Verbs: The Action Heroes of Sentences
Verbs are the engines of sentences! They show actions, states, or events. Without verbs, sentences would be like cars without wheels – they just wouldn’t move!
What Are Verbs? (क्रिया क्या हैं?)
Verbs are words that express actions (run, eat), states (be, seem), or occurrences (happen, become). They tell us what the subject is doing or what’s happening.
For example, in “The cat jumps“, jumps is the verb showing action. In “She is happy”, is is a state verb.
Hindi Translation: क्रिया वे शब्द हैं जो किसी कार्य (दौड़ना, खाना), अवस्था (होना, लगना) या घटना (होना, बनना) को व्यक्त करते हैं।
Types of Verbs (क्रिया के प्रकार)
Verbs can be categorized in several ways. First, let’s explore action verbs and linking verbs. क्रियाओं को कई तरीकों से वर्गीकृत किया जा सकता है। सबसे पहले, आइए क्रिया क्रियाओं (action verbs) और जोड़ने वाली क्रियाओं (linking verbs) का पता लगाएं।
1. Action Verbs (क्रिया क्रियाएँ)
These show physical or mental actions. Physical actions: run, write, build. Mental actions: think, believe, dream. ये शारीरिक या मानसिक क्रियाओं को दर्शाते हैं।
2. Linking Verbs (जोड़ने वाली क्रियाएँ)
These connect the subject to additional information. Common linking verbs: be (am, is, are), seem, become, appear. ये कर्ता को अतिरिक्त जानकारी से जोड़ते हैं।
3. Helping Verbs (सहायक क्रियाएँ)
Also called auxiliary verbs, they help main verbs (will go, has eaten). Examples: be, do, have, can, might. इन्हें सहायक क्रियाएँ भी कहा जाता है।
Golden Rules for Verbs (क्रियाओं के लिए सुनहरे नियम)
Verbs are the action words in a sentence, and following some golden rules can make your writing clear, accurate, and professional. These rules help in both speaking and writing English correctly. क्रियाएँ वाक्य में क्रिया शब्द हैं, और कुछ सुनहरे नियमों का पालन करने से आपका लेखन स्पष्ट, सटीक और पेशेवर हो सकता है।
- Subject-Verb Agreement: The verb must match the subject in number (singular/plural). Example: “She writes every day” vs. “They write every day”.
- Tense Consistency: Keep the same tense unless the time changes. Example: “I watched a movie and enjoyed it.”
- Avoid Double Negatives: Example: Incorrect — “I don’t know nothing.” Correct — “I don’t know anything.”
- Active Voice Preferred: Example: “The teacher explained the lesson” is clearer than “The lesson was explained by the teacher”.
By following these golden rules, students can make their writing more effective. For practice, try converting passive sentences into active ones, check subject-verb agreement in your homework, and rewrite incorrect double-negative sentences. These skills are essential for academic success, competitive exams, and real-life communication.
Practice: Fill in the Blanks
- She _____ (run) to school every morning.
- They _____ (be) excited about the trip tomorrow.
- The book _____ (lie) on the table since yesterday.
- By next year, I _____ (complete) my degree.
- If it rains, we _____ (cancel) the picnic.
- He _____ (study) for three hours before dinner yesterday.
- We _____ (go) to the park if the weather is nice.
Answers:
- runs – Present simple is used here because the action is a habitual routine. Example: “She runs every morning before breakfast.”
- are – Present tense of “be” is used to match plural subject “they”. Example: “They are happy about the results.”
- has lain – Present perfect tense is correct here because the action started in the past and continues into the present. The verb “lie” (to rest/recline) has the forms: lie → lay → lain. We use “has lain” for singular subjects in present perfect. Example: “The wallet has lain on the desk all day.”
- will have completed – Future perfect tense for an action that will be finished before a specific future time. Example: “By tomorrow, I will have completed my project.”
