Present Simple

What is the Simple Present Tense?

If you want to talk about an action which is happening in the present moment, you will be using
the present simple tense. This is a tense commonly used within the English language and comes
with its own set of grammar rules. It is important to understand these rules and know how to use
them so that your speech is clear and comprehensive.
The simple present tense of English language verbs is more complicated than the name
suggests. In English grammar, the simple present tense is one of the verb forms
associated with the present tense.
The simple present tense is typically used for the following four general cases:

1. To express facts, general statements of truth, and common-sense ideas that

everybody knows.
2. To state habits, customs, and events that happen periodically.
3. To describe future plans and events.
4. To tell jokes, stories, and relate sporting events in real-time.
The key thing that simple present tense verbs ARE NOT used for is to talk about an
action that subject is performing in the present. That usage is more geared towards
present participles.

The first person, second person, and third person plural regular verbs are
straightforward and are just like the infinitive form of the verb most of the time.

The third person singular has a couple rules associated with it that may take a bit of
memorization at first but will become second nature through repetition.

 To most regular verbs, add an s’ at the end.

 To verbs that end in s’, ss’, sh’, ch’, th’, x’, z’, or o’, add an es’.
 To verbs that end in y’, drop the y’ and add ies’.
Examples:
 Infinitive: To Go
 First Person: I go/We go
 Second Person: You go
 Third Person: He goes/They go
 

 Infinitive: To study
 First Person: I study/We study
 Second Person: You study
 Third Person: She studies/They study
  

 Infinitive: To Mix
 First Person: I Mix/We Mix
 Second Person: You Mix
 Third Person: He mixes/They mix
The simple present tense can be combined with several expressions to indicate the
time when an action occurs periodically, such as “every Tuesday”, “always”, “usually”,
“twice a month”, etc…Additionally, this form can be made negative or can be used in the
interrogative form as well. There is a lot of flexibility to this so-called simple tense to
express complex ideas.

In the next section are ten examples to demonstrate the different spellings and the
various use cases described above. After that are several exercises to provide practice
identifying the different forms of the simple present tense verb. As always, a good way
to continually reinforce this information is to try and identify this type of verb while
reading and always, always, always keep a dictionary or google search window handy.

Simple Present Tense Structure

Present Simple Tense with “TO BE” (am/is/are)
Affirmative sentence:
S + am/is/are + predicate…
Example:

He is a doctor.
Negative Sentence:
S + am/is/are + not + predicate…
Example:

He isn’t a doctor.
Interrogative Sentence:
Am/Is/ Are + S + predicate?
Example:

Is he a doctor?
Simple Present Tense with Other Verbs
Affirmative sentence:
S + verb + object…
Example:
 We like tea.
Negative sentence:
S + don’t/doesn’t + verb + object…
Example:

We don’t like tea.

Interrogative sentence:
Do/ Does + S + verb + object?
Example:

Do you like tea?

Examples of the Simple Present Tense
1. In the United States, Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday in March
and ends on the first Sunday in November.
2. My wife and I drink a toast to the New Year every January 1st.
3. So, a horse walks into a bar and the bartender says “Why the long face?”….
4. My company issues promotions and raises next week.
5. The human body maintains a temperature of 98.6 degrees.
6. Do you like my cat?
7. Does my dog wake you up when he barks at night?
8. I always feed my kids before sending them off to school.
9. The best student in the class studies twice as much as anyone.
10. The chef mixes fish shrimp with steak to make the best surf’ n turf’ in town.
How to Use the Simple Present
The Present Simple Tense Usage
The Present Simple tense is used to express:

General Truth
Example:

The sun rises in the east.

Habits
Example:

I play badminton every Tuesday.
Future Timetables
Example:

Our train leaves at 9 am.

Future after “When”, “Until”…
Example:
 I won’t go out until it stops raining.
Permanent Situations
Example:

He works in a bank.
For Newspaper Headlines
Example:

Man enters space.

With Non-progressive
Example:

I believe that you are innocent.

When Telling Stories
Example:

Suddenly, the window opens and a masked man enters.

For Giving Directions and Instructions
Example:

First of all, you break the eggs and whisk with sugar.
Notes for the Present Simple
The basic form of the simple present is the same as the base form of the verb, unless
the subject is third person singular, in which case a form with the addition of -(e)s is
used.
 For pronouns I, you, we, they, there is no modification for verbs.
 For pronouns he, she, it, a suffix is added following these rules:
For verbs that end in –o, –ch, –sh, –s, –x, or –z, the suffix –es is added
Examples:

Do – Does
Touch – Touches
Fix – Fixes
For verbs that end in a consonant + y, the letter y is replaced by the suffix –ies.
Example:

Try – Tries
Study – Studies
Carry – Carries
In other cases, the suffix –s is added.
Examples:
 Cook – Cooks
Say – Says
Laugh – laughs
Time Expressions in the Present Simple Tense
 This evening
 At 10 am
 When
 Until
 As soon as
 After
 Before
 Twice a month
 Every Tuesday
 Often
 Sometimes
 …
Present Continuous Tense
What Is the Present Continuous Tense?
The present continuous tense is one which is commonly used within the English language and
often uses the -ing form of a verb, for example ‘she is running.’ We can see that the sentence is
happening continuously in the present moment.
The present continuous verb tense, also known as the present progressive, is used to
describe an action that is currently happening or may happen in the future.

The present continuous tense is typically used for the following four general cases:

1. To describe events that are happening at the current time

2. To discuss an event that is temporary in nature, will continue into the future, but
end at a particular time
3. To list future plans
4. To describe a new pattern or a habit
This verb tense is formed with a variant of the verb to be + the present participle (verb
form ending in -ing). These verbs can also take adverb modifiers to talk about an activity
that is continuing into some future time (e.g. in one hour’, this Fall’). Additionally,
present continuous verb forms are most commonly going to be found in the wild using
dynamic verbs’ that describe:

 an activity (e.g. learn, listen, read)

 a process (e.g. change, grow, shrink)
 a bodily sensation (e.g. ache, feel, hurt)
 a transitional event (e.g. arrive, leave)
 a momentary occurrence (e.g. hit, jump, kick).
 The other type of verb, which is not generally seen with present continuous verb forms,
is known as stative, and the reason it is not used here is that stative verbs describe
actions that are done and over with and do not continue into the future at all (e.g.
astonish, see, smell).

In the next section are ten examples to demonstrate the various use cases described
above. After that are several exercises to provide practice identifying the different forms
of the present continuous verb tense. As always, a good way to continually reinforce
this information is to try and identify this type of verb while reading and always, always,
always keep a dictionary or google search window handy.

Present Continuous Tense Structure

The present continuous (also the present progressive) is one of the present tenses used
in modern English.
Basically, the Present progressive tense is formed by adding -ing to the base verb.
The structure of the Present Continuous Tense is:

S + am/is/are (not) + V-ing +….

Examples:

 He is playing.
 She isn’t cooking.
Am/is/are + S + V-ing +…?
Example:

 Am I annoying you? (which is to ask whether I am annoying you.)

Examples of the Present Continuous Tense
1. My daughter’s class is currently attending a lecture on the solar system at the
planetarium.
2. The driver is stopping at the gas station for a moment to fill up the tank and then
will proceed to the next town for lunch.
3. You need to prepare an agenda before your next class because you are
keeping the students two minutes late every time lately.
4. My company is holding face to face meetings a lot less than they used to in favor
of video calls.
5. When my vacation starts, my family and I are flying to Hawaii to relax on the
beach.
6. The movie is starting in the next thirty minutes so we have to leave very shortly.
7. Whenever the cat is playing with a ribbon, she starts jumping back and forth like
her hunter forbears.
8. I am going to fly back and forth between Detroit and Atlanta twice a month from
now on as part of my promotion.
9. I hate to say it, but my kids are giving me the worst migraine right now with all
their screaming!
10. The fog is slowly lifting which will make my drive to work much less dangerous.
How to Use the Present Continuous
The present progressive is used:

1. To describe something which is happening at the exact moment of speech.

Example:

 Jim is watching television at the moment.

2. To describe an action that is taking place now but not at the exact moment of speech.
Example:

 John is working in London.

3. To describe an event planned in the future.
Example:

 I’m taking my French class on Tuesday.

4. To describe a temporary situation.
Example:

 I’m staying with a friend for a few days.

5. To emphasize the frequency of an action.
Example:

 That child is always crying for no good reason.

6. To describe changing situations.
Example:

 Her health is improving by leaps and bounds.

Present Perfect Tense
What Is the Present Perfect Tense?
The present perfect tense is something which might seem complicated at first glance, but once
you understand the basic rules, it becomes much more simple. This tense is used to talk about an
action which began in the past but has continued into the present moment and is something that
we see often when using the English language.
The present perfect tense is used to describe:

1. an action or situation that began sometime in the past and continues into the
present time.
2. an action performed during a period that has not yet completed.
3. a repeated activity in an unspecified time period between the past and the current
time period.
4. an action that finished in the very recent past, expressed by ‘just’.
5. an action when the time is not important.
It is formed with a variant of the verb to have + the present participle (verb form ending
in -ed).

The part that may confuse some readers is whether to use this present perfect verb
tense (e.g. have walked) or to use the simple past (e.g. walked).

Simple Past
 Used with adverbs that describe a time already past (e.g. I studied for the test on
Sunday).
 Used with an adverb that marks a specific point in time (e.g. I have studied
today).
Present Perfect
 Used with adverbs describing a time that started in the past and continues right
up to the present time (e.g. I have studied every day this week).
 Used with an adverb that marks a specific point in time (e.g. I have studied
today).
 Used when speaking about an event that happened in the recent past (e.g. I have
studied night after night for this test).
In the next section are ten examples to demonstrate the various use cases described
above. After that are several exercises to provide practice identifying the different forms
of the present perfect verb tense. As always, a good way to continually reinforce this
information is to try and identify this type of verb while reading and always, always,
always keep a dictionary or google search window handy.

Present Perfect Tense Structure

In English grammar, the present perfect is a combination of the present
tense and perfect aspect that is used to express a past event that has present
consequences.
The structure of the Present Perfect (formula):

 Affirmative Sentence
Subject + have/has + past participle
Example:

I have tried sushi before.

 Negative Sentence
 Subject + have not (haven’t)/has not (hasn’t) + past participle
Example:

I have not tried sushi before.

 Interrogative Sentence
Have/Has + subject + past participle?
Example:

Have you tried sushi  before?

Examples of the Present Perfect Tense
1. My daughter has completed her math and reading homework assignments.
2. The gardener has planted all the seeds he is going to for the tomato season.
3. We have finished watching Star Wars and now we can start watching The Empire
Strikes Back.
4. My company has banned remote work-from-home and now we all have to drive
into the office every day.
5. For the last two weeks, I have read a book a day and reviewed it for my website.
6. I have traveled back and forth to Japan once a month for the last year.
7. The cat has played with the ribbon for too long and now she just looks silly!
8. I have listened to all the PMP podcasts, and now I am ready to take the exam.
9. The trick-or-treaters have visited my house three times tonight and I’m not sure I
can stay hidden any longer.
10. My son has performed the same piano exercises for the last hour and I can’t get
the sounds out of my head!
How to Use the Present Perfect Tense?
The Present Perfect Tense Usage
The Present Perfect is used:

 To express things you have done in your life

Examples:

I’ve been to England.

She has never studied Japanese.
 To express the number of times you have done something
Examples:

I’ve been to Paris three times.

How many times have you tried to call her?
 To describe recently completed actions which are important now
Examples:
 I have some bad news. I’ve lost my job.
I can’t play football tonight – I’ve hurt my leg.
 To express situations that started in the past and are still true
Examples:

I’ve known James for 4 or 5 years.

She’s been the director of that company since 2007.
 To describe unfinished actions or situations
Examples:

I’ve known Julie for ten years. (I met her ten years ago and I still know her)
We have lived here since 2004.
 To express the present result
Examples:

I’ve lost my keys.

John has missed the bus, so he’ll be late.
Time Adverbs in Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is commonly used with the indefinite time adverbs (time
expressions):
 Just
 Already
 Yet
 For
 Since
 Never
 Ever
 Still
 …
Final thoughts
This article covers a lot of ground relating to one specific verb tenses that describe
actions occurring starting in the past that ended already but have some continued
effect on the present time. This may be the most difficult to use verb form since it is not
actually used to describe actions occurring in the present time. The simple form
sometimes gets confused with the present progressive and may require a bit more
active concentration to identify when it is appropriate to use which form. It is still fairly
common in speech to hear some confusion between the simple form and the present
progressive form.

The present progressive is used particularly often; many speakers, however, do not
specifically understand when or why to use this form since it was originally learned
through habit rather than study. Just as with any other language, whether it is a primary
 or a secondary tongue, both speaking and writing the words as well as keeping a
dictionary and thesaurus handy is imperative to become truly fluent.

Finally, the best way to cement and maintain an understanding of these verb forms is to
read much and focus on why specific verb forms are used in the text; not all at once, but
one verb form at a time.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

What Is the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?
The present perfect continuous verb tense, also known as the present perfect
progressive, is used to describe an action that first started in the past and is still
happening in the present, or is still relevant to other events happening in the present.

The present perfect continuous tense is typically used for the following two general
cases:

1. Starting in the past and occurring until now with an adverb modifier that indicates
the approximate duration
2. An action occurring until lately’ or recently’ with some relevant effect continuing
into the present.
This verb tense is formed with a passive variant of the verb to have + the present
participle (verb form ending in -ing). These verbs can also take adverb modifiers to talk
about the activity when in the past this activity started (e.g. two hours ago’, last Fall’).
Additionally, present perfect continuous verb forms are most commonly going to be
found in the wild using dynamic verbs’ that describe:

 an activity (e.g. learn, listen, read)

 a process (e.g. change, grow, shrink)
 a bodily sensation (e.g. ache, feel, hurt)
 a transitional event (e.g. arrive, leave)
 a momentary occurrence (e.g. hit, jump, kick).
The other type of verb, which is not generally seen with present perfect continuous verb
forms, is known as stative, and the reason it is not used here is that stative verbs
describe actions that are done and over with and do not continue into the future at all
(e.g. astonish, see, smell).

In the next section are ten examples to demonstrate the various use cases described
above. After that are several exercises to provide practice identifying the different forms
of the present perfect continuous verb tense. As always, a good way to continually
 reinforce this information is to try and identify this type of verb while reading and
always, always, always keep a dictionary or google search window handy.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Structure

The structure of the Present Perfect Progressive tense is:
have/has + been + V-ing (present participle)
Examples:
 They have been learning English.
 I  have been waiting  for one hour.
Present Perfect Progressive Contractions:
The subject and the first auxiliary are often contracted when using the Present Perfect
Continuous tense in speaking and in informal writing.
Have = ‘ve
Has = ‘s
Examples:

 I‘ve been writing.
 The car‘s been giving trouble.
Examples of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense
1. My daughter has been watching cartoons for the last two hours since arriving
home from school.
2. The driver has been stopping to stretch his legs every forty-five minutes during
this ten-hour drive from Detroit to Washington D.C.
3. You have been sleeping too long and missing breakfast.
4. My company has been monitoring my Internet usage.
5. For the last two weeks, I have been reading The Lord of the Rings books from
dawn until dusk.
6. I have been picking strawberries from my garden and eating them right away!
7. Whenever the dog has been chasing the cat, I can always find tufts of fur on the
floor.
8. I can always tell when my son has been playing too many video games because
his right eye droops with exhaustion.
9. My flight has been circling the airport for thirty minutes because the weather is
too dangerous for a landing to take place.
10. Recently, my daughter has been practicing her dance routine instead of her piano
exercises.
How to Use the Present Perfect Progressive Tense?
Learn how and when to use the Present Perfect Continuous tense in English with useful
grammar rules and example sentences.
The Present Perfect Progressive tense is used to:
 Express long actions that started in the past and continue until now
Examples:

 I‘ve been living  in Ireland for almost 4 years.

 I‘ve been studying  all day and I’m absolutely exhausted now.
Express recent actions that have clear evidence or results now
Examples:

 You’ve lost a lot of weight. Have  you  been going  to the gym?

 Her eyes are red because she‘s been crying all evening.
Typically used for shorter, more temporary situations
Example:

 Have  they been learning English this week?

Note:
Always use the present perfect simple (not continuous) with the verbs believe, know,
understand, like/dislike, belong, own:
Examples:

 We‘ve  known  each other since we were kids.

 I‘ve never understood math very well.
 He‘s always liked sports.

