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1. 16 TIPS on USING VERBS
Grammar Rules and Tips for using Verbs
2. What is a Verb?
Verbs are words that describe an action, an occurrence, or a state of
being; mental, physical, or mechanical. Verbs form one of the main parts
of a sentence or question in English.
Function of Verb: It answers the following questions
1. What a person or thing do? She teaches in school. (active)
2. What is done to a person or a thing? The house was cleaned.
(passive)
3. What is the time of action? I am going to Jaipur tomorrow. (future
tense)
4. What a person or thing is? My brother is a doctor. (‘be’ as an
ordinary verb)
3. Types of Verbs
1. Auxiliary Verb (Be, Have, Do): used together with a main verb to show the
verb’s tense or to form a negative or a question: Does Sam write his own
reports?
2. Modal Verb: Can/Could, Will/ Would, Shall/ Should, May/Might--used to
express ability, possibility, permission or obligation: You can go to school.
3. Transitive Verb: action of verb transits/ passes over to an object: She ate
the fruits. (fruits is ‘direct object’)
4. Intransitive Verb: action of verb does not transit/pass over to an object:
The cat sneezed.
5. Stative Verb: relates to a state of being, a thought, or an emotion but not
an action: He feels elated.
6. Action Verb: expresses physical or mental action: She is walking in the
park. (or) He believes that it can be done.
7. Regular Verb: takes add -ed or -d to the base form of the verb to create the
past forms: (Play-Played)
8. Irregular Verbs don’t take on the regular –d, -ed, or -ied spelling patterns of
the past simple or past participle: (Catch-Caught)
4. Types of Verbs
9. Phrasal Verb: made with a main verb and another word (either
a preposition or a particle) and forms a meaning different to the main verb:
A burglar will often break a window to break in.
10. Finite Verb: shows tense and are conjugated to agree with the subject: She
was waiting in the room.
11. Non-Finite Verb: do not show tense. They are of three types:
• Participle: usually formed by adding –ing or –ed to a verb. It functions
as an adjective: The singing bird was the main attraction at the event.
• Gerunds: formed by adding –ing to a verb. It functions as a noun:
Smoking is prohibited in the hospital.
• Infinitive: formed by using the word ‘to’ before the verb in its stem
word. It functions as a noun, adjective or adverb: Shalini loves to talk.
12. Link Verb: Some verbs are followed by either a noun or an adjective: He
became angry. (noun + verb + adjective)
13. Causative Verb: used to indicate that some person/thing makes, requires,
forces or helps to make something happen: I made my friend write a letter.
6. Subject-Verb Agreement: Subjects and verbs
must AGREE with one another in number
(singular or plural).
A singular subject takes a singular verb:
The dog growls when he is angry.
A plural subject takes a plural verb:
The dogs growl when they are angry.
Phrases between the subject and verb not
affect agreement:
The dog, which belongs to my relatives,
usually growls at strangers.
Tip #1: Singular-Plural
In the present tense: Nouns ADD an s to the
singular form; Verbs REMOVE the s from the
singular form.
Singular: The dog chases the cat.
Plural: The dogs chase the cat.
In the simple past tense: The verb remains the
same when without any helping verbs.
Singular: The girl talked to me.
Plural: The girls talked to me.
is-are, was-were, has-have, does-do: When
helping verbs are used with a main verb, there
must be Subject-Verb Agreement:
Singular: The girl has talked to me.
Plural: The girls have talked to me.
Tip #2: Verbs in Tense
7. As well as, Like, Unlike, Besides, In
addition to, With, Together with, Along
with, And not, Rather than, No less
than, Except, Nothing, No more than:
When these words join two or more
subjects, the verb is used according to
the first subject.
Nothing but prayer is valuable. (here
prayer is in singular number so we use
singular verb ‘is’)
The coach as well as the players was
honored by the government. (the first
subject ‘coach’ is singular so we use
singular verb ‘was’, not ‘were’)
Tip #3: Unlike, Besides,
With, Except
Tip #4: Either-Or,
Neither Nor
Not only-But also, Either-or, Neither-
nor, None-but: When these words join
two or more subjects, the verb is used
according to the nearest subject.
