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In the sentences given above, the words in bold text are used to say something about a
person or a thing. They say what a person or a thing does. These words are
called verbs. Now read the following sentences.
Here the verbs have and is show what a person has or is. These words are also called
verbs. Thus we have seen that a verb is a word which shows what a person or a thing
is, has or does. The verb may also express what happens or is done to the person or
thing.
The thief was beaten. (Here the verb was beaten shows what happens to the thief.)
A verb may consist of more than one word. Some verbs may consist of as many as four
words.
It is raining.
It has been raining.
It rains.
Some verbs do not take an object after them. These are calledintransitive verbs.
Examples are: smile, sit, sleep, cry, laugh, dance etc.
The baby smiled. (Here the verb smiled is intransitive because it has no object.)
The child cried. (Here the verb cried is intransitive because it has no object.)
He sat on the bed. (Here the verb sat is intransitive because it has no object.)
Note that most verbs can be used both transitively and intransitively.
Verb Patterns
A transitive verb is one that has an object. The normal order of words in an English
sentence is subject + verb + object.
The answer to the question what or whom is the direct object. Notice also the use of
the reflexive pronoun (e.g. myself, himself, herself, themselves etc.) as an object in the
third sentence.
He threw it away.
They called the visitor in.
He put his coat on.
His grandmother brought him up.
You must send it back.
Note that the particle is put after the object when the object is a personal pronoun or
when it is comparatively short.
The difference between an adverb particle and a preposition is that while the particle
is closely tied to its verb, the preposition is closely tied to the noun or pronoun which it
controls. The following are used only as adverb particles and never as prepositions
away, back, out, backward, forward, upward, downward etc. But on, off, in, up,
down, to, from etc., are used as particles and prepositions.
When the object is long or when it has to be made prominent, the adverb particle comes
before the object.
Anomalous finites
The term anomalous finites refers to the group of 24 finites given below:
As you can probably see, these are all auxiliary verbs. Some of them are also used as
principal verbs. As auxiliaries their function is to help principal verbs to form their tenses
and moods. As anomalous finites, they have other functions.
Anomalous finites are irregular. They do not form the past tense by the addition of -ed, -
d or -t, but by a change in the root vowel. Some anomalous finites (must, ought) have
no past tense forms at all. But these irregular finite verbs are different from other finite
verbs in many respects and hence they are called anomalous finites.
The most obvious difference between anomalous finites and other finites is that they
can be used with the contraction nt which is the shortened form of not.
Of the 24 anomalous finites, the forms be, have, do, need and dareare sometimes
used as principal verbs and sometimes as auxiliaries. The remaining are always used
as auxiliaries.
I know him.
I dont know him. (NOT I know not him.)
She wrote to me.
She didnt write to me. (NOT She wrote not to me.)
Here the anomalous finites do and did help to change positive statements into negative
statements. The mere addition of not to the positive sentence is not enough in modern
English.
Compare:
Anomalous finites are also the only verbs that can be used with the shortened form
of not.
To form questions
A question is usually formed by putting the anomalous finite before the subject of the
sentence.
If the affirmative sentence does not contain an anomalous finite, the auxiliary do and its
forms are used to make questions.
He killed the spider. Did he kill the spider? (NOT Killed he the spider?)
They went to Beijing. Did they go to Beijing?
He fell off the ladder. Did he fall off the ladder?
They make good cheese. Do they make good cheese?
She likes ice cream. Does she like ice cream?
He does not like it. Does he not like it? Doesnt he like it?
They do not eat meat. Do they not eat meat? Dont they eat meat?
She did not touch it. Did she not touch it? Didnt she touch it?
Notes
The question Does he not like it? is more formal than the question Doesnt he like it?
The anomalous finites are used in short answers to avoid the repetition of principal
verbs.
The anomalous finites are also used in the formation of the tag question.
It is rather hot today, isnt it?
She can sing very well, cant she?
You like this color, dont you?
They shouldnt have waited, should they?
Notes
When the statement is in the positive, the tag question is in the negative. In the same
way, when the statement is in the negative, the tag question is in the positive.
He gave his daugther a camera for Christmas. (Indirect object his daughter,
direct object camera)
Could you lend me some money? (Indirect object me, direct object money)
Let me get you a cup of coffee. (Indirect object you, direct object a cup of
coffee)
Some common verbs which can be followed by two objects are given below:
Bring, buy, cost, get, give, leave, lend, make, offer, owe, pass, pay, play, promise, read,
refuse, send, show, sing, take, teach, tell, wish, write
The indirect object usually comes before the direct object. We can also put the indirect
object after the direct object. When the indirect object comes after the direct object, it
usually has the preposition to or for before it.
