Tricks of Verb

Forms of Verbs

1. Present (Ist form)

2. Past (2nd form)

3. Past Participle (3rd form)

4. Present Partciple (ing form)

English Grammar

Main Verbs

Those Verbs that express an action, an occurrence or a state of being and those which have V1 /  V2 / V3 /  ing or  s / es forms are called Main Verbs.

Ex:

I know you. (V1)
I knew you. (V2)
I have known you for two years. (V3)
The forms of Main Verbs will change if the sentence of the sentence changes.

Auxiliary Verbs: They are used in addition to other verbs. These are also called helping verbs.

Modal Auxiliary Verbs: They are also called helping verbs. Can, could, may, might, shall, will, would, should, must and ought to are called Modal Auxiliary Verbs.

Ex:

She can run fast.
You should study English.
Can and should are Modals and run and study are Main Verbs.

Marginal Auxiliary Verbs: Used to, need and dare are Marginal Auxiliary Verbs. These modals can be used as Main Verb (Need & Dare) or an Adjective (used to).

Ex: I am used to sleeping late at night.

Here am is Helping verb, used to is an Adjective and sleeping is  Gerund.

I dare not enter his room without permission.

Here dare is a Helping verb and enter is a Direct Infinitive.

Auxiliary Verbs

Rules

1. Modal Auxiliary Verbs are not used as main verbs .They are only used as helping verbs.

Ex:

I can lift this box.(Helping Verb)
He should work hard.( Helping Verb)
2. Modal Auxiliary Verbs are not used in V1, V2, V3, ing or s/es form. Their forms do not change with subject, person or number.

Ex:

She can help you.(V1)
You should understand your friends.(V1)
3. Ought and used is always followed by Infinitive (to + V1)

Ex:

We ought to respect our parents. (to + V1)
He used to come late.(to + V1)
Modal Auxiliary Verbs

Can & Could

Rules

1. Can denotes power, ability and capacity.

Could denotes past ability, power or capacity.

Ex:

He can lift the box.
I could not come yesterday.
2. Can is also used for taking / giving permission.

Ex: You can go now.

3. Can denotes theoretical possibility

Ex: Everyone can make a mistake.

4. Could is used to show remote possibility .

Ex: There could be a bomb under your seat.

5. Can shows friendly request, while could shows formal request.

Ex: Can I take your scooter?

Could I talk to Mr. Shukla ?

Note: Both able to and could / can show capacity. Hence they are never used together in a sentence.

Ex: I cannot be able to come tomorrow.(wrong)

I cannot come tomorrow.(right)

May, Might and Must

Rules

1. May shows possibility

Ex: It may rain tonight.

2. May expresses willingness in an optative sentence.

Ex: May you live long!

3. We use may in subordinate clause if Principal clause is in present tense, and the subordinate clause starts with that / so that / in order that and the subordinate clause denotes a purpose.

Ex: We eat so that we may live.

4. Might shows less possibility. May expresses possibility (neither low or high).

Ex: He might pass the exam but seeing his intelligence I do not have much hope.

It may rain tonight.

5. Must shows greater possibility.

Ex: He stays in five-star hotels and travels  by air. He must be rich.

6.When May shows respect / request, it is always used in interrogative form.

Ex: May I come in?

Shall & Will

Rules

1. Shall is used with first person I and we in future tense. All the other persons take will

Ex: I shall go to college tomorrow and he will come with me.

2. Imperative sentence beginning with let us / let’s, will have shall we in the question tag.

Ex: Let us dance together, shall we ?

3. Shall is used with first person to make a suggestion in Interrogative sentences.

Ex: Shall we talk to the management?

Would

Rules

1. Would is used to express  past habit.

Ex: I would go to school by bus.

2. Would shows preference / choice when it comes with rather.

Ex: He would rather die than beg.

3. If the sentence is in past, it will continue in past.

Ex: He hoped that he would pass.

4. We can use either would, used to or Simple past tense to express Past routine action.

Ex: I used to go to school by bus. I would return on foot. We played for hours before returning home.

5. Would is used in Principal clause of Imaginative sentences.

Ex: If I were a bird, I would fly in the sky.

Note: Was is not used with the following words as they make a entence imaginary.

Ex: I wish, as though, if, as if, would that and suppose..

Should

Rules

1. Should is used to express suggestion/ advice.

Ex : You should not laugh at his mistake.

2. If should is used after lest it shows negative purpose.

Ex: He ran fast, lest he should miss the train..

Ought To

Rules

1. Ought to shows moral obligation or duty.

Ex: We ought to love our country.

Must

Rules

1. Must is used to denote compulsion .

Ex: Candidates must write in ink.

2. Must also shows fixed determination.

Ex: India must win the World Cup.

3. Must expresses duty.

Ex: A soldier must fight for his country.

Used To

Rules

1. Used to denotes past habit/ situation.

Ex: He used to study till 10 p.m.

2. Use to or Uses to does not show present routine action. Instead simple present tense is used for such purpose.

Ex: He studies till 10 p.m and then goes to bed..

Dare/ Need

Dare and Need are used as both main verb as well as modal.

Dare expresses challenges or courage.

Need expresses requirements.

Ex:

He needs me.
She does not dare to go there.
You need not come tomorrow.
He dare not cheat anyone again.