CBSE Class 6 English Grammar Verb
1. Verb. The verb is a word that expresses some action, feeling or exist¬ence. It tells us something about the subject; as
Lions roar. (action)
Boys fly kites. (action)
I feel sorry. (feeling)
Ashoka was a great king. (existence)
2. All the verbs (shown above in black) ‘roar’, ‘fly’, ‘feel’, and ‘was’, are limited by the number and person of their subjects. Therefore, ‘roar’, ‘fly’, ‘feel’, and ‘was’, are Main Verbs—main verbs are also called Finite Verbs.
3. Verbs are divided in two parts :
A. Main Verbs (also called lexical verbs)
B. Helping Verbs (Auxiliaries-Primary and Modals)
All verbs in English except the 24 helping verbs are main verbs. Look at the chart below :
I. Main Verbs
Main Verbs are also of two kinds :
(a) Finite verbs
(b) Non-finite verbs
Finite verbs change their forms according to the person and number of the subject and the tense also, e.g.
He reads. I read
They read. She goes
I go.
They go.
Non-finite verbs do not change their forms according to the number, person or tense of the subject. The iitflnitives, gerunds and participles are called non-Jinites.
4. Read the following sentences :
Lata sang a song.
I wrote a letter.
Children like sweets.
In each of these sentences the verb takes an object. ‘Song’, ‘letter’ and ‘sweets’ are objects. A verb that takes an object is called a Transitive Verb. The object usually answers the question what ? Or whom ?
Now look at the following sentences :
Birds fly.
The sun shines.
These verbs do not require objects. They express the actions by them¬selves and make the sense complete. They are called Intransitive Verbs. Some Verbs can be used both Transitively and Intransitively.
Verbs Used Intransitively | Verbs Used Transitively |
1. Birds fly | Boys fly kites. |
2. The horse runs fast | I ran a race. |
Exercise 1
Pick out the Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in the following sentences. Name the Object of each Transitive Verb :
1. I killed a snake.
2. The ship sank.
3. She jumped into the well.
4. She spoke slowly.
5. The sun rose in the East.
6. I broke the plates.
7. The play lasted an hour.
8. This pen costs five rupees.
II. The Conjugation of Verbs
To Conjugate a Verb means to give its four Principal forms :
Present Past
Past Participle Present Participle
If the Past or Past Participle is formed from the Present Tense by chang¬ing the Vowel of a Verb ; as—
Take, took, taken and do, did, done
The Verb is said to be a Strong Verb. .
If the Verb requires the addition of ‘ed’, ‘d or T to form their Past and Past Participles, they are called Weak Verbs ; as—
Finish, finished, finished ; die, died, died and build, built, built.
Group I
[Where no ‘n’ is added to the Past Participle)
Present | Past | Past Participle | Present Participle |
Abide | abode | abode | abiding |
Awake | awoke | awoke | awaking |
Become | became | become | becoming |
Begin | began | begun | beginning |
Dig | dug | dug | digging |
Drink | drank | drunk | drinking |
Fight | fought | fought | fighting |
Find | found | found | finding |
Hold | held | held | holding |
Lie | lied | lied | lying |
Ring | rang | rung | ringing |
Run | ran | run | running |
Shine | shone | shone | shining |
Sing | sang | sung | singing |
Sit | sat | sat | sitting |
Stand | stood | stood | standing |
Swim | swam | swum | swimming |
Win | won | won | winning |
Wind | wound | wound | winding, |
Group II
(Where ‘n’ is added to the Past Participle)
Present | Past | Past Participle | Present Participle |
Arise | arose | arisen | arising |
Bear | bore | bom | bearing |
Bear | bore | borne | bearing |
Bid | bade | bidden | bidding |
Blow | blew | blown | blowing |
Break | broke | broken | breaking |
Choose | chose | chosen | choosing |
Draw | drew | drawn | drawing |
Drive | drove | driven | driving |
Fall | fell | fallen | falling |
Fly | flew | flown | flying |
Forget | forgot | forgotten | forgetting |
Freeze | froze | frozen | freezing |
Grow | grew | grown | growing |
Hide | hid | hidden | hiding |
Know | knew | known | knowing |
Lie | lay | lain | lying |
Ride | rode | ridden | riding |
Shake | shook | shaken | shaking |
Sink | sank | sunk, sunken | sinking |
Speak | spoke | spoken | speaking |
Steal | stole | stolen | stealing |
Strike | struck | struck, stricken | striking |
Tear | tore | tom | tearing |
Throw | threw | thrown | throwing |
Wake | waked, woke | waked, woken | waking |
Wear | wore | worn | wearing |
Write | wrote | written | writing |
Note. Since the Present Participle is only the ing form of the Present, we are giving below only the first three forms.
