m J teatures

CHAPTER
····· ·······- -··· ..... ...
[► Analy tical Think ing
j ► Stren gthen ing Value
= Systems
j► Rootedness in India
:► Subje ct Integration
:► Multilingua lism

Verbs
♦ FINITE AND NON-FINITE ♦ INFINITIVES, PARTICIPLES AND GERUNDS
SUBJECT- VERB AGREEMENT

orm ed by the subject,

A verb is a word which describes an action perf
by the subj ect.
the condition of the subject or what is pos sess ed
Edmund Hillary.
The first person who climbed Mount Everest was
He achi eved this feat along with Tenzing Norgay.
.
We can broadly classify verbs as main and auxiliary
ning inde pen den tly and it
The main verb of a sentence can express its mea
verb s may not nee d the
tells us what the subject is, does or feels. The se
help of othe r verbs to express their meanings.
Simran enquired abo ut the parcel.
Namita went to the courier office with her.

A. Underline the main verbs in this passage.

I visited my friend Sherlock Holmes on the seco
nd morning after Christmas.
n. Beside the couch was
He was sitting on the sofa in a brown dressing gow
dirty, worn, felt hat. A lens
a wooden chair. On the back of the chair hung a
ly Holmes had hung the
and forceps lay upon the seat of the chair. Obvious
hat over the chair in order to examine it.
"Perhaps I interrupt you?" I said.
"Not at all, I am glad to have a friend with whom
I can discuss my results," said Sherlock.
"The matter is an ordinary one," he continued,
"but there are some points of interest in it."
I seated myself in his armchair and warmed
22 my hands before his crackling fire.
 t forms of the verbs given in the
bO><•
in th~ -~~~ nks with the cor rec
B. Fill --- --- \
:' -- -------- -- -------- ......... _._.-:. ~-- --- --· ·-- -·- ---
look walk try put /
: spot part find hear tell
ggle laugh sit !
:__ _____ ~ca mper hold bring wri . . -- - --"
--·-------- ----- -- - .......
_ ~~~-~o~ ~ -,~~~ -school when the
y
Mani and Tara were _ __ _ _
-- - - - a me win g sou nd. They _ _ _ __ _ around and
-
ped in a shrub. The little animal waits s
Tara - -- - - - a kitten trap way
e out of it but it cou ldn 't _ _ _ _ __
- -- - -- to com
the ground and carefully
out. Tara - -- -- - down on
lower part of the shrub.
- - - -- - her hand into the
ni - - - -- - som e branch es of the shrub to make a passage
Ma
gently _ __ _ __
for the kitten to be brought out. Tara
out to safety.
the kitten and - - - - -- it
_ in Tara's hands. i.• ~
The kitten began to _ _ __ _
She put it down and the nex t mome
nt the kitten ~ ..Jl(_~
a _ _ _ _ __ and
- - - - -- away happily. Tar
som ething to the class ~o llo wi ng day.
said that the y had

ps the main verb sho w the ten se.

The auxiliary ver b in a sen ten ce hel
, have, had , does, did , wiU , can and
Words suc h as am , is, are , were, has
uld are aux ilia ry ver bs. Au xiliary verbs are also called helping ver bs.
sho
ow. Ria is writing an email.
Raj ani will me et her cousin tomorr
in ver bs.
have and do can also be used as ma
The auxiliary ver bs is, am , are , has ,
Rehana is a scientist. Pritam has a new pair of skates.

the sentences.
Circle the correct auxiliary verb in
Delhi tomorrow.
Sarla and her cousin ( is I will ) visit
.
g on the hazards of global warming
They ( has / have ) to attend a meetin
.
) going to do a presen tati on on the use and benefits of solar energy
Sarla ( is I are
.
can I will ) travel to Agra and Jaipur
After the meetin g gets over, they (
Mahal.
They ( is/ are ) eager to see the Taj
car to Jaipur.
From Agra they ( will / was ) travel by
.
Jaipur ( is I are ) called the Pink City
23
I will ) visi t the Amber Fort, the Hawa Mahal and the Jantar Mantar.
Sarla ( was
 • SUBJECT - VERB AGREEMENT •
The verb in a sentence has to agree with the subject of the sentence in
number and person . The verb Is singular when the subject is a singular noun
or pronoun. The verb is plural when the subject is a plural noun or pronoun.
I like reading humorous stories. (first person, singular)
Sandhya eats an apple every day. (third person, singular)
The children are reciting nursery rhymes. (third person, plural)
When a collective noun is used in the singular, we use a singular verb.
A swarm of bees was buzzing around the flowers.
A herd of cattle was grazing in the farm .
When a collective noun is used in the plural, we use a plural verb.
Swarms of bees were buzzing around the flowers.
Herds of cattle were grazing in the farm.
However, some collective nouns can take either a singular or a plural verb.
This depends upon whether the speaker is thinking of the collective noun as
a single whole or as made up of separate individual units.
The staff in this restaurant is hard-working.
(The speaker is referring to the staff as a team.)
The staff in this restaurant are hard-working.
(The speaker is focussing on the fact that the individual members are hard-working.)
We use singular verbs with words such as someone, everyone, each one,
neither, either and no one.
Neither Meenakshi nor Sujit is going to watch the movie.
Each one is holding the banner of her/ his team.

