Verbs

Nasir Ali Saim

  Three classes of verbs in English:

 I. The auxiliary verbs (auxiliaries): to be, to have, to

do; can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall,
should, will, would; to need, to dare and used.
 II. All other verbs, which we may call ordinary
Types verbs: action verbs, physical or mental action.
 to work to sing to pray to put to stamp
 III. Linking verbs
 Be, have, do, need and dare have infinitives and
participles like ordinary verbs, but can, could, may,
might, must, ought, shall, should, will and would
have neither infinitives nor participles and therefore
have only a restricted number of forms.
.

 Action passes from subject to object.

 Transitive verbs have objects.
 They designed a new pattern. Transitive verbs
 He was flying an aircraft.
Transitive &
intransitive  Do not usually have objects.

verbs  Action does not pass and stops at verb.

 She acted without thinking. Intransitive verbs
 The boy laughs loudly.
 He ran a long distance.
 The poor bird couldn’t fly because of the broken wing.
  Transitive Verbs as give, ask, offer, promise, tell,
etc., take two objects after them - an Indirect
Object which denotes the person to whom some
thing is given or for whom something is done, and a
Direct Object which is usually the name of some
thing, as,
Transitive
Verbs  His father gave him (Indirect) a car(Direct).
 He told me (Indirect) a secret (Direct).
 I offered him a gift.
  Some Verbs, e.g., come, go, fall, die,
Intransitive sleep, lie, denote actions which cannot
verbs be done to anything ; they can,
therefore, never be used Transitively.
 tenses

 The word tense comes from the Latin tempus,

time.
 The form of word which tells the time of an
action.

tenses  Go, goes, went, gone, going

 I write.
 I wrote.
 I will write.
  A Verb that refers to present time is said to be in
the Present Tense; as,
 I write.
 I love.
 A Verb that refers to past time is said to be in the
Past Tense; as,
tenses  I wrote.
 I loved.
 A Verb that refers to future time is said to be in the
Future Tense
 I shall write.
 I shall love.
  Sometimes a past tense may refer to present
time, and a present tense may express future
time, as:

tenses  I wish I knew the answer. (= I'm sorry I don't

know the answer. Past tense – Present time)
 Let's wait till he comes. (Present tense - future
tense)
 When does the train come?
  Activity

tenses
 Develop a story and note what types of
tenses/structures are being used commonly by you
  1. Used for habitual actions.
 My watch keeps good time.
 He drinks tea every morning.
 I get up early in the morning.
Uses of
present  2. To express the general truths.
simple tense  The sun rises in the east.
 Fortune favours the brave.

 Correct your errors in the use of s, es.

  3. In exclamatory sentences beginning with here
and there to express what is actually taking place
in the present; as,
 Here comes the bus !
 There she goes !
Uses….
 4. In vivid narrative, as substitute for the Simple
Past; as,
 Tepu Sultan now rushes forward and attacks the
castle.
 Immediately the Sultan hurries to his capital.
 Uses…

 5. To express a future event that is part of a fixed

timetable or fixed programme.

 The next flight is at 7,00 tomorrow morning.

Present  The match starts at 9 o'clock.
simple  The train leaves at 5.20.
 When does the coffee house reopen?
 6. It is used to introduce quotations; as,
 Keats says, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’.
 Quaid e Azam says:
  7. It is used, instead of the Simple Future Tense,
in clauses of time and of condition; as,
 I shall wait till you finish your lunch.
Present  If it rains we shall get wet.
simple  8. The Simple Present Tense is used for official
programmes and timetables.
 The college opens on 23rd June.
  1. The Present Continuous is used
 For an action going on at the time of speaking ; as,
 She is singing (now).

Present  The boys are playing hockey.

Continuous
Tense  (2) For a temporary action which may not be
actually happening at the time of speaking;
 as,
 I am reading ‘Khalil Jibran’ (but I am not reading at
this moment).
  (3) For an action that has already been arranged to
Present take place in the near future; as,
continuous  I am going to the cinema tonight.
tense  My uncle is arriving tomorrow.
 Mental and Believe, dislike, doubt, imagine, know, like,
emotional love, hate, prefer, realize, recognize,
verbs suppose, remember, understand, want, wish
 The following verbs, on account of their meaning,
are not normally used in the continuous form:
Sense verbs Appear, hear, see, smell, sound, taste
Verbs that  (1) Verbs of perception, e.g., see, hear, smell, notice,
can not be recognize.
Communica Agree, astonish, deny, disagree, impress, mean,
used in  (2) Verbs please,
tion, of appearing . e.g.,
promise, appear,
surprise, look, seem.
satisfy
continuous  (3) Verbs of emotion, e.g., want, wish, desire, feel,
form Verbslike, love,Be,
hate, hope,consist,
concern, refuse, contain,
prefer. depend, deserve,
 (4) Verbs fit, exist, include,
of thinking, e.g., involve, lack, matter,
think, suppose, need,
believe,
owe, seem
agree, consider, trust, remember, forget, know,
understand, imagine, mean, mind.
Verbs Belong, own, possess
  These grapes are tasting sour -- These grapes taste
sour.
Correct &
incorrect  I am thinking you are wrong -- I think you are wrong.

