Towards Understanding

8/14/2019 Towards Understanding...

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Towards understanding the English

verb: form and meaning.

Jos Ribamar de Castro


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A. regular or irregular.

Regular verbs have five principal parts from

which all the verb forms (ie tenses,participles

and gerund) are constructed.

1. base look

2. third person singular simple present looks

3. present participle / gerund looking

4. past form looked

5. past participle looked


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Irregular verbs show many variations in 4 and 5.

1. break grow hit2. breaks grows hits

3. breaking growing hitting

4. broke grew hit5. broken grown hit

The verbs BE and HAVE are also irregular.It is

because there are so many useful irregularverbs that we have to learn a list by heart.


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Theed in the past form and in the past

participle does not make a separate syllable.looked /lukt/

But many adjectives ending ined do make it

into a separate syllable.crooked /krukid/ wicked/wikid/

learned /l3:rnid/

B. singular or pluralThe subject of the sentence decides whether

the verb is singular or plural.


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singular plural

A cow eats grass. Cows eat grass.My friend likes swimming. My friends like

swimming.

But this rule is sometimes disobeyed.1. When the sense demands it,a singular noun

can attract a plural verb.This is common in

informal conversation.*The local committee are organising visits to

schools for teachers attending the conference.


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(A committee consists of several people.)

2. On the other hand,an apparently plural

subject can take a singular verb.

* (The sum of) $ 1,000 per annum is not much

of a wage these days.

3. The main verb can be attracted into the plural

by the real subject.

*The thing that attracts me are the flowers

round the rim of the vase.

The real subject is the flowers.


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4. ONE OF must take a singular verb in spite of

the plural noun that goes before it.

ONE OF our players WAS hurt in the game.But the verb in a relative clause must match its

subject.

This is one of the things that HAPPEN.However,in common speech the rule is often

ignored.

5. NONE: EVERYONE should take a singularverb.But they are often heard with plural verb


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in common speech.

None of these cases ARE serious.BETTER None of these cases IS serious.

Everyone KNOWS what a computer does,

DONT THEY

The colloquial usage at least solves the

problem of the male pronoun HErepresenting both sexes:

Everyone KNOWS what a computer

does,DOESNTHE?


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C. Verbs ending in Y

Verbs ending in Y have a third person

singular of the simple present tense in -IES.

Flyflies; trytries.

But play-plays; lay-lays.D. Auxiliary

1. An auxiliary verb is not a full verb.It is

without an infinitive,a present participle,agerund and a past participle.As its name

implies,it helps to make a full verb.


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It assists an ordinary verb to make its

tenses,moods(indicative,imperative,subjunctive),aspects

(past,present,future;progressive and non-

progressive),and voice (active and passive).

I WAS sleeping until a barking dog woke me

up.She HAS BEEN sleeping for more than five

hours.


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Some tenses, of course,are formed without

the assistance of auxiliary verbs.

2. Auxiliary verbs are: be;have;do;dare;

need.

These verbs can also function as full verbs.Shall;will;can;may;might;ought (to);used

(to).

3.They make their negatives by adding NOTor NT (as a suffix).


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4. Must,may and can are followed by the

bare infinitive.

You must workharder.

Icanhearsomeone coming.The book you want may bein the library.

The bare infinitive is used future reference.

We MUST GO tomorrow.It MAY RAIN tonight.


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5. Ought (to) indicates obligation,whether

in the past,present or future.You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

6. An adverb of frequency comes between

oughtand the infinitive.

One ought always to behonest.

E. With attached prepositions1. Some intransitive verbs make their

meanings with a preposition.


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The preposition is an essential part of the

verb and so it must not be omitted,not

even when the verb is passive.This means

that the preposition can sometimes comeast the end of the sentence,and this is

quite acceptable.

Listen tome!Look atme!

Passive * I dontlike being stared at.


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About

referring to a topic or somebody

think/speak/argue/worry/complain about.

Across

come across= find/meet by chance

I came across this quotation in an old book I

was reading.

After

ask after= ask about

My mother was asking after you only yesterday.


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take after= resemble

She takes after her father.(looks or

behaves like him)

At

arrive at= reach somewhereaim at (an intended target)

shoot at= (hit or miss:the result is not

known)shoot (without preposition)=hit someone

or something


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look/gaze at =observe

Look atme ,not atyour books.

I gazed at the picture for a long time

without understanding it.

Shout at(often=abuse:aggression isimplied)

I object to being shouted at.

Shout to= communicate with somebody ina loud voice.

smile at / laugh at


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FOR

Care for

a) look after

The sick are cared for in hospitals.b) like

Would you care for a drink before you eat?

Fall for = be attracted to someone:fall in love withsomeone

long for= desire ardently

hope for= hope for a desired resultlook for= seek:try to find


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From

come from: (place of origin)Where do you come from?

I come from Brazil.

Differ from= be different/think differentlyHow does life today differ from what it was like

in the 19th century.

InSucceed in

He succeeded in his examination.


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Believe in

Not everybody believes in miracles.

give in= surrenderstay in= remain indoors

cave in collapse under pressure

*The excessive rain caused the roof of the

tunnel to cave in.

look in= pay a casual visit

* The doctor said he would look in later to see

how the patient was.


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On

get on = succeed: make progress

*How are you getting on in your new job?depend on

a) put trust in someone or something

We are depending on you to make all the

arrangements for the wedding.

B) stand or fall by

Whether or not we have a conference overseas

next year will depend on our financial situation.


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insist on= be firm about something

I insist on paying for the lunch.Out

fall out (with)= quarrel with

make out= understand*I cantmake out what hestrying to say.

hold out= resist

dine/eat out= take a meal outside the home egat a restaurant or hotel.

