English Grammar Part 12: Verbs, Important Irregular Verbs

Blackkdark's picture
 Written by Blackkdark
on 11th June 2007


Level: Basic
Time taken to Complete: 200 minutes

Activity:

English is a complicated language. It's rather annoyingly difficult in many respects, and somewhat simplified in others. Many people have difficulty with English spelling. The grammar has its ups and downs, but here is some help.  This series is for those who would like to brush up on or learn about grammar and grammar terminology.

There are a few verbs which need to be mentioned and conjugated out, so we know and understand them.  The first thing need to know is that the only verbs that are contracted are irregular or modal.

 The verb to be is one of those verbs.  The present tense of the verb to be is as follows:

 Singular Plural 
First person amare 
Second are are 
Third is are 

Here is the simple past:

 Singular Plural 
First was were 
Second were were 
Third was were 

The past perfect is to have been.  The present subjunctive is be and the past subjunctive is were in all cases.  The imperative is Be as well.

The verb to go is regular in the present tense, but has a simple past tense of went and a past perfect of gone.

The verb to have is conjugated as follows:

 singular plural 
first have have 
second have have 
third has have 

The past is had in both the simple past and the perfect.
Other good irregulars are come-came-have come, see-saw-have seen, take-took-have taken.

There are a bunch of verbs known as modals.  This is a limited list and always require an infinitive afterwards.  The other thing about them is they don't have an ending in the third person (no -s or -es ending).  These include can-must-shall-will-may.  Shall and Will are also used to make the future tense, although Shall is going out of use.  We also get Would-Should-Could from Will-Shall-Can.  These are similar to subjunctive, conditional and other forms like this.

The contractions of these verbs include several different ends.  The ending 's could be from is or has.  The ending 'd usually is would.  've is always have.  There are others though too.

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English Grammar Part 10: Verbs Voicing
micheal's picture
Submitted by micheal on Wed, 21/10/2009 - 09:57.
nglish verbs are said to have two voices: active and passive.

Active Voice: the subject of the sentence performs the action:

His son catches fly balls. Creative children often dream in class banks.

Note: Verbs in the active voice may be either transitive or intransitive.

Passive Voice: the subject receives the action:

The ball was caught by the first baseman.
The duty is performed by the new recruits.
The dough was beaten by the mixer.
The mailman was bitten by the dog find a property.

Only transitive verbs can be used in the passive voice. What would be the direct object of the verb in the active voice becomes the subject of the verb in the passive voice:

Active voice: The dog bit the mailman. “bit” is a transitive verb. The receiver/direct object is “mailman personal loans.”

Passive voice: The mailman was bitten by the dog. “bit” is now in the passive voice. The “receiver” has become the subject of the verb.


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