Past Simple Tense

In English grammar, the Simple Past (or Past Simple) is the basic form of the past tense.
It is used principally to describe events in the past, although it also has some other
uses.
What is the Past Simple Tense?
The simple past tense shows that an action started and completed in the past and has
no relevance to the present time at all. It can also be used to describe how someone
felt, what their emotional condition was, at a point in the past. There are no forms of the
verb to be’ or to have’ with this tense as there are with others (e.g. walked).
The simple past can be used with adverbs to describe a time already in the past (e.g. I
walked to the market last Saturday) or discussing a specific point in time (e.g. I studied
today).
In the section below are several examples illustrating some ways in which the simple
present tense can be used. In the final section are several practice questions that will
give some focus to how you can identify the simple past verb tense looks like when
used correctly. It is always highly recommended to refer to a thesaurus or dictionary
when becoming more familiar with not just a second language but one’s primary
language as well.
Simple Past Tense Structure
Simple Past Tense with “TO BE” (was/were)
Note:
I/She/He/It + was
We/You/They + were
Was not = Wasn’t
Were not = Weren’t
Positive Sentence:
S + was/were + …
Example:

They were friends.

Negative Sentence:
S + was not/were not + …
Example:

They weren’t friends.

Question form:
Was/Were + S + …?
Example:

Were they friends?

Simple Past Tense with Regular Verbs
Regular English verbs form the simple past in –ed; however, there are a few hundred
irregular verbs with different forms.
Positive Sentence:
S + verb-ed + …
Example:

She worked yesterday.

Negative Sentence:
S + did not/didn’t + verb (in base form) + …
Example:

She didn’t work yesterday.

Question form:
Did + S + verb (in base form)?
Example:

Did she work yesterday?

Past Simple Tense with Irregular Verbs
 There are a few hundred irregular verbs with different forms.
Positive Sentence:
S + irregular verb + …
Example:

They went to Spain for their holidays.

Negative Sentence:
S + did not/didn’t + verb (in base form) + …
Example:

They didn’t go to Spain for their holidays?

Question Form:
Did + S + (verb in base form)?
Example:

Did they go to Spain for their holidays?

Examples of the Past Simple Tense
1. My teacher taught me about the planets, moon, and stars in the third grade.
2. Our local high school held a car wash to raise money for the band.
3. I felt scared when the power went out during the thunderstorm last night.
4. My boss called me into the office to help with an outage on Sunday night.
5. I really appreciate when you gave me half your lunch yesterday.
6. While I was sleeping, the cat yowled very loudly all night long.
7. My team had a potluck’ last week but forgot to send out the invitations!
8. My mom picked me up after school all week long when I had to stay for an extra
practice session.
9. Dad took me to the movies and out for pizza for my birthday.
10. I was so proud the day my oldest child graduated from college with honors.
How to Use the Simple Past Tense
The Simple Past Tense Usage
The Simple Past is used:

 To express completed action in the past

Example:

I saw a ghost last Friday.

 To describe a series of completed actions in the past
Example:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
 To express habits in the past
 Example:

When I was young, I watched lots of television every day after school.
 For stative verbs, which are verbs that do not express an action, but a state of
mind or being  E.g. have (own), be, think (believe), know, dislike, need, owe, understand,
wish
Example:

He had a small  cottage in the woods.

Time Expressions with Past Simple Tense
 Yesterday
 Ago
 Last month
 Last week
 Last year
 In 2003
 In 2007
 …
Past Continuous Tense
What is the Past Continuous Tense?
The past continuous tense is one which is used very frequently in the English language and is
made up of an -ing verb preceded by the past tense of the verb ‘to be.’ For example ‘the animals
were running gracefully through the field.’ This is an easy concept to understand and once you
have mastered it, you will be able to speak much more freely about the past.
The past continuous, or past progressive, tense describes an action or situation that
began in the past and is still going on in the present time.
The past continuous is easily formed by pairing up the verb to be’ with a verb ending in
-ed’ instead of -ing’ (e.g. was talking).
The second section below has some great examples of how to use the past
continuous tense in actual conversation. After studying those samples, continue
reading to the end for some practice choosing the correct form of this verb tense to
complete a sentence. When reading a book or article, it is often a great idea to keep a
dictionary or thesaurus at hand, especially when encountering unfamiliar or irregular
verbs.
Past Continuous Tense Structure
The Past Continuous is used to describe actions that began in the past and often
continued for a short period of time after the action started.

The structure of the Past Continuous Tense is:

Was/were + V-ing (Present Participle)

 Example:

At three o’clock yesterday, I  was working in the garden.

Examples of the Past Continuous Tense
1. My kids were playing basketball together for hours yesterday.
2. My daughter was planning to join the school band but chose the choir instead.
3. I was talking to my neighbor when she told me about the fire that started across
the street.
4. Our school was holding a pep rally when the fire alarm went off.
5. I was not giving to charity last year, but then I received a raise and started
contributing to the local animal shelter.
6. While I was getting ready for bed, I turned on the news to see what had happened
during the day.
7. My team was holding an offsite lunch n learn but discontinued it when people
stopped showing up.
8. My brother was dropping me off at school every morning so I didn’t have to wait
in the cold for the bus.
9. I was hanging more and more elaborate Christmas lights every year until I
realized I couldn’t do anything bigger this year so I stopped.
10. My friend was sleeping over every Friday for three months during the Summer
but then we had to stop when school started.
How to Use the Past Continuous Tense
The Past Continuous Tense Usage
The past continuous is used:

To describe parallel actions

The past progressive is often used to denote an action that was interrupted by an
event, or for two actions taking place in parallel.
Examples:

 While I  was washing the dishes, I heard a loud noise.

 While you were washing  the dishes, Sue was walking the dog. To express specific
Time as an Interruption
To describe what someone was doing at a particular point in time
Example:

I  was working  in the garden all day yesterday.

That could also be expressed using the simple past, as I worked…, which implies that
the action is viewed as a unitary event (although the effective meaning is not very
different).
 To express interrupted action in the past
Often the past progressive is mixed with the past simple to show what was happening
when something happened.

Examples:

 I  was driving to work when I crashed my car.

 I watched a movie while I was flying to Dubai.
To describe repetition and irritation
Example:

He  was always complaining in class.

Note
For stative verbs that do not use the progressive aspect, the simple past is used
instead.
Example:

At three o’clock yesterday we were in the garden.

Time Expressions Used with the Past Progressive Tense
 When
 While
 Always
 Constantly
 At that time
 In those days
 All day
 All evening
 For hours…
Past Perfect Tense
What is the Past Perfect Tense?
The past perfect tense keeps the past “in the past” as they say. The verbs that are
placed in this tense have to happen AND complete BEFORE a related action can occur.
This past participle tense takes the past form of the verb to have’ as a modifier (e.g. had
talked).

The past perfect form has a couple of different functions that it can perform:

1. It can describe an action that occurred in the past that is related to another
action that occurred in the past after the first action (e.g. I had driven to Pittsburgh before
driving on to Detroit).
2. It can describe two non-continuous actions that occurred in sequence (e.g. I had
driven to Florida and then boarded a cruise two days later.)
These two functions are very similar but the nuances between them are a bit different in
terms of what information is conveyed to the listener/reader.

The exercise section below includes several really good samples that demonstrate how
to use the past perfect tense in real conversation. After looking through these examples,
keep reading until the very end for some additional practice questions concerning how
to choose the right form of this verb tense to complete a sentence. When reading
newspapers, magazines, Wikipedia pages, or novels, it is highly recommended to have a
lookup webpage at hand that will show synonyms, definitions, and grammar usage,
especially when reading words that are new and unfamiliar.

Past Perfect Tense Structure

The Past Perfect is used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in
the past.

The Past Perfect is formed by combining had with the past participle of the main verb.
Positive Sentence:
S + had + past participle + …

Example:

She had finished the test.

Negative Sentence:
S + had not/hadn’t + past participle + …

Example:

She hadn’t finished the test.

Question form:
Had + S + past participle + …?

Example:

Had she finished the test?

Examples of the Past Perfect Tense
1. My kids were really exhausted and ready for sleep because
they had both played soccer for hours that afternoon.
2. My daughter had won the two previous spelling bees which made her feel very
disappointed when she lost this year to another student.
3. I had just arrived at the airport gate when I saw the attendant closing the gate.
4. My teacher thought she had sent out letters to all the parents about the
upcoming field trip until she found all the papers sitting in the copy tray.
5. I had paid my son an allowance last year but asked him to get a job this year
instead.
6. My son had volunteered to help me in the garden all summer until he realized
how much work it actually was.
7. Had you concentrated harder on learning your ABCs in elementary school, these
reports would not be as difficult for you to write now that you have an office job.
8. Can you tell me how much money you had saved up before your student loan
became due?
9. I had played a trick on my neighbors this past Halloween, but then they called the
police and reported me.
10. My friend had slept over at my house for the last two weeks and then I spent the
next two weekends at his place.
How to Use the Past Perfect Tense?
Learn how and when to use the Past Perfect Tense in English with helpful grammar
rules, example sentences and ESL printable worksheets.
The Past Perfect Tense Usage
The Past Perfect Tense is used:

1. To describe an action finished before another past action

Example:

 Richard had gone out when his wife arrived in the office.
2. To describe an action that happened before a specific time in the past
Example:

 Christine had never been to an  opera before last night.

3. To describe cause and effect (combine with Past Simple)
Example:

 I got stuck in traffic because there had been an accident.

4. To emphasize the result of activity in the past
Example:

 I had been to London twice by the time I got a job in New York.
Time Expressions Used with the Past Perfect Tense
 Already
 Yet
 For
 Since
 Just
 After
 Before
 Until
 The moment that
 …
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
You might hear this tense being referred to as the past perfect progressive tense but this is not as
complicated as it might first appear. The past perfect continuous tense is used to talk about an
event which began in the past and continued in the past. This is a similar concept to the present
perfect continuous tense.
The Past Perfect Continuous tense combines perfect progressive aspect
with past tense. It is formed by combining had (the past tense of
auxiliary have), been (the past participle of be), and the present participle of the main
verb.
Positive Sentence:
S + had + been + V-ing (present participle) +…
Example:

They had been playing tennis.

Negative Sentence:
S + had not/ hadn’t + been +V-ing (present participle) +…
Example:

They hadn’t been playing tennis.

Question Form:
Had + S + been + V-ing (present participle)?
Example:

Had they  been playing tennis?

How to Use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?
Learn how and when to use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense (Past Perfect
Progressive) in English with helpful grammar rules, examples and ESL worksheets.

The Past Perfect Progressive is used:

 To describe a past action, already started and continued up to another action or

time in the past
Example:

The boys  had been playing soccer for about an hour when it started to rain.
 To express the duration before something in the past
Example:

Richard needed a holiday because he  had been working hard for six months.
 To describe the cause of something in the past
Example:

He was tired because he had been jogging.

Adverbs of Time
 When
 Before
 By the time
 For
 Since…
Simple Future Tense
If you wish to speak about an event that will happen in the future then you will need to use the
simple future tense. This is a great way of adding knowledge of the English language which will
enable you to talk in much more detail about things such as your future plans or things that you
know are coming up.
The simple future tense indicates that an action is in the future relative to the speaker or
writer. There are no inflected forms for the future in English (nothing like those –ed or -
s endings in the other tenses).
The formula for the future simple is will + V(Base form).
Positive Sentence
S + will + V(Base form) + object…

Example:

I  will go to Thailand.

Negative Sentence
S + will not/won’t + V(Base form) + object…

Example:

I  will not go to Thailand.

Question form
Will + S + V(Base form) +…?

Example:

Will you go to Thailand?
How to Use the Simple Future Tense
Learn how and when to use the future simple tense in English with helpful grammar
rules, example sentences, videos and ESL worksheets. 
The future simple tense is used:
For Actions Decided at the moment of Speech
Example:

I have a toothache. I‘ll take a medicine.

For Unplanned Future Actions
Example:

Winter will come soon.
For Offering, Asking for a Request Promising, Ordering, Threatening
Example:

I’m afraid we will get wet.

For Unpreventable Actions in Future
Example:

Summer will come  soon.

With Conditional, Time and Purpose Clauses
Example:

When I arrive at home, I will call  you.

For Thoughts, Predictions, Assumptions, Sureness, Fears about Future
Example:

I promise I won’t tell this anyone.

Future Continuous Tense
To use the future continuous tense you will need to use the phrase ‘will be’ along with the
present participle of the verb (the -ing version.) Using this tense will show that an action is going
to take place in future and will continue for a certain period of time rather than in one moment
like the simple future tense.
The Future Continuous tense is a verb tense that indicates that something will occur in
the future and continue for an expected length of time.

It is formed using the construction will + be + V-ing (present participle).

Positive Sentence:
S + will + be + V-ing (present participle)

Example:
 I  will be singing in the concert tomorrow.
Negative Sentence:
S + will + not + be + V-ing (present participle)

Example:

I  will not be singing in the concert tomorrow.

Question Form:
Will + S + be + V-ing? (present participle)

Example:

Will you be singing in the concert tomorrow?

How to Use the Future Continuous Tense
Learn how and when to use the Future Continuous Tense (or the Future Progressive) in
English with grammar rules, examples, video and ESL worksheets.
The Future Progressive Tense is used:
 To describe interrupted actions in the future
Example:

When you come tomorrow, they will be playing tennis.

 To express actions in progress at a specific time in the future
Example:

At 12 o’clock tomorrow, we will be having lunch at school.

 To refer to actions that are happening now and expected to continue some time
in the future
Note: combined with “still”

Example:

Unfortunately, sea levels  will still be rising in 20 years.

 To ask a question politely about the future
Example:

Will you be bringing your friend to the party tonight?

 To emphasize future plans and intentions
Example:

He‘ll be coming to visit us next week.

 To describe atmosphere in the future
Example:
 When I arrive at the party everybody will be celebrating, some will be dancing, other will be
talking.
 To express parallel actions or series of parallel actions in the future
Example:

She will be watching TV, and he will be cooking dinner.

Time Expressions with The Future Progressive
 In the future
 Next week
 Next time
 Next year
 At this moment next year
 At this time tomorrow
 At 5 p.m tomorrow…

Future Perfect Tense

When you want to talk about an action that will happen before a certain point in the future, you
will need to use the future perfect tense. There are certain rules surrounding the use of the future
perfect tense and it is important that you follow these rules in order to create a grammatically
correct sentence.
The future perfect is a verb form or construction used to describe an event that is
expected or planned to happen before a time of reference in the future.
In English, the future perfect construction consists of the auxiliary verb “will” (shall) to
mark the future, the auxiliary verb “have” to mark the perfect, and the past participle of
the main verb.
Positive Sentence:
S + will + have + past participle + …
Example:

 I  will have finished  my report by the end of this month.

Negative Sentence:
S + will + not + have + past participle + …
Example:

 He  will not have done  it by this evening.

Question form:
Will + S + have + past participle + …
Example:

 Will you have written me a letter?

How to Use the Future Perfect Tense
 Learn how and when to use the Future Perfect Tense in English with grammar rules,
example sentences and ESL printable worksheets.
The Future Perfect is used:

– To talk about an action that will finish before a certain time in the future

Example:

 By eight o’clock tomorrow, I will have taken off for Japan.

– To talk about an action that will be completed before another event takes place

Example:

 She will have learnt Chinese before she moves to China.

– To express conviction that something happened in the near past
Example:

 The guests  will have arrived at the hotel by now. (I’m sure the guests have arrived at
the hotel.)
Time Expressions Used with Future Perfect Tense
 By + …
 By the time
 Before
 Until/till
 By then
 By the end of + …
 By tomorrow

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

When we are talking about an action that will happen and continue in the future, we must employ
the use of the future perfect continuous tense. Whilst the name of this tense might seem long and
complicated, its use and rules are quite easy to understand.
The Future Perfect Continuous is a verb form or construction used to describe actions
that will continue up until a point in the future.
In English, the Future Perfect Progressive is formed by combining the modal “will“,
the auxiliary verb “have“, “been“, and the present participle of the main verb (with an -ing
ending).
Positive Sentence:
S + will + have + been + V-ing (present participle) +…
Example:
 We will have been living in this house for 10 years by next month.
Negative Sentence:
S + will + not + have + been + V-ing (present participle) +…
Example:

 I  won’t have been travelling to New York  for 2 years by the end of October.
Question form:
Will + S + have + been + V-ing (present participle) +… ?
Example:

 Will you have been eating  vegetables for three months?

How to Use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Learn how and when to use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense (or the Future Perfect
Progressive) in English with rules, examples and worksheet.
The Future Perfect Progressive Tense is used:
– To show that something will continue up until a particular event or time in the future

Example:

 James  will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the time he
leaves for Asia.
– To talk about something that finishes just before another time or action (in this case,
in the future)

Example:

 I will be tired when I get home because I will have been walking for over an hour.
Time Expressions Used with Future Perfect Progressive
 By + this year/ month/ week
 Next year/ month/ week
 For + an hour, for 5 years
 By then
 Since morning, since 1995
 By tomorrow

Regular Verbs
The regular verb is one which conforms to the normal grammar rules surrounding the use of
verbs. In English, there are a huge amount of regular verbs, and its important to know what these
 are and the rules that they follow. This will help you to ensure that your sentences are
grammatically correct and easy to understand.
In the English language, most regular verbs are turned into the past tense by adding ‘-ed’
to the end of a base form of the verb.