One or two books is are needed.
(nearest subject ‘books’ is in plural so
we use plural verb ‘are’)
None but the students are responsible
for the chaos in the class.
Neither the class teacher nor the
students were present in the assembly.
8. Each, Every, None, Anyone, Neither,
Either: When these words are used as
pronouns or adjectives, the following verb
should be in the third person singular.
Neither of the two workers have has
come today. (though we are talking about
two workers, we still use ‘has’)
None: when used with uncountable
nouns, verb is singular.
None of the information is correct.
Each: when used after subject, verb is
plural.
They each are obedient.
Each of the students is obedient. (here
‘each’ is an adjective, so singular verb)
Tip #5: Each, Every
Many A/An, More than One: These
expressions should be followed by a
singular noun and singular verb.
Many a candidate has applied for the
job. (the noun ‘candidate’ and the verb
‘has’ is in singular due to use of ‘many a’)
Many candidates have applied for the
job. (noun and verb both plural)
More than one man was absent. (the
noun ‘man’ and the verb ‘was’ is in
singular due to use of ‘more than one’)
More men than one were absent. (in
case of ‘more men than one’, the verb is
plural)
Tip #6: Many A/An,
More than One
9. Amount, Sum, Quantity, Time, period,
Distance: When these are expressed
using plural nouns, the following verb is
singular.
Two miles are is too far to walk.
Hundred rupees is the entry fee.
(‘hundred rupees’ is considered one
amount of money)
Hundred rupees were scattered on the
floor. (In this sentence, ‘hundred rupees’
is considered to be hundred individual
rupee notes and not a single unit)
Tip #7: Plural Noun (time,
distance, period) Tip #8: Collective Noun
Family, Herd, Choir, Group, Team,
Group, Population: These types of
collective nouns are followed by both
singular and plural verbs, depending on
the intent.
The class is in session. (Here ‘class’ is
referring to the whole group so we
have a singular verb)
The class are taking their tests today.
(The ‘class’ in this sentence is referring
to each member as an individual so it
uses a plural verb)
10. If two subjects are joined by "and," the
verb is plural:
Bread and butter are sold here.
If the two subjects separated by "and"
refer to the same person or thing, the
verb is singular:
Bread and butter is difficult to earn. (here
‘bread and butter’ is a compound noun)
Rice and fish is my mom's favorite dish.
Tip #9: And
It: When sentence begins with ‘It’, the
verb is according to the subject indicated
by ‘It’)
It is a real challenge to find a good deal
on a car. (‘Finding a good deal’ is the
subject which is singular)
There, Here: When sentences start with
“there” or “here,” the subject will always
be placed after the verb and verb is
conjugated in agreement with the
subject.
There is a problem with the balance.
sheet.
Here are the papers you requested.
Tip #10: It, Here, There
11. Number of:
The number of musicians signing to record
labels increases each year.
A number of musicians intend to get a
contract deal each year.
Means:
Means are more important than the ends.
A fair means is more important the foul
ones.
Wage:
The wages/wage in IT are/is the highest.
(wage meaning rate of compensation)
The wages of sin is death. (here wage
means recompense or return)
Tip #11: Number Of,
Wages, Means
Plenty of, Rest of, Variety of, A lot of,
fraction of, Per cent of: In these cases we
use singular verb with uncountable nouns
and plural verb with countable nouns .
Plenty of milk is available in the store.
(milk is uncountable so singular verb)
A variety of books are available. (books
are a countable noun, so plural verb)
Per cent/ Percentage:
Twenty per cent of the students have
cleared the exam.
The percentage of the successful
candidate is low. (verb is singular in case
of percentage)
Tip #12: Plenty, Variety,
Lot, Percentage
12. Subjunctive Mood: used to express things
that are hypothetical, wishful, imaginary, or
factually contradictory.
‘Were’ replaces ‘was’ in sentences that
express a wish or are contrary to fact:
If Ramesh were here, you'd be sorry.
I wish it were Saturday.
