectsecureshowsnap

CHAPTER FOUR: FINITE AND NONFINITE VERBS

Finite Verbs: Verbs that Show Tense Finite verbs are verbs that show tense, person and number. In other words,they let you know what time an action took place and the number of personsinvolved in the action. Remember your lessons on tenses (present tense, pasttense, and future tense) Look at these samples to remind you of English tenses. Present tense:He eats.She eats.It eats.They eat.We eat.I eat. Past tense:He ate.She ate.It ate.They ate.We ate.I ate. You will observe that all the pronouns (he, she, it, they, we) take their correctverbs.He + eatsShe + eatsThey + eatWe + eat

It will be wrong to say “He eat” or They eats.” When verbs join pronouns toform these kinds of sentences, those verbs are called finite. This is becausethey agree with the pronoun or number of persons in the sentences. When we say number of persons, we mean something like these: Nelly comes here.Nelly and Shirley come here.Nelly is here.Nelly and Shirley are here. In the first example, Nelly represents one person, so the verb “comes” is theright tense for it. In the second example, Nelly and Shirley are two persons,so the right tense of verb is “come”, not “comes.” The third example contains“is” which goes well with one person “Shirley.” But the verb “are” is used forboth Nelly and Shirley, which is the correct way to write. Remember also that when a verb is in the past tense, it is also called a finiteverb. Examples of Finite Verbs in Sentences

1. Rabi is happy.2. Haman is going home.3. Rabi and Haman are happy.4. Rabi and Haman are going home.5. Sam plays the guitar.6. My brother speaks Spanish.7. Mike runs to work every day.8. I gave him some money.9. The young man painted the new house.10. He promised to take me to the movies.11. She wants to go out tonight.12. They wanted to take my car.

So when you look at any sentence and notice that the verb agrees with the

pronoun, tense and number of persons, that verb is likely a finite verb. Finiteverbs always agree with tense, number and persons.

Nonfinite VerbsUnlike finite verbs, nonfinite verbs do not follow the rules of tenses, personsand number. There are three types of nonfinite verbs, and it is important youmaster them all.

i. gerundsii. infinitivesiii. participles (present and past participles)

GerundsGerunds are verbs that end with –ing but they often do the work of a noun ina sentence. Examples are:

1. Driving is my best exercise.2. I love reading.3. Seeing is believing.4. He likes dancing.5. She likes surfing.6. They dislike lying.

InfinitivesInfinitives are verbs that have “to” in front of them. They neither showpresent, past or future tense. Examples are:

1. He has to help her.2. You have to study hard.3. We want to swim.4. I love to read good books.5. He comes to see his daughter.6. To err is human.7. We are to walk home.8. They are to find a taxi as soon as possible.

9. Our teacher told us to write a letter.10.I need to see this.

ParticiplesParticiples are of two kinds: the present participle and the past participle.Participles can act as adjectives as well as perfect tense and progressive. Youneed to carefully learn the two forms of participles. Present ParticipleThe present participle functions as an adjective and usually modifies a noun.In other words, it comes before a noun and tells you more about that noun.Present participle often has –ing at the end of the verb. Examples:

1. My running nose disturbed my sleep.2. The winning team celebrated their victory.3. The boiling kettle whistled.4. The fainting man cried for help.5. She is singing a song.6. They are sharing the gifts.

Past ParticipleThe past participle ends with –ed, -d, -t, -en or –n depending on whether it isa regular or an irregular verb.

1. She has lied to me several times.2. He has cooked dinner.3. He was done with the project.4. We have lived an adventurous life.5. Adolf has considered all options.6. I have thought about the matter seriously.

Notice how “has and have” were used the participles.

CHAPTER FIVE: TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Verbs With or Without Objects Verbs are wide and interesting to study. Transitive and intransitive are someof the reasons verbs make sense.

Transitive VerbsTransitive verbs are verbs that allow an object to come after them. In otherwords, the verb is followed by the receiver of an action. Look at these examples I kicked the ball. I is the doer of the actionKicked is the actionThe ball is the object Put another way:I = subjectkicked = verbthe ball = direct object More examples

1. He loves her.2. Terrorists bombed the building.3. Dan killed a snake.4. I ate the food.5. The soldier fought the enemy country.6. I saw him yesterday.7. The president announced a public holiday.

Verbs that can take direct objects are:

teasepromisesendwantwritepraise

feedleftprimehugbuyateborrowcleanbringdiscussgaveoffer

Intransitive VerbsThese are the opposites of transitive verbs. Intransitive verbs do not need anobject to make sense. They make sense with or without an object after them.Most times, they appear with no object, as in: She cried. She is the doer of the action.Cried is the action done. There is no direct object yet the sentence makes sense. Do you now see howintransitive verbs work? One more example:The man fainted. The man = subjectfainted = intransitive verb The sentence “The man fainted” sounds correct without any direct object. More examples of intransitive verbs

1. I coughed.2. They changed.3. We lied.4. The children slept.5. The dog barked.6. The old lady died.7. They went.8. He boasted.9. The child grew.

10.The stranger appeared.11.The shops opened.12.The girls danced.13.My friends talked.

14.Her phone rang.15.It fell.16.They came.