When both objects are pronouns, it is common to put the indirect object last. In informal
style, to is occasionally dropped after it.
The verbs explain, suggest and describe are not used with the structure indirect
object + direct object.
I asked him.
I asked a question.
I asked him a question.
A copular verb expresses either that the subject and its complement denote the same
thing or that the subject has the property denoted by its complement.
For example in the sentence Peter is my boyfriend the copular verbis asserts that
Peter and my boyfriend are the same person whereas in the sentence Peter is British
the copular verb is assigns the quality of Britishness to Peter.
Honey is sweet. (Here the copular verb is assigns the quality of sweetness to
honey.)
The stew smells good.
The milk turned sour.
The night grew dark.
She became a writer.
Compare:
She spoke intelligently. (Here the adverb intelligently modifies the ordinary verb
spoke.)
She appears intelligent. (NOT She appears intelligently. Appears is a copular
verb. It should be followed by an adjective, not an adverb.)
The copular verbs like become, get, grow, go, turn, stay, remain, keep etc., are used to
talk about change or the absence of change.
I am becoming older.
I am getting older.
I am growing older.
The leaves are going yellow.
The leaves are turning yellow.
With first person pronouns shall simply expresses the strong possibility or near
certainty of an action or event which is to take place in the future.
When used with second and third person pronouns shall may express a command.
Uses of Will
When used with first person pronouns will expresses determination on the part of the
speaker. It may also express ideas such as promise, threat or willingness.
Determination
Promise
Threat
Willingness
When used with second and third person pronouns, will expresses simple futurity.
The train will leave at 6 am.
He will be back in an hour.
Notes
He will come.
Will he come?
He will not come.
Uses of Should
Indirect speech
Should can be used with pronouns of all the three persons to talk about duty and
obligation.
Conditional clauses
Should is often used in main clauses which are preceded or followed by a clause
expressing unreal conditions.
Note that this kind of sentence is often used to give polite advice or gentle admonition.
Possibility
After lest
Should is the only auxiliary verb that can be used after lest.
Here the first sentence expresses a greater possibility of the event meeting Peter
taking place.
Uses of Would
Indirect speech
Direct speech: The boy said, I will not eat this cake.
Indirect speech: The boy said that he would not eat that cake.
Would can be used to talk about a habitual or customary action in the past.
After dinner we would all sit in the hall and chat for a while.
Would and would like to
Would is often used to express a wish. In this case it means the same as would like
to.
Polite questions
Would you like a cup of coffee? (More polite than Will you like a cup of coffee?)
Would you mind lending me your bicycle?
Would you, please, call me a taxi?
Would is also used in the main clause when preceded or followed by a subordinate
clause expressing an impossible or improbable condition.
Could
Could is the past tense of can. It is used to talk about ability that existed in the past.
Note that could doesnt always refer to past time. It refers to past time only when the
context makes the time clear.
Indirect speech
Possibility or uncertainty
Notes
Notes
Now-a-days to deny permission we often use cannot instead of may not. This usage is
probably encouraged by the fact that the contraction cant is easier to say than the
contraction maynt.
Possibility
It may rain.
She may come.
He may get good marks.
Might
Notes
Compare:
Necessity
Probability or likelihood
Strong determination
Ought
Ought is different from other modal auxiliary verbs; it is followed by an infinitive with to.
Compare:
I ought to go.
I must go.
She must wait.
She ought to wait.
Ought expresses ideas such as duty, necessity, moral obligation etc. It is not as forceful
as must, but it is stronger than should.
Uses of need
Need is used both as an auxiliary verb and as an ordinary verb. As an ordinary
verb, need is used in the sense of require.
I need help.
We need more people to finish the work.
I need some more time to decide the question.
The auxiliary need is commonly used with not. It is followed by an infinitive without to.
You need not wait for me. (NOT You need not to wait for me.)
They need not make such a fuss over it.
The auxiliary need does not take the marking -s in the third person singular.
He need not wait any longer. (NOT He needs not wait any longer.)
You need only say what you want and it will be granted.
If the answer is in the negative you may say, No, you need not or No, he need not. If
the answer is in the positive you should say Yes, he must or Yes, you must.
Be + to instead of must
The structure be + to is also used to give orders. In this case, it means almost
like must.