Regular verbs examples:

 Wait → Waited
 Want → Wanted
 Ask → Asked
 Wash → Washed
 Cook → Cooked
 Walk → Walked
 Hunt → Hunted
 Adopt → Adopted
Learn more about Irregular verbs that do not follow the above rules.
For past tense pronunciation for regular verbs, the final -ed ending has three different
pronunciations: /t/, /d/, and /id/.

Pronunciation of ED | The /t/ Sound

Past Tense Pronunciation Rules:

 Final -ed is pronounced /t/ after all voiceless sounds.

 Voiceless sounds are made by pushing air through your mouth; no sound comes
from your throat.
 Voiceless consonant sounds: p, f, k, s, sh, ch, th
Past Tense Pronunciation Examples with regular verbs list.
In this section, we are going to be presenting you with a comprehensive list of the regular verbs
which can be found within the English language.
 Announce → Announced
 Cook → Cooked
 Walk → Walked
 Talk → Talked
 Finish → Finished
 Type → Typed
 Dance → Danced
 Watch → Watched
 Look → Looked
 Miss → Missed
 Rush → Rushed
 Hope → Hoped
 Wish → Wished
 Dress → Dressed
 Practice → Practiced
 Cough → Coughed
 Help → Helped
 Develop → Developed
 Knock → Knocked
 Snatch → Snatched
 Step → Stepped
 Punish → Punished
 Hush (up) → Hushed (up)
 Mix (up) → Mixed (up)
 Wrap → Wrapped
 Stalk → Stalked
 Fish → Fished
 Slap → Slapped
 Force → Forced
 Discuss → Discussed
 Hitchhike → Hitchhiked
 Laugh → Laughed
 Brush → Brushed
 Crash → Crashed
 Work → Worked
 Like → Liked
 Attack → Attacked
 Lock → Locked
 Stop → Stopped
 Ask → Asked
 Wash → Washed
 Brake → Braked
 Escape → Escaped
 Kiss → Kissed
 Trip → Tripped
 Jump → Jumped
 Promise → Promised
 Slip → Slipped
 Touch → Touched
 Fix → Fixed
 Piss (off) → Pissed (off)
 Pip → Ripped
 Check → Checked
 Pluck → Plucked
 Coax → Coaxed
 Rehearse → Rehearsed
 Curse → Cursed
 Jinx → Jinxed
 Banish → Banished
 Dunk → Dunked
 Push → Pushed
 Fake → Faked
 Flush → Flushed
 Back (up) → Backed (up)
 Place → Placed
 Reduce → Reduced
ED Pronunciation | The /d/ Sound
Pronunciation of ED Rules:

 Final -ed is pronounced /d/ after voiced sounds.

 The /d/ is blended together with the previous consonant and not pronounced as
an extra syllable.
 Voiced sounds come from your throat. Touch your neck when you make a voiced
sound, you can feel your voice box vibrate.
 Voiced consonant sounds: b, v, g, z, j, th, l, m, n, r
 All vowel sounds are voiced.
ED Pronunciation Examples with regular verbs list.

 Live → Lived
 Climb → Climbed
 Phone → Phoned
 Wave → Waved
 Arrive → Arrived
 Clear → Cleared
 Study → Studied
 Open → Opened
 Enjoy → Enjoyed
 Copy → Copied
 Mail → Mailed
 Call → Called
 Borrow → Borrowed
 Hurry → Hurried
 Sign → Signed
 Play → Played
 Carry → Carried
 Move → Moved
 Pull → Pulled
 Wonder → Wondered
 Kill → Killed
 Marry → Married
 Believe → Believed
 Beg → Begged
 Prefer → Preferred
 Tease → Teased
 Close → Closed
 Accuse → Accused
 Stroll → Strolled
 Shrug → Shrugged
 Praise → Praised
 Follow → Followed
 Bog down → Bogged down
 Encourage → Encouraged
 Listen → Listened
 Tour → Toured
 Consider → Considered
 Travel → Traveled
 Stay → Stayed
 Rescue → Rescued
 Happen → Happened
 Destroy → Destroyed
 Refuse → Refused
 Die → Died
 Belittle → Belittled
 Question → Questioned
 Discover → Discovered
 Argue → Argued
 Try → Tried
 Cry → Cried
 Lie → Lied
 Use → Used
 Clean → Cleaned
 Love → Loved
 Design → Designed
 Change → Changed
 Join → Joined
 Grab → Grabbed
 Seem → Seemed
 Explain → Explained
 Rob → Robbed
 Continue → Continued
 Hire → Hired
 Store → Stored
 Heal → Healed
 Foster → Fostered
 Learn → Learned
 Sue → Sued
 Harm → Harmed
Past Tense Pronunciation for Regular Verbs | The /id/
Sound
 Final -ed is pronounced /id/ after “T”, and “D” sounds. The sound /id/ adds a whole
syllable to a word.

Pronunciation of ED Examples with regular verbs list.

 Suggest → Suggested
 Vote → Voted
 Wait → Waited
 Want → Wanted
 Shout → Shouted
 Hunt → Hunted
 Adopt → Adopted
 Emigrate → Emigrated
 Start → Started
 Visit → Visited
 Investigate → Investigated
 Attend → Attended
 Affect → Affected
 Chat → Chatted
 Heat → Heated
 Sort → Sorted
 Regret → Regretted
 Wast → Wasted
 Interrupt → Interrupted
 Mind → Minded
 Sound → Sounded
 Count → Counted
 Demand → Demanded
 Hesitate → Hesitated
 Proceed → Proceeded
 Succeed → Succeeded
 Accept → Accepted
 Paint → Painted
 Contact → Contacted
 Hate → Hated
 Include → Included
 Land → Landed
 Need → Needed
 Recommend → Recommended
 End → Ended
 Grade → Graded
 Rate → Rated
 Hesitate → Hesitated
 Decide → Decided
 Interest → Interested
 Trade → Traded
 Last → Lasted
 Insist → Insisted
 Avoid → Avoided
 State → Stated
 Taste → Tasted
 Admit → Admitted
 Invent → Invented
 Create → Created
 Compete → Competed
 Intend → Intended
 Concoct → Concocted
 Request → Requested
 Disregard → Disregarded
 Assist → Assisted
 Ground → Grounded
 Lift → Lifted
 Overreact → Overreacted
 Bound → Bounded
 Pretend → Pretended
 Twist → Twisted
 Cheat → Cheated
 Outsmart → Outsmarted
 Disappoint → Disappointed
 Scold → Scolded
 Mistreat → Mistreated
 Attempt → Attempted
 Coexist → Coexisted

700+ Most Common English Verbs List with

Useful Examples

Verbs List (A)

List of verbs that start with A with verb examples.

 Accept: I accept your appolozy.

 Accuse: Tom accused me of lying.
 Achieve: She achieved remarkable results
 Acknowledge: She acknowledged receiving assistance.
 Acquire: Meg acquired many new friends.
 Adapt: He adapted himself to his new life.
 Add: I added a room to my house.
 Adjust: You will soon adjust to living in a dormitory.
 Admire: I admire your confidence.
 Admit: He was embarrassed to admit making a mistake.
 Adopt: I liked your idea and adopted it.
 Adore: He adores his grandfather.
 Advise: He advised applying at once.
 Afford: I can’t afford to spend any more money this week.
 Agree: Why did you agree to meet her in the first place?
 Aim: We aim to increase the speed of delivery.
 Allow: Swimming isn’t allowed here.
 Announce: She announced her intention to retire.
 Anticipate: I didn’t anticipate having to do the cooking myself!
 Apologize: You don’t have to apologize.
 Appear: Jack appears to be tired today.
 Apply: Tom applied for a leave of absence.
 Appreciate: I appreciate having a trouble with his supervisor.
 Approach: She approached him with a smile on her face.
 Approve: I don’t think Tom would approve.
 Argue: I don’t want to argue with you.
 Arise: The problem has arisen simply because you didn’t follow my instructions.
 Arrange: Have you arranged to meet Mark this weekend?
 Arrive: We arrived home late.
 Ask: Historians frequently ask to consult the collection.
 Assume: I assume Tom didn’t show up.
 Assure: I assure you Tom will be perfectly safe.
 Astonish: I was astonished by his ignorance.
 Attach: You need to attach your photo to the application form.
 Attempt: Are you going to attempt to pass the exam?
 Attend: She attends school at night.
 Attract: Tom certainly attracted a lot of attention.
 Avoid: She decided to be a nun in order to avoid meeting him.
 Awake: Tom awoke at daybreak.
Verbs List (B)
List of verbs that start with B with verb examples.

 Bake: Tom baked some muffins.

 Bathe: I bathe every day.
 Be: He is immature.
 Bear: I wish she wouldn’t eat so fast. I can’t bear watching her.
 Beat: You can’t beat me.
 Become: John became very sick.
 Beg: I beg to differ with you.
 Begin: The leaves begin to fall when autumn comes.
 Behave: Tom always behaves himself well. However, Mary does not.
 Believe: I believe you’re right.
 Belong: This bicycle belongs to me.
 Bend:  Lie flat and let your knees bend.
 Bet: I bet you know French.
 Bind: Do you bind books?
 Bite: I got bitten by mosquitoes.
 Blow: Tom blew himself up accidentally.
 Boil: Please boil an egg for me.
 Borrow: I need to borrow your car.
 Bounce:  Bounce the ball and try and hit it over the net.
 Bow: Every child bowed to the teacher.
 Break: We broke up.
 Breed: Rabbits breed quickly.
 Bring: I brought some dessert.
 Broadcast: We broadcast news on the hour.
 Build: We need to build a fire.
 Burn: The spy burned the papers.
 Burst: John burst into the room.
 Buy: I’ll buy a lot of candies for you.
Verbs List (C)
List of verbs that start with C with verb examples.

 Calculate: A computer can calculate very rapidly.

 Can/Could: Can you give me a ring at about 10?
 Care: Would you care to join us for dinner?
 Carry: I don’t carry cash anymore.
 Catch: Let’s catch a bite.
 Celebrate: We’re celebrating Tom’s birthday.
 Change: I changed my mind.
 Choose: Every day is beautiful if you choose to see it.
 Chop: Tom chopped down the tree that was in our front yard.
 Claim: This diet claims to eliminate toxins from the body.
 Climb: Carlos climbed the mountain.
 Cling: The mud clung to his shoes.
 Come: I’m coming today.
 Commit: David didn’t commit those crimes.
 Communicate: I can’t communicate with Anna like I used to.
 Compare: They compared the new car with the old one.
 Compete: I competed with him for the first prize.
 Complain: John complained about the weather.
 Complete: He completed drawing his pictures.
 Concern: I’m concerned for Anna’s safety.
 Confirm: The report has yet to be confirmed.
 Consent: We hope you will consent to act in his stead.
 Consider: Investors should consider putting some money into an annuity.
 Consist: A soccer team consists of eleven players.
 Consult: You’d better consult your doctor.
 Contain: This box contains five apples.
 Continue: The finance minister will continue to mastermind Poland’s economic
reform.
 Convince: I’m not totally convinced of that.
 Cook:  The pizza will then take about twenty minutes to cook.
 Cost: It’ll cost about 10,000 yen.
 Count: We’re counting on you.
 Crawl: Tom crawled into bed just before midnight.
 Create: I have to create a new website.
 Creep: We crept toward the enemy.
 Criticize: Tom criticized Mary for not doing the job correctly.
 Cry: The baby is crying.
 Cut: John cut his finger.
Verbs List (D)
List of verbs that start with D with verb examples.

 Dance: I want to dance.

 Dare: He didn’t dare to speak to her.
 Deal: I have to dealt with it.
 Decide: He has decided to live in France.
 Defer: She deferred writing my thesis.
 Delay: Big companies often delay paying their bills.
 Deliver: Letters are delivered every day.
 Demand: I demand to know what’s going on.
 Deny: She denied taking the money.
 Depend: I can’t depend on you anymore.
 Describe: John can’t describe how painful it was.
 Deserve: They didn’t deserve to win.
 Desire: We all desire success.
 Destroy: John’s house was destroyed by a hurricane.
 Determine: I am determined to carry out this plan.
 Develop: Swimming develops our muscles.
 Differ: My opinion differs from yours.
 Disagree: It pains me to disagree with your opinion.
 Discover: The miner discovered a valuable pocket of gold.
 Discuss: We briefly discussed buying a second car.
 Dislike: I dislike being the centre of attention.
 Distribute: The teacher distributed the leaflets.
 Dive: John learned to dive when he was five.
 Do: I don’t know.
 Doubt: I doubt if it’ll snow.
 Drag: I had to drag him out of bed.
 Dream: I dreamt about you.
 Drill: They intended to drill for oil.
 Drink:  Can I have something to drink?
 Drive: He drives a truck.
 Drop: I dropped my sandwich.
 Dry: Raisins are dried grapes.
Verbs List (E)
List of verbs that start with E with verb examples.

 Earn: He earns three times more than me.

 Eat:  You can’t eat your cake and have it.
 Emphasize: I want to emphasize this point in particular.
 Enable: His wealth enables him to do anything.
 Encourage: John encouraged Mary to learn how to speak French.
 Engage: We used to be engaged.
 Enhance: Can we enhance the image?
 Enjoy: I really enjoy talking to you.
 Ensure: This medicine will ensure you a good night’s sleep.
 Entail: This review procedure entails repeating the test.
 Enter: He entered the room.
 Establish: The school was established in 1650.
 Examine: The doctor examined the patients.
 Exist: I don’t believe such things to exist.
 Expand: The workers are expanding the road.
 Expect: What time do you expect to arrive home?
 Experiment: They’re experimenting with a new car.
 Explain: I can e
 xplain everything.
 Explore: He explored the Amazon jungle.
 Extend: We extended a hearty welcome to them.
Verbs List (F)
List of verbs that start with F with verb examples.

 Fail: I fail to comprehend their attitude.

 Fall: I fell in the pool.
 Feed: We just fed the baby.
 Feel: I feel that Mr. Peter is a good teacher.
 Fight: Don’t fight with me.
 Find: I can find them.
 Finish: He finished cleaning the kitchen.
 Fit: This coat doesn’t fit me.
 Fly: Tom wishes he could fly.
 Fold: Tom and Mary folded up the flag.
 Follow: We must follow the rules of the game.
 Forbid: I forbid you to smoke.
 Forget: I’ll never forget visiting them.
 Forgive: We have already forgiven you.
 Freeze: It’s freezing cold in this country.
 Fry: She fried fish in salad oil.
Verbs List (G)
List of verbs that start with G with verb examples.

 Generate: This machine generates electricity.

 Get: We’ve got to get the economy under control or it will literally eat us up.
 Give:  The waiter gives me the menu.
 Go: Let’s go eat.
 Grind: We grind our coffee by hand.
 Grow: Apples grow on trees.
Verbs List (H)
List of verbs that start with H with verbs examples.

 Hang: Don’t you hang up on me.

 Happen: You made it happen.
 Hate: I hate getting to the theatre late.
 Have: I have a car.
 Hear: I will hear me.
 Hesitate: I hesitate to spend so much money on clothes.
 Hide: I’m hiding from Tim.
 Hit: I hit the jackpot.
 Hold:  Hold the knife at an angle.
 Hop:  I tried to hop on my good foot while holding onto Jim…
 Hope: I hope to see you again soon.
 Hug: I really need a hug.
 Hurry: It had to hurry to find a home because I was already on to something else.
 Hurt: I hurt my elbow.
Verbs List (I-J)
List of verbs that start with I & J with verbs examples.

 Identify: She identified him as the murderer.

 Ignore: He ignored her advice.
 Illustrate: The teacher will illustrate how to do it.
 Imagine: I can imagine how you felt.
 Imply: Silence implies consent.
 Impress: We’re not impressed.
 Improve: I need to improve my French.
 Include: Tom’s lunch includes a sandwich and an apple.
 Incorporate: Her business was incorporated.
 Indicate: The arrow indicates the way to go.
 Inform: I’ll inform John about our decision.
 Insist: She insisted on going there.
 Install: The man tried to install his own antenna.
 Intend: I heard they intend to marry.
 Introduce: I’ll introduce you to Tom.
 Invest: He invested his money in stocks.
 Investigate: I came here to investigate Tom’s death.
 Involve: This procedure involves testing each sample twice.
 Iron: I iron my clothes almost every day.
 Jog: I make it a rule to jog every morning.
 Jump:  Can you jump over the river?
 Justify: My results justify taking drastic action.
Verbs List (K)
List of verbs that start with K with verbs examples.
 Keep: I keep thinking about Joe, all alone in that place.
 Kick:  The kids love to kick a ball against my wall.
 Kiss: Did you kiss anybody?
 Kneel:  Do not run, stand, kneel or spin in the slide.
 Knit: She knit him a sweater for his birthday.
 Know: We know him.
Verbs List (L)
List of verbs that start with L with verbs examples.

 Lack: Tom seems to lack energy.