- will cancel – First conditional shows a likely result if a certain condition happens. Example: “If it rains, we will cancel the event.”
- had studied – Past perfect tense for an action completed before another past action (before dinner). Example: “He had studied for hours before the test started.”
- will go – Future simple tense for a decision depending on a condition. Example: “We will go to the beach if the sun shines.”
Explanation: These answers follow important verb tense rules:
- Habitual actions → Present simple (“runs”).
- Current states → Present “be” (“are”).
- Past-to-present actions → Present perfect (“has lain”). For “lie” (rest/recline), remember the forms: lie (present) → lay (past) → lain (past participle). “Has lain” is used here because the book began lying on the table in the past and is still there. Don’t confuse with “lay” meaning “to put something down,” which has “laid” as its past participle.
- Completed before another future time → Future perfect (“will have completed”).
- Likely result of a condition → First conditional (“will cancel”, “will go”).
- Completed before another past action → Past perfect (“had studied”).
Understanding these patterns helps form accurate sentences and improves grammar for speaking, writing, and exams.
Common Verb Mistakes
Incorrect: She don’t like pizza.
Correct: She doesn’t like pizza. (Third-person singular needs ‘does’)
Incorrect: I have seen him yesterday.
Correct: I saw him yesterday. (Specific past time → simple past)
Spot the Verb Error!
- The team are playing well this season.
- She has wrote three letters already.
- When I was child, I am afraid of dogs.
- They go to the beach every summer since 2010.
- If I will see him, I will tell him.
- Each of the students have submitted their assignment.
- He didn’t went to school yesterday.
- By 8 pm last night, we finished our homework.
- The news are surprising.
- I am understanding the answer now.
Corrections:
- is playing — Team is a collective noun and usually takes a singular verb in standard American English: “The team is playing well.”
- has written — After has/have, use the past participle. The verb forms are write–wrote–written: “She has written three letters already.”
- was afraid — The time marker “When I was a child” requires past tense for the state: “When I was a child, I was afraid of dogs.”
- have gone — “Since 2010” signals an action starting in the past and continuing to now; use present perfect: “They have gone to the beach every summer since 2010.”
- see — In the first conditional, the if-clause takes present simple, not “will”: “If I see him, I will tell him.”
- has submitted — With “each,” the subject is grammatically singular, so the verb is singular: “Each of the students has submitted their assignment.”
- go — After the auxiliary “did not/didn’t,” use the base form, not past: “He didn’t go to school yesterday,” not “didn’t went.”
- had finished — “By 8 pm last night” is a past reference point. Use past perfect to show completion before that time: “By 8 pm last night, we had finished our homework.”
- is — “News” is an uncountable noun and takes a singular verb: “The news is surprising,” not “are.”
- understand — “Understand” is a stative verb (a state, not an action) and is not normally used in the continuous form: “I understand the answer now,” not “I am understanding.”
Why these are correct: The fixes apply core verb rules: subject–verb agreement (collectives, “each,” uncountables), correct participles after auxiliaries (has written), consistent tense with time markers (past with “when I was…”, present perfect with “since,” past perfect with “by + past time”), correct conditional structure (present in the if-clause), the base form after didn’t, and the preference for simple forms with stative verbs (e.g., know, understand, believe). Mastering these patterns will greatly improve accuracy and clarity in writing and exams.
Passage Practice
Passage 1: Every morning, Maya wakes up at 6 AM. She brushes her teeth and goes for a jog. By 7:30, she has returned home and is preparing breakfast. Her brother usually joins her for meals. They have maintained this routine for years.
Questions:
- Which verb shows a completed action with present relevance?
- Identify two verbs in simple present tense.
- What tense is “is preparing”?
Answers:
- “has returned” (present perfect shows action completed with current relevance)
- “wakes”, “goes”, “brushes”, “joins” (any two; habitual actions in simple present)
- Present continuous (shows action in progress now)