You are to complete the work in two days. (= You must complete the work in two
days.)
He is to report for duty within a week.
You had better consult a good doctor. = You should consult a good doctor.
I have written.
She has come.
He is singing.
It is working.
You are wasting our time.
I am watching news on TV. (Here the verb watching is the head of the
phrase watching news on TV.)
She wrote letters.
Trespassing is prohibited.
Reading is his pastime.
The present participle ends in -ing; the past participle usually ends in -ed or -en.
Classification of verbs
Verbs are divided into two groups: lexical verbs and auxiliaries.
Most English verbs are lexical verbs. Examples are: like, sing, wait, play etc. Lexical
verbs are divided into transitive and intransitive verbs.
Transitive verbs are those verbs which take objects. Intransitive verbs do not take
objects. Note that most verbs can be used both transitively and intransitively.
When used with a that-clause tell takes an indirect object, while saydoes not.
The verb want cannot be used with a that-clause. It is used with ato-infinitive.
The verb suggest should be used with a gerund or a that-clause. It cannot be used
with a to-infinitive.
The verbs discuss, describe, order and request are transitive verbs. They should be
followed by direct objects, and not prepositions.
Some verbs and prepositions/particles are always used together. Examples are: look at,
stare at, throw at, listen to, switch off etc. These combinations are often called phrasal
verbs. Note that the meaning of a phrasal verb is sometimes very different from the
meanings of the two parts taken separately.
The meeting has been put off. (= The meeting has been postponed.) (The
meaning of put off is not the same as the meanings of put and off.)
Verbs with prepositions and particles together
A few verbs can be used with both an adverb particle and a preposition. Examples
are: put up with, get on with and look out for.
Word order
When prepositions are used with verbs, they usually go before objects.
She switched off the heating. OR She switched the heating off.
They elected him their leader. (Object him; object complement their leader)
You make me happy. (Object me; object complement happy)
I found her attitude disgusting. (Object her attitude; object complement
disgusting)
After some verbs we use the structure object + as + complement. Verbs that are
usually followed by this structure are: see, describe, regard, identify, consider etc.
I see him as a nice person.
We considered the project as wasteful.
She described her lover as a tall, dark and handsome guy.
We regard him as a genius.
After some verbs we use an object + infinitive. In an informal style, we can use a that-
clause.
Note that the verb think cannot be followed by an object + to-infinitive. Instead, we
use a that-clause.
Be and have
To talk about experiencing physical sensations like hunger, thirst, heat and cold, we use
the structure be + adjective. Feel + adjectiveis also possible. Note that we do not
usually use have + noun to express these ideas.
Weigh is one of those verbs which are not normally used in the progressive form.
I weighed fifty-six kilos two months ago. (NOT I was weighing fifty-six kilos two months
ago.)
However, weigh can be used in the progressive form when it does not mean have
weight.
The scales broke when she was weighing herself the other day.
We set off for the beach. (NOT We set for the beach off.)
Phrasal verbs made with adverb particles are usually separable. That means the
particle can go before or after the object.
She switched off the light. OR She switched the light off.
The two parts of a separable phrasal verb are always separated when the object is a
pronoun.
How do you know whether a phrasal verb is separable or not? Well, there is no easy
way of finding it out. But you can do one thing. Use a noun or noun phrase as object
and do not separate the phrasal verb. In this way, you will always be correct.
Using want
Infinitive with to
In British English, want can mean need. In this case, it can be followed by an ing
form.
Would you like some help? (NOT Would you want some help?)
Verbs: some common mistakes
Here is a list of errors students often make in the use of verbs.
We usually use a past tense in the subordinate clause when the verb in the main clause
is in the past tense. However, a past tense is unnecessary when the subordinate clause
gives information that is always true.
The two sentences given above are examples of indirect questions. In indirect
questions, there is no inversion of subject and verb.
A verb can consist of just one word. Affirmative sentences in the simple present and
simple past tenses have one-word verbs.
Sentences in other tenses have verbs consisting of more than one word. Note that in a
three-word verb, the first two are auxiliary verbs whereas the third one is the main verb.
They have been invited. (Auxiliary verbs: have, been; main verb: invited)
Susie is writing. (Auxiliary verb: is; main verb: writing)
In questions the auxiliary verb comes before the subject whereas the main verb goes
after the subject.
We can form affirmative sentences without auxiliary verbs, but we cannot form
questions or negatives without them.