 Laugh: Tom is laughing.
 Lay: He laid on his back.
 Lead: Tom leads a quiet life.
 Lean: He leaned on his elbows.
 Leap: Ken leapt over the wall.
 Learn: Children learn to creep ere they can go.
 Leave: Leave me alone!
 Lend: Tom lent Mary his camera.
 Lie (in bed): Lie back down.
 Lift:  He couldn’t lift the table and no more could I.
 Light:  Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
 Lie (not to tell the truth): He hated lying.
 Like: She likes playing tennis.
 Listen: Why won’t you listen?
 Look: It looks cold outside.
 Lose: She lost a book.
 Love: I love going out to restaurants.
Verbs List (M,N)
List of verbs that start with M & N with verbs examples.

 Maintain: Tom maintained eye contact with Mary.

 Make: I’m making tea.
 Manage: Did you manage to catch the post?
 Matter: It doesn’t matter, Tom.
 May: Each nurse may be responsible for up to twenty patients.
 Mean: I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
 Measure: The surfboard measures 2 meters by 55 centimeters.
 Meet: We’ve never met.
 Melt: The snow is melted.
 Mention: He mentioned going to that college.
 Might: Donna might be able to come tomorrow, but it’s very unlikely.
 Mind: Would you mind repeating what you just said?
 Miss: He had missed being elected by a single vote.
 Mix: If you mix blue and red, you get violet.
 Mow: I mowed Tom’s lawn.
 Must: I really must get some exercise.
 Need: You need to change your eating habits.
 Neglect: Don’t neglect to lock the door when you leave.
 Negotiate: The two countries negotiated a treaty.
Verbs List (O)
List of verbs that start with O with verbs examples.

 Observe: You must observe those rules.

 Obtain: I obtained the painting at an auction.
 Occur: The accident occurred yesterday morning
 Offer: She offered to help me move my things to my new house.
 Open: Open the windows.
 Operate: I can’t figure out how to operate this machine.
 Order:  What do you suggest I order?
 Organize: They want me to organize the party.
 Ought to: You ought to get your watch repaired.
 Overcome: We have to overcome many difficulties.
 Overtake: Their car overtook ours.
 Owe: Tom owes me money.
 Own: I own a German car.
Verbs List (P)
List of verbs that start with P with verbs examples.

 Paint: She painted the wall pink.

 Participate: He participated in the debate.
 Pay: Can I pay by installment payment?
 Peel: Anna peeled the apple.
 Perform: Tom performs in a jazz club three nights a week.
 Persuade: I persuaded Tom to help me.
 Pinch: He pinched and scraped for many years to save money.
 Plan: Next year I plan to travel around the world.
 Play: I can play tennis.
 Point: Tom pointed to the sky.
 Possess: The old man possesses great wealth.
 Postpone: He postponed returning to Paris.
 Pour: She poured tea for me.
 Practice: Today we’re going to practice parking.
 Prefer: Chantal prefers travelling by train.
 Prepare: The doctor prepared to prescribe a receipt.
 Pretend: She was pretending to cry. I knew she was lying.
 Prevent: The rain prevented me from coming.
 Proceed: They will proceed to build another laboratory building.
 Promise: He promised to collect her from the airport.
 Propose: We propose to deal with this subject in the following chapter.
 Protect: We’re supposed to be protecting John.
 Prove: I’ll prove it to you.
 Pull: John pulled out a pen.
 Punch: You punch like a girl.
 Pursue: The police pursued the murderer.
 Push: We had to push our way through the crowd.
 Put: I put on my shoes.
Verbs List (Q,R)
List of verbs that start with Q & R with verbs examples.

 Qualify: He is qualified as an English teacher.

 Quit: She quits worrying about the problem.
 React: Tom reacted appropriately.
 Read: I read the book.
 Realize: I didn’t realise we were late.
 Recall: I don’t recall seeing any cars parked outside.
 Receive: We received a warm welcome.
 Recollect: I recollect seeing Ryder some years ago in Bonn.
 Recommend: I would never recommend using a sunbed on a regular basis.
 Reduce: I think we should reduce the price.
 Refer: I often refer to the dictionary.
 Reflect: She reflected on what she had done.
 Refuse: She refused to answer questions about her personal finances.
 Regret: I regret leaving school so young.
 Relate: She is related to him by marriage.
 Relax: We’re supposed to relax.
 Relieve: I was relieved to hear that he was alive.
 Rely: You can certainly rely on him.
 Remain: He remained poor all his life.
 Remember: He had remembered to bring a pair of gloves, unlike me.
 Remind: It reminds me of the good old days.
 Repair: He repaired his watch by himself.
 Replace: The car replaced the bicycle.
 Represent: He represented the labor union on the committee.
 Require: This task requires dexterity.
 Resent: Many conscripts resent having to do their military service.
 Resist: She can never resist buying new shoes.
 Retain: We had to retain a lawyer.
 Retire: I have decided to retire.
 Rid: You’ve got to get rid of it
 Ride:  Life is a horse, and either you ride it or it rides you.
 Ring: The phone is ringing.
 Rise: The sun is about to rise.
 Risk: He risked being caught.
 Roast: He is roasting coffee beans.
 Run:  Do not run too fast after gain.
Verbs List (S)
List of verbs that start with S with verbs examples.

 Sanction: They will not sanction copying without permission.

 Satisfy: He satisfied his thirst with a large glass of beer.
 Say: No one says that.
 Scrub: Tom asked Mary to scrub the toilet.
 See: Do you see that bird?
 Seem: I always seem to be unlucky at cards.
 Sell: I can’t sell you that.
 Send: They’re sending help.
 Serve: They serve good nosh in the cafeteria.
 Set: I’m going to set the table.
 Settle: The problem is not settled yet.
 Sew: Mary is sewing baby clothes.
 Shake: They shook hands when they met at the airport.
 Shall: Shall I add your name to the list?
 Shed: She tried not to shed a tear.
 Shine: Susan shined your father’s shoes.
 Shoot: I’ll shoot both of you.
 Should: The university should provide more sports facilities.
 Show: I’ll show you later.
 Shrink: My jeans shrank after I washed them.
 Shut: I shut my eyes again.
 Sing: Tom loves to sing.
 Sink: A ship sank near here yesterday.
 Sit:  Sit on the floor, stretching your legs out in front of you.
 Ski: I like skiing very much.
 Sleep: I slept too much.
 Slice:  It’s best to slice into a rich cake from the middle.
 Slide: He slid the money into my pocket.
 Slip: She slipped into her clothes.
 Smell: Something smells bad. What is this?
 Snore: Tom snored loudly with his mouth open.
 Solve: He solved the difficult problem.
 Sow: Farmers sow seeds in the spring.
 Speak: He speaks English.
 Specify: Tom didn’t specify how many pencils to buy.
 Spell: I don’t know how to spell the word.
 Spend: I spent some time in Boston.
 Spill: I’m afraid I spilled coffee on the tablecloth.
 Spit: I can’t put up with the way he spits.
 Spread:  He spread some strawberry jam on his toast.
 Squat: Tom squatted down next to his dog.
 Stack:  They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.
 Stand: Can you stand up?
 Start: He started tipping the pea pods into a pan.
 Steal: My watch was stolen.
 Stick: He stuck to his job.
 Sting: I was stung by a bee.
 Stink: It stinks in here.
 Stir: She stirred the soup with a spoon.
 Stop: I hoped he would stop asking awkward questions.
 Stretch:  Breathe in through your nose as you stretch up.
 Strike: Tom struck the wall with his fist.
 Struggle: He struggled to keep his footing on the slippery floor.
 Study: She studies hard.
 Submit: I submitted the application myself.
 Succeed: He’ll succeed for sure.
 Suffer: We suffered a pretty big loss.
 Suggest: Tracey suggested meeting for a drink after work.
 Supply: I supplied Tom with everything he needed.
 Suppose: I suppose you’re hungry.
 Surprise: She surprised him when she arrived early.
 Survive: He survived the plane crash.
 Swear: Do you swear to tell the whole truth?
 Sweep: I will sweep out my room.
 Swell: The river swelled rapidly because of the heavy rain.
 Swim: She swims well.
 Swing: The lamp was swinging back and forth.
Verbs List (T)
List of verbs that start with T with verbs examples.

 Take: I took a walk.

 Talk: Tom talked a lot.
 Taste: The soup tastes salty.
 Teach: I’ll teach you how to swim.
 Tear: I tore the picture out of the album.
 Tell: I told him to come.
 Tend: She tends to be late for school.
 Think: I think that Mr. Peter is a good teacher.
 Threaten: They threatened to ban the book.
 Throw: I threw away my shoes.
 Tiptoe: Tom quietly tiptoed out of the room.
 Tolerate: We don’t tolerate smoking in the library.
 Translate: He translated the verse into English.
 Try: We tried to confuse the enemy.
Verbs List (U,V)
List of verbs that start with U & V with verbs examples.

 Understand: I knew you’d understand.

 Vacuum: Tom vacuumed his bedroom.
 Value: We value our customers.
 Vary: The boxes vary in size from small to large.
 Volunteer: They volunteer to teach introductory courses.
Verbs List (W)
List of verbs that start with W with verbs examples.

 Wait: I can’t wait to see you.

 Wake: I have to wake Tom up.
 Walk:  Don’t try to walk before you can crawl.
 Want: I want to watch TV.
 Warn: We’ve got to warn Tom.
 Wash: Tom washed his hands.
 Watch: We watched a movie.
 Wave: She waved her hand to me.
 Wear: Tom wore black pants.
 Weep: She wept over her child’s death.
 Weigh: The suitcase weighs 20 pounds.
 Whip: She whipped out her pistol.
 Will: I don’t think Emma will get the job.
 Win: I can win this time.
 Wish: I wish to insert an advertisement in your newspaper.
 Would: If I lived on an island, I would know how to swim.
 Write:  Write it down on a piece of paper.
List of Verbs in English Grammar
Useful list of verbs classified by their grammatical functions.

Stative Verbs List

List of common stative verbs in English
Mental State
 Know
 Believe
 Understand
 Doubt
 Think (have an opinion)
 Suppose
 Recognise
 Forget
 Remember
 Imagine
 Mean
 Agree
 Disagree
 Deny
 Promise
 Satisfy
 Realise
 Appear
 Astonish
 Please
 Impress
 Surprise
 Concern
Possession
 Have
 Own
 Possess
 Lack
 Consist
 Involve
 Include
 Contain
Emotions
 Love
 Like
 Dislike
 Hate
 Adore
 Prefer
 Care for
 Mind
 Want
 Need
 Desire
 Wish
 Hope
 Appreciate
 Value
Measure, cost, others
 Cost
 Measure
 Weigh
 Owe
 Seem
 Fit
 Depend
 Matter
What are Irregular Verbs?
The English language has a large number of irregular verbs.
 In the English language, most verbs (regular verbs) are turned into the past tense by
adding ‘-ed’ to the end of a base form of the verb.
Regular verb examples:
 Cook → Cooked
 Walk → Walked
 Talk → Talked
 Finish → Finished
Irregular verbs (or irregular past tense verbs) are common verbs in English that do not
follow the simple system of adding “d” or “ed” to the end of the word to form the past
tense (the past simple and/or the past participle)
Irregular verbs examples:
 Do – did – done
 Draw – drew – drawn
 Drink – drank – drunk
Irregular Verbs List
Alphabetical list of irregular verbs in the English language.

 Arise – arose – arisen

 Awake – awoke – awoken
 Be – was/ were – been
 Bear – bore – born(e)
 Beat – beat – beaten
 Become – became – become
 Begin – began – begun
 Bend – bent – bent
 Bet – bet – bet
 Bind – bound – bound
 Bite – bit – bitten
 Bleed – bled – bled
 Blow – blew – blown
 Break – broke – broken
 Breed – bred – bred
 Bring – brought – brought
 Broadcast – broadcast – broadcast
 Build – built – built
 Burn – burnt/burned – burnt/burned
 Burst – burst – burst
 Buy – bought – bought
 Catch – caught – caught
 Choose – chose – chosen
 Cling – clung – clung
 Come – came – come
 Cost – cost – cost
 Creep – crept – crept
 Cut – cut – cut
 Deal – dealt – dealt
 Dig- dug – dug
 Do – did – done
 Draw – drew – drawn
 Dream – dreamt/dreamed – 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
 Fly – flew – flown
 Forbid – forbade – forbidden
 Forget – forgot – forgotten
 Forgive – forgave – forgiven
 Freeze – froze – frozen
 Get – got – got
 Give – gave – given
 Go – went – gone
 Grind – ground – ground
 Grow – grew – grown
 Hang – hung – hung
 Have – had – had
 Hear – heard – heard
 Hide – hid – hidden
 Hit – hit – hit
 Hold – held – held
 Hurt – hurt – hurt
 Keep – kept – kept
 Kneel – knelt – knelt
 Know – knew – known
 Lay – laid – laid
 Lead – led – led
 Lean – leant/ leaned – leant/ leaned
 Learn – learnt/ learned – learnt/ learned
 Leave – left – left
 Lent – lent – lent
 Lie (in bed) – lay – lain
 Lie (not to tell the truth) – lied – lied
 Light – lit/ lighted – lit/ lighted
 Lose – lost – lost
 Make – made – made
 Mean – meant – meant
 Meet – met – met
 Overtake – overtook – overtaken
 Pay – paid – paid
 Put – put – put
 Read – read – read
 Ride – rode – ridden
 Ring – rang – rung
 Rise – rose – risen
 Run – ran – run
 Saw – sawed – sawn/ sawed
 Say – said – said
 See – sawed – seen
 Sell – sold – sold
 Send – sent – sent
 Set – set – set
 Sew – sewed – sewn/ sewed
 Shake – shook – shaken
 Shed – shed – shed
 Shine – shone – shone
 Shoot – shot – shot
 Show – showed – shown
 Shrink – shrank – shrunk
 Shut – shut – shut
 Sing – sang – sung
 Sink – sank – sunk
 Sit – sat – sat
 Sleep – slept – slept
 Slide – slid – slid
 Smell – smelt – smelt
 Sow – sowed – sown/ sowed
 Speak – spoke – spoken
 Spell – spelt/ spelled    spelt/ spelled
 Spend – spent – spent
 Spill – spilt/ spilled – spilt/ spilled
 Spit – spat – spat
 Spread – spread – spread
 Stand – stood – stood
 Steal – stole – stolen
 Stick – stuck – stuck
 Sting – stung – stung
 Stink – stank – stunk
 Strike – struck – struck
 Swear – swore – sworn
 Sweep – swept – swept
 Swell – swelled – swollen/ swelled
 Swim – swam – swum
 Swing – swung – swung
 Take – took – taken
 Teach – taught – taught
 Tear – tore – torn
 Tell – told – told
 Think – thought – thought
 Throw – threw – thrown
 Understand – understood – understood
 Wake – woke – woken
 Wear – wore – worn
 Weep – wept – wept
 Win – won – won
 Wind – wound – wound
 Write – wrote – written

Modal Verb: Definition, Examples and List of

Modal Verbs in English

What Is A Modal Verb?

What is a modal verb? The modal verbs of English are a small class of auxiliary
verbs used to express possibility, obligation, advice, permission, ability, …
Modal verbs list: the modals and modal phrases (semi-modals) in English are:
 Will
 Shall
 Would
 Should
 Ought to
 Must
 Mustn’t
 May
 Might
 Can
 Could
 Have to/ Has to
 Don’t/ Doesn’t have to
Modal Verbs List
Learn the list of modal verbs in English with grammar rules and example sentences.
Will
The verb “will” is used to express:
Promise
Example:

Don’t worry, I will be here.

Instant decision
Example:

I  will take these books with me.

Invitation/Offer
Example:

Will you give me a chance?

Certain prediction
Example:

John Smith will be the next President.

Future tense auxiliary
Example:

Tomorrow I will be in New York.

Shall
The verb “shall” is used to express:
Asking what to do
Example:

Shall  I get the phone? Or will you?

Offer
Example:

Shall  I call a cab?

Suggestion
Example:

Shall  I call again on Thursday?

Would
The verb “would” is used to express:
Asking for permission
Example:

Would  you mind if I opened the window?

Request
Example:

Would  you make dinner?

Making arrangements
Would  you be available at 6 pm tonight?
Invitation
Example:

Would  you like to go out sometimes?

Preferences
Example:

Would  you prefer the window seat or the aisle?

Should
The verb “should” is used to express:
Advice
Example:

You  should visit your dentist at least twice a year.

Recommending action
Example:

You really should go to the new museum on Main Street.

Uncertain prediction
Example:

I posted the cheque yesterday so it should arrive this week.

Logical deduction
Example:

I’ve revised so I should be ready for the test.

Ought to
The verb “ought to” is used to express:

Advice
Example:

You  ought to have come to the meeting. It was interesting.

Logical deduction
Example:

30$  ought to be enough for the taxi.

Must
The verb “must” is used to express:
Obligation/ Necessity
Example:

I  must memorize all of these rules about tenses.

Deduction
Example:
She lied to the police. She must  be the murderer.
Mustn’t
The verb “musn’t” (must not) is used to express:
Prohibition
Example:

You  mustn’t smoke in this restaurant. It’s forbidden.

