Verbs for Class 7

What are Verbs?

Verbs are action words that express what someone or something does. They convey actions, events or states of being in a sentence. Verbs help describe the action in a sentence and are essential for conveying meaning and forming complete thoughts. In simpler terms, a verb answers one of the following questions– What is the subject doing? How is the subject (state of being)?

Types of Verbs

1. Principal Verbs

A principal verb also known as the main verb, is the main word in the predicate of a sentence. The predicate includes the verb along with other words that provide more information about the action or state expressed by the verb. The principal verb is the core element that conveys the main action or state of being in a sentence.

Examples:

• Despite facing numerous challenges, she continued to persevere in her pursuit of excellence.
• The inspiring speech by the leader galvanised the team to take immediate action.
• The students were eager to contribute their ideas to the class project on renewable energy.\
• The two artists decided to collaborate on a mural that would represent unity and diversity.
• The teacher asked the students to evaluate the impact of technology on society during their research project.
• The young inventor set out to innovate a new solution to address the environmental challenges facing the community.

2. Auxiliary Verb

An auxiliary verb also known as a helping verb is a verb used together with the main verb of a sentence to express the action or state more precisely. These verbs are crucial for forming various tenses, moods, voices and aspects of English. These are also essential for constructing grammatically correct and meaningful sentences. 

Examples:

• Scientists have been conducting experiments to understand the behaviour of the newly discovered species.
• By next month, she will have completed her advanced piano lessons and will be ready for the recital.
• Before the storm began, the workers had already secured all the equipment at the construction site.
• The students must have been studying diligently because they aced the challenging exam.
• Before heading to the airport, we need to check whether we have packed all the necessary documents for the international trip or not.
• Whether facing numerous obstacles, the team has persevered and is now on the brink of achieving its long-term goal.

3. Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb is a type of action verb that is always followed by a direct object. Now, understand these both first:

Action Verb: A verb is a word that describes an action (something you do) or a state (something you are). For example, in the sentence "To stay healthy, Shelly runs every morning" the word "runs" is a verb because it describes the action of running.

Direct Object: Now, when a verb is transitive, it requires a direct object to complete its meaning. A direct object is the receiver of the action.

Let's understand it through an example: In the sentence "Shelly eats all kinds of nuts on a daily basis before cardio," the verb "eats" is transitive because it needs an object to make sense. "nuts" is the direct object because it receives the action of eating.

Examples:

• The maths teacher explained the difficult concept to the students very easily.

Transitive verb: explained

Object: the difficult concept

• Sussan composed a melodious song for the school concert and she won the first prize.

Transitive verb: composed

Object: a melodious song

• The scientist discovered a new species of insects in the rainforest.

Transitive verb: discovered

Object: a new species of insects

• My friend borrowed a fascinating novel from the library to upskill his fiction genre.

Transitive verb: borrowed

Object: a fascinating book

• My dad fixed the broken handle on the kitchen door.

Transitive verb: fixed

Object: broken handle

• She wrote an insightful essay on the effects of climate change.

Transitive verb: wrote

Object: insightful essay

• He built a sturdy wooden bookshelf for his extensive book collection.

Transitive verb: built

Object: sturdy wooden bookshelf

• The gardener planted colourful flowers in the front yard to make it pleasing.

Transitive verb: planted

Object: colourful flowers

In the above-mentioned sentences, bold ones denote “action verbs” and underlined ones denote “direct object”.

4. Intransitive Verbs

Verbs are words that express actions, states or occurrences. An intransitive verb is a type of verb that does not require a direct object to complete its meaning. In simpler terms, it doesn't need someone or something to receive the action.

Let's understand it through an example: In the sentence, "I like to sleep after a tiring day", “sleep” is an intransitive verb because it doesn't need an object. The action of sleeping is complete in itself.

Examples:

Subject Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical rule that states that the subject and the verb in a sentence must agree in number. In other words, if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular, and if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

Here are some basic rules for subject-verb agreement:

1. Singular Subjects: Singular subjects take singular verbs.

Examples:

• A delicious aroma wafts through the kitchen as the cake bakes in the oven.
• Each student in the class completes the assignment before the bell rings.
• The company, known for its innovative products, has won numerous awards.
• The book on the top shelf belongs to the librarian with the glasses.
• The mountain, covered in snow, stands tall against the clear blue sky.
• A stream of sunlight enters the room through the open curtains.
• The idea of starting a community garden excites the neighbourhood.
• The committee, composed of experts in the field, makes important decisions.

In the above-mentioned sentences, bold ones denote “singular subjects” and underlined ones denote “singular verbs”

2. Plural Subjects: Plural subjects take plural verbs.

Examples:

• The team of scientists are conducting experiments in the laboratory.
• Several students from the class have submitted their projects.
• The group of friends are planning a weekend getaway.
• A variety of fruits and vegetables are available at the farmer's market.
• The committee members disagree on the best course of action.
• My family and I enjoy spending time together during holidays.
• The collection of rare coins was displayed in a special exhibit.
• The fleet of ships sails across the ocean in formation.
• Several challenges exist in the field of environmental conservation.
• The pack of wolves hunt together to catch their prey.

In the above-mentioned sentences, bold ones denote “plural subjects” and underlined ones denote “plural verbs”

Forms of Verbs

Verbs can take different forms to convey different meanings or functions within a sentence. The three main forms of verbs are: