Correct Use of Verbs
Rules on Verbs
1) If the subject is of the third person, singular number (he, she, it) add ‘s’ or es/ies to the first form of the verb to make it a singular number.
Ex: she loves her children
Ravi plays the violin every morning
2) The following verbs are not usually used in the continuous form.
See, hear, smell, notice, recognize, taste, feel, want, desire, refuse, forgive, wish, care, love, hate, adore, think, feel, realize, understand, know, mean, suppose, believe, expect, remember, recollect, forget, recall, trust, mind, seen, signify, appear, belong, owe, possess, contain, consists, keep, etc. but the verbs implying deliberate employment of the senses can be used in the continuous form.
Ex: The Manager is seeing the application.
3) The present perfect tense with ‘for or since’ is used to express an action began at some time in the past and is still continuing up to the time of speaking or just finished.
For indicates period of time
Since indicates the point of time.
Ex: He has lived here for two months.
Ramya has been with the teachers since 1’O clock.
4) When the first action completed before the second one started, the past perfect tense for the first finished action and the simple past tense for the second are used.
Ex: when I reached the station, the train had left.
5) When the verb in the principal clause is in the past tense, the verbs in the subordinate clause normally in the past tense.
Ex: she said that she would come.
6) When the subordinate clause expresses a universal truth the past tense in the main clause may be followed by a present tense.
Ex: she said that the sun rises in the east.
7) The past tense in the main clause may be followed by any tense after the conjunction ‘than’ in the subordinate clause.
Ex: she walked faster than they do/did
8) No preposition is used after the verb ‘told’.
Ex: She told me that she had bought a car.
9) After positive statements, the question tag used should be in the negative interrogative.
Ex: they like movies, Don’t they?
10) After negative sentences, the question tag used should be in an ordinary interrogative form.
Ex: He did not like that book, did he?
11) To express an unfulfilled condition in the past, we should express with ‘Past Perfect Tense’ in it clause and Perfect conditional Tense in the main Clause.
Ex: If you had told me earlier, I would have come.
12) In conditional sentences, to express improbability in the present, the simple past tense in the clause and the present conditional tense in the main clause are used.
Ex: If I were the minister, I would buy an airplane.
13) No other conjunction should be used as a connective word, in indirect speech when the question indirect speech begins with why or how question words.
Ex: She asked me who my family doctor was.
14) The question forms indirect speech should be changed to affirmative sentences in indirect speech.
Ex: The manager asked me how I could solve the matter.
15) The verb ‘suggest’ propose in indirect speech should be followed by ‘that clause’ with the auxiliary verb ‘should’.
Ex: Doctor suggested to me that I should go for a walk every morning.
16) In the absence of an indirect object after suggest a gerund form used.
Ex: Raghu suggested going for a walk every morning.
17) The verb ‘Tell’ should be used with an object.
Ex: She told me that she had bought a car.
18) Inactive voice ‘Let’ should be used with a plain infinitive.
Ex: They let us go.
19) ‘Being’ at the beginning of a sentence will normally mean ‘as he is’ / ‘as he was’.
Ex: Being a girl she was normally interested in dance.
20) The subject of the participle need not be the same as the subject of the following verb. Then the participle should be used with proper subject of references.
Ex: The day being fine, they decided to go shopping
21) When two subjects are joined by ‘and’ the verb is plural.
Ex: Ravi and Ramu are here.
22) If two singular nouns joined by and refer to the same person or thing, the verb must be singular.
Ex: My friend and benefactor has come.
23) If two subjects together express one idea, the verb may be in the singular.
Ex: Slow and steady wins the race.
24) If two or more singular subjects connected by or, nor, either-or, neither-nor, take a verb in the singular.
Ex: Neither Latha nor Ramya was here.
25) When two singular subjects are proceded by each and every, the verb should be in the singular.
Ex: The minister power and influence is on the decline.
26) When ‘not only-but also’ is used to combine two subjects, the verb agrees with the subject close to it.
Ex: Not only she but all here friends also were awarded.
27) A collective noun takes a singular verb when the collection is thought of as a whole, a plural verb when the individuals of which is it is composed are thought of.
Ex: The mob has dispersed.
The military was called out.
28) Majority can be singular or plural. If it is alone it is usually singular, if it is followed by a plural noun, it is usually plural.
Ex: The majority believes that the country can progress.
29) Some nouns which are plural in form, but singular in meaning, take a singular verb.
Ex: The news is true.
30) Some nouns which are singular in form but plural in meaning take a plural verb.
Ex: Two dozen cost one hundred rupees
31) Words joined to a singular subject by with, together with, In addition to, as well as are parenthetical, and therefore do not affect the number of the verb.
Ex: Rama, as well as Krishna, deserves a prize.
32) After ‘had better’ a bare infinitive is used.
Ex: You had better wait and see.
33) When a verb is placed after a preposition, the gerund form must be used.
Ex: He is thinking of buying a house.
34) After the verbs such as left/ bid/ watch/ behold/ see/ fee/ hear/ make/ need not/ dare not/ a bare infinitive should be used.
Ex: He made to me cry
35) “One of” always takes a plural noun after it.
Ex: It is one of the memorable incidents in my life.
36) “A great many” is always followed by a plural noun and a plural verb.
Ex: A great many players have been declared.
37) The Verb “know” with how/where/ when/ why takes fall infinitive.
Ex: It informed that he knows how to teach students