More About Verbs
More About Verbs
More About Verbs
Previously we have talked about the kinds of verb and their uses. Again there are some other kinds of verbs that are used differently from their usual use or they express meaning some differently from their usual meaning. Such verbs are being taken to be talked about as below:
More About Verbs
1. Non-Conclusive Verb
Mind the uses of the italicised verbs in the following sentences:
The girl appears smart.
The rose smells sweet.
The boy seems intelligent.
The italicised verbs used in the above sentences express the feeling or emotion (mental perception) of the speaker. Such verbs are called Non-Conclusive Verbs.Â
The Non-Conclusive Verbs denote a state or feeling of the agent about a thing that is assumed to have no end.
The Non-conclusive Verbs are not used in the Present Continuous Tense. They are generally used in the Simple Present Tense.
Some Non-Conclusive Verbs are:Â
(i) Non-Conclusive Verbs of Senses: see, hear, smell, notice, recognise, seem, suppose, imagine, want, wish etc.
(ii) Non-Conclusive Verbs of Emotion: love, hate, like, wish, desire, forgive, hope, mean, mind etc.
(iii) Non-Conclusive Verbs of Thinking and Knowing: think, feel, realise, understand, know, believe, expect, remember, forget, recall, recollect etc.
More About Verbs
2. Inchoative Verb
Mind the italicised verbs in the following sentences:
It is getting dawn.
We are growing old.
The leaves are turning yellow.
He is going bald.
Mind that the verbs used in the above sentences denote the condition that change with the change of time. These are Inchoative Verbs.
Inchoative verbs are verbs that denote the progressive change (beginning, development or final stage) of a thing or condition.
Some Inchoative Verbs are: get, grow, go, come, become, turn, fall, run, wear.
Notice their uses in the following sentences:
The stone has worn smooth.
The well has run dry.
The stock of wheat is running short.
The milk in the pot has turned sour.
The mangoes are turning red.
The adventure is becoming more romantic.
Spring has come.
Ronaldo is growing old.
The weather is getting fine.
The old lady has gone pale.
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3. Causative Verb
Mind the italicised verbs in the following sentences:
We selected him our President.
They made the boy do the work.
They elected Rajen their Chairman.
I made him sweep the room.
They call Nisha a heroine.
The mother walks the child.
The verbs in the above sentences are used to describe an action that is necessary to cause something else to happen. These are Causative Verbs. When an Intransitive Verb is used as Transitive then it becomes a Causative Verb.Â
The verb that denotes that a person, place or thing is causing an action or an event to happen is called Causative Verb.
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4. Quasi Passive Verb
Mind the uses of the italicised verbs in the following sentences:
The bed feels soft.
The novel sells well.
The melon tastes sweet.
The car runs well.
The verbs in the above sentences are active in form but passive in meaning. They are Quasi Passive Verbs.
The verbs which are active in forms but passive in meaning are called Quasi Passive Verbs.
Some verbs used as Quasi Passive are: run, sell, taste, feel, appear, seem, appoint, consider etc.
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5. Impersonal Verb
Mind the italicised verbs in the following sentences:
There are a hundred students in the class.
It rains heavily during the Monsoon.
There was a king in ancient India called Indrajit.
The verbs in the above sentences have no definite subject. They are introduced with either ‘It’ or ‘There’. They are Impersonal Verbs.
The verbs which have no definite subject but introduced with either ‘It’ or ‘There’ are called Impersonal Verbs.
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6. Reflexive Verb
Mind the italicised verbs in the following sentences:
The man killed himself.
Thomas Alva Addison taught himself.
The students ran away themselves.
The cat hid itself.
The verbs in the above sentences have taken the same person or thing as their Subjects and Objects successively. These are Reflexive Verbs.
The Verb which takes the same thing or person as its Subject and Object is called a Reflexive Verb.
More About Verbs
7. Factitive Verb
Mind the uses of the italicised verbs in the following sentences:
We called him a hero.
They elected him their leader.
We selected Rajen the President of our Club.
The italicised verbs in the above sentences take a group of words, in addition to their Objects, to complete their sense. These are Factitive Verbs.
The Verbs that take a group of words, in addition to their Objects to complete their sense are called Factitive verbs.
More About Verbs
8. Prepositional Verb
Mind the uses of the italicised verbs in the following sentences:
We cannot rely on them.
Heat acts on water.
The great people bear up all problems.
They laughed at the buffoon.
The waves bear against the shore.
