Billie Call Christian Institute

2nd Marking Period Lecture Notes

Grade 12 English Grammar
Review on Verb Usage
REVIEW ON USAGE OF VERBS
The verb is often said to be the most important of all the parts of speech.
Definition: the verb is that part of speech that predicates, assists in predicate actions, asks a question or
expresses a command. For example
1. He is hungry.
2. Did he say it?
3. Hurry!
In example (1), the expression “is hungry” is the predicate to the subject ‘He’ of the sentence.
‘Say’ the verb in sentence (2) helps in asking the question of what he said and not what he took or what he
ate.
In the same vein, “Hurry” in sentence (3) gives a direct command.

A verb expresses an action or occasionally, a state of being.

Verb expressing actions are easy to recognize. Such words as break, burst, hit, kick, express a clear and
violent movement. One verb, the verb to be, expresses only a state. No movement or action is implied in its
use. Some other verbs seem to have very little action in them. To ‘have’ for instance, is almost wholly a
state; to recline, to see, involve only a very little action indeed; nevertheless, none of these or other similar
verbs can be regarded exclusively as state.

State of being verbs often link the subject of a subject of a sentence with a word or group of words in the
predicate usually a noun, a pronoun or an adjective. When a verb links the subject in this way, the verb is
referred to as a linking verb. For example
1. Emmanuel is a boy.
‘Is’ links the subject ‘Emmanuel’ with the noun ‘boy’
2. Apples taste sweet.
‘Taste’ links the subject ‘apples’ with the adjective ‘sweet’
3. Those were they.
‘Were’ links the subject ‘those’ with the pronoun ‘they’.

Normally, the forms of the ‘be’ are the most commonly used linking verbs. Forms of the verb ‘be’
commonly used as linking verbs: for example
Be Been Is Was
Being Am Are Were
Helping verbs are always used with the verb to be; be, being and been. For example
Should be Is being Had been
May be Was being Could have been
Will be Were being Might have been
Some examples of linking verbs other than the verb to be:
Taste Remain sound Smell Grow
Look Become Feel Stay Turn

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Action or linking verb
Note that a verb may be action or linking depending on the way it is used in a sentence. This means that a
verb can be action in a sentence and linking in another.
1a. Josephine tasted the palatable soup. ------- action
1b. the soup tasted good. ---------------------------- linking
2a. David smelled the soup. --------------------------action
2b. the soup smelled delicious. ---------------------linking

In the first sentence in each pair, the subject is performing an action. In the second sentence, no action is
performed. Instead, the verb links the subject to a word in the predicate. The simplest way to distinguish
between an action verb and a linking verb is to try to substitute or replace it with a form of the verb ‘be’ or
‘become’. If one can do this, then the verb is a linking one. For example
1. The student looks happy with the new uniform.
2. The student looks at the roof in satisfaction.
In the first sentence, ‘looks’ is a linking verb. One can replace it with the verb ‘is’ with the meaning of the
sentence remaining the same. So, one can have the sentence:
The student ‘is’ or ‘become’ happy with the new uniform. However, in the second sentence, one cannot
replace ‘looks’ with ‘it’ or ‘becomes’. If one did, the meaning of the sentence would become entirely
different. The latter is therefore an action verb.
Example on linking verb
The tree looks extremely tall.
Answer: looks. ………’is’

Action verb
An action verb always tells what action a subject does. The easiest way to find an action verb is to ask
oneself what is the subject doing. Be informed that some action verbs express physical action while other
express mental action. Some grammarians even say that some action verbs show ownership or possession.
For example
1. Charles Taylor kicked the ball. [physical action]
The subject is Charles Taylor.
The question is, what did Charles Taylor do? ‘Kicked’ is the action verb.

For example
2. The student remembered the answer. [Mental Action]
What did the student do? ‘remember’ is the mental verb. One would appreciate that the act of remembering,
though an action, exists only in the mind. It is entirely a mental exercise.