As if/As though:
She behaves as if she was were the
landlady.
Tip #13: Subjunctive
Mood
Interrogation: Subject-Verb inversion
happens in questions.
What is the problem?
What are the problems?
Did he come to work on time?
Inversion also happens when the
sentence is introduced by adverb:
So quickly did she finish her assignment
that we were astonished.
Inversion occurs when the verb is meant
to be a wish or prayer:
May you be blessed with a long life.
Tip #14: Subject-Verb
Inversion
13. Transitive Verb:
•Require an object
•Transfer their action to the object
She wrote a book. (verb ‘write’ transfers
the action to single object ‘a book’)
She offered him (first object) her book.
(second object). (verb ‘offer’ transfers the
action to two objects ‘him’ and ‘her book’)
Intransitive Verb:
•Don’t require an object
They run. ( verb ‘run’ has no object)
She slept. ( verb ‘slept’ has no object)
Tip #15: Transitive,
Intransitive Verbs
Irregular Verbs: Verbs that don’t take on
the regular –d, -ed, or -ied spelling
patterns of the past simple (or past
participle.
Base Simple Past Past Participle
Be Was, Were, Been
Arise Arose Arisen
Begin Began Begun
Irregular verbs where past and past
participle remain the same:
Base Simple Past Past Participle
Bid Bid Bid
Cost Cost Cost
Hit Hit Hit
Tip #16: Irregular Verbs
15. The percentage of successful candidates are very high.
My mother no less than my father are strict.
Every student and every teacher have participated in the school event.
Three fourths of my salary go to taxes.
Six months are needed to complete the assignment.
Spot the Error
16. The percentage of successful candidates are very high.
The percentage of successful candidates is very high.
My mother no less than my father are strict.
My mother no less than my father is strict.
Every student and every teacher have participated in the school event.
Every student and every teacher has participated in the school event.
Three fourths of my salary go to taxes.
Three fourths of my salary goes to taxes.
Six months are needed to complete the assignment.
Six months is needed to complete the assignment.
Spot the Error
17. Thirty five percent of the population are educated.
A lot of my friends lives here.
She requested that he raises his hand.
A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.
Either Anita or Ashish are helping today with the arrangements.
Spot the Error
18. Thirty five percent of the population are educated.
Thirty five percent of the population is educated.
A lot of my friends lives here.
A lot of my friends live here.
She requested that he raises his hand.
She requested that he raise his hand.
A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.
A bouquet of yellow roses lends color and fragrance to the room.
Either Anita or Ashish are helping today with the arrangements.
Either Anita or Ashish is helping today with the arrangements.
Spot the Error
19. A scooter and a car is my means of transportation.
Breaking and entering are against the law.
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl go in the dishwasher.
Five years are the maximum sentence for that offense.
Here is the keys to the first floor room.
Spot the Error
20. A scooter and a car is my means of transportation.
A scooter and a car are my means of transportation.
Breaking and entering are against the law.
Breaking and entering is against the law.
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl go in the dishwasher.
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes in the dishwasher.
Five years are the maximum sentence for that offense.
Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
Here is the keys to the first floor room.
Here are the keys to the first floor room.
Spot the Error
21. I or he are to be rewarded?
They each is honest.
Many an events have taken place in the stadium.
Plenty of information are available on the internet.
At the party, they enjoyed.
Spot the Error
22. I or he are to be rewarded?
I or he is to be rewarded?
They each is honest.
They each are honest.
Many an events have taken place in the stadium.
Many an event has taken place in the stadium.
Plenty of information are available on the internet.
Plenty of information is available on the internet.
At the party, they enjoyed.
At the party, they enjoyed themselves.
Spot the Error
23. About Us
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master English Grammar and Vocabulary , ace
Aptitude Tests , speak fluently in a Group Discussion
and perform well in Interviews.
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You can read more about Tips on Using Verbs.
Editor's Notes
VO: 10 Tips on using adverbs
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VO: Each of the following sentences will contain a mistake in the usage of Verbs. See if you can spot that mistake.
VO: Can you spot the errors in these 5 sentences? Please pause the video here to see if you can spot all 5 errors.