D. Tick (✓ } the correct options to complete these sentences.

1. This group (is I are) organizing a craft festival.

2. Neither Meera nor Zeba (is/ are) present today.

3. The crops (are/is) growing well.

4. Both the flights (has/have) been cancelled.

5. All his wishes (has /have) been fulfilled.

6. Which one of these pens (is/ are) yours?

7. Greenland (has/have) sub-zero temperatures throughout the year.

2◄ 8. Much (has / have) been said, but nothing (have/ has) been done.
 t verbs.
f, rline th e correc
E. He re ar e a fe w fin ro m a Po em by Ruskin Bond. Unde
es
/ 1·
At seven, when dusk sli P s ips over the mountains
. '
h.
The trees start/ starts w ispenng among themselves.
nding still all day,
They has/ have been sta
they st retch/ stretch es their limbs in the dark.
But now
I listen/ listens to thei
r whisperin gs ,

Their own mysterious

diction
before their arms
And bowI bows my head I

ction.
And ask/ asks for benedi
ntence.
to complete each se
F. Tick (✓) th e correct en di ng
mmonly called hangul,
, . The Kashmir stag, co
a. face th e risk of ex
tinction.
b. faces th e risk
of extinction.
2. The co lour of its
coat
ries de pe nd in g up on its age and the season.
a. va on.
va ry de pe nd in g up on its age and the seas
b.

3. With the thick

coat, the stag
es w el l in th e snow y mountains of Kashmir.
a. surv iv
e w ell in th e sn ow y mountains of Kashmir.
b. surviv
Th e male stag
male does not has it.
4.
of an tle rs bu t th e fe
a. have a rack
of an tle rs bu t th e fe male does not have it.
b. has a rack
eding patterns
s. The Kashmir stag's fe
a. change from seas
on to season.
b. changes from se
ason to season.

6. During the snow

y winter, the stag
cr ee pe rs an d dig th e ground for other food .
a. prefer eating .
cr ee pe rs an d di gs th e ground for other food
b. prefers eating
nd s an d ro ck y cliffs , w here the stag lives,
7. The grassla ors.
tte r vi ew of th e surr oundings to spot predat
a. gives a be ors.
tte r vi ew of th e su rr oundings to spot predat 25
b. give a be
 -·-···----·-------·-------------·-- -------- - ----------- - --- ..
QUICK TIP
When does Is used as an auxHiary verb along wi th a main verb in the
third person singular Q1e, she, It), the mal n ve rb loses the -s ending. ;,
.'' .......... . . ..................... . . He does sings. X He does sing. ✓ _____ .. ... • ... . _,:
--------
G. There are some errors in these sentences. Correct the errors and rewrite
the sentences.

1. Water are the most popular drink in the world.

2. The next most popular drink is tea and coffee.

3. Tea were invented nearly 4,800 years ago an d 1·t were totally an accident!

4. Tea leaves found its way into Emperor Shan Nong's boiling water.

s. When the emperor tasted the liquid, he thought it were delicious!