The only type of word that can go between the subject and the verb are adverbs of
frequency. Examples are: usually, often, never, seldom, always and occasionally.
When the verb consists of three words, the frequency adverb goes after the first.
I have never been invited to their parties. (NOT I have been never invited to their
parties.) (NOT I have been invited never to their parties.)
Pass around
Pass away
Pass by
a) to miss an opportunity
I dont want this opportunity to pass me by.
b) to visit briefly
Pass on
a) to die
Pass out
Pass through
To pass through is to visit a place briefly.
Pass to
Pass up
A number of common idiomatic expressions use the word play. Here is a list of them.
Play along
To play along is to pretend that something is funny or good just to make someone else
happy.
I knew that she was playing a prank on me but I decided to play along.
Play around
He played at painting for a while, but he never really got serious about it.
Play back
Play down
He played down the fact that there was a police complaint against him.
Play off
Play off can also mean make people compete against each other for your own
benefits.
He is a shrewd businessman who has always managed to make his rivals play off
each other.
Play on
To play on is to exploit the feelings or fears of another person to ones own advantage.
We are determined to play it out until the very end, no matter what the outcome
will be.
Phrasal verbs with take
ake is used in a number of common phrasal verbs. Here is a simple exercise
about phrases using the word take.
a) on b) over c) down
a) to b) for c) over
a) up b) over c) to
a) in b) on c) over
a) for b) to c) up
a) after b) on b) up
a) off b) on c) down
Answers
1. The new manager is expected to take over on March 15th. (take over
assume charge)
3. We moved that table to another room because it was taking up a lot of space.
(take up occupy space)
5. She was taken for a French woman. (take for suppose to be)
7. The opposition asked the minister to take his statement back.(take back
withdraw a statement)
I walk. I dont drive. Do I walk? Yes, I do. Do I drive? No, I dont drive.
He speaks English. He does not speak French. Does he speak English? Yes,
he does. Does he speak French? No, he doesnt.
I like coffee. I do not like tea. Do I like coffee? Yes, I do. Do I like tea? No,
I dont.
Birds fly. Animals dont fly. Do birds fly? Yes, they do. Doanimals fly? No,
they dont.
Cats chase mice. Cats dont chase dogs. Do cats chase mice? Yes,
they do. Do cats chase dogs? No, they dont.
The auxiliary verb do is used to make questions and negative sentences in the simple
present tense. Does is the singular form ofdo.
Note that dont and doesnt are the contracted forms of do not anddoes not.
In the sentences given above, do is used as an auxiliary verb. Do can also be used as
the main verb in affirmative clauses. When do is used as a main verb, it can refer to any
kind of activity.
Do your homework.
He does his work diligently.
He did his job well.
I do my homework in the evening.
Who did this?
I have cooked the meals, and I will do the dishes now.
Do as a substitute verb
In British English, do can also be used as a substitute for the main verb after an
auxiliary.
Do you think she will recognize me? She might do. (= She might recognize
you.)
Bring in introduce
a) in b) about c) out
2. The government plans to bring .. a new
legislation to eliminate corruption.
a) in b) round c) about
a) in b) on c) down
a) out b) on c) down
5. He was hit hard on the head but the doctors managed to bring him
after a while.
a) about b) round c) on
a) about b) round c) up
a) up b) about c) out
Answers
1. His dishonesty brought about his ruin. (bring about cause to happen)
2. The government plans to bring in a new legislation to eliminate corruption.
(bring in introduce)
4. The publisher is bringing out a new edition of this book. (bring out publish)
5. He was hit hard on the head but the doctors managed to bring him
round after a while. (bring round cause somebody to regain consciousness)
A much wider variety of reporting verbs are also available in English. If you repeat the
reporting verbs say and think, your writing and speech will become boring after a while.
The reporting verbs given in this lesson are not very common, but they are quite useful.
Blurt
To blurt something out is to say something suddenly without thinking about the
consequences.
Exclaim
To exclaim is to say something suddenly and loudly, especially because you are
surprised, impressed, upset, angry etc
Some common reporting verbs used to give advice or express your opinion are: advise,
argue, caution, note, observe, warn etc.
The mother cautioned the child to be careful while crossing the road.
The teacher warned the students to be extra careful while handling harmful
chemicals.
Say loudly
The following reporting verbs can be used to suggest that somebody said something
loudly: exclaim, bellow, call, cry, scream, shout, yell
Bellow
Scream
When he saw a dark figure moving towards him, the boy screamed in horror.
Yell
Shout