Group III—Mixed Verbs
(Partly Strong and Partly Weak)
Present | Past | Past Participle |
Beat | beat | beaten |
Do | did | done |
Hang | hung, hanged | hung, hanged |
Melt | melted | melted, molten |
Sew | sewed | sewn |
Shave | shaved | shaved, shaven |
Show | showed | shown |
Group IV
(Conjugation of Weak Verbs)
Present | Past | Past Participle |
Bend | bent | bent |
Bring | brought | brought |
Build | built | built |
Bum | burned, burnt | burned, burnt |
Catch | caught | caught |
Deal | dealt | dealt |
Dream | dreamed | dreamed |
dreamt | dreamt | |
Feed | fed | fed |
Feel | felt | felt |
Have | had | had |
Hear | heard | heard |
Kneel | knelt | knelt |
Lay | laid | laid |
Lead | led | led |
Leave | left | left |
Lend | lent | lent |
Light | lighted, lit | lighted, lit |
Lose | lost | lost |
Make | made | made |
Mean | meant | meant |
Say | said | said |
Seek | sought | sought |
Send | sent | sent |
Sleep | slept | slept |
Smell | smelt | smelt |
Spell | spelled, spelt | spelled, spelt |
Spend | spent | spent |
Stay | stayed | stayed |
Teach | taught | taught |
Wed | wedded, wed | wedded, wed |
Weep | wept | wept |
Exceptions
Present | Past | Past Participle |
Cleave | cleft | cleft |
Have | had | had |
Hear | heard | heard |
Lay | laid | laid |
Leave | left | left |
Lose | lost | lost |
Make | made | made |
Measure | measured | measured |
Pay | paid | paid |
The Present, Past and Past Participle forms of the following weak Verbs are alike :
Cast | Cut | Hit |
Hurt | Let | Put |
Set | Shed | Shut |
Spread |
The Present and Past Participle forms of certain verbs are alike.
come | came | come |
run | ran | run |
Mark the difference between the following Pairs of Verbs :
Present | Past | Past Participle | |
1 | Fall | fell | Fellen |
Fell | felled | Felled | |
2 | Find | found | Found |
Found | founded | Founded | |
3 | Lie | lay | Lain |
Lie | lied | Lied | |
Lay | laid | laid |
Exercise 1
Give the Past and Past Participle forms of the following Verbs :
(a) Speak | lie | catch | do | have | fall | hang | go |
draw | grow | write | take | sit | sing | know. | |
(b) Meet | wring | weave | spring | beat | hear | seek | teach |
lose | smell | tell | weep | shoot | put | win. |
Multiple Choice Questions
Read the statements given below and tick the correct option :
I. Identify as directed :
Question 1.
Identify the Main verb
(i) fly
(ii) ought to fly
(iii) will fly
(iv) can fly
Question 2.
Identify the Modal
(i) is
(ii) ought
(iii) am
(iv) are
Question 3.
Identify the Intransitive verb
(i) Birds fly
(ii) I wrote a letter
(iii) Leela sang a song
(iv) Children love sweets
Question 4.
Identify the Past Participle form
(i) Ringing
(ii) Rung
(iii) Ring
(iv) Rang
II. Fill in the blanks with suitable verbs :
Question 5.
Children ……… to see ‘Three Idiots’
(i) hooked
(ii) booked
(iii) flocked
(iv) shook
Question 6.
Sonia ……… a fairy tale
(i) said
(ii) attended
(iii) showed
(iv) narrated
Question 7.
She ………. to go for a party
(i) will
(ii) can
(iii) dares
(iv) ought
Question 8.
The lizard …….over the books
(i) crashed
(ii) crawled
(iii) floated
(iv) flicked
III. Choose the odd man out:
Question 9.
(i) I killed a snake
(ii) She jumped into a well
(iii) She sang a song
(iv) He wrote a letter
Question 10.
(i) Birds fly
(ii) The horse runs fast
(iii) The sun rises
(iv) He wrote a letter
Answers
1. (i)
2. (ii)
3. (i)
4. (ii)
5. (iii)
6. (iv)
7. (iv)
8. (ii)
9. (ii)
10. (iv)