all about..

VERB

What is a Verb?
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word
(part of speech) that in syntax conveys an action (bring,
read, walk, run, learn), an occurrence (happen, become), or
a state of being (be, exist, stand). In the usual description
of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is
the infinitive. In many languages, verbs are inflected
(modified in form) to encode tense, aspect, mood, and
voice. A verb may also agree with the person, gender,
and/or number of some of its arguments, such as its
subject, or object. Verbs have tenses: present, to indicate
that an action is being carried out; past, to indicate that an
action has been done; future, to indicate that an action will
be done.
(Wikipedia)

What is the agreement?

In languages where the verb is inflected, it

often agrees with its primary argument (the
subject) in person, number, and/or gender.
With the exception of the verb to be,
English shows distinctive agreement only
in the third person singular, present tense
form of verbs, which are marked by adding
"-s" ( walks) or "-es" (fishes). The rest of
the persons are not distinguished in the
verb (I walk, you walk, they walk, etc.).

What are they?

Intransitive verbs

An intransitive verb is one that does not have a direct object. Intransitive verbs may be
followed by an adverb (a word that addresses how, where, when, and how often) or
end a sentence.
For example:
"The woman spoke softly.
"The athlete ran faster than the official.
"The boy wept.

Linking verbs

A linking verb cannot be followed by an adverb or end a sentence but instead must be
followed by a noun or adjective, whether in a single word or phrase. Common linking
verbs include seem, become, appear, look, and remain.
For example:
"His mother looked worried.
"Josh remained a reliable friend.
Therefore, linking verbs 'link' the adjective or noun to the subject.
*Adjectives that come after linking verbs are predicate adjectives, and nouns that come
after linking verbs are predicate nouns.

What are they?

Transitive verbs

A transitive verb is followed by a noun or noun phrase. These noun phrases are not called predicate
nouns but are instead called direct objects because they refer to the object that is being acted upon.
For example:
"My friend read the newspaper.
"The teenager earned a speeding ticket."
A way to identify a transitive verb is to invert the sentence, making it passive.
For example:
"The newspaper was read by my friend.
"A speeding ticket was earned by the teenager.

Two-place transitive: Vg verbs

Vg verbs (named after the verb give) precede either two noun phrases or a noun phrase and then a
prepositional phrase often led by to or for.
For example:
"The players gave their teammates high fives.
"The players gave high fives to their teammates."
When two noun phrases follow a transitive verb, the first is an indirect object, that which is receiving
something, and the second is a direct object, that being acted upon. Indirect objects can be noun
phrases or prepositional phrases.

What are they?

Transitive Verbs: Vc verbs

Vc verbs (named after the verb consider) are followed by a noun phrase that serves as a
direct object and then a second noun phrase, adjective, or infinitive phrase. The second
element (noun phrase, adjective, or infinitive) is called a complement, which completes a
clause that would not otherwise have the same meaning.
For example:
"The young couple considers the neighbors wealthy people.
"Some students perceive adults quite inaccurately.
"Sarah deemed her project to be the hardest she has ever completed.

To be verbs

The verb be is manifested in eight forms: be, is, am, are, was, were, been, and being.
These verbs precede nouns or adjectives in a sentence, which become predicate nouns
and predicate adjectives similar to those that function with a linking verb. They can also
be followed by an adverb of place, which is sometimes referred to as a predicate adverb.
For example:
"Her daughter was a writing tutor.
"The singers were very nervous.
"My house is down the street."

How do we describe Valency?

The number of arguments that a verb takes is called its valency
or valence. Verbs can be classified according to their valency:

Avalent (valency = 0): the verb has neither a subject nor an

object. Zero valency does not occur in English; in some
languages such as Mandarin Chinese, weather verbs like
snow(s) take no subject or object.
Intransitive (valency = 1, monovalent): the verb only has a
subject. For example: "he runs", "it falls".
Transitive (valency = 2, divalent): the verb has a subject and a
direct object. For example: "she eats fish", "we hunt nothing".
Ditransitive (valency = 3, trivalent): the verb has a subject, a
direct object, and an indirect object. For example: "He gives her a
flower" or "She gave the watch to John".

What is modality?