May
The verb “may” is used to express:
Possibility
Example:

Richard may be coming to see us tomorrow.

Ask for permission
Example:

May  I borrow your dictionary?

Might
The verb “might” is used to express:
Slight possibility
Example:

It looks nice, but it might  be very expensive.

Past form of “may” in reported speech
Example:

The President said he might come.

Can
The verb “can” is used to express:
Ability
Example:

David can  speak three languages.

Permission (informal)
Example:
Can  I sit in that chair please?
Offers
Example:

Can  I carry the luggage for you?

Could
The verb “could” is used to express:

Request
Example:

Could  I borrow your dictionary?

Suggestion
Example:

Could  you say it again more slowly?

Ability in the past
Example:

I think we could have another Gulf War.

Asking for permission
Example:

Could  I open the window?

Have to/ Has to
The verb “have to/has to” is used to express:
External Obligation
Example:

You  have to  take off your shoes before you get into the mosque.
Don’t/ Doesn’t have to
“Don’t/Doesn’t have to” is used to express:

Is not necessary
Example:
 You  don’t have to  do all the exercises, only the first one.

Modals for Asking Permissions | Modal Verbs

Modals for Asking Permissions
Can and May
 We use CAN to ask for permission from someone we know well.
Examples:

Can  I speak to John Wilson, please?

Can  I borrow your pen for a minute?
 We use May as a slightly more formal way to ask for permission.
Examples:

May  I ask a question please?

May  we go  home now?
Could and May
 Could is used as a more polite way of asking for permission.
Example:

Could  I please have a glass of beer?

(Could is the past tense of can. However, when asking for permission, could does not
have a past tense meaning.)
 Could has the same meaning as may when making requests. It is equally polite to
say, “Could I open the window?” or “May I open the window?”
 Could  is used with any subject to ask for permission.
Examples:

Could  you open the window?

Modals of Ability: Modal Verbs To Express

Ability
How to Use Modal Verbs To Express Ability
Ability can be expressed using modal verbs and phrases.
Present Forms | Modals of Ability
Be able to
 Form:
 Is/am/are(not) able to + main verb

 Usage:
This form may be used in positive or negative, for general or specific ability.

 Modal verb examples:
James  is able to cook steak.
David is not able to  cook steak.
Can/Can’t
 Form:
Can/Can’t + main verb

 Usage:
This form may be used in positive or negative, for general or specific ability.

 Examples:
Richard can speak French fluently.
Gabriella can’t speak French fluently.
Past Forms | Modals of Ability
Be able to
 Form:
Was/were(not) able to + main verb

 Usage:
This form may be used, in positive or negative, for general or specific ability.

 Examples:
Max was able to swim fast when he was a young boy.
Jennifer was not able to  dance when she was eight.
Could/Couldn’t
 Form:
Could/Couldn’t + verb

 Usage:
Could, in positive, is only used for general ability.
Couldn’t is used for general or specific.
 Examples:
I  could  swim when I was six.
My sister couldn’t play the piano when she was five.
Managed to
 Form:
Managed to + verb

 Usage:
This form is only used for specific ability: one time, one situation.

 Example:
Police finally managed to  catch the culprit.
Future Forms | Modals of Ability
Be able to
 Form:
Will/won’t able to + main verb

 Usage:
This form is only used for general ability.

 Example:
Journalists will be able to preview the exhibition tomorrow.
Can/can’t
 Form:
Can/Can’t + verb

 Usage:
This form may be used, in positive or negative, for general or specific ability.

 Examples:
I  can help you tomorrow.
I  can’t  come to her birthday party.

Perfect Infinitive with Modals: Could Have,

Would Have,…
Perfect Infinitives
Must Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Express a deduction about something that has happened. We feel quite sure about it.

Examples:
I didn’t hear her voice . She must have gone  out.
I cannot find my watch; I  must have lost  it.
Can’t Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Describe a deduction about something that didn’t happen in the past based on present
evidence.

Examples:

He  can’t have fallen  in love with her. She’s married.

This  can’t have been an economically sensible decision.
Should Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Express the idea that something was desirable or needed but didn’t take place.

Examples:

She should have asked you before borrowing your pen.

We should have had a proper discussion before voting.
Shouldn’t Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Something took place but it wasn’t desirable.

Example:

She shouldn’t have taken  the matter too seriously.

Needn’t Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Express that something was done but it wasn’t necessary. The person who did it
thought it was necessary.

Examples:

He  needn’t have been so careful.

I  needn’t have knocked at the door since, in this way, I awoke the baby. (but I knocked)
Ought to Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Express an unfulfilled duty or obligation.

Example:

I  ought to have come  earlier. I deeply regret.

May Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Express the possibility that an action took place in the past.

Example:

Alert readers may have noticed the misprint in last week’s column.

Might Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Express a past possibility.

Example:

Our neighbors might have heard some noises when our car was stolen.
Could Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Express past reference about something that was not carried out.

Examples:

You  could have done  it. (You didn’t do it)

You  could have told me I had a snotty nose!
Would Have + Past Participle
Usage:

Used in the Third Conditional.

Example:
 I  would have gone  to university if my parents had had more money. (The speaker didn’t go to
university.)

Infinitives: What Is An Infinitive? Functions &

Examples
What Is An Infinitive?
What is an infinitive? An infinitive is a verbal consisting of to + a verb, and it acts like a
subject, direct object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. Infinitives
are easy to identify because they’re written with to + a verb.
Infinitive examples:

 To give
 To run
 To wait
Although an infinitive is easy to locate because of the to  + verb form, deciding what
function it has in a sentence can sometimes be confusing.
Keep in mind that though infinitives are verbs, they function differently from verbs, and
instead, they act as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
Here are examples:

 I desire to study alone.

Here the verb is “desire” and “to study” is the infinitive.

“To study” is the direct object of “desire” since it’s the receiver of the action of the verb.

Here the infinitive functions as a noun.

 We can only extend our conversation if we have something in common to share.

It tells more information about the noun “conversation.”

Here conversation can only be extended if there is something common to share.

Here the infinitive “to share” functions as an adjective.

 John left school early to join her mum’s birthday celebrations.

“To join” is the infinitive phrase.
The infinitive phrase describes more information as to why John left school early.

In other words, it modifies “left,” which is the verb.

 In this sentence, the infinitive acts as an adverb.

Infinitives as Nouns
Keep in mind that a noun can be a person, place, or thing. When used as a subject or
direct object in a sentence, an infinitive phrase acts as a noun. In such a case, the
subject assumes the role of a verb, whereas the direct object is the receiver of the
action of a verb.

Example:

 I like to watch movies alone.

Here “like” is the verb.

“To watch” is the infinitive as it receives the action of the verb (to be liked).

“To watch” acts as a direct object of the sentence.

Here, the infinitive acts as a noun that expresses a thought.

 To join hands with others is necessary.

In this sentence, “is” is the verb and “to join” is the infinitive as it answers the question
about what is so necessary?

Here the infinitive phrase “to join” is the subject of the sentence.

This is an indication that the infinitive acts as a noun in this example.

Infinitives as Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes more information about a noun. An infinitive act as
an adjective if it modifies or describes a noun in a sentence.

Example:

 Joyce needs a table to read on.

Here “needs” is the verb, and “table” is the subject (noun).

“To read” is the infinitive, and it acts as an adjective.

Infinitives as Adverbs
 An adverb is a word that modifies or describes an adjective, verb, or an adverb. It
provides additional information regarding an adjective, verb, or adverb. At times,
adverbs can answer the question “why.”

Here is an example:

 The mourners were surprised to hear that the deceased had resurrected.
Here “to hear” is the infinitive. It gives additional information about the adjective
“surprised.”

When to Use Infinitives?

We use the infinitive:

To Indicate the Purpose of an Action

Infinitive examples:

 He bought some flowers to give to his wife.

 I will lock the door to prevent theft.
As the Subject of the Sentence
Examples:

 To wait  seemed foolish when decisive action was required.

 To swim in that sea may be dangerous.
As the Direct Object of the Sentence
Infinitive examples:

 I like to write in English.

 Everyone wanted to go.
As Subject Complement
Examples:

 His ambition is to fly.

 What is essential is to maintain a healthy diet.
As an Adjective
Infinitive verb examples:
 This is the best time to practice.
 I have some jeans to wash.
As an Adverb
Examples:
 We must carefully observe to understand.
 I can’t wait to see.
After an Adjective
Subject + to be + adjective + (for/of someone) + to-infinitive + (rest of sentence)
Examples:

 It is important to be patient.
 It is wonderful  to have close friends.
After an Object that Is a Noun or Pronoun Referring to a Person
Infinitive examples:

 Can I ask you to help  me with something?

 I invited a friend to attend the ceremony.
Used with the Question Word
Examples:

 Do you understand what to do?

 Tell me when  to press the button.

Bare Infinitive (Zero Infinitive): Usage and

Examples
Bare Infinitive
What is the Bare Infinitive?
The zero (bare) infinitive is a type of complement with an infinitive verb form that’s not
preceded by the particle to. Also known as the bare infinitive.
Uses of the Bare Infinitive
After Modal Auxiliary Verbs
Will, shall, would, could, can (but not be able to), may, might, must (but not have
to), should (but not ought to), and needn’t, (but not need to, which behaves like a normal
verb).
Examples:

My sister could play the piano when she was five.

You  must get  up earlier in the morning. 
I wonder if I might have some more soup.
After the Object after Certain Verbs, such as hear, see, make, let
Examples:
He  saw her fall from the cliff.
  She  made her kids tidy their beds.
Mary  let me use her new laptop.
After Verbal Idioms would rather and had better
Examples:

I’d  rather stay at home than go out tonight.

  It’s cold. The children had better wear their coats.
Used with Why
The question word why is followed by the zero infinitive when making suggestions.
Bare infinitive examples:

Why wait until tomorrow?

Why leave  before the end of the match?
Why not buy a new car?

55 Common Verbs Followed by Infinitives in

English
Verbs Followed by Infinitives List
The following verbs list in English are followed by the infinitives:
Afford
I can’t afford to spend any more money this week.
Agree
Why did you  agree to meet  her in the first place?
Aim
We aim to increase the speed of delivery.
Appear
Police say there appear to be signs of a break-in.
Attempt
Are you going to attempt to pass the exam?
Ask
Historians frequently ask to consult the collection.
Arrange
Have you arranged to meet Mark this weekend?
Beg
I  beg to differ with you.
Begin
The leaves  begin to fall  when autumn comes.
Care
Would you care to join us for dinner?
Choose
Every day is beautiful if you choose to see it.
Claim
This diet claims to eliminate  toxins from the body.
Consent
We hope you will  consent to act in his stead.
Continue
The high street banks continue to prosper.
Dare
He didn’t dare to speak  to her.
Decide
He has decided to live in France.
Demand
I  demand to know  what’s going on.
Deserve
They didn’t  deserve to win.
Dislike
We dislike to have anyone patronize us.
Expect
What time do you expect to arrive home?
Fail
I  fail to comprehend  their attitude.
Forget
Don’t forget to take out the garbage.
Get
       Hold on for a minute,I’ve just got to put on my makeup.

Hesitate
I  hesitate to spend so much money on clothes.
Hope
I  hope to see you again soon.
Hurry
We’ll have to hurry to catch the last train.
Intend
I heard they  intend to marry.
Learn
Children learn to creep ere they can go.
Like
Ancient people like to have a declaration before war.
Love
Men love  to hear well of themselves.
Manage
Did you manage to catch the post?
Mean
I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
Neglect
Don’t  neglect to lock the door when you leave.
Need
You  need to change  your eating habits.
Offer
She offered to help  me move my things to my new house.
Plan
Next year I plan to travel around the world.
Prefer
Would you prefer to live in the country instead of a town?
Prepare
The doctor prepared to prescribe a receipt.
Pretend
She was  pretending to cry. I knew she was lying.
Proceed
They will proceed to build another laboratory building.
Promise
He  promised to collect her from the airport.
Propose
We propose to deal with this subject in the following chapter.
Refuse
She refused to answer questions about her personal finances.
Remember
He had  remembered to bring a pair of gloves, unlike me.
Seem
I always seem to be unlucky at cards.
Start
The child  started to sob  when he couldn’t find his mother.
Stop
I’m working in the garden and I  stop to smoke.
Struggle
He  struggled to keep his footing on the slippery floor.
Swear
Do you  swear to tell the whole truth?
Threaten
They threatened to ban the book.
Try
We tried to confuse the enemy.
Volunteer
They volunteer to teach introductory courses.
Wait
I can’t wait to see  you.
Want
I  want to watch TV.
Wish
I  wish to insert an advertisement in your newspaper.

Gerunds: What Is A Gerund? Useful List &

Examples
What Is A Gerund?
What is a gerund? Gerunds are verbals that function as nouns and have an –ing ending.
Gerund examples:

I am waiting.  (Present Participle)

(This is the present continuous. “Waiting” here is part of the verb. It is not a gerund.)
I don’t like waiting. (Gerund)
(This is present simple, but it contains a gerund. “Waiting” is the direct object of this
sentence.)
How to Use Gerunds with Examples
The gerund form of verbs is used as follows:
The Gerund Can be Used as Subject of a Sentence
Examples:

Writing  in English is difficult.

Watching  TV is my favorite pastime.
 The Gerund Can be Used as Direct Object of a Sentence
Examples:

I like writing in English.
I love  going out to restaurants.
The Gerund Can be Used as a Subject Complement
Gerunds Examples:

My cat’s favorite activity is sleeping.

One of his duties is  doing homework.
The Gerund Can be Used as an Object of a Preposition
Gerunds examples:

We shall be interested in hearing  your comments.

Would you like to walk instead of taking the bus?
The Gerund Can be Used after Certain Expressions
It’s no use, it’s no good, there’s no point in…
Gerunds examples:

It’s no use  tying it; you have to glue it.

There’s no point in wasting time.

45 Common Verbs Followed by Gerunds in

English
Home

English Grammar

45 Common Verbs Followed by Gerunds in English

45 Common Verbs Followed by Gerunds in
English
 May 2, 2018  English Grammar  1 Comment

Verbs Followed by Gerunds! Learn useful list of Verbs followed by Gerunds in English

with example sentences, video and ESL pictures.
Table of Contents
 Verbs Followed by Gerunds List
o Admit
o Advise
o Anticipate
o Acknowledge
o Appreciate
o Avoid
o Bear
o Begin
o Complete
o Consider
o Defer
o Delay
o Deny
o Discuss
o Dislike
o Enjoy
o Entail
o Finish
o Forget
o Hate
o Intend
o Involve
o Justify
o Keep
o Like
o Love
o Mention
o Mind
o Miss
o Postpone
o Practice
o Prefer
o Quit
o Recall
o Recollect
o Recommend
o Regret
o Resent
o Resist
o Risk
o Sanction
o Start
o Stop
o Suggest
o Tolerate
o Try
 List of Verbs Followed by Gerunds | Images
Verbs Followed by Gerunds List
Admit
He  was embarrassed to admit making  a mistake.
Advise
He  advised applying at once.
Anticipate
I didn’t anticipate having to do the cooking myself!
Acknowledge
She acknowledged receiving assistance.
Appreciate
I  appreciate having enough time to finish.
Avoid
She decided to be a nun in order to  avoid meeting him.
Bear
I wish she wouldn’t eat so fast. I can’t bear watching her.
Begin
I  began teaching in 1984.
Complete
He  completed drawing his pictures.
Consider
Investors should  consider putting  some money into an annuity.
Defer
She deferred writing my thesis.
Delay
Big companies often  delay paying their bills.
Deny
She denied taking  the money.
Discuss
We briefly discussed buying a second car.
Dislike
I  dislike being  the centre of attention.
Enjoy
I really  enjoy talking  to you.
Entail
This review procedure entails repeating the test.
Finish
He  finished cleaning the kitchen.
Forget
I’ll never forget visiting them.
Hate
I  hate getting  to the theatre late.
Intend
I hear they  intend marrying.(U.K)
Involve
This procedure  involves testing each sample twice.
Justify
My results justify taking drastic action.
Keep
I  keep thinking about Joe, all alone in that place.
Like
She likes playing tennis.
Love
I  love going out to restaurants.
Mention
He  mentioned going to that college.
Mind
Would you mind repeating what you just said?
Miss
He had  missed being elected by a single vote.
Postpone
He  postponed returning  to Paris.
Practice
Today we’re going to  practice parking.
Prefer
Chantal prefers travelling by train.
Quit
She quits worrying about the problem.
Recall
I don’t recall seeing any cars parked outside.
Recollect
I  recollect seeing Ryder some years ago in Bonn.
Recommend
I would never  recommend using  a sunbed on a regular basis.
Regret
I  regret leaving school so young.
Resent
Many conscripts resent having to do their military service.
Resist
She can never resist buying new shoes.
Risk
He  risked being  caught.
Sanction
They will not sanction copying  without permission.
Start
He  started tipping the pea pods into a pan.
Stop
I hoped he would  stop asking awkward questions.
Suggest
Tracey suggested meeting for a drink after work.
Tolerate
We don’t tolerate smoking in the library.
Try
They decided they would try living in America for a while.

