VERBS AND THEIR FUNCTION
A verb is a word that says something about a personal or thing. Or verb is a word the explains what doer is doing.> children play in the park.
> the milk is boiling.
> I am a salesman.
Here the words ; play, is boiling and am tell us something about person or thing.
VERBS: their function
Verb says
(a) what the subject ( of the sentence ) does.
* fire burns.
* the thief ran away.
* the baby cried.
(b) what the subject is
* James is painter.
* girls are more intelligent than boys.
* Shakespear was an English poet.
(c) what is done to the subject.
1. The tiger was killed by the hunter.
2. The thief has been arrested.
3. English is an international language.
(d) what the subject has.
1. Africa has large forests.
2. I had money last year.
(e) what happens to the subject.
1. Our goat died.
2. The leaves of the tree are falling.
3. The old news papers have turned yellow.
TYPES OF VERBS
There are three kinds of verbs, these are;
1. Transitive verbs
2. Intransitive verbs
3. Auxiliary verbs
Transitive verbs: a verb is Transitive when the action passes over from the subject to the object.
For example
The fox killed the rabbit.
In this sentence the fox is the subject. And action of killing passes over from subject ( fox) to the object ( rabbit).
The sentence will incomplete if the object is absent. ( we can't say, " the fox killed")
Kill is a transitive verb and always requires and object.
Examples
1. He dropped a stone in the water.
2. The hero shot the villain dead.
3. My sister cooked lunch for me.
4. He is reading a book.
5. He gave me a book.
2. Intransitive verbs: a verb is intransitive when it does not require an object because the action denoted by the verb does not pass over to anything else.
Eg;
1. The rabbit died.
2. The children laughed.
3. We live here.
4. The sun rises in the east.
5. The bus stopped suddenly.
Verbs used only Intransitively . A large number of verbs can be used both transitive and Intransitively.
Transitive Intransitive
3. Human fly aeroplanes. (Transitive verb)
* aeroplanes fly.(intransitive verbs )
4. The mischevious boy broke the glasspane. (Transitive verb)
* the glasspane broke. (intransitive verb)
5. Hirsi is ringing the school bell. (transitive verb)
* the school bell is ringing (intransitive verb)
● Some intransitive verbs can be used transitively with help of a preposition. In such cases, verb+preposition form a unit which functions as a verb. And like a transitive verb, this unit takes an object after it. This unit is also a prepositional verb.
Eg:
> He examined the accounts.
> He went into the accounts
In the first sentence, examine is transitive verb, this unit takes a direct object after it i.e the accounts.
In the second sentence, went is an intransitive verb, but when added to it , it functions as a transitive verb and takes the object- the accounts.
Other
Examples:
Look after to take care of.
Point out
3. AUXILLIARY VERBS: An auxiliary verb is helping verb.
Is used along with the main verb to form tenses , moods, and voices.
The auxiliary verbs have twenty-four finite forms.
Present tense past tense
Be, is, am, are, was, were,
has, have, had, did
Do, does
Present tense past tense
can, may, must, could, might, should, would.
Need, shall, ought,
Dare, used to ● The auxiliaries listed in the and the fourth rows modal or modal auxiliary verbs.
▪︎ Auxiliary verbs are used
(a) to form tenses.
1. She is working in a hospital.
2. He has gone to college.
3. I have been studying hard.
(b) to form moods
Do you like him?
You may go.
Don't make noise.
(c) to form voices
He will be defeated this time.
The box has not been opened.
VERB FORMS: most English verbs have four forms.
We shall illustrate these forms with the help of the verb play.
1. Verb/cerb+-s
(a) Present tense
First person- I play.
We play
Second person- You play.
Third person- they play
(b)imperative: play with me.
Don't play with me.
(c) with auxiliary e.g. you can play. they may play. I will play.
2. Verb+-ed: play+-ed
Past tense and past participle
(a) Past tense: I played.
We played.
You played she played
They played
Past participle: I have played. you have played. she has played. 3. To+verb: to play.
Infinitive I want to play. you want to play. he wants to play. 4. Verb+-ing: play+ing.
(a) Present participle: I saw him playing. (b)gerund: playing is good for health. I am not interested in playing.
(c) progressive tense: I am playing.
I was playing.
He was playing.
They will ba playing.
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERB
Regular verbs are verbs that form their past tense and past participle by the addition of -d or -ed. to the verb.
Verb past tense past participle
Play played played
kill killed killed
Mark marked marked
Miss missed missed
Need needed needed
Offer offered offered
Remember remembered. remembered
Report reported reported
Respect respected respected
Seem seemed seemed
Irregular words are those that form their past tense or past participle or in a way other than adding -ed or -d to the verb.