Modality expresses the speaker's attitude toward the

action or state given by the verb, especially with
regard to degree of necessity, obligation, or
permission ("You must go", "You should go", "You may
go), determination or willingness ("I will do this no
matter what), degree of probability ("It must be raining
by now", "It may be raining", "It might be raining"), or
ability ("I can speak French"). All languages can
express modality with adverbs, but some also use
verbal forms as in the given examples. If the verbal
expression of modality involves the use of an auxiliary
verb, that auxiliary is called a modal verb.

What is a voice of verb?

The voice of a verb expresses whether

the subject of the verb is performing the
action of the verb or whether the action
is being performed on the subject. The
two most common voices are the active
voice (as in "I saw the car") and the
passive voice (as in "The car was seen
by me" or simply "The car was seen").

What is Finite Verb?

A finite verb is a form of a verb that has a

subject (expressed or implied) and can function
as the root of an independent clause; an
independent clause can, in turn, stand alone as
a complete sentence. Finite verbs are
distinguished from non-finite verbs, such as
infinitives, participles, etc., which generally mark
these grammatical categories to a lesser degree
or not at all, and which appear below the finite
verb in the hierarchy of syntactic structure.

What are the

examples:
The finite verbs are in bold in the following sentences,
and the non-finite verbs are underlined:

Verbs appear in almost all sentences.

This sentence is illustrating finite and non-finite verbs.
The dog will have to be trained well.
Tom promised to try to do the work.
A finite verb is generally expected to have a subject, as
it does in all the examples above, although null-subject
languages allow the subject to be omitted.

What are the

exceptions:

In English, finite verbs lacking subjects

are normal in imperative sentences:
Come over here!
Don't look at him!
And also occur in some fragmentary
utterances:
[It] doesn't matter.
[I] don't want to [verb].

What is Nonfinite Verb?

A nonfinite verb is any of several verb

forms that are not finite verbs; that is,
they cannot serve as the root of an
independent clause. Nonfinite verbs
found in English typically are infinitives,
participles and gerunds. Generally, they
lack a subject dependent.

What are the

examples:
The following sentences each contain one finite verb
(underlined) and multiple nonfinite verbs (in bold):

The proposal has been intensively examined today.

What did they want to have done about that?
Someone tried to refuse to accept the offer.
Coming downstairs, she saw the man running away.
I am trying to get the tickets.
In the above sentences, been, examined and done are
past participles, want, have, refuse, accept and get are
infinitives, and coming, running and trying are present
participles

What are the

exceptions:
In English that have little inflectional morphology,
certain finite and nonfinite forms of a given verb are
often identical, e.g.
a. They laugh a lot. - Finite verb (present tense) in
bold
b. They will laugh a lot. - Nonfinite infinitive in bold
a. Tom tried to help. - Finite verb (past tense) in
bold
b. Tom has tried to help. - Nonfinite participle in
bold

What are the type of nonfinite

verbs?
1. Infinitives
The infinitive of a verb is considered the
"base" form; it is the form that is listed in
dictionaries. They are often introduced by a
main verb followed by the particle to.
Further, infinitives introduced by to can
function as noun phrases, or even as
modifiers of nouns. The following table
illustrates these environments:

Introduced
Infinitive

by a

Introduced

(modal)

by a main

auxiliary

verb

Introduced
by a main
verb plus
to

verb

Functionin
g as noun
phrase

Functionin
g as the
modifier of
a noun

To laugh
laugh

leave

Do not

That made I tried not to would have the reason

laugh!

me laugh. laugh.

They may

We let them

leave.

leave.

You should
expand

expand the
explanation.

We had
them
expand the
explanation.

been

to laugh

They

unwise.
To leave

the thing to

refused to

was not an leave

leave.

option.
behind
To expand

We hope to the
expand the explanation
explanation. would have
been folly.

the effort to
expand

What is infinitive?
In traditional descriptions of English, the
infinitive is the basic dictionary form of a verb
when used non-finitely, with or without the
particle to. Thus to go is an infinitive, as is go
in a sentence like "I must go there" (but not in
"I go there", where it is a finite verb). The
form without to is called the bare infinitive,
and the form with to is called the full infinitive
or to-infinitive.

Does infinitive come in passive?

English has infinitive constructions which are marked for aspect: perfect,
progressive (continuous), or a combination of the two (perfect progressive).
These can also be marked for passive voice (as can the plain infinitive):

(to) eat (plain infinitive, active)

(to) be eaten (passive)
(to) have eaten (perfect active)
(to) have been eaten (perfect passive)
(to) be eating (progressive active)
(to) be being eaten (progressive passive)
(to) have been eating (perfect progressive active)
(to) have been being eaten (perfect progressive passive, not often used)
*Further constructions can be made with other auxiliary-like expressions, such
as (to) be going to eat or (to) be about to eat, which have future meaning.