Participles: What Is A Participle? Present &

Past Participle
What is a Participle?
What is a participle? A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often
ends in -ing or -ed. They function as adjectives, thus participles modify nouns or
pronouns.

There are two participles: The present participle and the past participle. They can both
be used as adjectives.
The Present participle, always ending in -ing.

Present participle examples:

 A crying baby
The  smiling girl is my sister.
The past participles of all regular verbs end in -ed. For example:

Harry has worked  in this company for 5 years

Irregular verbs, however, have various past participle endings – for
instance, thrown, ridden, built, and gone
Present Participle
Present participle, always ending in -ing, is created from the form of a verb used with the
verb to be (am, is, are, was, were, been) as an auxiliary verb (progressive tense).
The Present participle is used:

 As a part of the continuous form of a verb

They are playing  football at the moment.
He is  reading a book.
 As an adjective
A crying baby
The  smiling girl is my sister.
 As a gerund
Mary is interested in reading books.
 After verbs of perception
I saw them  crossing  the street.
I could hear them  playing in the garden.
 With the verbs: Spend & Waste: verb + time/money expression + present
participle
Don’t waste time  playing computer games!
I’ve spent the whole weekend  revising for my exam.
 With the verbs Catch & Find: verb + object + present participle
(With catch, the participle always refers to an action which causes annoyance or anger.
This is not the case with find, which is unemotional.)
Don’t let him catch you reading his letters.
I found him sitting on a park bench reading a book.
 For two actions at the same time
He left the room laughing.
NOTE: You may be thinking that present participles look just like gerunds because they
are verbs ending in -ing, but the big difference is that gerunds are used like nouns, while
present participles are used as adjectives to modify nouns or pronouns.
Past Participle
The past participles of all regular verbs end in -ed. Irregular verbs, however, have various
past participle endings –  for instance, thrown, ridden, built, and gone.
The Past Participle is used:
 As an adjective
A broken vase
Spoken  words cannot be revoked.
 With the auxiliary verb “have” to form the perfect aspect
Harry has worked  in this company for 5 years.
When I came, he had left.
 With the verb “be” to form the passive
This house was built in 1815.
The book was given to me.
 To make one of the past forms for the modal verbs (modal auxiliaries). These
forms use a modal + have + the past participle.
The police could have charged  them with threatening behaviour.
I  should have finished by the middle of the week.
 Used to replace a “subject+passive verb” construction
She entered, accompanied by her daughters.
 Used after Want, Make, Have and Like+direct object
I want this text  translated  by noon.
He made his presence  felt.
Present Participle vs. Past Participle
Learn the differences between present participle and past participle with examples.

 The present participle has an active meaning:

He found the house  burning.
The past participle has a passive meaning:

He found the house  burned.

The past participle is active in such examples:

A retired teacher
The  fallen angels
An escaped prisoner.
 The present participle is used to replace constructions of the type
“subject+active verb”:
He opens the door and looks inside →  Opening the door, he looks inside.
The past participle is used to replace constructions of the type “subject+passive verb”:

She entered and she was accompanied by her daughters → She entered, accompanied by her
daughters.
 In nominative absolute constructions:
The present participle is used if the absolute phrase is active:

The weather being fine, nobody wanted to stay at home.

The past participle is used if the absolute construction is passive:
All things considered,/This done, I think we should start immediately.

Present Participle: Definition and Useful

Examples of Present Participle
Present Participle
Present Participle Definition
In English, the ‘present participle’ is a type of verb that describes an action that is
occurring during the current time (or the present) and may be modified by different verb
tenses to reflect whether the action is continuous or complete. The verb can modify a
noun, noun phrase, adjective, or adjective phrase. Additionally, a present participle can
be used as an adjective itself to modify another noun or adjective and occur within four
different verb tenses (as shown below.
Present Participle with Verb Tenses
The present participle can be used to illustrate different points in the timeline by
modifying it with different verb tenses: simple present tense, present perfect, present
progressive, and present perfect progressive tense.
Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense shows that an action is occurring in the present setting of the
story. This form of the present participle is equivalent to the verb present tense with no
additional modifiers or helper verbs (e.g. walk).
Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense shows that an action started in the past and is still ongoing
during the current time. This form of the present participle works hand in hand with the
present tense of the verb ‘have’ (e.g. have walked).
Present Progressive Tense
The present progressive tense shows some form of continuing or ongoing activity that
is currently occurring in the present but did not necessarily complete. This form of the
present participle ends in -ing instead of -ed and works with the present form of the verb
‘to be’ (e.g. am walking).
Present Perfect Progressive Tense
The present perfect progressive tense shows a continuing action that occurred and
completed in the past but continues to have some importance in the present time. This
form of the present participle ends in -ing instead of -ed and works with the present
passive form of the verb have and can reflect a duration for the action (e.g. have been
walking for two hours).
Forming the Present Participle
 Regular Verbs
In the case of the present participle, two tenses most commonly end in -ing (present
progressive and present perfect progressive), one ends in -ed (present perfect), and one
form is quite similar to the infinitive (simple present).
Regular verbs form the ‘general’ case for the present participle and most verbs are
expected to follow the simple rules described above.

Irregular Verbs
However, as with most English grammar, there are exceptions to the regular verb usage
which we term ‘irregular.’ This is the complicated part of the language that requires
memorization on a case by case basis for different nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Below
is a list of some common irregular verbs and their present participle forms. As you can
see, some of them are very close to the infinitive, just as regular verbs are, while others
have slight differences.
 Infinitive: to choose
 Present tense: choose
 Present participle: I choose/I am choosing/I have chosen
 Infinitive: to do
 Present tense: do
 Present participle: I do/I am doing/I have done
 Infinitive: to drink
 Present tense: drink
 Present participle: I drink/I am drinking/I have drank
 Infinitive: to eat
 Present tense: eat
 Present participle: I eat/I am eating/I have eaten
 Infinitive: to give
 Present tense: give
 Present participle: I give/I am giving/I have given
 Infinitive: to forget
 Present tense: forget
 Present participle: I forget/I am forgetting/I have forgotten
 Infinitive: to lie
 Present tense: lie
 Present participle: I lie/I am lying/I have lain
 Infinitive: to let
 Present tense: let
 Present participle: I let/I am letting/I have let
 Infinitive: to see
 Present tense: see
 Present participle: I see/I am seeing/I have seen
 Infinitive: to sleep
 Present tense: sleep
 Present participle: I sleep/I am sleeping/I have slept
 Infinitive: to throw
 Present tense: throw
 Present participle: I throw/I am throwing/I have thrown
 Infinitive: to choose
 Present tense: choose
 Present participle: I choose/I am choosing/I have chosen
 Infinitive: to write
 Present tense: write
 Present participle: I write/I am writing/I have written
This list is not meant to be complete but to provide some idea of how to create
sentences using some of the most common irregular words in the English vocabulary.
Typically, the best way to pick up the oddities of English is by extensive reading with a
dictionary at hand to look up unknown words.

Present Participle Examples

Below are several sentences that illustrate how to use a present participle in all the
ways noted above.

Regular Verbs
 Verb: to walk
Present Participle: walk/walks
Verb Tense: simple present
Sentence: I walk five times around my office building during my lunch hour all throughout the
warm Spring and Summer months.
 Verb: to repair
Present Participle: have/has repaired
Verb Tense: present perfect
Sentence: My son has repaired  the chain on his bicycle so many times I have lost count.
 Verb: to travel
Present Participle: was travelling
Verb Tense: present progressive
Sentence: I was travelling home for the holidays when I swear I saw Santa on the wing of the
plane…
 Verb: to help
Present Participle: have/has been helping
Verb Tense: present perfect progressive
Sentence: I have been helping my landlady carry in her groceries every week for the last two
years.
Irregular Verbs
 Verb: to choose
Present Participle: choose
 Verb Tense: simple present
Sentence: I choose to collect stuffed bears even if my friends say it’s ridiculous.
 Verb: to break
Present Participle: have/has broken
Verb Tense: present perfect
Sentence: My son has broken the school record for most goals in soccer two seasons in a row.
 Verb: to give
Present Participle: was giving
Verb Tense: present progressive
Sentence: My wife  was giving  both her time and money to the local animal shelter because
caring for stray  dogs was her passion.
 Verb: to lie down
Present Participle: have/has been lying
Verb Tense: present perfect progressive
Sentence: I have been lying down for a nap every afternoon since I turned 45.
Conclusion
By studying the examples in the previous section, it starts to become clear that the
present participle is a grammatical structure that is really very common, whether one
remembers the name or not. Most of the time it is spoken or written the right way, but it
is the irregular verbs that cause the most confusion. It’s a little easier considering the
present participle than the past or future participles as the irregular verbs don’t have
much variation to recall here and one can rest assured that the general case applies to
even more of the irregular verbs

Past Participle: Definition, Forming Rules and

Useful Examples
Past Participle
Past Participle Definition
In the English language, there are a few grammatical structures that are used often, but
the usage rules are not fully understood or, at least, cannot be easily expressed by most
people. One such piece of grammar is the ‘past participle’, which is a type of verb that
describes an action that has taken place in the past. The verb can modify a noun, noun
phrase, adjective, or adjective phrase. Additionally, a past participle can be used as an
adjective itself to modify another noun or adjective and occur within four different verb
tenses (as shown below).
Past Participle with Verb Tenses
 The past participle can be used with different verb tenses as well: simple past tense, past
perfect, past progressive, and past perfect progressive tense.
Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense shows that an action occurred in the past and is done. This form
of the past participle is equivalent to the verb past tense with no additional modifiers or
helper verbs (e.g. ran).
Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense shows that action will finish before any additional steps can
occur. This form of the past participle works hand in hand with the past tense of the
verb ‘have’ (e.g. had run).
Past Progressive Tense
The past progressive tense shows some form of continuing or ongoing activity that
occurred in the past but did not necessarily complete. This form of the past participle
ends in -ing instead of -ed and works with the past form of the verb ‘to be’ (e.g. was
running).
Past Perfect Progressive Tense
The past perfect progressive tense shows a continuing action that occurred and
completed in the past. This form of the past participle ends in -ing instead of -ed and
works with the past passive form of the verb have (e.g. had been running).
Forming the Past Participle
Regular Verbs
The most common form of the ‘past participle’ is a verb that ends in -ed for the simple
past and past perfect tenses (e.g. performed, had damaged) and a verb that ends in -ing
for the past progressive and past perfect progressive tense (e.g. was playing, had been
building).
Regular verbs form the ‘general’ case for past participle usage and the majority of verbs
are expected to follow the simple rule above. Unfortunately, there are some verbs that
do not follow this case rule; usually, that is because English is an amalgamation of
several different languages and some of the grammatical structures couldn’t quite bring
every single word together into a single mnemonic.

Irregular Verbs
However, as with most grammatical structures in English, there are exceptions to the
general rule of thumb which we term ‘irregular.’ This is the tricky part of the language
that requires memorization of the specific verb forms rather than remembering the
general case as with regular verbs. Below is a list of some common irregular verbs and
their past participle forms.
 Infinitive: to choose
 Past tense:  chose
 Past participle:  chosen
 Infinitive: to do
 Past tense:  did
 Past participle:  done
 Infinitive: to drink
 Past tense:  drunk
 Past participle:  drank
 Infinitive: to eat
 Past tense:  ate
 Past participle:  eaten
 Infinitive: to give
 Past tense:  gave
 Past participle:  given
 Infinitive: to forget
 Past tense:  forgot
 Past participle:  forgotten
 Infinitive: to lie
 Past tense:  lay
 Past participle:  lain
 Infinitive: to let
 Past tense:  let
 Past participle:  let
 Infinitive: to see
 Past tense:  saw
 Past participle:  seen
 Infinitive: to sleep
 Past tense:  slept
 Past participle:  slept
 Infinitive: to throw
 Past tense:  threw
 Past participle:  thrown
 Infinitive: to choose
 Past tense:  chose
 Past participle:  chosen
 Infinitive: to write
 Past tense:  wrote
 Past participle:  written
This list is not meant to be complete but to give some idea of how to create sentences
using some of the most common irregular words in the English vocabulary. Other
examples may be gleaned through regular reading of novels, stories, and non-fiction
articles in conjunction with looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary to see whether
they fall into the regular or irregular category.

Past Participle Examples

Below are several sentences that illustrate how to use a past participle in all the ways
noted above.
 Regular Verbs
 Verb: to perform
Past Participle: performed
Verb Tense: simple past
Sentence: I performed  the role of Iago in my high school’s rendition of Shakespeare’s
play Macbeth.
 Verb: to damage
Past Participle: had damaged
Verb Tense: past perfect
Sentence: My car had damaged the garage door when I pulled into the driveway too quickly.
 Verb: to play
Past Participle: was playing
Verb Tense: past progressive
Sentence: My son was playing piano in his school  recital when the fire alarm rang,
necessitating a speedy evacuation.
 Verb: to build
Past Participle: had been building
Verb Tense: past perfect progressive
Sentence: I had been building my fort out of toy bricks one day when my little brother came in
and smashed all my work to bits.
Irregular Verbs
 Verb: to run
Past Participle: ran
Verb Tense: simple past
Sentence: I ran the whole mile without stopping as part of my physical fitness test.
 Verb: to drink
Past Participle: had drunk
Verb Tense: past perfect
Sentence: My son had drunk  two big glasses of water before bed which made it impossible to
sleep through the night.
 Verb: to throw out
Past Participle: was throwing out
Verb Tense: past progressive
Sentence: My wife was throwing out important receipts all year making it impossible to
complete a store return on time.
 Verb: to forget
Past Participle: had been forgetting
Verb Tense: past perfect progressive
Sentence: My son had been forgetting to complete his homework assignments for two weeks
before I found out and helped him organize better.
As you can see from the examples above, the past participle when used with the correct
verb tenses is a piece of grammar that is commonly used by everyone whether they
know what it is called or not. The majority of the time it is used correctly, but it is the
 irregular verbs that cause the most confusion. With a little memorization, those types of
verbs will roll just as naturally off the tongue.

Causative Verbs in English: Let, Make, Have,

Get
What Is A Causative Verb?
What is a causative verb? The causative verb is a common structure in English. It shows
that somebody or something is indirectly responsible for an action. The most common
causative verbs are Make, Get, Have, Let.
Causative Verb Examples:
 Why did you  let him swear at you like that?
 He  made his son clean  his room.
 I  had Peter fix my car.
 We couldn’t get her to sign the agreement.
Causative Verbs List
Learn how to use English Causative Verbs (Let, Make, Have, Get) with useful rules,
video, examples and ESL worksheet.

Have
Form: Subject + Have + Person + Base Form of Verb
This construction means “to authorize someone to do something”.
Examples:

The president had his secretary make copies of the report.

I’ll have Hudson show you to your room.
Get
Form: Subject + Get + Person + To + Verb

This construction usually means “to convince someone to do something” or “to trick
someone into doing something.”
Examples:

 The students got the teacher to dismiss class early.

We couldn’t get him to sign the agreement.
Make
Form: Subject + Make + Person + Base Form of Verb
This construction means “to force or require someone to take an action“.
 Examples:

My parents always make me do  my homework before I go out.

It seems unfair on him to make him pay for everything.
Let
Form: Subject + Let + Person + Base Form of Verb

This construction means “to allow someone to do something.”

Examples:

I don’t let my kids watch  violent movies.

If you need any help, let me know.
Move up, John, and  let the lady sit down.
Have Something Done vs. Get Something Done
HAVE is slightly more formal than GET in “Have something done” and “Get something
done”.
“Have something done” Examples:

I  had my hair cut  last Saturday.

She had the car washed at the weekend.
“Get something done” Examples:

I really must get my eyes tested. I´m sure I need glasses.

She got her  hair cut.

Auxiliary Verb: Definition, List and Examples

of Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs)
What Is A Helping Verb?
What is a helping verb? An auxiliary verb (or a helping verb) is a verb that adds
functional or grammatical meaning to the clause in which it appears, such as to
express tense, aspect, modality, voice, emphasis, etc. An auxiliary verb is most generally
understood as a verb that “helps” another verb by adding grammatical information to it.
Certain auxiliaries have contracted forms, such as  ‘d and ‘ll for had/ would and will/
shall.
Helping verbs examples:

 Forms of the verb do (do, does, did)

 Forms of the verb have
 Forms of the verb will
 …
Auxiliary Verbs: Helping Verbs List
Learn the useful list of helping verbs in English with rules, example sentences, video and
ESL printable worksheets.

The Verb DO
Forms of the verb do (do, does, did), when used with other verbs to enable the formation
of questions, negation, emphasis, etc.
Examples:

 Simple Present Tense:

He  does not play volleyball.
 Simple Past Tense:
He  did  not play volleyball.
 Simple Present Tense:
Does he play volleyball?
 Simple Past Tense:
Did  he play volleyball?
The Verb HAVE
Forms of the verb have, when used to express perfect aspect.
Examples:

 Present Perfect Simple Tense:

He  has  played volleyball.
 Past Perfect Simple Tense:
He  had played volleyball.
 Present Perfect Progressive Tense:
He  has  been playing volleyball.
 Past Perfect Progressive Tense:
He  had been playing volleyball.
When used to express passive voice. Note that have is an irregular verb.
Example:

The house  has/had  been built.

