singular verb and noun and phrase and clause

singular verb and noun:

a. Read the following sentence:

1. The book is open.                The books are open.

2. The kite is beautiful.            The kites are beautiful.

3. The bird is in the sky.          The birds are in the sky.

In the first sentence the singular verb is used for the singular noun. In the second sentence the plural verb is used for the plural noun.


Fill in the blanks with the correct noun or verb forms.

1. The bird __________in the sky.

2. The ________ are in the sky.

3. The doors __________ open.

4. The buses _________ full.

5. The train __________ long.



phrase and clause:

Read the following sentence.

1. In spite of illness, kala went to school

A B

There is a group of words both in A and B. What is the difference between them?

There is no finite verb in A - It is a phrase.

There is a finite verb in B - It is a clause.


2. On seeing the elephant, the child was happy

A B

Phrase - on seeing the elephant

Clause - the child was happy

Note: ‘seeing’ is not a finite verb. It is non finite.

Read the following sentences and tabulate the phrases and clauses. The first one is done for you.

1. On account of Pongal, tomorrow will be a holiday.

2. I saw the sunrise, walking along the road.

3. The match was cancelled, owing to rain.

4. In the event of a good monsoon, we will get better yield.

5. She fell ill due to overwork.

6. In case of war, there will be a shortage of oil.

Phrase                                                                  Clause

1 On account of Pongal                                       1 tomorrow will be a holiday

2                                                                             2

3                                                                             3

4                                                                             4

5                                                                             5


6                                                                             6

TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS:

Look at these sentences.

• I saw a film
• She is arranging the flowers
• The dog bit a boy.

The words a film, the flowers and a boy are the ‘objects’ of the verbs saw, is arranging, and bit.
A verb which takes an object is called a transitive verb.

Now look at these sentences.

• The child is sleeping
• She sat down.
• He sneezed.

The verbs is sleeping, sneezed and sat down do not have objects.

A verb which does not take an object is called an intransitive verb.

Several verbs can be used as both transitive and intransitive.

Transitive	Intransitive
Latha started the quarrel.	The meeting started on time
I opened the door.	The library opens at 10 a.m
The government increased the price of petrol	The water level steadily increased.
They broke the window panes.	The pencil broke into two.

STATE- OF – BEING VERBS

What are state-of-being verbs?

State-of-being verbs do not show action; they simply say something about the subject./ State- of –being verbs are often called linking verbs because they link the subject of the sentence with information about it.

There are eight state-of-being verbs:

Example:
• The teacher is tall.

In this sentence, is links the teacher to information about her-the fact that she is tall? That is her state-of being.
Give your example. ___________

State-of-being Verbs
Is	Am	are
Was	Were
be	being	Been

ACTION VERBS:

An Action verb indicates the action of a person or a thing. The action can be visible or mental.

Some action verbs show visible action.

Examples:

-          Raman plays football.

-          The cat drank the milk.

-          Nancy talked to her friends.

The verbs play, drink and talk indicate visible actions. Visible actions. These actions can be seen. Some verbs indicate mental actions. These actions cannot be seen or heard directly. They are thinking activities, but they are still actions.

Examples:

-          The students understand the assignment.

-          Everyone believes you.

The verbs understand and believe express mental actions. The chart above shows the two types of action verbs.

·         Strong, specific action verbs make your speech and writing interesting. They help you communicate clearly.