The verbs in the above sentences are Intransitive verb but each of them has taken a preposition after it and completes the sense. These are Prepositional Verbs. A Prepositional Verb gives a different meaning from its usual meaning.
The Intransitive Verb that takes a Preposition after it and completes its meaning as a Transitive Verb is called a Prepositional verb.
.More About Verbs
Appendix
Some puzzling verbs
.More About Verbs
Some people, especially who learn English as a second language often find some verbs to be puzzling while using in everyday conversation. Some of such verbs are: tell, say, speak; like, love; wait, await, lie, lay, arise, rise, raise etc. Let us illustrate the use of these verbs as below:
1. ‘Say’ is used to express instruction, command and question. It is generally used before a quotation. It is used to inform what one says about himself to others. Mind the following expressions:
Raja says, ‘’I am fine.’’
What does the paper say about the incident?
Tell is used to narrate what one says or informs. It takes a Direct and an Indirect Object and the Direct Object begins with the connective word ‘that’. The Reported Clause of such sentence is a Noun Clause, or an Infinitive Phrase.
He told me that he was ill.
Navanita told that Geeeta was busy then.
He told me to remain silent.
The verb Speak is used to refer to a lecture or talking about something.
Ashad speaks French well.
He spoke to me about the case.
The verb Talk is used in Conversation. Mind the following expressions:
She talked about the seminar in detail.
He talks about the rise of the price of common commodities.
2. The verb ‘Love’ is used in respect of affection, God, virtue, beauty, parents, religion, relative, country etc.
I love my parents.
We love our country.
Like is used for things as: luxuries, food items, music, song, house, condition etc.Â
I like the music of A. Malik.
Tapan likes sweetmeats.
Note: The verbs: love and like are not generally used in the continuous Tense.
3. The verb ‘Rise’ refers to getting up. It is an Intransitive Verb.
He rose to power by ill means.
Raise means Cause to happen. It is a Transitive Verb.
The flag was raised by the President.
Harihar raised the question.
Arise is used in respect of invisible things. It is an Intransitive Verb.
A new idea arose to my mind pertaining to this problem.
4. ‘Wait’ is used as an Intransitive Verb. It takes an infinitive (to) after it. Mind the following example:
They waited to meet the Prime Minister.
Await is a Transitive Verb. It takes an object after it.
We awaited his arrival.
5. ‘Lie’ is an Intransitive Verb. Its past form is ‘lay’ and the Past Participle form is ‘lain’.
Ramen, come and lie down here.
Lay is a Transitive Verb. It takes an Object after it.
We laid the wounded person on the bed.
More About VerbsÂ
EXERCISE
More About Verbs
1. Mind the uses of the verbs in the following sentences and say their kinds.
a. We selected Boby our Team leader.
b. The police looked at us.
c. It pains me.
d. The mango tastes sweet.
e. There is a box in the almirah.
f. It is getting dark quickly.
g. His hair is turning white.
h. He falls ill.
i. We grow paddy in the field.
j. We acted upon his advice.
k. We called him a hero.
l. I made him do the sum.
m. The boy appears lively.
n. It is becoming winter.
o. Ram seems intelligent.
p. He is getting bald.
q. It rains heavily in June.
r. The boy succeeded himself.
2. Fill in the gaps of the following sentences using the appropriate verbs given within the brackets at the end of each sentence.
a. Our President ………….. to power. (rises/ raises)
b. We were …………….. her arrival. (awaited/ waited)
c. Always ………….. the truth. (say/ speak)
d. I …………….. my new car. (like/ love)
e. He …………. me a new story. (said/ told)  0 0 0.
More About Verbs
N.B. Â The article ‘More About Verbs’ originally belongs to the book ‘School English Grammar Part- I‘ by Menonim Menonimus.
Books of Composition by M. Menonimus:
- Advertisement Writing
- Amplification Writing
- Note Making
- Paragraph Writing
- Notice Writing
- Passage Comprehension
- The Art of Poster Writing
- The Art of Letter Writing
- Report Writing
- Story Writing
- Substance Writing
- School Essays Part-I
- School Essays Part-II
- School English Grammar Part-I
- School English Grammar Part-II..
Books of S. Story by M. Menonimus:
Books of Biography by M. Menonimus:
- The World Writers-Brief Biographies
- Introduction to World Writers
- Introduction to World Personalities
- Love of Reputed Persons ..
Books on Linguistics by M. Menonimus:
- A Brief History of the English Language
- Essays on Linguistics
- My Imageries
- Felicitous Expression: Some Examples
- Learners’ English Dictionary
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