 She is seeming sad -- She seems sad.

  The Present Perfect is used
 (1) To indicate completed activities in the
immediate past (with just): as;
 He has just gone out.
 It has just struck ten.
Present
Perfect  (2) To express past actions whose time is not given
and not definite; as,
 Have you read "Gulliver's Travels'?
 I have never known him to be angry.
 Mr. Khan has been to Japan.
  Note that the Present Perfect is never used with
adverbs of past time. We should not say, for
example, ‘
Cont….  He has gone to Lahore yesterday'. In such cases the
Simple Past should be
 used ('He went to Lahore yesterday').
  1. The Present Perfect Continuous is used for an action
which began at some time in the past and is still
continuing; as,

 He has been sleeping for five hours (and is still sleeping).

Present  They have been building the bridge for several months.
Perfect  They have been playing since four o'clock.
Continuous
 2. This tense is also sometimes used for an action already
finished. In such cases the continuity of the activity is
emphasized as an explanation of something.
 'Why are your clothes so wet?' - 'I have been watering the
garden'.
  The Simple Past is used to indicate an action completed
in the past. It often occurs with adverbs or adverb phrases
of past time.
 The steamer sailed yesterday.
 I received his letter a week ago.
Simple Past  She left school last year.

 2. The Simple Past is also used for past habits; as,

 He studied many hours every day.
 She always carried an umbrella.
  The Past Continuous is used to denote an action
going on at some time in the past.
 The time of the action may or may not be
indicated.
Past
Continuous
 We were watching TV all evening.
Tense
 It was getting darker.
 The light went out while I was reading.
 When I saw him, he was playing chess.
 • With two actions; one in past simple and another
with past perfect
 I had done my exercise when Miss came to see me.
 I had written the letter before he arrived.
Past Perfect
and perfect  The Past Perfect Continuous is used for an action
continuous that began before a certain point in the past and
continued up to that time; as,
 When Mr. Musharaf came to the school in 1995, Mr.
Ahmad had already been teaching there for five
years.
  Going to
 We use the going to form (be going to + base of
the verb) when we have decided to do
something before doing it.
 “Have you decided what to do?” – “Yes. / am going
Going to… to resign the job.”
be about to  “Why do you want to sell your motorbike?” – “I'm
going to buy a car.”
 It is going to rain; look at those clouds.
 The boat is full of water. It is going to sink.
 He is going to have a job.
  Be about to
 Be about to + base form can also be used for the
immediate future.
 Let's get into the train. It's about to leave.
 Don't go out now. We are about to have lunch.

Be about
 Be to
to…. Be to
 We use be to + base form to talk about official plans
and arrangements.
 The Prime Minister is to visit America next month.
 The conference is to discuss “Nuclear Tests”.
 Be to is used in a formal style, often in news reports
Be is usually left out in headlines,
 e.g. “Prime Minister to visit America”.
  Simple present -- take, takes -- am taken, is taken,
are taken.
 Present continuous -- am taking, is taking, are
taking -- am being taken, is being taken, are being
taken
 Present perfect -- has taken, have taken -- has been
taken, have been taken

Active  Simple past -- took -- was taken, were taken

Passive  Past continuous -- was taking, were taking -- was

being taken, were being taken
 Past perfect -- had taken -- had been taken
 Simple future -- will take, shall take -- will be taken,
shall be taken
 Can / may / must, etc. + base -- can take, must take
-- can be taken must be taken
  1. The cat killed the mouse.
 2. We compelled the enemy to surrender.
 3. The boy was bitten by a dog.
 4. The thief was caught.
 5. The boy made a kite.
 6. The young man made a disturbance at the meeting.
 7. The bird was killed by a cruel boy.
 8. The sudden noise frightened the horse.
Active and  11. He is loved by all.
passive verbs  12. The exhibition was opened by the Governor.
 13. I see a dark cloud.
 14. Some of the cargo had been damaged by the sea water.
 15. The dog chased the sheep.
 16. The dog was teased by the boy.
 17. The cat drank all the milk.
 18. The money was lost.
 19. The letter has just been posted.
  Affirmative contractions
 The auxiliaries be, have, will, would are
contracted as follows:
 am 'm have 've will 'II
 is 's has 's would 'd
 are 're had 'd
 Note that 's can be is or has and 'd can be
Contractions had or would:
 He's going = He is going.
 He's gone = He has gone.
 He'd paid = He had paid.
 He'd like a drink = He would like a drink.
 These contractions are used after pronouns,
here, there, and short nouns:
 Here's your pen. The twins've arrived.
 The car'd broken down.
  Affirmative contractions are not used at
the end of sentences:
 You aren't in a hurry but I am. (I'm would
not be possible here.)