3. Emmanuel has a new car. [Ownership Action]

‘Has’ expresses ownership or possession.
Note: physical actions are visible. They can be seen done, example; walk, play, etc, but mental action cannot
be seen. They exist only in the mind.
Study the verbs below.
PHYSICAL ACTION MENTAL ACTION PHYSICAL ACTION MENTAL ACTION
Walk think write believe
Kick remember cook consider
Run dream weed wonder
Talk worry dance decide
Example: The sentry dreamt about his landlord.
Dreamt. ……….. Mental action
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FORMS OF VERBS
There are two types of verbs
a) Main verbs
b) Auxiliary verbs

Main verbs
Main verbs are either regular or irregular. With a regular verb, we can determine all the verb forms of an
English verb provided we know its base form. The base form of a verb is what is referred to as the ‘original’
form of the verb. That is the basic, uninflected form that is given as the entry form in the dictionary.
THE BASE THE-S FORM THE-ING FORM THE-ED FORM
ask asks asking asked
bake bakes baking baked
brush brushes brushing brushed
cook cooks cooking cooked
crack cracks cracking cracked
crash crashes crashing crashed
dance dances dancing danced
dress dresses dressing dressed
drop drops dropping dropped
escape escapes escaping escaped
finish finishes finishing finished
guess guesses guessing guessed
Help helps helping helped
hope hopes hoping helped
hike hikes hiking hiked
joke jokes joking joked
jump jumps jumping jumped
knock knocks knocking knocked
kiss kisses kissing kissed
laugh laughs laughing laughed
lock locks locking locked
look looks looking looked
work works working worked
watch watches watching watched
shop shops shopping shopped

IRREGULAR VERBS:
Like regular verbs, we can predict the –s form and –ing form of the irregular verbs provided we know the
base form. For example
THE BASE THE-ING FORM THE-S FORM
come coming comes
eat eating eats
However, with irregular verbs, we cannot predict their past tense or past participle forms even if we are
familiar with their base forms.
Three main types of irregular verbs are identified:
• Verbs in which all three main parts: the base, the past form, and the participle are identical
• Verbs in which two parts are identical
• Verbs in which all three parts are different
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 Verbs With All Three Parts Identical
THE INFINITIVE THE SIMPLE PAST THE PAST PARTICIPLE
bet bet, betted bet, betide
broadcast broadcast broadcast
burst burst burst
bust bust, busted bust, busted
cast cast cast
cut cut cut
fit fit, fitted fit, fitted
forecast forecast forecast
hit hit hit
hurt hurt hurt
input input, inputted input, inputted
knit knit, knitted knit, knitted
let let let
miscast miscast miscast
offset offset offset
outbid outbid outbid
put put put
quit quit, quitted quit, quitted
wed wed, wedded wed, wedded
wet wet, wetted wet, wetted

Verbs with two parts identical

The infinitive The simple past The past participle
bend bent bent
bind bound bound
bleed bled bled
bring brought brought
catch caught caught
cling clung clung
clothe Clothed, clad Clothed, clad
creep crept crept
crossbreed crossbred Crossbred
daydream daydreamed, daydreamt daydreamed, daydreamt
dwell dwell, dwelt dwell, dwelt
kneel kneeled, knelt kneeled, knelt
lay laid laid
learn learned, learnt learned, learnt
lean leaned, leant leaned, leant
lie (not tell the truth) lied lied
lose lost lost
speed speeded, sped speeded, sped

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Verbs with three parts different
The Infinitive The Simple Past The Past Participle
drive drove driven
ride rode ridden
rise rose risen
write wrote written
bite bit bitten
hide hid hidden
break broke broken
choose chose chosen
speak spoke spoken
wake woke woken
blow blew blown
grow grew grown
know knew known
fly flew flown
draw drew drawn
show showed shown
wear wore worn
tear tore torn
begin began begun

Auxiliary and Modal Verbs

Auxiliary verbs are the helping verbs used in sentences along with the verbs to set the mood, tense, tone, etc. of
the sentence.
Thus, if you use the auxiliary ‘might’, it indicates a slight probability. But if you use the auxiliary ‘will’, it
indicates a strong affirmation. We further divide the auxiliaries into two types- primary auxiliaries and modal
auxiliaries.