VO: The percentage of successful candidates are very high this sentence is incorrect because the word with the word ‘percentage’ in subject, the verb is always singular. So the correct answer is The percentage of successful candidates are very high.
The sentence My mother no less than my father are strict– is wrong because it is joined by ‘no less than’ so the verb will be according to the first subject, which means it will singular. The correct answer is My mother no less than my father is strict.
Every student and every teacher have participated in the school event is wrong because when the word ‘every’ is used as pronoun or adjective, the following verb should be third person singular, in this case ‘has’ is used in place of ‘have’ . So the correct answer is Every student and every teacher has participated in the school event.
Three fourths of my salary go to taxes-- is incorrect because with fractions the verb agree with the object of the preposition that follows the subject. Here three fourths is a single unit. So the correct answer is Three fourths of my salary goes to taxes.
Six months are needed to complete the assignment– this is a wrong sentence because ‘Six months’, in this sentence, is one period of time, so the verb will be singular. The correct answer is Six months is needed to complete the assignment.
VO: Can you spot the errors in these 5 sentences? Please pause the video here to see if you can spot all 5 errors.
O: The sentence Thirty five percent of the population are educated– is wrong because some figure of percent is used with uncountable nouns, in this case ‘population, the verb will be singular. So the correct answer is Thirty five percent of the population is educated.
A lot of my friends lives here- is wrong because here ‘friends’ is plural countable noun, hence, the verb will plural. So, the correct answer is A lot of my friends live here.
She requested that he raises his hand-- is incorrect because sentence demonstrates the subjunctive mood, where a request is being expressed. So singular subjects are paired with what we usually think of as plural verbs and the correct answer is She requested that he raise his hand.
A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room--because ‘bouquet’ is collective noun, a single unit, so the following verb should be singular. The correct answer is A bouquet of yellow roses lends color and fragrance to the room.
Either Anita or Ashish are helping today with the arrangements– is a wrong sentence because two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb. So the correct answer is Either Anita or Ashish is helping today with the arrangements.
VO: Can you spot the errors in these 5 sentences? Please pause the video here to see if you can spot all 5 errors.
VO: A scooter and a car is my means of transportation– is a wrong sentence because when two or more subjects are connected by and, we use plural verb. So the correct answer is A scooter and a car are my means of transportation.
The sentence Breaking and entering are against the law- is wrong because here ‘breaking’ and ‘entering’ are not two separate words but it is compound noun. So the correct answer is Breaking and entering is against the law.
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl go in the dishwasher -- is wrong because we use neither/nor to join two or more subjects, the verb agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it. So the correct is Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes in the dishwasher. We can also say Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go in the dishwasher.
Five years are the maximum sentence for that offense– is a wrong sentence because here ‘five years’ depicts a period of time hence should be followed by a singular verb. The correct answer is Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.
The sentence --Here is the keys to the first floor room– is incorrect because when sentences start with “there” or “here,” the subject will always be placed after the verb and verb follows the subject to be plural or singular. In this case ‘keys’ is plural. So the correct answer is Here are the keys to the first floor room.
VO: Can you spot the errors in these 5 sentences? Please pause the video here to see if you can spot all 5 errors.
VO: I or he are to be rewarded? This is an incorrect sentence because when two or more subjects are joined by ‘or’, the verb is according to the nearest subject. Here ‘he’ is singular so the correct answer is I or he is to be rewarded?
They each is honest – is wrong because here ‘each’ is used after the subject ‘they’, so the verb should be plural. Correct answer is They each are honest.
The sentence Many an events have taken place in the stadium is wrong because the expression ‘many an’ should be followed by a singular noun and singular verb. So the correct answer is Many an event has taken place in the stadium.
Plenty of information are available on the internet– is a wrong sentence because here ‘information’ is a uncountable noun, so the following verb with ‘plenty of’ will be singular in form. The correct answer is Plenty of information is available on the internet.
At the party, they enjoyed- is not a correct answer because enjoyed is a transitive verb that must take an object. So the correct answer is At the party, they enjoyed themselves.