 shall/should, was and were are not

Contractions written in a contracted form

 Stress
 Auxiliaries used to form tenses are
normally unstressed. The stress falls on
the main verb.
 Negative contractions
 am not 'm not
 is not isn’t or 's not
 are not aren't or 're not
 I'm not going and Tom isn't going/Tom's not going.
 We aren't going/We're not going.
 have not and has not contract to haven't and
Contractions hasn't, but in perfect tenses 've not and 's not are
also possible:
 We haven't seen him/We've not seen him.
 He hasn't/He 's not come yet.
 will not contracts to won't, though 'll not is also
possible, shall not contracts to shan't:
 I won't go/I'll not go till I hear and I shan't hear till
tomorrow.
  Other verb forms are contracted in the usual way
by adding n't.
Negative
 Negative contractions can come at the end of a
contractions sentence:
 I saw it but he didn't.
  In English a negative sentence can have only one
negative expression in it. Two negative
expressions give the sentence an affirmative
meaning:
 Nobody did nothing means that everyone did
something.
Negative
 So never, no (adjective), none, nobody, no one,
sentences nothing, hardly, hardly ever etc. are used with an
affirmative verb.
 He didn't eat anything or He ate nothing.
 He doesn't ever complain or He never complains.
 We haven't seen anyone or We have seen no one.
  Sana enjoys the party.
 The function starts at 8 pm.
 You have finished.
 I love my country.
 You are coming.

Form the  He would be there in time.

interrogatives  I live in defense colony.

 He is taking his turn.
 He told you.
 You have an idea it starts at 5 pm.
 I mind moving my car.
 You can give me a hand.
 Principal auxiliaries: to be, to have, to do

Modal auxiliaries: can, could, may,

might, must, had
Auxiliaries to, ought, shall,
and modal should, will, would
auxiliaries
Semi-modals: to need, to dare,
used
  Auxiliaries help to form a tense or an expression.

 They combine with present or past participles or

with infinitives to form the tenses of ordinary verbs:
Auxiliaries,  I am coming.
function  He has finished.
 I didn't see them.
 They combine with infinitives to indicate
permission, possibility, obligation, deduction:
 He can speak French. You may go. We must hurry.
 Infinitive Present Past Past
tense tense participle
Principle
auxiliaries 
to be am. is, are was been

to have have, has had had

to do do, does did done

  The auxiliary ‘be’ is used
 (1) In the formation of the continuous tenses; as,
 He is working. I was writing.
 (2) In the formation of the passive; as,
Principle  The gate was opened.
Auxiliaries  Be followed by the infinitive is used
BE, HAVE,  (1) To indicate a plan, arrangement, or agreement;
as,
DO  I am to see him tomorrow.
 We are to be married next month.
 (2) To denote command; as,
 You are to write your name at the top of each sheet
of paper.
 Mother says you are to go to market at once.
  The auxiliary have is used in the formation of the
perfect tenses; as,
 He has worked. He has been working.
 Have to is used with the infinitive to indicate
obligation; as,

Have  I have to be there by five o'clock.

 He has to move the furniture himself.
 The past form had to is used to express
obligation in the past.
 I had to be there by five o'clock.
 He had to move the furniture himself.
  The auxiliary do is used
 (1) To form the negative and interrogative of the
simple present and simple past tenses of ordinary
verbs; as,
 He doesn't work.
 He didn’t work.
 Does he work?
Do  Did he work?
 (2) To avoid repetition of a previous ordinary verb;
as,
 Do you know him? Yes, I do.
 She sings well. Yes, she does.
 You met him, didn't you?
 He eats fish and so do you.
  Do is also used to emphasize the affirmative
nature of a statement; as,

 You do look pale.

 I told him not to go, but he did go.
Do
 In the imperative, do makes a request or
invitation more persuasive; as, Do be quiet,
 Oh, do come! It's going to be such fun.
 In such cases do is strongly stressed.
  1. Can usually expresses ability or capacity; as,
 I can swim across the river.
 He can work this sum.
Can, could,  Can you lift this box?
may, might  2. Can and may are used to express permission.
May is rather formal.
 You can/may go now.
 Can/May I borrow your umbrella?
  May is used to express possibility in affirmative
sentences. Can is used in the corresponding
interrogative and negative sentences.

 It may rain tomorrow.

Can, could,  He may reach home.
may, might  Can this be true?
 It cannot be true.