The Verb BE
We use this verb for compound tenses and the passive voice. Note that “be” is an
irregular verb.

Examples:

They are  teachers.
 This  was  a very interesting experience to them.
When used to express progressive aspect.

Examples:

 Present Progressive Tense:

He  is watching TV.
 Past Progressive Tense:
He  was watching TV.
 Present Perfect Progressive:
He has been watching TV.
 Past Perfect Progressive:
He had  been  watching TV.
When used to express passive voice.

Example:

A letter will be written.
The Verb WILL
Forms of the verb will, when used form the future tenses.
Examples:

He  will not play volleyball.

Stative Verb: Definition, List and Examples of

Stative Verbs
What is a Stative Verb?
What is a stative verb? In English grammar, a “stative verb” means that the
verb describes a state rather than an action.
Stative verbs are sometimes known as “state verbs.”

Look at these state verb examples:

 I  hate  this song.
 The report  contains a great deal of statistical information.
 I  appreciate John’s helping in time.
 I  want you to meet my parents.
The above examples describe someone or something’s state of being in a particular
situation. These verbs often describe states that last for some time.
 Another point to remember is that stative verbs are not used in continuous tenses (like
the present continuous, or the future continuous).
For example, you might say the following with a non-stative verb:

The two children are walking side by side.

However using the same form for a stative verb is incorrect:

I hating being treated as an invalid.

Instead, you’d simply use the present form:

I hate being treated as an invalid.

List of Stative Verbs
Learn a useful list of stative verbs in English with example sentences and ESL picture.
State Verbs of Possession
 have
 own
 possess
 lack
 consist
 involve
 include
 contain
State Verbs of Mental States
 know
 believe
 understand
 doubt
 think (have an opinion)
 suppose
 recognise
 forget
 remember
 imagine
 mean
 agree
 disagree
 deny
 promise
 satisfy
 realise
 appear
 astonish
 please
 impress
 surprise
 concern
State Verbs of Emotions
 Love
 Like
 Dislike
 Hate
 Adore
 Prefer
 Care for
 Mind
 Want
 Need
 Desire
 Wish
 Hope
 Appreciate
 Value
State Verbs of Senses
 Sound
 Hear
 Smell
 See
 Taste
 Touch
 Feel
 Look
Stative Verb of Measure, Cost and others
 cost
 measure
 weigh
 owe
 seem
 fit
 depend
 matter

Dynamic Verbs: Verbs Can be Both Stative

and Dynamic Verbs
Dynamic Verbs
What is a dynamic verb? In English grammar, a “dynamic verb” means that the verb
describes an action rather than a state. In contrast, a “stative verb” means that the
verb describes a state rather than an action.
Dynamic verbs are sometimes known as “action verbs.”
Dynamic verb examples:

She acts as a teacher in this movie.

He  ran  up to get his schoolbag.
He  ate a whole pot of jam.
Verbs Can be Both Stative and Dynamic Verbs
Some verbs can function as BOTH stative verbs and dynamic verbs:

Look
Stative:

You look fantastic in that dress.

Dynamic:

She is looking at her reflection in the mirror.

Appear
Stative:

He appears to be unhappy.
Dynamic:

She was appearing in concert at Carnegie Hall.

Think
Stative:

I think that Mr. Peter is a good teacher.

Dynamic:

I am thinking about my family right now.

Feel
Stative:

I feel that we ought to accept his proposal.

Dynamic:

I’m feeling a bit dozy this afternoon.

Have
Stative:

They have a Mercedes Benz.

Dynamic:

We’re having a party on Saturday.

See
Stative:
Do you see that bird?
Dynamic:

The doctor is seeing a patient now.

Taste
Stative:

Mmm! This tastes good!

Dynamic:

My mother is tasting the potato soup.

Smell
Stative:

The stew smells delicious.

Dynamic:

Ann is smelling the perfume to see if she wants to buy it.

Be
Stative:

He is immature.
Dynamic:

He is being immature.
Weigh
Stative:

The suitcase weighs 20 pounds.

Dynamic:

The butcher is weighing the meat on the scale.

Measure
Stative:

The surfboard measures 2 meters by 55 centimeters.

Dynamic:

The architects were measuring the distance between the pillars.

Mind
 Stative:

I don’t mind if we watch a movie tonight.

Dynamic:

I’m not being nosy. I’m minding my own business.

What Is A Linking Verb? Linking Verbs List

with Useful Examples
Linking Verbs
We use many parts of speech in language to express our ideas. In English, verbs are
used to express actions. Even though verbs have one job, they can perform it in a variety
of ways. For example:
 Mary picked a bouquet of flowers.
Here “Mary’ is the subject of the sentence, “picked” is the verb, and “a bouquet of
flowers” is the object. This type of verb is known as an action verb. Action verbs are
popular in writing because they sound direct. Alternatively, we can use a different form
of the verb like this:
 Mary is picking a bouquet of flowers.
“Mary” is still the subject, but “is picking” sounds more like a state of being than just the
action itself. “A bouquet of flowers” is still our object. This is a gerund, presenting Mary
as currently doing the action now. We can also use verbs to associate the subject of a
sentence to a specific identity. When used this way, they are called linking verbs.
What Is A Linking Verb?
Linking verbs, also called copulas or copula verbs, connect the subject of a sentence
with an adjective, noun, or descriptive phrase. To distinguish a copula verb remember
that they do not indicate action in a sentence. Rather they describe a state of being, a
result, or one of the five senses. In other words, linking verbs do not have an object.
In grammar we understand that the object is whatever is receiving the action of the
subject. Since linking verbs do not suggest action, there is no receiver. Instead, what
follows a linking verb is known as the subject complement.

Subject Complement
The subject complement is the descriptive word or phrase that the linking verb connects
to the subject of the sentence. It can be a noun, adjective, or phrase. Generally, the
structure of a sentence with a linking verb will be:

(Subject) + Linking Verb + Subject Complement

Let’s take a look at a quick example:
 Example 1: Harold is sleepy.
“Harold” would be the subject, “is” would be the linking verb, and “sleepy” would be the
subject complement. Notice how “is” refers to Harold’s state of being, rather than an
action he is performing.

Example 2: Everything seemed normal.

This example is very similar to the first sentence. “Everything” is the subject, “seemed”
is our linking verb, and “normal” is the subject complement, describing “Everything.”

Starting to get it? How about this next one:

Example 3: Ice feels cold to the touch.

“Ice” is the subject here, “feels” becomes our copula verb, and the phrase “cold to the
touch” would be our subject complement. Working with linking verbs really is that
painless.

List of Linking Verbs

These are a few common linking verbs found in English:

 appear
 look
 seem
 indicates
 grow
 go
 stay
 remain
 smell
 taste
 feel
 sound
 fall
 get
 come
 become
 prove
 act
 is/was/will be
Some of these verbs can be used as action verbs. It’s important to be able to distinguish
between action verbs and linking verbs so you can understand what the author is trying
to convey.
 Testing for Linking Verbs
Remember that linking verbs are themselves not action words. Compare the usage of
“appeared” in both the sentences below:

 Sentence A: Daisy appeared onstage in a princess’s attire.

 Sentence B: Daisy appeared troubled by the commentator’s remark.
In both A and B, “Daisy” is our subject.

Look at how “appeared” is being used in sentence A. It’s describing an action that Daisy
has accomplished. “Onstage” is where Daisy appeared, and the prepositional phrase
afterwards adds some more detail of the scene.
However, “appeared” in sentence B is describing Daisy’s current state of being, how she
is perceived by others. The subject complement, “troubled” describes more about how
Daisy appears.
A simple way to identify a linking verb is to replace the verb in question with “seems.” If
the idea makes sense, then the verb is a copula; if not, then the verb is something else.
Let’s try this technique with the above sentences:

 Sentence A: Daisy  seems onstage in a princess’s attire.

 Sentence B: Daisy seems troubled by the commentator’s remark.
Although sentence A makes sense grammatically when we use “seems,” this verb
is not a linking verb because “onstage” is not modifying Daisy’s identity. Instead
“onstage” is a location and Daisy took action, or “appeared”, to get there, which is the
proper idea of sentence A. With sentence B, the original idea of the sentence is kept
intact. “Seems” links Daisy’s state of being to “troubled.”.
This is an easy way to identify what you should be looking for after the verb. For
more complex sentences, you can replace the verb with any of the linking verbs from
the list above and read to see if it clarifies its status.
Try it out
Now’s the time to practice what you have learned so far. See if you can identify which
words in the following sentences are the subject, the linking verb, and what the subject
complement is. Check the end of the article for the answers.
 A. Our backyard became a playground for the children’s entertainment.
 B. The speaker appeared confident but stumbled on her points.
 C. Jackie became a master at dancing because he practiced every day.
 D. Mistletoe Jack was a very mild-tempered fellow.
 E. Distilled water tastes refreshing and clean.
 F. Even after all the training, the final physical exam remains a challenge to
the veterans.
Practice with finding out whether the verb is a linking verb first, then find the subject
complement. If you can do this, you’ll feel more confident in reading and writing in one
of the hardest languages to learn.
 Answers
 A: “backyard” = subject; “became” = linking verb; “playground” = subject
complement
 B: “speaker” = subject; “appeared” = linking verb; “confident” = subject
complement
 C. “Jackie” = subject; “became” = linking verb; “a master at dancing” = subject
complement
 D: “Mistletoe Jack” = subject; “was” = linking verb; “a mild-tempered fellow” =
subject complement
 E. “water” = subject; “tastes” = linking verb; “refreshing and clean” = subject
complement
 F. “exam” = subject; “remains” = linking verb; “a challenge” = subject complement

Finite Verbs & Non-finite Verbs: Useful Rules

& Examples
Finite Verbs
 A finite verb is controlled by the number of the subject. If the subject is singular,
the verb is singular. If the subject is plural, the verb is plural.
Finite verb Examples:
The girl runs slowly. (Subject is singular)
The girls  run slowly. (Subject is plural)
 A finite verb is controlled by the person.
Examples:

I  visit my grandparents at least once a month. (I – First Person)

She visits her grandparents at least once a month. (She – Third Person)
 A finite verb is controlled by the tense. It can be in the past, present or future
tense.
Examples:

Mary  studies Spanish. (Present Tense)

Mary  will study Spanish. (Past Tense)
Non-finite Verbs
 A non-finite verb is not controlled by the number, person and tense of the subject.
Examples:

I enjoy  shopping  for clothes and shoes.

You enjoy shopping for clothes and shoes.
 They enjoy shopping for clothes and shoes.
(The verb shopping remains unchanged whatever be the person, number and tense of
the subject.)
 Non-finite verbs are of three kinds: Infinitives, Participles or Gerunds.
Examples:

She can’t  go out . (Zero Infinitive)

I want to go to the cinema. (To-Infinitive)
I like going to the cinema. (Gerund)
I  wish I had gone to university. (Past Participle)
I’m going to a concert tonight. (Present Participle)

Transitive Verb: Definition, Types of

Transitive Verbs with Useful Examples
Transitive Verb
Transitive Verb Definition
Every verb that accepts one or multiple objects in a grammatical structure, more often
than not a sentence, is called a transitive verb. Like any other thing in nature or in
grammar, transitive verbs have their opposite mirror image, the intransitive verbs. These
types of verbs have a long tradition. They were first discovered and regularly used in
ancient times. The first grammarian or philosophical school that studied them and used
them regularly were the Stoics of Ancient Rome and Athens. Those are verbs that do
have objects in their grammatical structures.
A basic example of a verb discussed above would be:

 Maya sent candy from Switzerland

 My mother took me to the ZOO last week.
Types of Transitive Verbs
Based on the number of objects that they need, they can be separated into a few
categories.

Monotransitive Verbs
The first ones that we are going to talk about are monotransitive. The monotransitive
verb is a type of verb that only comes with two arguments, a subject, and a direct object.
An example of a monotransitive verb would be:

 He accomplished his mission in life.

 They finished cleaning their room.
 They are maintaining a romantic relationship.
 The match ended after overtime.
Ditransitive Verbs
Verbs that come with two arguments, or two objects, one direct and one indirect are
called ditransitive verbs. The most used verb of this kind in the English language is
probably the verb give.
Examples of a ditransitive would be:

 He told Jennifer his darkest secret.

 Mark passed Joseph his cigarette.
 He is baking Ronda something delicious
 I am mailing my girlfriend the romantic poetry I wrote for her.
 The bank granted him a massive loan.
This type of verb can also come in a lot of passive voice sentences, not only active
ones. For example:

 The toys were given to us by the Red Cross.

Another kind of ditransitive verb is the attributive ditransitive verb. These kinds of verbs
attribute a single object to each other. Examples of such verbs would be:

 The United States made George Bush Senior the President.

 We will name her Sarah, after her late grandmother.
Tritransitive Verbs
Verbs that have three objects in their grammatical structures are called tritransitive
verbs. Since there are not three different kinds of objects in the English language, this
type of verb structure uses, an indirect, a direct and a prepositional phrase to form this
type of structure. There is still debate in the field of language studies as to this
definition. Many still think that this type of verb doesn’t really belong to the translative
verb family. Since we respect all sides of the coin, we have decided to include it in our
article. In addition, clauses that behave like a grammatical argument can also be sued
to form this type of verb structure.
Examples of tritransitive verbs would be:

 I will trade you my share in the company for your share in the hotel business out west.
 I bet that you that he will not accomplish the task at hand.
Pseudo-transitive Verbs
In the case that a prepositional phrase alone acts like a or similar to an object, some
grammar experts call that structure a pseudo-transitive. They are more common in
other languages, and not English. In some cases, one could combine a single direct
object with a prepositional phrase. Some call that type of construction a complex
transitive. This type of structure can be created with not just prepositional phrases but
 also dependent clauses etc. Grammarians still debate if these structures should and
could be included in this family of verbs.

Intransitive Verbs
The contrast to transitive verbs, as we have mentioned earlier, are intransitive verbs.
Those are the kinds of verbs that do not necessitate objects. Another key to recognizing
those types of verbs is that they are primary action verbs. Examples of such verbs and
their sentences would be:
 Anna went home.
 Derrick swims.
 John dies at the end.
 The dog lies in front of the house.
 Children sit in the classroom.
Ambitransitive Verbs
There are verbs that go both ways, verbs that can be both intransitive and transitive. We
call such verbs ambitransitive. The verb usually associated with being ambitransitive is
to eat.

 She eats – Would be intransitive

 She eats oranges that she helped pick three days ago at her grandparents’ farm. – This
would be transitive.

Intransitive Verb: Definition, Types and Useful

Examples of Intransitive Verbs
Intransitive Verb
Intransitive Verb Definition
An intransitive verb is a verb that can express a complete thought without necessarily
exerting its action on an object. A sentence composed of the intransitive verb does not
have any single word that describes the object that received the action of the verb.
Intransitive verbs are either followed by a word or phrase, and such words or phrases
typically answer the question “how”? Intransitive verbs don’t require a direct object to
express a complete thought. The following is an example in a sentence:

 She moved on.

Here the subject is “she” and the intransitive verb is “moved on”. You can add an adverb
such as “immediately” to describe how she moved on, and it’s still not a complex
sentence.
 They jumped.
 Here the subject is “they” is followed by the intransitive verb is “jumped”. You can add
an adverb phrase “so high” to describe how they jumped.
Intransitive Verbs and Prepositions
A prepositional phrase or an adverb comes after an intransitive verb in a sentence to
add more information to the thought being expressed. A noun no longer
follows intransitive verbs because it acts as an object.
Examples of prepositions that follow intransitive verbs include:

 She was brought up on a ranch.

In this sentence “on a ranch” is not a direct object but a prepositional phrase. “On” is a
preposition that tells more information about the prepositional phrase.

 He grew up to be a preacher.
Here the prepositional phrase is “to be a preacher” and “grew up” is the intransitive verb.

 He sat at the bank of the river.

 He trained before it rained.
“On the bank of the river” is a prepositional phrase that answers the question “Where did
he sit?”. “Before it rained” is a prepositional phrase that describes when he trained.

Common Intransitive Verbs

Based on their usage, verbs can be transitive or intransitive. It is rare to find a sentence
composed of intransitive and transitive verbs. An example of this might be:

 She sang a song.

 She sang for hours.
Both sentences use transitive and intransitive verbs forms of the verb “sang.” Most
English verbs often occur in an intransitive form, like continue, smile, arrive, occur, happen,
etc.
 These verbs occur in an intransitive form.
The phrase “occur in an intransitive form” is a good example of a prepositional phrase
following an intransitive verb.