Verbs that are intransitive

agreecontinuecryarrivefloatexistgrowpanicyelltalklistenhappensmiledieappearemergeflydependjumpleaplearnedmoveprayreadriseshakeshoutsmellslidetwist

walk

CHAPTER SIX: REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS

Verbs that Do the Tricks Regular and irregular verbs are the largest type of verbs we know. There arehundreds of such verbs and all have special ways to form their tenses.Regular and irregular verbs have present tense, past tense, and past participle. However, you can easily guess the past and participle of some of these verbs,but it is difficult to guess others. You need to learn and master the difficultones. The easy to guess verbs are called regular verbs; the difficult ones areirregular verbs. They are called regular because their past tense forms and participles follow afixed pattern. Irregular verbs do not follow any fixed pattern. You will haveto learn to write, pronounce and spell them yourself. We have created a list of regular and irregular verbs. Read them carefully andobserve the differences between them.

Regular Verbs List Present Past Participle

act acted actedaccept accepted acceptedachieve achieved achievedadmire admired admiredadvise advised advisedaffect affected affectedamaze amazed amazedamuse amused amusedappear appeared appearedanswer answered answeredarrange arranged arrangedarrive arrived arrivedask asked askedbake baked bakedbelong belonged belongedbelieve believed believedblame blamed blamedborrow borrowed borrowedbother bothered botheredbehave behaved behavedcall called calledcancel cancelled cancelledcarry carried carriedcause caused causedcelebrate celebrated celebratedclean cleaned cleanedclose closed closedcompare comparedcomparedcompete competed competeddie died dieddisagree disagreeddisagreed

disturb disturbed disturbeddry dried driedeliminate eliminated eliminatedend ended endedenjoy enjoyed enjoyedfix fixed fixedfollow followed followedgreet greeted greetedguess guessed guessedhunt hunted huntedidentify identified identifiedimagine imagined imaginedinvite invited invitedjump jumped jumpedknock knocked knockedlove loved lovedmanage managed managedmark marked markedmatch matched matchedname named namedneed needed neededopen opened openedhunt hunted huntedignore ignored ignoredimpress impressed impressedimprove improved improvedinclude included includedincrease increased increasedintroduce introduced introducedjog jogged joggedjoin joined joinedlabel labeled labeledland landed landedlast lasted lastedlearn learned learnedlike liked liked

learn learned learnedlink linked linkedlist listed listedlisten listened listenedlive lived livedmeasure measuredmeasuredmention mentioned mentionedmiss missed missedmove moved movednote noted notedorder ordered orderedorganize organizedorganizedpark parked parkedpardon pardoned pardonedperform performed performedpamper pamperedpamperedpass passed passedpersuade persuaded persuadedpick picked pickedplan planned plannedplay played playedplease pleased pleasedpractice practiced practicedpresent presentedpresentedpredict predicted predictedprefer preferred preferredprotect protected protectedpurchase purchased purchasedpush pushed pushedrain rained rainedreceive received receivedrepair repaired repairedrelax relaxed relaxedresist resisted resistedrest rested restedreturn returned returned

review reviewed reviewedsail sailed sailedsave saved savedscan scanned scannedscare scared scaredshare shared sharedshop shopped shoppedskate skated skatedski skied skiedsnow snowed snowedsolve solved solvedspell spelled spelledstart started startedstep stepped steppedstress stressed stressedstudy studied studiedsuggest suggested suggestedsubstitutesubstituted substituted

Irregular Verbs List Present Past Participle bear bore bornbegin began begunbeat beat beatenbecome became becomebefall befell befallenbeget begot begottenbehold beheld beheldbend bent bentbereave bereft bereftbeseech besought besoughtbeset beset besetbet bet betbid bade/bid bidden/bidbind bound boundbite bit bittenbleed bled bledblow blew blownbring brought broughtcatch caught caughtchoose chose chosencatch caught caughtcast cast castcome came comecling cling clingcost cost costcut cut cutdeal dealt dealtdig dug dugdo did donedraw drew drawndream dreamt dreamt

drink drank drunkdrive drove drivendwell dwelt dwelteat ate eateninterweave interwoven interwovenfall fell fallenfeed fed fedfeel felt feltfight fought foughtfind found foundflee fled fledfly flew flownforbid forbade forbiddenforecast forecast forecastforget forgot forgottenforgive forgave forgivenforsake forsook forsakenforesee foresaw foreseenforetell foretold foretoldget got gotgive gave givengrind ground groundgrow grew grownhave had hadhear heard heardhide hid hiddenhit hit hithold held heldhurt hurt hurtkeep kept keptkneel knelt kneltknow knew knownlay laid laidlead led ledleap leapt leaptleave left left

lend lent lentlet let letlie lay lainlost lost lostmake made mademean meant meantmeet met metpay paid paidmistake mistook mistakenoverhear overheard overheardoversleep overslept oversleptput put putread read readrid rid ridride rode riddenring rang rungrise rose risenrun ran runsay said saidsee saw seenseek sought soughtsell sold soldsend sent sentset set setshake shook shookshed shed shedshine shone shoneshow showed shownshut shut shutsing sang sungsink sank sunkslay slew slainsleep slept sleptslid slid slidsling slung slungsmell smelt smelt

smite smote smitten

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