6. Tea were traded for other ware from Asia.

• • FINITE AND NON-FINITE VERBS • •

When the verb in a sentence indicates the tense and agrees with the
number and person of the subject, we call it a finite verb. The form of
the verb changes if the subject changes or if the tense changes.
Sumit serves coffee to his friends. (fhird person, singular; simple present)
Sumit and Tara served coffee to their friends yesterday.
(fhird person, plural; simple past)
Here, the verb serve changes form to show the change in tense.
A non~finite verb does not change if the number or person of the subject
changes. Non-finite verhs also do not show the tense.
I had made idlis for breakfast. (First person, singular; past perfect)
Ratul a nd Payal have rnadp kheer tor dessert.
(Thirct person, plural; present perfect)
26
 nNotice how the
um ber, person mam
. verb made d
or tense . oes not change with the change In the
11
and shows the tense and ts the auxiliary verb had that changes
finite whereas the m . number. In these sentences, the awclllary verb 1s
N fi . am verb Is non-finite
on- mte verbs are of th ree kinds - Infinitives,
. participles and gerunds.
d
H. for
Note thef'underlined
non •t . the sentences. Write FV for finite verbs ao NF v
w0rd s '"
- ,m e verbs.
, . Mahnaz was _watchin 9 a movie
.:. .=. :. . :.:.!..'.!:1 . when her sister called. -
2. Preeti created a comput er program. _
3. Mousumi -reads
- a boo k every night
. before going to sleep. - -

4· My brother has made pasta for dinner. -

s. Raghav likes to take care of his potted plants. -
· The children have decided to visit a science museum on Sunday. ----
6

• INFINITIVES •
An infinitive is the base form of a verb. We use infinitives to join sentences.
You can meet my parents tomorrow.
Would you like to meet my parents tomorrow?
Infinitives are of two kinds - the to-infinitive (with to) and the bare infinitive

(without to).
When we use the verb with to, it is called the to-infinitive.
We asked the electrician to repair the fan.
Ranjit offered to help his mother in the kitchen.

♦ generally
The to-infinitive
tunctions as a noun or a complement in the sentence.
To operate this machine, insert a coin in the slot.
Touch the screen anywhere to activate the programme.
• is used atter verbs such as hope, want, agree and able.
Anuj hopes to become a great writer.
Tanuja wants to eat laddoos after lunch.

♦ is used after nouns or adjectives.

The ~anagement asked the principal to decide
It was difficult to carry this heavy 1uggage all the way.
·
27
 7
The bare infinitive of a verb consists of the infinitive without the word to
Let us remove the painting from the wall. ·

We use the bare infinitive

♦ after modals wlll, shall, would, could, can, may, might, must, should
and needn't.
Mother might come late from work today.
Father will help us choose the right gift for Grandpa.
♦ after certain verbs, such as hear, see, make and let.
Can you hear him play the guitar?
Papa would not let me drive his car.

I. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the words in the box.

' '
: visit play move go climb clean make ;
'' .. --- ... - -- - - .. --- -- - - - - - - - ----- - ---- - - .. - - - - -- ...... - - - - .. . '
1. Balwant likes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ football.

2. We are planning _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Sri Lanka this year.

3. Sarita asked Kaushik _ _ _ _ _ _ _ sandwiches for Meeta.
4. Our neighbours are planning _ _ _ _ _ _ _ into a new house soon.
5. We normally _ _ _ _ _ _ _ shopping on the weekends. We stock up
for the entire week.
6. Mark has up the ladder _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the loft.

• • PARTICIPLES •
A participle is a form of a verb that can function both as a verb and
as an adjective. Most commonly, participles end in -ing or -ed.
I burnt a toast accidentally. (verb)
However, I don't mind eating a burnt toast. (adjective)
Which languages are spoken in Meghalaya? (verb)
The main spoken languages in Meghalaya are Khasi and Garo. (adjective)
There are two types of participles - present and past.
♦ Present participles end in -ing.
Suhail left, taking the book with him.
 • Past part iciples end in -ed, -en, -<i, -t or -n, as In asked, eaten, saved,
dealt and seen.
The broken window was replaced with a new one.
Gita bought a packet of baked ragi biscuits.

• GERUNDS • •
A gerund is a verb that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. Since a gerund
functions as a noun, it occupies the same position in a sentence that
a noun usually does - subject, object or after a preposition.
Virat Kohli's batting saved the team. (subject of a sentence)
Everyone is talking about the retiring of Virat Kohli and
Rohit Sharma from T20 cricket. (object of a preposition)

J. Underline the gerunds and circle the participles in the passage below.

Tourists are people who are fond of travelling and sightseeing. Many tourists like

easy sports such as fishing or walking to relax and de-stress themselves, while

others prefer adventurous activities like camping, skiing and hiking.

Tourism provides income to the local people. Booking tickets, arranging

accommodation and guiding tourists for sightseeing are some of the services

provided by travel agents. The manufacturing and selling of souvenirs offer

employment to artisans.

Tourists, however, face a few difficulties at some tourist places. Communicating

with the local people is one of the toughest hurdles tourists face. Parking at

some places that attract a lot of tourists can be quite tedious.

