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Grammar - Notes

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
13 views8 pages

Grammar - Notes

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driphhaus.co
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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VERBS

A verb is defined as a word which shows action or state of being. The verb plays an
important role in a sentence. Every sentence or a clause must have a verb. Recognising the
forms of a verb is often the most important step in understanding the meaning of a sentence.
A verb is a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being in a sentence.
It is also known as the "doing word" because it tells what the subject does.

Examples:

 Action: She runs fast.


 Occurrence: It happened yesterday.
 State of being: He is happy.

Types of Verbs

(A) Main Verbs (Lexical Verbs):

These verbs show the main action or state in a sentence.

 Examples: eat, write, sing, read.


Example: She writes letters.

(B) Helping Verbs (Auxiliary Verbs):

These verbs help the main verb to form tenses, questions, or negatives.
Common helping verbs: is, am, are, was, were, have, has, had, will, shall, can, may, must
Example:

 She is singing.
 They have finished their work.

(C) Linking Verbs:

These verbs link the subject to more information about it (state of being).
Common linking verbs: be (is, am, are, was, were), become, seem
Example:

 He is a doctor.
 She became tired.

(D) Transitive and Intransitive Verbs:

 Transitive Verb: Needs an object.


Example: She reads a book.
 Intransitive Verb: Does not need an object.
Example: He sleeps well.
(E) Regular and Irregular Verbs:

 Regular Verbs: Add -ed in past tense.


Example: Play → Played.
 Irregular Verbs: Change completely in past tense.
Example: Go → Went.

Forms of Verbs (Finite & Non-Finite):

 Finite Verbs: Change according to subject or tense.


Example: She writes, They write.
 Non-Finite Verbs: Do not change with subject or tense (infinitives, gerunds,
participles).
Example: To write, writing, written.

VERBS: TENSE AND TIME


1. Difference between Tense and Time:

 Time: Refers to the actual period when an action takes place (Past, Present, or
Future).
 Tense: Refers to the grammatical form of the verb used to express time.

Example:

 I play cricket. (Present tense – action happens now)


 I played cricket yesterday. (Past tense – action happened before)
 I will play cricket tomorrow. (Future tense – action will happen later)

2. Types of Tense

English verbs have three main tenses:

(A) Present Tense (Action happens now)

1. Simple Present:
o Habit, routine, or general truth.
Example: She writes daily.
2. Present Continuous (Progressive):
o Action happening now.
Example: She is writing now.
3. Present Perfect:
o Action just completed or with effect on present.
Example: She has written the letter.
4. Present Perfect Continuous:
o Action started in past and still continuing.
Example: She has been writing for two hours.
(B) Past Tense (Action happened before now)

1. Simple Past:
o Completed action in the past.
Example: She wrote a letter yesterday.
2. Past Continuous:
o Action happening in past for a duration.
Example: She was writing when I called.
3. Past Perfect:
o An action completed before another past action.
Example: She had written before I arrived.
4. Past Perfect Continuous:
o Action continuing for some time in the past.
Example: She had been writing for an hour before dinner.

(C) Future Tense (Action will happen later)

1. Simple Future:
Example: She will write tomorrow.
2. Future Continuous:
Example: She will be writing at 5 pm.
3. Future Perfect:
Example: She will have written the letter by evening.
4. Future Perfect Continuous:
Example: She will have been writing for two hours by 6 pm.

4. Examples Comparing Time and Tense:

 Present Tense (Time: Present): He eats now.


 Present Tense (Time: Future): The shop opens tomorrow at 9 am.
 Past Tense (Time: Past): She went to school yesterday.
SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT

BASIC RULES

1. Singular subjects take singular verbs.

 When the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular.

Example:

o She plays the piano.


o The dog runs fast.

2. Plural subjects take plural verbs.

 When the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

Example:

o They play cricket.


o The dogs run in the park.

3. Two subjects joined by ‘And’ usually join plural subjects.

 Two subjects joined by and take a plural verb.


Example:

o Riya and Sita are friends


o The cat and dog live together

(Exception: If the two subjects refer to the same person or idea, use a singular verb)

Example:

o Bread and butter is my breakfast


o Rice and curry is delicious
o My friend and guide was present (refers to one person)

4. ‘Or’ and ‘Nor’ take the verb according to the nearest subject (proximity rule)

Example:

o Either Ravi or his friends are coming.


o Neither the students nor the teacher is ready.

5. Indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone, each, etc.) are singular.

 Always singular
(Each, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody,
everything, something, nothing, anything)

Example:

 Everyone is happy.
 Each of the boys has a book.

 Always plural

(Few, many, several, both)

Example:

o Many have joined


o Both are correct

 Can be singular or plural, depending on the context

(some, any, none ,most, all)

6. Words referring to amounts or measurements are singular.

Example:

 Ten kilometers is a long distance.


 Fifty rupees is too much.

7. Collective nouns may be singular or plural (depending on meaning).

Example:

 The team is winning. (team as one group)


 The team are arguing among themselves. (team as individuals)

8. Titles of books, movies, or works are singular.

Example:

 “Gulliver’s Travels” is an interesting book.

9. Subjects separated by phrases (with, along with, as well as) don’t affect the verb.

Example:

 The teacher, along with the students, is present.

10. Don’t get confused by words between subject and verb.

Example:
 The bouquet of flowers is beautiful.

11. Uncountable nouns – singular verb

Example:

o Sugar is sweet
o News is shocking
o Physics is difficult

12. There is / There are

The verb agrees with the real subject that comes after it

Example:

o There is a cat on the roof


o There are many cats on the roof
QUESTION FORMS

Questions in English are mainly formed using auxiliary verbs (helping verbs) or question
words (who, what, when, etc.).

1. Types of Questions:

(A) Yes/No Questions (Closed Questions):

 These questions can be answered with "Yes" or "No".


 Formed by placing the auxiliary verb before the subject.

Examples:

 Are you coming to class? → Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.


 Do they play cricket? → Yes, they do. / No, they don’t.

Structure: Auxiliary/Do + Subject + Main Verb + Object?

(B) Wh-Questions (Open Questions):

 Begin with Wh-question words: Who, What, When, Where, Why, Which, How.
 These questions need detailed answers (not just yes/no).

Examples:

 Where do you live? → I live in Bangalore.


 What are you doing? → I am reading a book.
 Why is she late? → Because of traffic.

Structure: Wh-word + Auxiliary + Subject + Main Verb?

(C) Choice Questions (Alternative Questions):

 Offer options to choose from.

Examples:

 Do you want tea or coffee?


 Is your class at 9 am or 10 am?

(D) Tag Questions:

 Short question tags added at the end of a statement.


 Used to confirm information or seek agreement.

Examples:

 You are coming, aren’t you?


 She doesn’t eat meat, does she?

Rule:

 Positive statement → Negative tag.


 Negative statement → Positive tag.

(E) Indirect Questions (Polite Questions):

 Used for polite speech, often introduced by phrases like "Could you tell me…" or "I
wonder…".

Examples:

 Could you tell me where the library is?


 I wonder when the train will arrive.

2. Question Word List:

 Who – person (Who is your teacher?)


 What – thing/action (What are you doing?)
 When – time (When is the class?)
 Where – place (Where do you live?)
 Why – reason (Why are you late?)
 Which – choice (Which subject do you like?)
 How – manner/way (How are you?)

3. Formation Rules:

 Use auxiliary verbs (is/are/was/were, have/has, do/does/did, will, can) to form


questions.
 If no auxiliary is present, use “do/does/did” for question formation.

Example:

 Statement: She likes music.


 Question: Does she like music?

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