Primary Auxiliaries
The words “be”, “have” and “do” are called primary auxiliaries. These are known as primary because they are
the most frequently occurring auxiliaries and are used in their different forms in the English language.
Evidently, the forms of “be” are “is”, “am”, “our”, “was”, and “were”. The forms of “have” are “have”, “has”
and “had”. Lastly, the forms of “do” are “do”, “does” and “did”.
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Using Primary Auxiliaries
1] Be
The forms of “be” are:
• Present tense: is, am, are
• Past tense: was, were
• Past participle: been
i) To form continuous tense:
• He is reading a book.
• we were reading a book.
• He has been reading a book.
ii) For passive voice:
• The work is done.
• The work is being done.
iii) To express a previous plan or agreement:
• You were to visit the doctor.
• I am to go to Meerut.
iv) To express a command:
• You are to get the work done by tonight.
• The plumber is to repair the pipeline tomorrow.
v) To express feelings, age, size, weight, price, time etc.:
• Today is a warm day.
• I am not happy.
• My weight is 50 kgs.
2] Have
The forms of “have” are:
• Present tense: has, have
• Past tense: had
• Past participle: had
i) To form perfect tense:
• He has read the book.
• We had done our household chores.
ii) To form passive voice:
• The work has been done.
• The room had been cleaned.
iii) To express a compulsion:
• He had to go.
• You have to obey the law.
iv) To express a job got to be done:
• I have my room cleaned every week.
• She has bread and butter for breakfast.
v) To express the consumption of food, drinks, events etc.
• I have tea in the morning.
• He had the party at his house.
• You have a test tomorrow.
3] Do
The forms of “do” are:
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 • Present tense: do
• Past tense: did
• Past participle: done
i) In additions to avoid repetition of verbs:
• He likes to read and so do I.
• You liked to dance and so did she.
ii) In question tags and short answers:
• You liked the film; didn’t you?
• Yes, I did.
iii) To form interrogative and negative forms of present and past indefinite tenses and imperatives:
• Do not lean over the fence.
• He does not work. Does he?
iv) To stress some action in the present and past indefinite tenses and in imperatives:
• I do go to the class every day.
• I did the work daily.
• Do finish the work for me.
Modal Auxiliaries/ Modal Verbs
The commonly used modal auxiliaries, also known as modal verbs, are as follows:
Can and Could
• ‘Can’ states ability: I can walk to the hotel.
• It also indicates permission: You can go to the party tonight.
• ‘Could’ is used for a request: Could I go to the party tonight?
• It is used as the past tense of can in indirect speech: You said you could help me.
• Could is used to indicate ability in the past; He could dance well when I last met him.
May and Might
• May is used to ask for permission: May I come in?
• It is used to express a wish: May you have a good life ahead.
• We can also use ‘may’ to express possibility: There may be some hope.
• ‘May’ indicates a weak possibility whereas ‘might’ indicates a weaker possibility: I may come
today. OR She might come tomorrow.
Shall, Should, Will, Would
i) Shall is used in the first person and will in the second and third person:
• I shall not come today.
• You will work for me.
• He will not listen to you.
ii) We can also use shall in second or third person to express a threat, command or a promise:
• You shall be awarded suitably.
• He shall never show up here again.
iii) Shall can also be used in the first person to indicate an offer or suggestion:
• Shall I accompany you?
iv) Will is used to express a decision:
• I will not come today.
v) It can also be used to indicate a habit:
• He will drink a cup of coffee as usual.
vi) We can also use will for an invitation:
• Will you attend my cousin’s wedding?
vii) In clauses that start with if, ‘should’ is used to express a probable event:
• If it should rain, the match will be called off.
Must and Ought
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 • ‘Must’ is a modal verb that can be used to express necessity: You must come tonight.
• We can also use ‘must’ to express fixed determination: I must have an opportunity to do what I
wish.
• Ought can express certainty: We ought to win this.
Used
• It can indicate a discontinued habit: I used to go to the gym every evening.
Need
• ‘Need’ can be used to denote certainty: We need to win this.
• We can also use need to denote requirement: I need you to stay.
Dare
• Dare is a modal verb that indicates strong ability or being bold enough: How dare you argue with
me?
• We can also use dare to strike a challenge: I dare you to cross the bridge in 30 seconds.

TENSES OF VERBS
Tenses have often been mistaken to mean time. However, tense does not mean time; it is only the form verb
that shows time of the action. There are twelve tenses of verbs which are place in three categories: the simple
tenses, the perfect tenses and the progressive tenses.