Proper maintenance of tourist spots along with effective security measures and

better parking for tourists would go a long way in making tourism a safer and

more enjoyable experience.

29
 ,
K. Complete these sentences.
While listening to music, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1.
_ __
--
2. Closing the door, Neena _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. Sitting by the riverside, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ __

4. Jogging in the park, Nanda

--
-birthd - - -- -- --
5. Forgetting to wish him on his ay, I _ _ _ _ _ _ __ \
a list
L. look_at the picture. Have a conversation with your partner. Make
of suitab le verbs. Use their gerun d, participle or infinitive forms to make
sente nces abou t the picture.

Oxygen

Respiration

I ( Carbon dioxide ) _ / ~~~~

'
' make :
: SOME POSSIBLE VERBS - live breathe give respire

ts.
M. Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs given in bracke
1. Our teacher told us _ _ __ _ _ _ wastage.

Please _ _ _ __ __ the volume of the television. (reduce)

2. Ranjana wanted _ _ _ _ _ _ _ on all the shirts in the
shop.

"Let me _ _ _ __ __ the blue shirt on," she said. (try)

3. She tried the shirt on, but then decided not _ _ _ __
_ it.

'I would rather _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a book,' Ranjana thought. (buy)

 4. Shamali had - -- - -- -- for hours at the clinic.
Could you at the bus stop for me? (wait)
s. I can't in this noisy place.
If you really want , go to the library. (concentrate)
6. If global warming is not checked, the sea levels will continue _ _ _ _ _ _ __
The - - - - - - - - in sea levels will submerge many low-lying places. (rise)

N. Complete the paragraph with the correct forms of the verbs in the box.
,,- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
make wear recall recognize celebrate
dance sit leave send look perform
.. - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - ... - -- - -- - - - --- --- --- --- -- -- - ---
Aunt Amina and Uncle Vivek like _ __ _ _ _ _ _ their wedding
anniversary. They plan the entire event in great detail. They make it a point
- - - - -- - - invitation cards well in time. They also make the effort
- - - -- - - - calls to remind their guests of the party.

Last year, the theme was Aliens. We all had _ _ _ _ _ _ __ the weirdest
and the most imaginative attire _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ like aliens! Most of us were
unable _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ each other.

The best band of the region was called _ __ _ _ __ _ and play music
that suited the occasion. Those who wanted used the
dance floor while others preferred on the spacious lawn in
front of the house.

The food was laid well in time so that those who wished _ _ _ _ _ _ __

early could do so. It is such a joy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ that wonderful party.

. Complete this telephone conversation using gerunds )•,Qd!/•

or infinitives. Use the verbs in brackets.
Good morning! Goodwill Computers. How can I help you?
I'd like _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (speak) to Mr Mathews, please.

May I know who is calling?

This is Harinder speaking. I wonder if it might be possible
- - - - - - - (meet) him this week. 31
A: I'm afraid Mr Math ews is not free this wee k.
He tried
(reach) you several times last week, but we were
told that you were away.
B: I am sorry about that. I remember
(request)
him to call me. but I forgot abou t a trip to Jaipu
r that I had
(make).
A: Shall I ask him _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (call) you
sometim e ne)(t week?
B: Yes. thank you. I look forward to
(hear) from him.
P. Rewrite the sentences correctly.
, . lndumati gave me two books reading on dete
ctive fiction.

2. Kundan went shopping buying some clothes.

3. The thief entered quietly through the wind ow steal the

belongings.

4. Rajnish boug ht some flowers give to his mother.

s. Polishing her shoes, Richa boug ht some wax

from the market.

6. Sar\a used working in a bank but now is happy being a

teacher.

Q. Fill in each blank with the correct form of the give

n verb. Write I if it is an
infinitive, G if gerund or P if it is a participle.
1. The -
- - - - - - (win) athletes posed with their
medals. (_
2. Mrs and Mr Reddy need a loan _ _ _
_ _ _ _ (buy) a house. (_
3. When young, Sam was good at _ _ _ _
_ _ _ (climb) trees. (_
4. Identify the part of speech of the
(circle) word . (_
5. Sneha was busy (analyse) some data.
6. Many students are eager (donate) their books.
7. What an --:, ~- - (interest) article I read today!
a. You must ___,.....,~ - (keep) your keys carefully.
9. All employees are (report) at 10 a.m.
10. The Paris Olympics participants looked
(exci te).