Speak out= speak boldly and truthfully


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Contrast : speak up= speak loud enough to be

heard

Tospeak to= converse with

*Dontspeak unless you are spoken to.

Contrast: speak of = mentionreply to

happen to

agree to= accept a proposal or suggestionContrast:agree with be of the same opinion as

somebody


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Apply to

a) forward a request to somebody or

somewhereb) concern or affect

*These rules do not apply to you.

Contrast: apply for = make a formal request

*You will have to applyto the Consulate fora

visa.

Keep to

Keep to the point= Dontstray away from the

subject.


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Keep to the footpath.

With

compete with = be in rivalry withsympathise with= share a common feeling or

viewpoint

not hold with = disapprove of

*There is nopositive form hold with to express

approval.

2. Some transitive verbs,which in other

languages have a preposition attached,do not

have one in English.


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Portuguese English

obedecer obey

perguntar askaproximar de approach

* Children must obey their parents.

*I asked him where he lived.

* We approached the house.

F. with mixed prepositions

Many common expressions consist of a verb or

an adjective with a fixed preposition.


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Able + to

*My grandson was able to walk at ten months.Do not use round-about expressions such as I

am able to or I have the ability to when I can

is all you mean.*I can swim.

Accuse + of

*He accused me of cheating at cards.Agree witha person,but atsomething he does

or says.


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*The father was very angry with his son.

*I was angry athis reply.Approve + of

* I do not approve ofyour friendship with this

man.Arrive + at

*I usually arrive atthe office at nine oclock.

When arriveis followed by an adverb of placesuch as

here,there,somewhere,anywhere,nowhere,


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No preposition is used.The same is true of home

when used as an adverb.*Phone me as soon as you arrive there/home.

Boast + of

*A modest person does not boast ofhisachievements.

Boast aboutis also possible.

*He is not the sort of person to boast aboutwhat he did in the war.

Capable + of


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*He is capable of all sorts ofvillany.Compare + withThis preposition is used when we compare things of

the same kind.

* Compared withthe ancient empires,the British

Empire lasted a very short time.

Compare + to

This preposition is used when the things beingcompared are of different nature.

*Shall I compare thee (you) to a summersday.

(Shakespeare)


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Congratulate + on

*They congratulate us onour victory.

Cure + of

*This medicine will cure you of indigestionin a few hours.

But when cureis a noun(meaning a

remedy),the preposition used is for.*There is no cure for the common cold.


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Die

Usage varies.A coroner may bring in a

verdict ,of death bystrangling,by

poisoning:or fromnatural causes.A doctormay declare on a death certificate that

death was the result of(ie the person died

ofor from)a heart attack or froma drugoverdose.


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Different + from

Popular usage accepts both fromand to,but the former is preferable.

*What youresaying now is different from

what you said before.The noun differenceis usually followed by

between.The difference between you and me.

The verbdiffer takes from.


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*How does this differ from the other?

Full + of* The room is full ofsmoke.

Contrast The room was filled with

smoke.NB Full up means there is no more room

available. No vacancies.Glad + ofwith noun.

*We were gladof a rest after a long walk.


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Glad + to-infinitive

*Imvery glad to see you.Hang + on

Hang on means a) wait b) persevere

a) Dontring off yet. Just hang on aminute.

b) If you hang on long enough youllgetyour reward.


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Interested + in

*Imvery interested inwhat you aresaying.

The negative is uninterestedor,more

usually not interested. Both are differentfrom disinterestedwhich means

unconcerned.Live + on

The source from which one makes a living.


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*I can just manage to live onmy pension.

Live + by

The method one uses to make a lving.

*He has always lived by taking advantage

of his friends generosity.Make+ from

When one substance is changed into

another so that a new substance isproduced.

*Flour is made fromwheat.


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Make + of

When the original material is not actually

changed,but merely formed into some

object.

* A table is madeof wood.Married + to

* He is married tomy sister.

Married can be used either with or withoutan object.


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* He married when he was twenty-seven.

*He married my sister.

Pleased + with

* I am pleased withyour progess.

Pleased + to and infinitive* I am pleased to tell you that your wife

has given birth to a son.

Pleased + thatand noun clause* The headmaster is pleased that so many

parents have managed to attend the


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school concert in spite of the bad

weather.Proud + of

*We are proud of our sonsrecord at

school.

Rid + of

* He promissed to (get)rid ofthe rats.Sit + at (in front of us)

* We sat atthe table.

Sit + on (beneath us)


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Sit + on(beneath us)

* The cat saton the mat.

Sit + in(around us or which enfolds us)You sit inthe car while I do the shopping.

Sorry + for

* Imsorry for the delay in answering youre-mail.

Sorry + to-infinitive* Imsorry to tell you that your brother has

met with an accident.


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Take care + of

* Take care ofyourself.

Take care + to-infinitive

*Take care tolock and bolt the front door

before you go to bed.Take care + thatand noun clause.

* Take care that I dontcatch you cheating

again.Useful+ to of persons

* A white stick is useful toa blind man.


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Useful+ for of purpose.

*A map is used forfinding onesway.

Negative useless follows the same pattern.

Write + in for material used for writing.

*All answers must be writtenin ink.Write + with

for the instrument used in writing

*The Japanese write their letters withabrush.


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As it is suggested in the title,Towards

understanding the English verb: form andmeaning, has no other ambitious purpose

than the pure practical

one of helping Brazilian teachers/studentsof English to eliminate those errors which

repeatedly occur in their writing/speech.If this workshop was somewhat helpful,I

will have fulfilled my purpose.


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