The simple present tense

It is used to express habitual actions, general truths or statements.
Examples:
i. I go to school five times a week
ii. She comes to visit us every weekend.
iii. The pastor preaches the truth.
iv. Tarvel and Godoe do not accept responsibilities.
v. Snakes are reptiles.
vi. It is usually hot during dry seasons.
vii. The earth is spherical.
viii. The students are taught by qualified teachers.

Present continuous/Progressive tense

This indicates that an action is still going on at the time speaking or writing. In other words, the speaker or
writer mentions the action while it still ongoing. A primary auxiliary verb is used with the ing form of the
main verbs.
Examples:
i. The teacher is teaching now.
ii. The students are being moderate. (Passive voice)

Present perfect tense

This shows that an action which started and was completed in the past still has a link with the present. In this
case the modal auxiliary verbs- has and have are used with the past participle form of the main verb.
Examples:
i. The boys have passed the test.
ii. They have warned the teacher to mind his business.
Present perfect tense also indicates that an action which started in the past has not been concluded.
Example:
i. My husband has gone to church. (He left sometime in the past and has not returned at the time of
speaking).
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ii. The plane has arrived (it is still at the airport).

Present perfect progressive/Continuous tense

This expresses an action that began in the past is still continuing. This should not be confused with present
continuous tense which is on at the time of speaking. In present perfect continuous tense, the action may not
be going on at the moment of writing or speaking or speaking, it only shows that an action has not been
concluded.
Examples:
i. I have been teaching for nine years. (I may not be in class teaching at the moment).
ii. He has been building his house since last year. (He may not been building the house at the moment).

Simple Past Tense

This shows that an action started and was completed in the past. It also indicates a past habit which the
person being referred to is no more involved in.
Examples:
i. Saywala passed the last stage of the examination last year.
ii. I was employed in 2008 (passive voice)
iii. He used to travel home abroad when he was working. (he stopped travelling abroad).
iv. She always stole before she became a Christian (she is no more stealing).

Past continuous/progressive perfect tense

It is used to express the following:
1. An action that was going on the past, at a particular time.
2. That an action that was going on in the past and interrupted by another action.
Examples:
i. I was teaching the students when the principal sent for me.
ii. While the bus was moving, the woman jumped down.
iii. Allison and I were reading for our examination this time last week.

The Past Perfect Tense

It is used to indicate that two or more actions took place in the past but one happened or was completed
before the other(s). The action that happened first is expressed in the past perfect in the past perfect tense
while the other action is expressed in the simple past tense.

Examples:
i. The boy had died before help reached him.
ii. By the time I got to his office, Daddy had left for the meeting.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
This is used to show that an action had been completed at a particular time in the past that is under discussion
or analysis now.
Examples:
i. We had been praying since 1993 before God intervene in 1998.
ii. The girl had been writing WASSCE for five years before she passed it last year.

Future Tense
The future tense is used to express an action or condition that will occur in the future. You form the future
tense of any verb by using the auxiliary verb shall or will with the base form. I shall study; you will go.

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Note: In modern American English, shall is seldom used except for questions in which I or we is the subject.
Shall I call you? Shall you go now?
Example:
i. Daddy will order the supplies.
ii. I will pack the car in the morning.
There are three other ways to express future time beside tense. They are follows:
1. Use going to with the present tense of be and the base form of the verb.
Example: Patient is going to order the supplies.
2. Used about to with the present tense of be and the base form of a verb.
Example: Patient is about to order the supplies.
3. Use the present tense with an adverb or an adverb phrase that shows future time.
Example: Patient leaves tomorrow.
Patient arrives on tomorrow’s train.
Future Continuous Tense
The future continuous tense, sometimes also referred to as the future progressive tense, is a verb tense that
indicates an action will occur in the future and continue for an expected length of time. It is formed by using
the construction will+be+the present participle (the root verb+ing).
Examples:
i. The family will be gathering tomorrow.
ii. She will be cooking the meal this evening.

Future perfect tense-

Use the future perfect tense to express one future action or condition that will begin and end before another
future event starts.
You form the future perfect tense by using will have or shall have with the past participle of a verb: will have
practiced, shall have flown.
Example:
i. By September I will have saved fifty dollars. [The money will be saved by the time another future
event, the arrival of September, occurs.]
ii. Before Vivian’s baby is born, I will have made a quilt for the child’s crib. [The quilt will be made
before another future event, the baby’s birth, occurs.]

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