 Compare 'It cannot be true' with 'It may not be

true'. Cannot denotes impossibility, while may
not denotes improbability.
  In very formal English, may is used to express a
wish; as,
 May you live happily and long!
 May success attend you!
 May you prosper!
 Could and might are used as the past
Can, could, equivalents of can and may; as,
may, might  I could swim across the river when I was
young. (Ability)
 He said I might/could go. (Permission)
 I thought he might be at home. (Possibility)
 She wondered whether it could be true.
(Possibility)
  In present-time contexts could and might are
used as less positive versions of can and may;
as,

 I could attend the party. (Less positive and more

can, could, hesitant than I can attend the party.)
may, might  Might/Could I borrow your bicycle ? (A diffident way
of saying May/Can I……')
 It might rain tomorrow. (Less positive than 'It may
rain……’)
 Could you pass me the salt ? (Polite request);
  He is not there. Where can he have gone? (= Where is
it possible that he has gone? – May expresses
annoyance.)

Use of can,
could, may  You could have accepted the offer. (= Why didn't you
accept the offer?)
and might
with the  Fatima may/might have gone with Sara. (= Possibly
perfect Fatima has gone/ went with Sara.)
infinitive:
 Why did you drive so carelessly? You might have run
into the lamppost. (= It is fortunate that you didn't
run into the lamppost.)
  Shall is used in the first person and will in all
persons to express pure future. Today I/we shall is
less common than I/we will.

 I shall/will be twenty-five next birthday.

Shall,  We will need the money on 15th.
Should, Will,  When shall we see you again?
Would  Tomorrow will be Sunday.
 You will see that I am right.

 In present-day English, however, there is a

growing tendency to use will in all persons.
  Shall is sometimes used in the second and third
persons to express a command, a promise, or
threat; as,

 He shall not enter my house again. (Command)

Shall  You shall have a holiday tomorrow. (Promise)
 You shall be punished for this. (Threat)

 Note that these uses of shall are old-fashioned

and formal and generally avoided in modern
English.
  Will is used to express
 (1) Volition; as,
 I will (=am willing to) carry your books.
 I will (=promise to) try to do better next time.
 I will (=am determined to) succeed or die in the attempt.
 In the last example above, will is strong-stressed.
 (2) Characteristic habit; as,
Will  He will talk about nothing but films.
 She will sit for hours listening to the wireless.
 (3) Assumption or probability; as,
 This will be the book you want, I suppose.
 That will be the postman, I think.
 Will you? indicates an invitation or a request; as,
 Will you have tea?
 Will you lend me your scooter?
  Should and would are used as the past
equivalents of shall and will – as
 I expected that I should (more often: would) get a
Should, first class.

would  He said he would be twenty-five next birthday.

 She said she would carry my books.
 She would sit for hours listening to the wireless, (Past
habit)
  Should and would are also used as in the examples
below.

 (i)I should (or: would) like you to help her.

('should/would like' is a polite form of 'want').

 (ii) Would you lend me your scooter, please? ('Would

you?' is more polite than 'Will you?')
Would,
should  (iii)You should have been more careful. (Should + perfect
infinitive indicates a past obligation that was not
fulfilled).

 (iv) He should be in the library now. (Expresses

probability)

 (v) I wish you would not chatter so much. (Would after

wish expresses" a strong desire).
  Must is used to express necessity or obligation.
 You must improve your spelling.
 We must get up early.
 Must refers to the present or the near future. To talk
about the past we use had to (the past form of have
to); must has no past form.
Must, Ought
 Yesterday we had to get up early.
to
 Must is often used when the obligation comes from
the speaker. When the obligation comes from
somewhere else, have to is often used. Compare:
 I must be on a diet. (It is my own idea.)
 I have to be on a diet. (The doctor has told me to be on a
diet.)
  Ought (to) expresses moral obligation or
desirability; as,
 We ought to love our neighbours.
 We ought to help him.
Ought (to)  You ought to know better.
 Ought (to) can also be used to express
probability.
 Prices ought to come down soon.
 This book ought to be very useful.
  The auxiliary used (to) expresses a discontinued
habit.
 There used to be a house there.
 I used to live there when I was a boy.
Used (to),  The auxiliary need, denoting necessity or
Need, Dare obligation
 He need not go. (= It is not nescessary for him to go)
 Need I write to him?
 I need hardly take his help.
 The auxiliary dare (=be brave enough to), as distinct
from the ordinary verb dare (=challenge), does not
take -s in the third person singular present tense. It is
generally used in negative and interrogative
sentences. When conjugated without do, it is
followed by an infinitive without to; when conjugated
with do, it takes an infinitive with or without to after
it.
Dare
• He dare not take such a step.
• How dare you contradict me?
• He dared not do it.
• He doesn't dare speak to me.
Thank You