Verb past tense past participle
Show showed shown
Thought thought thought
Cut cut Cut
See Saw Seen
Begin Began Begun
Excuse excused excused
Face faced faced
Force forced forced
Hate hated hated
Hope hoped hoped
Imagine. imagined imagined
Include included included
Liked liked liked
Live lived lived
Love loved loved
Lie lied lied
(a) by adding -d
Verb past Tense past participle
Advise advised advised
Agree agreed agreed
Arrange arranged arranged
Bore bored bored
Care cared cared
Caused caused caused
Compared compared compared
Change changed changed
Charge charged charged
create created created
Desire Desired Desired
Die died died
Excuse excused excused
Face faced faced
Force forced forced
Hate hated hated
Hope hoped hoped
Imagine imagined imagined
Include included included
Liked liked liked
Live lived lived
Love loved loved
Lie lied lied
Prepare prepared prepared
Promise promised promised
Practise practised practise
Propose proposed proposed
Refuse refused refused
Require Required required
Serve served served
Side sided sided
State stated stated
Surprise surprised surprised
Tolerate tolerated tolerated
unite united united
Vote voted voted
(b) by adding -edAdding added added
Appear appeared appeared
Accept accepted accepted
Clean cleaned cleaned
Enter entered entered
Expect expected expected
Fear feared feared
Heed heeded headed
Help helped helped
Mark marked marked
Miss missed missed
Need needed needed
Offer offered offered
Remember remembered remembered
Report reported reported
Respect respected respected
Seem seemed seemed
Suggest suggested suggested
Succeed succeeded succeeded
Wash washed washed
Want wanted wanted
Wait waited waited
Weigh weighed weighed
(c) by doubling the last constant and adding -ed
Allot allotted allotted
Bag bagged bagged
Drop dropped dropped
Fit fitted fitted
Occur occurred occurred
Plan planned planne
Permit permitted permitted
Prefer preferred preferred
Stop stopped stopped
Travel travelled travelled
(d) by changing the final -y into -i and adding -ed
Apply applied applied
Cry cried cried
Dry dried dried
Pity pitied pitied
Reply replied replied
Supply supplied supplied
SOME IRREGULAR VERBS
arise arose arisen
Awake awoke awoken
Be was been
Bear bore born
Become became become
Begin began begun
Bend bent bent
Bid bade/ bid bidden
Bind bound bound
Bite bit bitten
Bleed bled bled
Blow blew blown
Break broke broken
Bring brought brought
Broadcast broadcast broadcast
Build built built
Burn burned/burnt burnt/burned
Burst burst burst
Buy bought bought
Cast cast cast
Catch caught caught
Choose chose chosen
Clothe clad/clothed clad/clothed
Come came come
Cost cost cost
Creep crept crept
Crow crowed (archaic form crew) crowed
Cut cut cut
Dare dared dared
Deal dealt dealt
Dig dug dug
Do did done
Draw drew drawn
Dream dreamed/dreamt dreamt/dreamed
Drink drank drunk
Drive drove driven
Eat ate eaten
Fall fell fallen
Feed fed fed
Feel felt felt
Fight fought fought
Find found found
Flee fled fled
Fly flew flown
Forbid forbade forbidden
Freeze froze frozen
Get got got
Grow grew grown
Give gave given
Go went gone
Hang hunged/hung hunged/hung
Have had had
Hear heard heard
Hit hit hit
Hold held held
Hurt Hurt hurt
Keep kept kept
Know knew known
Lay laid laid
Lead led led
Lend lent lent
Let let let
Lie lay lain
Light lit/light lit/light
Lose lost lost
Make made made
May might might
Mean meant meant
Meet met met
Pay paid paid
Put put put
Read Read read
Ride rode ridden
Ring rang rung
Rise rose risen
Run ran run
Sew sawed sawed
Say said said
See saw seen
Say said said
Seek sought sought
Sell sold sold
Send sent sent
Set set set
Shake shook shaken
Shine shone shone
Shoot shot shot
Show showed showed/shown
Shrink shrank shrunk
Shut shut shut
Sing sang sung
Sink sank sunk
Sit sat sat
Sleep slept slept
Smell smelt/smelled smelt/smelled
Sow sowed sowed/sown
Speak spoke spoken
Speed speeded/sped speeded/sped
Spell spelt/splled spelt/spelled
Spend spent spent
Spin spun /span spun
Spit spat spat
Spread spread Spread
Spring sprang sprung
Stand stood stood
Steal stole stolen
Stick stuck stuck
Sting stung stung
Sweep swept swept
Swim swam swam
Swing swang swung
Take took taken
Teach taught taught
Tear tore torn
Think thought thought
Throw threw thrown
Understand understood understood