My English Grammar Guide: Confusion about the Verb in a Sentence

My English Grammar Guide: Confusion about the Verb in a Sentence: Confusion about the Verb in a Sentence In my previous blog, I explained that the verb may be of more than one word. Then I explained as...

Confusion about the Verb in a Sentence

Confusion about the Verb in a Sentence

In my previous blog, I explained that the verb may 

be of more than one word. Then I explained as to how the students may find out the verb in Simple, Complex & Compound Sentences.

Today, I am going to explain something more about 

the verb.Sometimes students ask me about the helping or auxiliary verb.

They have confusion about the main verb (usually 

the non-finite verb) and the auxiliary or helping verb (always the finite form of the verb)in a sentence.

A. The main verb does an important function in a sentence. It shows the action done by the subject. It may come alone and in that case it expresses full meaning of its own.

In the following examples, the main verb needs

no helping verb to explain its meaning.

• ·      He always completes his work on time.
• ·      He is never in a sad mood.
• ·      I have something to tell you.

(The underlined words are the main verbs.)

2. The main verb in a sentence may need a 

helping verb to complete its meaning.

• ·      It is raining very heavily now.
• 
  
• ·      What are they doing at this time?
• 
  
• ·      I have finished my assignment just now.

The underlined words ‘is, are & have’ are helping or

auxiliary verbs in the above sentences and ‘raining, doing & finished’ are the main verbs.

The auxiliary verbs in the above sentences do not 

express any important meaning.

These tell us about the tense, number or the 

person of the subject. Only these verbs are affected by the change in the 

tense of the verb, the number and the person of the subject in the sentence.

On this basis, these helping verbs are called the 

FINITE VERBS and the main verbs the NON-FINITE VERBS.

We may make the following categories of the verbs 

used in sentences:

(I) Primary/main Verbs (when they need no helping verb with them):

Sometimes we use only one verb i. e. one-word verb.

It may be:

   (a) Be-type verbs: (is/am/are; was/were)

(b) Have-type verbs showing possession and compulsion (has, have and had)
(c) Do-type verb (do/does and did)

(II)Action verbs like: catch, run, attack, come, go, etc (these are thousands in number)
(III) Modal Auxiliary Verbs: can, could, may, might, shall, will, should, would, ought (t), must, used (to), dare, need

We shall discuss them in the next blog.

…to be continued

the verb in a sentence

Some students need clarification about the verb in a sentence.

The verb is the second most important element in a sentence.

We cannot make any sentence without a verb.

Some students ask me if the verb in a sentence has only one word or more.

Let me make them clear about it. The verb in Simple Sentences

The verb in a sentence may be one word. It may be of more than

one word, say, two, three, four and five.


Examples:

1. He goes to school daily. Here the verb is 'goes', which is one one-word verb word.
2. He is going to school at present. Here the verb is ‘is going’=two words.
3. He has been going to school for the last two years. The verb is ‘has been going’=three words.
4. He has not been going to school for the last two years.

The verb is ‘has not been going’= four words.

It shall not have been raining for two hours tomorrow at this time. The verb ‘shall not have been raining’ = five words.

Thus it may be said that the verb may contain more than one word.

The verb in Negative & Interrogative sentences




Note the verbs in the following sentences.

1. I do not like to sleep at noon.
2. Have you completed your work?
3. Why are you misbehaving with her?
4. How many flowers do you want for the garlands?
5. Where do you live these days?

·The verb in the first sentence is: ‘do not like’
·The verb in the second sentence is ‘have completed’
·The verb in the third sentence is: ‘are misbehaving’
The verb in the fourth sentence is: ‘do want’
· The verb in the fifth sentence is: ‘do live’

The verb in complex and compound sentences
·A complex sentence usually has one main clause and one subordinate clause.
·A compound sentence also usually has two
co-ordinate clauses.
So it is not difficult to find the verb in complex and compound sentences
Note the verbs in the following sentences.

See the underlined words:
1. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others.
2. God helps those who help themselves.
3. When I saw him stealing, he ran away at once.
4. If you work hard, you will pass.
5. He did not go to the office because he was not feeling well.
6. I like neither tea nor coffee.
In the above sentences, the underlined word/words are the verbs.

Exercise: Now pick up the verb from the following sentences.

