Verbs are words that show an action, a state of being, or the time of an event.
- Action: He teaches Hindi.
- State of Being: He was ill. / She is a girl.
- Time (Tense): He is playing. / He was playing. / He will be playing.
Verb
Helping Verb
(Auxiliary/Secondary)
Primary Auxiliary
1st, 2nd, 3rd Form, V1+ing
Modal Auxiliary
Modals / Marginal Modals
Main Verb
(Primary/Action)
Finite Verb
Transitive / Intransitive
Non-Finite Verb
Gerund
Participle
Present / Past / Perfect
Infinitive
These are the primary action words in a sentence. They can change form based on the subject and tense.
- I work to get a job.
- I worked to get a job.
- She works to get a job.
1. Finite Verb
A verb that changes its form according to the tense, person, or number. It has a subject and shows tense.
e.g., He decided to leave early.
2. Non-Finite Verb
A verb that does not change its form based on tense, person, or number. It does not show tense.
e.g., I planned to visit my grandparents.
1. Transitive Verb
Requires a direct object to receive the action. The action transfers from the subject to the object. It answers the question What? or Whom?.
- I made coffee. (I made what?)
- I know him. (I know whom?)
- I write a letter. (I write what?)
2. Intransitive Verb
Does not require a direct object. The action stays with the subject.
- He cried.
- He speaks loudly. (He speaks how?)
Practice
Is the highlighted verb transitive or intransitive?
While the teacher was teaching, the students were sleeping.
The cat sneezed.
The wind blew strongly.
He was working hard whereas his family members do not care.
He draws fast.
They made her happy; she was thankful.
She was studying while he was playing.
He kicked the ball.
The ship sank rapidly.
I saw the girl there.
A Gerund is a verb in its present participle form (root verb + ing) that acts as a noun in a sentence. It answers the question "What?".
Because a gerund functions as a noun, it can be a subject, a direct object, or an object of a preposition.
- Smoking is injurious to health. (What is injurious?)
- Swimming is a wonderful exercise. (What is a wonderful exercise?)
Concept of Gerund
When a gerund acts like a noun, it should be preceded by a possessive adjective (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) rather than an object pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, us, them).
Practice
My father does not like (my / I / mine / me) talking to Rahul.
Jaswal does not prefer (he / him / his / her) celebrating birthday every year.
A Participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed. As an adjective, it modifies a noun or pronoun.
1. Present Participle (V1 + ing)
Formed by adding "ing" to a verb, it describes an ongoing action or a quality of a noun.
- The sparkling lights are beautiful.
- It is drinking water.
- What an amazing view!
- This is a boring movie.
2. Past Participle (V3)
Often ending in -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n, it describes a completed action or a state resulting from an action.
- These are broken chairs.
- He is a gifted soul.
- They are selling their torn clothes.
- There is a destroyed bridge near my house.
3. Perfect Participle (Having + V3)
Used to describe an action that was completed before another action took place.
- Having lost his money, he went to the police.
- Having submitted his assignment, he scored good marks.
- Having done it, he went to play.
An Infinitive is the base form of a verb, usually preceded by "to". It often acts as a noun and is not conjugated for any tense, person, or number. It can answer the question "What?".
Examples:
- She decided to go. (She decided what?)
- They planned to accept it. (They planned what?)
- I wanted to study abroad. (I wanted what?)
1. Primary Auxiliary Verbs
These change their form according to the tense, person, and number. The main ones are 'to be', 'to have', and 'to do'.
| Form | Verbs |
|---|---|
| 1st Form (Base/Present) | is, am, are, has, have, do, does |
| 2nd Form (Past) | was, were, had, did |
| 3rd Form (Past Participle) | been, had, done |
| V+ing (Present Participle) | being, having, doing |
2. Modal Auxiliary Verbs
Modals do not change form. They express modality like ability, permission, possibility, or obligation. They are divided into full modals (e.g., can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would, ought to) and marginal modals (e.g., used to, dare to, need to).
Marginal Modals
- Used to: Shows a past habit.
e.g., I used to drive late at night.
- Dare to: Used for a challenge.
e.g., He dared me to ask this question.
Note: In negative sentences, "to" is omitted. e.g., He dared not ask me this question.
- Need to: Shows a requirement.
e.g., We need to understand the situation.
Note: In negative sentences, "to" is omitted. e.g., We need not understand the situation.
Modals
- Will:
- As a helping verb (future tense): Used with You/He/She /It /They/Name. e.g., He will submit his assignment by Monday.
- For Determination (expression): Used with I/We/She/He/you/it/name/they. e.g., I will clear my exam this year.
- Shall:
- As a helping verb (future tense): Used with I/We. e.g., We shall go there.
- For Compulsion/Obligation: e.g., He shall complete his homework.
- For Permission: e.g., Shall I erase the board?
- Should:
- For Duty: e.g., He should help his brother.
- For Advice: e.g., You should focus on your career now.
- With 'Lest':
Correct: Work hard, lest you should fail the exam.
Correct: Work hard, lest you fail the exam.
Incorrect: Work hard, lest you will fail the exam.
- Would:
- For Preference:
e.g., I would like to have coffee over tea.
e.g., I would prefer coffee to tea. (Note: use 'to', not 'over')
- For Polite Request: e.g., Would you help me out?
- For Past Habit: e.g., I would wake up at 4.
- For Preference:
Can vs. May
| Can (Informal) | May (Formal) |
|---|---|
| Ability: He can swim. | Possibility: You may find her in the park. |
| Permission: Can I have your notebook? | Permission: May I go? |
| Request: Can you come this side? | Purpose: We earn so that we may have a good life. |
| Possibility: He can score good marks. | Optative Sentences (wish/blessing/pray/curse): May you get all the happiness. |
- Could:
- Polite Request: e.g., Could you please tell me the way to Ayodhya?
- Possibility: e.g., He could score good if he had studied well.
- Ability in Past Tense: e.g., He could organise the event.
- Might:
- Remote Possibility: e.g., He might discuss this issue with you.
- Purpose: e.g., We ate so that we might live. (Note: We eat so that we may live.)
- Must:
- Duty: e.g., You must be punctual in the class.
- Determination: e.g., I must get a job this year.
- Advice: e.g., You must avoid unhealthy food for good health.
- Ought to:
- Advice: e.g., You ought to work hard.
- Duty: e.g., You ought to follow the traffic rules.
- Strong possibility: e.g., It ought to be happen.