What are the type of nonfinite

verbs?
2. Gerunds
A gerund is a verb form that appears in
positions that are usually reserved for nouns.
In English, a gerund has the same form as a
progressive active participle, ends in -ing.
Gerunds typically appear as subject or object
noun phrases, or even as the object of a
preposition:

Infinitive

Gerund as

Gerund as

subject

object

Solving
solve

problems is
satisfying.

Jog

Eat

I like solving
problems.

Jogging is

He has started

boring.

jogging.

Eating too

She avoids

much made me eating too

sick.

much.

Investigating We tried
investigate

Gerund as
object of a
preposition
No one is better
at solving
problems.
Before
jogging, she
stretches.
That prevents
you from
eating too
much.
After
investigating

the facts won't investigating the facts, we

What is gerund?

The gerund is a non-finite verb form that can function as a noun in

English grammar. The English gerund ends in -ing (as in I enjoy playing
basketball). The same verb form also serves as the English present
participle and as a pure verbal noun. Thus the -ing form in the English
language can function as a noun, verb, adjective or sometimes adverb;
in certain sentences the distinction can be arbitrary.

The gerund is the form that names the action of the verb (for instance,
playing is the action of "to play"). In some cases, a noun ending in -ing
sometimes serves as a gerund (as in I like building / I like building
things, I like painting / I like painting pictures, and I like writing / I like
writing novels), while at other times serving as a non-gerund indicating
the product resulting from an action (as in I work in that building, That is
a good painting, and Her writing is good). The latter case can often be
distinguished by the presence of a determiner before the noun, such as
that, a, or her in these examples.

What is gerund
formation?

A gerund has four forms two for the

active voice and two for the passive:

Present or
Continuous
Perfect

Active

Passive

Loving

Being loved

Having loved

Having been
loved

What are the examples?

Swimming is fun. (gerund as subject of the

sentence)
I like swimming. (gerund as direct object)
I never gave swimming all that much effort. (gerund
as indirect object)
Eating biscuits in front of the television is one way
to relax. (gerund phrase as subject)
Do you fancy going out? (gerund phrase as direct
object)
On being elected president, he moved with his
family to the capital. (gerund phrase as complement
of a preposition)

Does gerund come in passive?

Using gerunds of the appropriate auxiliary
verbs, one can form gerund clauses that
express perfect aspect and passive voice:

Being deceived can make someone feel

angry. (passive)
Having read the book once before makes
me more prepared. (perfect)
He is ashamed of having been gambling
all night. (perfect progressive aspect)

How do we distinct gerund from

other uses of the -ing form?
The distinction between gerund and present participle is illustrated in the
following sentences:

John suggested asking Bill. (asking Bill is the object of the verb, i.e. a
noun, so asking is a gerund)
I heard John asking Bill. (asking Bill is adjectival, describing John, so
asking is a participle)
The distinction between the gerund and the pure verbal (deverbal) noun
is that the gerund itself behaves as a verb, forming a verb phrase which
is then used as a noun, whereas the pure noun does not in any way
behave grammatically as a verb. This is illustrated in the following
examples:

I like playing football. (playing takes an object, so is a gerund)

Her playing of the Bach fugues was inspiring. (playing takes a
prepositional phrase rather than an object; not a gerund)

What are verbs that often

followed by a gerund?
Verbs that are often followed by a gerund include admit, adore, anticipate,
appreciate, avoid, carry on, consider, contemplate, delay, deny, describe,
detest, dislike, enjoy, escape, fancy, feel, finish, give, hear, imagine, include,
justify, listen to, mention, mind, miss, notice, observe, perceive, postpone,
practice, quit, recall, report, resent, resume, risk, see, sense, sleep, stop,
suggest, tolerate and watch. Additionally, prepositions are often followed by
a gerund.
For example:
I will never quit smoking.
We postponed making any decision.
After two years of analyzing, we finally made a decision.
We heard whispering.
They denied having avoided me.
He talked me into coming to the party.
They frightened her out of voicing her opinion.

