Verbs Notes, Quizzes & Revision
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Verbs
Topic: topic_name_replace |
Subject: subject_replace |
For learners: age_replace (Kenya)
What is a verb?
A verb is a word that shows an action, a state, or an occurrence. It tells what someone or something does or is. Examples: run, eat, is.
Main types of verbs
- Action verbs β show action: walk, sing, plant. (e.g., Farmers plant tea.) π±
- Linking (state) verbs β connect subject to information: be, seem, feel. (e.g., The tea is hot.)
- Auxiliary (helping) verbs β help form tenses: be, have, do. (e.g., She is cooking.)
- Modal verbs β express ability, permission, obligation: can, may, must. (e.g., You must study.) β
- Transitive vs Intransitive β transitive take an object (eat a mango), intransitive do not (sleep).
- Regular vs Irregular β regular verbs add -ed for past (walk β walked); irregular verbs change differently (go β went).
Common tenses (simple forms)
Simple Present: I/You/We/They play. He/She/It plays. (e.g., Students play football at break.) β½
Simple Past: played or irregular (went). (e.g., They visited Kisumu last year.)
Simple Future: will + base verb. (e.g., We will travel by matatu.) π
Continuous: be + verb-ing (I am studying).
Perfect: have + past participle (She has finished).
Example: We are learning English. We have finished the lesson.
Perfect: have + past participle (She has finished).
Example: We are learning English. We have finished the lesson.
Quick conjugation examples
Verb: to go
I go | He goes | I went | I am going | I have gone
I go | He goes | I went | I am going | I have gone
Verb: to eat
I eat | He eats | I ate | I am eating | I have eaten
I eat | He eats | I ate | I am eating | I have eaten
Key rules and tips
- Subjectβverb agreement: singular subject, singular verb (He studies). Plural subject, base verb (They study).
- Third person -s: Add -s for he/she/it in present simple: She lives, The teacher teaches.
- Use of auxiliaries: For questions and negatives in present simple use do/does: Does she sing? She does not (doesn't) sing.
- Past simple: Regular verbs add -ed. Learn common irregular verbs (see short list below).
- Context helps tense choice: Time words like yesterday, now, tomorrow help decide past, present, future.
Common irregular verbs (short list)
go β went β gone
eat β ate β eaten
come β came β come
take β took β taken
see β saw β seen
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting -s for third person singular: Wrong: He go to school. Correct: He goes to school.
- Mixing past and present: Wrong: Yesterday I go to the market. Correct: Yesterday I went to the market.
- Wrong past participle: Wrong: He has went. Correct: He has gone.
- Using two auxiliaries incorrectly: Wrong: She does not can come. Correct: She cannot (canβt) come.
Short practice (try these)
- Fill in the correct verb: "Every morning, Mama ____ (cook) tea."
- Change to past tense: "The students play football."
- Make question: "You will travel to Nairobi." β ______?
- Choose correct form: "He (eat/eats) ugali."
Answers (click to reveal)
- cooks β "Every morning, Mama cooks tea."
- Past tense β "The students played football."
- Question β "Will you travel to Nairobi?"
- He eats ugali. (third person singular)
Examples from Kenyan contexts
- Action: "The boda-boda rider rides fast." ποΈ
- Habit (present simple): "Children walk to school in the morning."
- Past event: "Last week, the community planted trees in the market area."
- Future plan: "We will visit the national park next holiday."
Use these notes to practise forming verbs in sentences about things you see in your town, village or school β it makes learning easier and more fun.