Verbs | English Olympiad for Class 6 PDF Download

Verbs

Verbs are words that convey an action or state of being. A verb is a doing word that shows an action, an event or a state. A sentence may either have a main verb, a helping verb or both. In other words, a verb is a word that informs about an action, an existence of something or an occurrence. The verb is the main word in a sentence. No sentence can be complete without a verb.

Types of Verbs

• Main Verbs (or Action Verbs)  
• Helping Verbs  
• Linking Verbs

1. Main Verbs or Action Verbs

Main verbs or action verbs are used to express action; something that an animal, a person or a thing does. In each of the following sentences, we only have a main verb. There are two types of action verbs.

• Transitive verbs  
• Intransitive verbs

(i) Transitive verbs

A transitive verb expresses an action directed towards a person, place or thing. The action expressed by a transitive verb passes from the doer or the subject to the receiver of the action. Words that receive the action of a transitive verb are called objects.

• She drinks water. (Object)  
• He drove the car. (Object)

(ii) Intransitive verb

A verb which does not need an object to make complete sense is called an intransitive verb. An intransitive verb expresses action (or tells something about the subject) without the action passing to a receiver or object. It can stand alone in the predicate because its meaning is complete.

• The sun shines.  
• She is crying.

Some verbs like (cheer, sing, visit and trip) can be transitive or intransitive, depending on how they are used in a sentence.

• He sang.  
• He sang a song.

2. Helping Verbs

As the name suggests, helping verbs help or support the main verb.

• We are in the Green House Club. (are: helping verb)  
• You should complete the work by tomorrow. (should: helping verb; complete: main verb)

3. State of Being Verbs (Linking Verbs)

"State of Being Verbs", state that something 'is'. "State of being verbs", are also known as linking verbs. Linking verbs explain a link between the subject of the sentence and a noun or adjective being linked to it.

• The flowers are bright.  
• Diamond is the hardest substance.  
• I feel scared.

Modals

Modal verbs are words like can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to etc. They are used with other verbs to express ideas such as possibility, prediction, speculation, deduction and necessity. Or modal verbs show different moods and attitudes of the speaker.

1. Can  

• Ability: Ali can swim.  
• Permission: Can I come with you? ('May' is also used.)  
• Offers: Can I help you?  
• General Possibility: You can speak fluent English when you travel to an English country. 

2. Could  

• Possibility: I could do it, if you like.
• Past ability: I could swim when I was three.  
• Permission: Could I use your phone please?  
• Requests: Could you babysit for us on Friday?  
• To suggest: We could write a letter to the director.

3. May  

• Possibility: The principal may come to our class.  
• Permission: May I use your phone?

4. Might  

• Slight possibility: She said he might come tomorrow.  
• Past form of 'may' In reported speech: The President said he might come.  
• Polite suggestion: You might try calling the help desk.

5. Shall 

Shall is a form of will, used with first person "I and we". The only time you do need to use it is in questions, when:

• Offers: Shall I order a taxi?  
• Suggestions: Shall we go to the party tonight?

6. Will  

• Future tense auxiliary: I will buy a computer tomorrow.  
• Invitations: Will you join us for dinner?  
• Offers: Won't you accept the appointment?

7. Must  

• Certainty: They must be the winners.  
• Necessity: Students must pass an entrance examination to study at this school.
• Strong recommendation: They must come in time for the appointment.  
• Prohibition: Uma, you must not play in the street!

8. Should

Giving advice in past, present and future:

• You should have studied more often. (Past)  
• You should brush your teeth every day. (Present)  
• They should take admission tomorrow. (Future)  
• Obligation: weak form of must: The government should reduce the taxes.

9. Ought to 
Ought to means the same as should but should is stronger because it implies a negative consequence, if you don't follow the advice. Another difference is that usually, ought to is not used with questions.

• I ought to see a doctor.

10. Would  

Advice: If I were you, I would return the book.

Note: For advice normally, would is used to talk about yourself, and should is used to talk about someone else. Past form of will: I thought I would be late …… so I would have to take the train. Hypotheses: It would be very expensive to stay in a hotel.

Important

‘Have to’, ‘has to’ and ‘will have to’ are not modal verbs but they are equivalents and used as modal verbs to express certainty , necessity and obligation.

Agreement of the Subject with the Verb

1. A verb must agree with its subject in number and person. Often due to “Error of Proximity”: the verb is made to agree in number with a noun near it, instead of with its proper subject.
For example:
(a) The quality of the mangoes were not good. (Wrong since subject is quality, a singular and not mangoes)
(b) The quality of the mangoes was not good (Right).
(c) His knowledge of Indian vernaculars are far beyond the common. (Wrong)
(d) His knowledge of Indian vernaculars is far beyond the common. (Right)

2. Verb should be singular even when some words are joined to a singular subject by ‘with’, ‘as well as’ etc,
For example: 
(a) The chairman with the directors, is to be present.
(b) Silver as well as cotton has fallen in prices. 

3. Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘or ’, ‘nor ’ require singular verb.
For example:
(a) No nook or corner was left unexplored.
(b) Our happiness or our sorrow is largely due to our own actions. 

4. If two singular nouns express one idea, the verb is in the singular.
For example: 
(a) Bread and Butter are essential for one’s life. (Incorrect)
(b) Bread and Butter is essential for one’s life. (Correct)

5. Either, neither, each, everyone, ‘many’ a must be followed by a singular verb.
For example:
(a) Neither of the two men was very strong.
(b) Every one of the prisons is full.
(c) Many a man has done so.
(d) He asked whether either of the applicants was suitable.

6. When the subjects joined by ‘or’, ‘nor’ are of different numbers, the verb must be plural, and the plural must be placed next to the verb.
For example:
(a) Neither Rekha nor her friends was present at the party. (Incorrect)
(b) Neither Rekha nor her friends were present at the party. (Correct) 

7. When a plural noun denotes some specific quantity or amount considered as a whole, the verb is generally singular.
For example: 
(a) Five hours are too short a time to judge one’s character. (Incorrect)
(b) Five hours is too short a time to judge one’s character. (Correct) This is so because five hours is considered as one chunk. 

8. Two nouns qualified by each or every, even though connected by ‘and’ require a singular verb. For example: Every boy and every girl was given a packet of sweets. 

9. ‘None’ though singular commonly takes a plural verb. For example : None are so deaf as those who will not hear. 

10. Tell which sentence is correct.
(a) Put in to bat first, a huge total was expected from India.
(b) Put in to bat first, India was expected to pile up a huge total.
Now: who has been put in to bat first? A huge total of India? Common sense tells us it must be India. But the sentence a, as it stands, appears otherwise. So, sentence b is correct.
(a) Being a rainy day, I decided to take my umbrella.
(b) It being a rainy day, I decided to take my umbrella.
The sentence a, as it stands, gives us the impression that being a rainy day qualifies I. This is simply not true. I am not a rainy day. So, sentence b is correct. 

11. When a plural noun denotes some specific quantity or amount considered as a whole, the verb is generally singular.
For example: 
(a) One hundred paise is equal to one rupee.
(b) Six miles is a long distance.
(c) Fifty thousand rupees is a large sum.