What are verbs that often followed by a

gerund or a to-infinitive?
With little change in meaning
advise, recommend, forbid:
The police advised us not to enter the building, for a murder had
occurred. (Us is the object of advised.)
The police advised against our entering the building. (Our is used for the
gerund entering.)
consider, contemplate, recommend:
People consider her to be the best. She is considered to be the best.
I am considering sleeping over, if you do not mind.
begin, continue, start; hate, like, love, prefer:
I would like to work there. (more usual than working)
When talking about sports, there is usually a difference in meaning
between the infinitive and gerund (see the next section).

What are verbs that often

followed by a gerund or a toinfinitive?
With a change in meaning
like, love, prefer:
I like to box. (I enjoy doing it myself.)
I like boxing. (Either I enjoy watching it, I enjoy doing it myself, or the idea of boxing is
otherwise appealing.)
I do not like gambling, but I do like to gamble."
dread, hate, cannot bear:
I dread / hate to think what she will do.
I dread / hate seeing him.
I cannot bear to see you suffer like this. (You are suffering now.)
I cannot bear being pushed around in crowds. (I never like that.)
forget, remember:
She forgot to tell me her plans. (She did not tell me, although she should have.)
She forgot telling me her plans. (She told me, but then forgot having done so.)
I remembered to go to work. (I remembered that I needed to go to work.)
I remembered going to work. (I remembered that I went to work.)

go on:
After winning the semi-finals, he went on to play in the finals. (He completed the
semi-finals and later played in the finals.)
He went on giggling, not having noticed the teacher enter. (He continued doing
so.)
mean:
I did not mean to scare you off. (I did not intend to scare you off.)
Taking a new job in the city meant leaving behind her familiar surroundings. (If
she took the job, she would have to leave behind her familiar surroundings.)
regret:
We regret to inform you that you have failed your exam. (polite or formal form of
apology)
I very much regret saying what I said. (I wish that I had not said that.)
try:
When a to-infinitive is used, the subject is shown to make an effort at something,
attempt or endeavor to do something. If a gerund is used, the subject is shown to
attempt to do something in testing to see what might happen.
Please try to remember to post my letter.
I have tried being stern, but to no avail.

stop, quit:
When the infinitive is used after 'stop' or 'quit', it
means that the subject stops one activity and
starts the activity indicated by the infinitive. If
the gerund is used, it means that the subject
stops the activity indicated by the gerund.
She stopped to smell the flowers.
She stopped smelling the flowers.
Or more concisely:
She stopped walking to smell the flowers.
He quit working there to travel abroad.

What are the type of nonfinite verbs?

3. Participles
Participles in English can be divided along two lines: according to
aspect (progressive vs. perfect/perfective) and voice (active vs.
passive).
Infinitive
Fix
open

support

drive

Progressive

Perfect active

active participle participle

Passive
participle

The guy is fixing He has fixed my My bike was

my bike.

bike

fixed.

the flower

The flower has

The flower has

opening up

opened up.

been opened up.

the news

The news has

the point

supporting the

supported the

supported by the

point

point.

news

She is driving our She has driven

Our car should be

car.

driven often.

our car.

What is Participle?

A participle is a form of a verb that is used in

a sentence to modify a noun, noun phrase,
verb or verb phrase, and thus plays a role
similar to that of an adjective or adverb. It is
one of the types of nonfinite verb forms.

What are the types of participle?

Participles are often identified with a particular

tense, as with the English present participle and
past participle. However, this is often a matter of
convention; present participles are not necessarily
associated with the expression of present time, or
past participles necessarily with past time.

Participles may also be identified with a particular

voice: active or passive. In English the present
participle is essentially an active participle, while the
past participle has both active and passive uses.

What are the examples?

I saw John eating his dinner. (eating is an

active participle; the modified noun John is
understood as the agent)
I have eaten my dinner. (perfect
construction; eaten is an active participle
here)
The fish was eaten by lions. (here eaten is a
passive participle; the fish is understood as
the patient, i.e. to undergo the action)

What is Attributive Verb?

An attributive verb is a verb that modifies

(expresses an attribute of) a noun in the
manner of an attributive adjective, rather than
express an independent idea as a predicate.
In English, verb forms that can be used
attributively are typically non-finite forms
participles and infinitivesas well as certain
verb-derived words that function as ordinary
adjectives. All words of these types may be
called verbal adjectives.

What are the examples?

The cat sitting on the fence is mine.

The actor given the prize is not my favorite.
This is a great place to eat.
It was a very exciting game.
Interested parties should apply to the office.

Fin