Intransitive Verbs vs. Transitive Verbs

How to differentiate transitive verbs from intransitive verbs?
A transitive verb exerts its action on a direct object to express a complete thought. A
direct object is the recipient of the action, and it can be either a word or a phrase. These
objects answer the question “what?”. Let’s look at the examples of sentences with
direct objects:
 I saw a lion in action many years ago
 Here the verb “saw” comes after the subject “I.” In such a case, we can ask the question
“saw what?” and find the answer to the question. Here the subject saw the lion. “Saw”
therefore qualifies to be a transitive verb.

Let’s consider the following contrasting example:

 I saw out the bin.

Here we don’t know what the subject saw. There is no direct object in the sentence, and
this makes “saw” qualify as an intransitive verb.

 We renovated the old bathroom.

Here “old bathroom” is a direct object which makes “renovated” a transitive verb. In this
sentence we can find an answer to the question “what was renovated?” and in this case,
the answer is “old bathroom”. For instance, consider the following contrasting sentence
“They renovated all day.” Renovated what? That sentence does not provide an answer to
what was renovated, thereby making “renovated” an intransitive verb.

It’s straightforward to identify a transitive verb and intransitive verb in a sentence since

they are opposite of each other. Transitive verbs are followed by direct objects which
may be a noun or a phrase, unlike intransitive verbs which do not contain a direct object.
Intransitive verbs are complete on their own, unlike transitive verbs which require to
exert their action on a direct object to express a complete thought.

Transitive and intransitive verbs are a bit confusing to even writers themselves. This
leads to incomplete or unclear sentences. Proper use of these verbs is crucial in your
writing is essential to your target readers. This will help them to understand the
message you are trying to convey and even encourage them to read more of your
content.

300+ Common Verbs with Pictures | English

Verbs for Kids
[Link]
 Verb Phrase: Definition, Functions and Useful
Examples
Verb Phrase
What Is a Verb Phrase?
Verbs are words that are used to describe an action, like swim, drive, teach, and walk.
A sentence can only be considered complete it has at least one verb. The verb can
either be an action verb or a linking verb that links the sentence subject to additional
information regarding the subject. The information tells more about the subject.
Active verbs are used to demonstrate doable activities, whereas linking verbs define
conditions. The illustrated by the following examples:

 She teaches English lessons.

 He drives to school every day.
 James seems angry.
 The brown boy was thoroughly beaten.
Here the first two examples comprise of active verbs, i.e., “teaches” and “drives.” The
other two examples comprise of linking verbs.

Verb phrases move the verb one step further by including the verb, complement, adverb,
or object. A verb phrase like “He was walking quickly to the bank” has a verb (walking) and a
compliment (to the bank).
Functions of Verb Phrases
A verb phrase can also be defined as part of a clause or sentence comprising a verb
and, at the same time, describes more information about the subject. It can also be
described as a phrase that acts as an adverb or adjective and comprises a verb and its
complements, which may be either modifiers or objects.
As a Predicate of the Sentence
Let’s look at some of the examples of verb phrase where the verb phrase functions as a
predicate of a sentence. Here, the verb phrase comprises of the main verb and auxiliary
verbs (also known as helping verbs).
 He  was walking quickly to the bank.
 He  should wait before he can practice driving.
 You must wash your clothes now.
 The graduate is writing a CV.
 These shoes may be worth thousands of dollars.
 Those employees are not trying very hard.
 James  might eat  chapatti.
 As an Adverb or Adjective
Verb phrases with a single function can either act as an adverb or an adjective. The
phrase would comprise of verb, modifiers, complements, or even objects. This is
illustrated in the following examples:

 At last, we can afford  to buy  a brand new car.

 The brown boy was reluctant  to learn new English terms.
 David opened the window to let in the fresh air.
 When he comes, we will visit my dad.
 To send money, you need some credit in your account.
 As the teacher watched, two boys fought over a book.
 Walking in the rain, James slipped and fell.
Categories of the Verb Phrase
Verb phrase comes in two categories; finite and non-infinite verb phrase. Let’s define the
two.

Finite Verb Phrase

A verb phrase is said to be finite if there is only one verb phrase in a sentence. The head
verb, which is categorized as finite, can either be in the present or past tense. For
example:
 Every Sunday morning, I go  to church.
Non-infinite Verb Phrase
This kind of verb phrase has the head verb as an infinitive, participle, and can even be
a gerund.
An example of this might be:

 She is witnessing  the two fights.

Typical Applications of the Verb Phrase
 In spite of being sick, he went to school.
Here “went” is the verb phrase.

 We are going  with her to church.

Here “are going” is the verb phrase.

 Helen may need our support to raise the hospital bill.

Here the verb phrase is “may need”.

 Her hobby  is traveling overseas.

“is traveling” is the verb phrase, and “overseas” is the complement of the subject.
 He  is concerned about learning new languages.
Here “is concerned” is the verb phrase acts as a compliment of the objective phrase
“about learning new languages.”

The use of verb phrases in your content makes it informative and eloquent and is very
crucial to make your writing easily understood by your readers.

Irregular Plural Nouns: Useful Rules, List &

Examples
Irregular Plural Nouns | No Change in the Plural
Some nouns have identical singular and plural. Many of these are the names of animals.
Irregular Plural Nouns List:

 Aircraft – aircraft
 Barracks – barracks
 Deer – deer
 Gallows – gallows
 Moose – moose
 Salmon – salmon
 Hovercraft – hovercraft
 Spacecraft – spacecraft
 Series – series
 Species – species
 Means – means
 Offspring – offspring
 Deer – deer
 Fish – fish
 Sheep – sheep
 Offspring – offspring
 Trout – trout
 Swine – swine
Irregular Plural Nouns | Changing the Spelling of the
Singular Noun
The plural is sometimes formed by simply changing the vowel sound of the singular
(these are sometimes called mutated plurals):
Irregular Plural Nouns List:

 Person – people
 Ox – oxen
 Man – men
 Woman – women
 Caveman – cavemen
 Policeman – policemen
 Child – children
 Tooth – teeth
 Foot – feet
 Goose – geese
 Mouse – mice
 Louse – lice
 Penny – pence
Note: There are many compounds of man and woman that form their plurals in the same
way: postmen, policewomen, etc.

Home

English Grammar

Irregular Plural Nouns: Useful Rules, List & Examples

Irregular Plural Nouns: Useful Rules, List &
Examples
 June 10, 2018  English Grammar  5 Comments

Irregular Plural Nouns! Learn useful grammar rules to form Irregular Plural Nouns in
English. Learn practical list of irregular nouns with examples and ESL worksheets.
 Table of Contents
 Irregular Plural Nouns | No Change in the Plural
 Irregular Plural Nouns | Changing the Spelling of the Singular Noun
 Irregular Plural Nouns from Latin and Greek
o Final a becomes -ae (also -æ), or just adds -s
o Final ex or ix becomes -ices
o Final is becomes es
o Final um becomes -a, or just adds -s
o Final us becomes -i or -era or -ora or just adds -es
o Final us remains unchanged in the plural
o Final on becomes -a
o Final as in one case changes to -antes
o Final ma in nouns of Greek origin can become -mata
 Irregular Plural Nouns from Other Languages
 Irregular Plural Nouns Video
 NOUNS: Useful Grammar Rules, List & Examples
Irregular Plural Nouns | No Change in the Plural
Some nouns have identical singular and plural. Many of these are the names of animals.
Irregular Plural Nouns List:

 Aircraft – aircraft
 Barracks – barracks
 Deer – deer
 Gallows – gallows
 Moose – moose
 Salmon – salmon
 Hovercraft – hovercraft
 Spacecraft – spacecraft
 Series – series
 Species – species
 Means – means
 Offspring – offspring
 Deer – deer
 Fish – fish
 Sheep – sheep
 Offspring – offspring
 Trout – trout
 Swine – swine
Irregular Plural Nouns | Changing the Spelling of the
Singular Noun
The plural is sometimes formed by simply changing the vowel sound of the singular
(these are sometimes called mutated plurals):
Irregular Plural Nouns List:

 Person – people
 Ox – oxen
 Man – men
 Woman – women
 Caveman – cavemen
 Policeman – policemen
 Child – children
 Tooth – teeth
 Foot – feet
 Goose – geese
 Mouse – mice
 Louse – lice
 Penny – pence
Note: There are many compounds of man and woman that form their plurals in the same
way: postmen, policewomen, etc.
Irregular Nouns – Image 1
 Irregular Plural Nouns from Latin and Greek
Final a becomes -ae (also -æ), or just adds -s
 Alumna – alumnae
 Formula – formulae/formulas
Final ex or ix becomes -ices
 Index – indices /indexes
 Matrix – matrices
 Vertex – vertices
 Appendix – appendices
Final is becomes es
 Axis – axes
 Genesis – geneses
 Nemesis – nemeses
 Crisis – crises
 Testis – testes
Final um becomes -a, or just adds -s
Irregular Plural Nouns List:

 Addendum – addenda
 Corrigendum – corrigenda
 Datum – data
 Forum – fora/forums
 Medium – media/ mediums
 Memorandum – memoranda/memorandums
 Millennium – millennia
 Ovum – ova
 Spectrum – spectra
Final us becomes -i or -era or -ora or just adds -es
Irregular Plural Nouns List:

 Alumnus – alumni
 Corpus – corpora
 Census – censuses
 Focus – foci
 Genus – genera
 Prospectus – prospectuses
 Radius – radii
 Campus – campuses
 Succubus – succubi
 Stylus – styli
 Syllabus – syllabi/syllabuses
 Viscus – viscera
 Virus – viruses/virii
 Cactus – cactuses/cacti
 Fungus – fungi
 Hippopotamus – hippopotamuses/hippopotami
 Octopus – octopuses
 Terminus – termini/terminuses
 Uterus – uteri/uteruses
Final us remains unchanged in the plural
 Meatus – meatus/meatuses
 Status – status/statuses
Final on becomes -a
 Automaton – automata
 Criterion – criteria
 Phenomenon – phenomena
 Polyhedron – polyhedra
Final as in one case changes to -antes
 Atlas – Atlantes (statues of the Titan); but Atlas – atlases (map collections)
Final ma in nouns of Greek origin can become -mata
Final ma in nouns of Greek origin can become -mata, although  -s is usually also
acceptable, and in many cases more common.
 Stigma – stigmata/stigmas
 Stoma – stomata/stomas
 Schema – schemata/schemas
 Dogma – dogmata/dogmas
 Lemma – lemmata/lemmas
 Anathema – anathemata/anathemas
Irregular Plural Nouns from Other Languages
Some nouns of French origin add an -x:

 Beau – beaux/beaus
 Bureau – bureaux/bureaus
 Tableau – tableaux/tableaus
Nouns of Slavic origin add -a or -i according to native rules, or just -s:

 Kniazhestvo – kniazhestva/kniazhestvos
 Kobzar – kobzari/kobzars
 Oblast – oblasti/oblasts
Nouns of Hebrew origin add -im or -ot (generally m/f) according to native rules, or just
-s:

 Cherub – cherubim/cherubs
 Seraph – seraphim/seraphs
 Matzah – matzot/matzahs
 Kibbutz – kibbutzim/kibbutzes
Many nouns of Japanese origin have no plural form and do not change:

 Benshi – benshi
 Otaku – otaku
 Samurai – samurai
Nouns from languages other than the above generally form plurals as if they were native
English words:

 Canoe – canoes
 Igloo – igloos
 Kangaroo – kangaroos
 Kayak – kayaks
 Kindergarten – kindergartens
 Pizza – pizzas
 Sauna – saunas
 Ninja – ninjas

Slang Words
What is Slang?
Anyone who has ever learned another language knows that you begin with the basics:
verb tenses, common phrases, grammatical structure, word syntax. That’s because you
have learn all the rules before you can break them.
Right?

While that may be true, there’s something to be said for all the “inappropriate” or
“incorrect” usages of language. Slang, or informal words often belonging to a specific
region or dialect, are highly creative phrases that demonstrate the evolution of language
over time. Slang words spotlight the cultural experience of a generation, allowing like-
minded people to forge unique ties of communication and understanding. Because
slang terms are often understood by select populations in specific areas of the world
(especially sub groups within majority cultures), they showcase a sense of belonging,
and simultaneously act as a means of maintaining identity.

Slang words have also been coined by people responsible for shaping history – authors,
poets, artists, musicians, soldiers and protesters – who continue to impact us today.
Art, literature, history, entertainment and advertising are all packed with slang
words which add passion, meaning and intensity to our everyday lives.

How to Learn Slang Words

Therefore, while you might focus on learning a new language “properly” (as you should),
truly understanding a language means mastering every aspect of it. This includes slang
words, idioms and regional dialects. So, how do you learn slang? Slang is typically
learned outside of the classroom for a reason. It’s learned through cultural immersion,
 perhaps by visiting a foreign country and spending time in local bars and restaurants.
You can also hear foreign languages in real-world contexts by watching subtitled TV
shows and movies.
If you’re a native English speaker, try listening to a favorite sitcom
(like Friends or Seinfeld) in French or Spanish while reading English subtitles. Who
knows? You might gain a richer appreciation of Joey’s speech mannerisms or Kramer’s
ridiculous responses. Another way to learn slang words is to read them online, as the
internet is full of slang. And for the truly ambitious, there are plenty of online resources,
like classes and books, that you can thoroughly immerse yourself in in order to
understand the ins and outs of language.
Types of Slang Words
With 1.5 billion speakers worldwide, English is the most widely spoken language. And in
our current Technology Age, English has assumed the dominant language of global
communication on the internet. But that doesn’t mean English sounds the same
wherever it’s spoken. Some American slang terms and words can seem like an alien
language to Brits and Australians – or even to other Americans, depending on your
regional dialect.
In addition to internet slang, there are several types of slang words. Below, we’ll take
you through just a few of the most popular ones that you’re likely to hear in some of the
most widely-spoken languages.

American Slang
Even if you’re not a native English speaker, use these sayings and you’ll soon be
sounding the part!

1. Screw up: To mess up or make a mistake.

2. My bad: My mistake.
3. Kudos: Kudos means “congrats” or “great work”! It can be used in all situations.
4. Cheesy: Nope, it doesn’t actually have anything to do with cheese. Something
that’s cheesy is cheap or tacky, such as a cheesy pick-up line or a cheesy movie.
5. Binge: The dictionary defines “binge” as an “excessive indulgence”. Given the rise
of “Netflix and Chill” culture, it’s common for Americans to admit to “binge-watching” a
favorite TV show.
6. Shoot the sh*t: An alternate expression to making small talk. Asking someone
about the weather or their weekend is an example of shooting the sh*t.
7. Twenty four seven (24/7): Refers to something that’s non-stop or around the clock
– for example, “that grocery store is open 24/7”.
8. It’s not rocket science: This saying explains something by hyperbolically stating
what it is not. If it’s not rocket science, then it must be easy.
9. That hits the spot: Expresses that something (usually food or drink) was exactly
what you needed.
10. Hold your horses: Wait just a second!
British Slang
It might not be the Queen’s English, but these phrases are guaranteed to familiarize you
with how the Brits talk. Here are examples of British slang words you should learn:
1. Chuffed: When someone is chuffed, they are pleased or happy about something.
2. Knackered: Deriving originally from “knacker”, which refers to a person who
slaughters old worn-out horses, “knackered” expresses exhaustion.
3. Fag: This derogatory American expression means something entirely different in
the UK. A fag is simply a cigarette.
4. Cuppa: The Brits love their tea, so this has naturally made its way into slang.
“Cuppa” comes from “cup of” and implies a cup of tea … for a reason.
5. Mate: A friend. This word can also be used to address strangers in informal
situations.
6. Nowt: This is a word which is used to say ‘nothing.’ It might be heard in a
sentence such as ‘I really must go shopping, I’ve got nowt at all in the fridge.’
7. Bloke: A bloke is simply used to talk about a man. You might hear someone say ‘I
like Martin, he is a decent bloke.’
8. Tosh: When you say that something is tosh, you mean that this is a bunch of
nonsense. The word “baloney” can also be used in the same context.
9. Gander: This word is usually used as part of the phrase “take a gander” which
means “take a look”. For example, if you’re struggling with your Math homework, you
can ask one of your friends to take a gander at the equation and help you with it.
10. Gutted: This is a very popular British slang word. When someone’s feeling gutted,
they’re very sad, disappointed, and devastated.

1. G’day: What list would be complete without the most classic of all Aussie slang?
“G’day” combines the word “good” and “day” into one.

Internet Slang
Places like social media forums and online messaging might seem like a foreign world.
But with these helpful abbreviations, they won’t feel quite so scary. Here are some
example of internet slang words:
1. LOL – Laughing out loud
2. BRB – Be right back
3. BTW – By the way
4. LMK – Let me know
5. G2G – Got to go
6. FOMO –  Fear Of Missing Out
7. FTFY – Fixed That For You
8. FTL – For The Loss
9. FTW – For The Win
10. FWB – Friends With Benefits
11. FWIW – For What It’s Worth
12. FYE – For Your Entertainment
13. FYEO – For Your Eyes Only
14. FYI – For Your Information
15. GA – Go Ahead

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech):

Definition, Useful Rules and Examples