1. People often believe in superstitions despite their education.
2. The birds are flying very high in the sky.
3. The storm has destroyed all the crops this year.
4. Many people love befooling others.
5. I have my own style of life.
6. Are all the guests dining at present in the hall?
7. Why are you pestering your teacher?
8. Whom do you want to talk to?
9. Have you been living in this hut for many years?
10. I like their way of life.
11. 1 When he reached the station, the train had left.
12. All that ends well is well.
13. Rome was not built in a day.
14. What cannot be cured must be endured.
15. East or West, home is the best.
16. Hardly had I reached home when it started raining heavily.
17. There was none but wept.
18. She is my favourite teacher.
19. I have nothing to explain.
20. Do it at once.

Questions:
Q1. Can we make a sentence without a verb?

Q2. Explain that the verb in a sentence may have more than one word. Give examples of the verb phrase having two, three, four and five words.

The Basic Structure of a Sentence in English Language

Subject and Predicate

Look at the following groups of words:

1. He is my best friend.

2. He lives in Delhi these days.

3. We went to Kashmir during last summer.

 The above groups of words are sentences because:

·      The words in the above sentences are in a grammatical order.

·      They make out a complete sense also.

So we can define a sentence in the following words:

   A sentence is a group of words which makes a complete meaning.

What are the most essential elements of a sentence?

  A sentence has two essential elements:

  1. Subject 2.Predicate

•     Subject is the person or a thing about whom or which something is said.

•     What is said (something) about the person or the thing is called the predicate.

About subject:

  A subject can be a noun, a pronoun, a noun phrase, a clause.

•  Ashima is my class fellow.                    (Ashima= noun)

•  Cattle are grazing in the fields.            (Cattle= noun)

•  He is a doctor’s son.                             (He= pronoun)      

• A number of students are absent from the class. (A number of students= phrase)

•       That he is a cheat is known to all.  (That he       is a cheat= a clause)

Enlarging a Subject

1. House: My house: My beautiful house

2. Boy: The boy: The smartest boy in class X

3. School: Govt. School: The only Govt. School

A subject can be a noun, a pronoun and a noun phrase, and a clause.

Since an infinitive and a gerund are also considered as equal to nouns, they also become the subjects in sentences.

1. A cow gives us milk. (subject= noun)

2. Mohan always gets up early in the morning.  (subject= noun)

3. Gold is a precious metal. (subject= noun)

4. They always celebrate Diwali with pomp and show. (subject= Pronoun)

5. She does not complain of anything. (subject=  Pronoun)

6. We are all friends. (subject= Pronoun)

7. The boys of this school are very intelligent.  (subject= noun Phrase)

8. Swimming is a good habit. (subject= Gerund)

9. To cross this river is very difficult. (subject=  Infinitive phrase)

10.Distributing money among the poor has become a difficult task for the govt. (subject= Gerundial phrase)

Match the subjects and predicates given in the following columns:

1. A cow 2. Mohan 3. Gold 4. They 5. She 6. We 7. The boys of this school 8. Swimming 9. To cross this river 10.                  Distributing money among the poor

•     always gets up early in the morning. •     always celebrate Diwali with pomp and show. •     gives us milk. •     is a precious metal. •     are all friends. •      is very difficult. •     does not complain of anything. •     are very intelligent. •     is a good habit. •     has become a difficult task

           Underline the subjects in the following                sentences:

1.      The education of girls is still not satisfactory.
2.      Some families are not in favour of sending girls to schools.
3.      Some parents are willing to send them to the cities.
4.      But they have their own fears.
5.      Some parents are worried about their safety.
6.      They make their daughters mentally prepared to face any problem
7.      All the roads of our city are in bad condition.
8.      Some women back-bite others in the streets.
9.       Many of the students use mobile phones in school.
10.      All the teachers will go on strike tomorrow.

 Answers:1. Education of girls 2.  Some families 3.Some parents 

4. They 5. There (dummy subject: real subject: some parents)

6. They 7.All the roads of our city 8.Some women 9.Many of the students  10.All the teachers

Questions on this Chapter:

Q1. Define a subject and predicate in a sentence?

Q2. Do you think the subject in a sentence may contain only one word or more? Explain by giving examples.

Q3. Give an example to enlarge a subject, like ‘roads’. Make it a ‘phrase’ of having six words at least to be used as a subject in a sentence.