Use of the Right Form of Verbs

✐ RULE 1: Singular Subject = Singular Verb, Plural Subject = Plural verb

Exam: Shahin is a meritorious student.

Vehicles create traffic jam.

✐ RULE 2: Preposition: ( in, at, on, of, for, from, by, with, without, before, after, into, across, about ) + noun or Verb + ing.

Exam:Television is an important source of entertainment or entertaining.

Children are fond of using mobile Phone.

✐ RULE 3: To + Verb1 but (Addicted to, Adverse to, Be used to, With a view to, Look forward to, Get used to, Be accustomed to) + Verb + ing.

Exam:Shimu went to London to get a good job.

Shamim tried to join the Navy .

We are looking forward to hearing from you.

I went to the Stage with a view to dancing.

People of Bangladesh are used to eating by their hands.

✐ RULE 04: I = am,

(He, She, It) = is,

(We, They, you) = are

3rd person Singular Sub. = Has;

3rd person Plural Sub. = Have

Exam: I am Sohan.

He is driving a car.

We are going home.

They have won the game.

He has eaten rice.

✐ RULE 5: The + noun or verb + ing + of.

The necessity of learning English is indescribable.

The using of Mobile is available.

A constitution is essential for a nation.

He has an Umbrella.

✐ RULE 6: (Can, could, may, might, Shall, should, will, would, must, used to, have to, need, dare, ought to ) + V1

Example: He can do the Sum.

It may rain today.

Tamim must study tonight.

✐ RULE 7 : While + Verb + ing

Example: While walking in the garden, I saw a snake.

While sleeping I dreamt a good dream.

✐ RULE 8: (have, has, had, get, got, getting, having ) + V3 or Adjective.

Exam:She got married yesterday.

I had my car cleaned.

Having taken the money, the thief ran away.

Our Culture is getting westernized.

✐ RULE 9: Passive Voice : (Can be, could be, may be , might be, Shall be, should be, will be, would be, must be, used to be, have to be, ought to be ) + V3

Exam:The work ought to be done.

He will be helped by me.

✐ RULE 10: I = am ,was, have, shall/will

(He, She, it,the boy, the girl,) = is , does, has, was, will

(We, They, you, the boys, he students ) = are, do, have, were

Exam: I am Sohan.

He is driving a car.

We are going home.

They have won the game.

He has eaten rice.

✐ RULE 11: There + is/was/has + Singular Subject.

There + are/were/have + plural Sub.

Exam: There is a Mosque in our village.

There are two ponds in our Village.

✐ RULE 12: ( Each, every , one, any) + one or more singular Sub. + Singular Verb.

Exam: Each boy and each girl was present there.

Every boy and girl has been given 100 tk.

✐ RULE 13: (Somebody, Someone) + Singular verb, (some boys, Some toys) + plural verb.

Exam: Someone has stolen the pen.

Some boys have failed in the examination.

✐ RULE 14: (any, none, each, every, either, neither, one) + of + plural Sub. + singular Verb.

🕮 Exam: One of the boys is present there.

None of them was present there. Either of them has stolen it.

✐ RULE 15: ( Population, public, crowd, army, congress, committee, team, government, family, pair, dozen, scenery, knowledge, hundred, thousand, furniture, machinery, information, bread, money, advice, poetry, gallows, ethics, mathematics, physics, news, electronics, dynamics) + singular verb.

Exam: Ill news runs a pace.

Physics is a critical subject.

✐ RULE 16 : (people, spectacles, trousers, scissors, benches, cloths, goods, headquarters, vegetables, laws, police, cattle, folk, circumstances, gentry.) + plural verb.

Exam: His circumstances are not good.

People don’t eat the same food.

Vegetables contain vitamin.

✐ RULE 17: (who, whose, whom, which, that) follow only their before subject to choose a verb.

Exam: It is I who am your friend.

It is you who are my friend.

✐ RULE 18: Prefer to + verb + ing

Exam: Lata prefers to reading newspaper.

Joynal prefers to eating betel.

✐ RULE 19: ( Feel, love, hear, like, hate, see, forget, consist, seem, sound, smell, believe, know, wish, doubt, prefer, imagine, fear, taste, astonish, please, understand) they are used in present Indefinite tense not in continuous tense.

Exam: I see the bird.

I hear news.

I forget everything.

✐ RULE 20: Distance/money/time + singular verb

Exam: Thirty miles is a long way.

100 years is a long time.

Money begets money.

✐ RULE 21 : Arithmetical Operations ( singular verb)

Exam: Five plus five is ten.

Ten minus five is five.

Ten divided by two is five.

✐ RULE 22: (Always, regularly, generally, usually, occasionally, normally, naturally, frequently, everyday, daily, often) = Present Indefinite Tense.

Exam: Organizations frequently need employees who speak a standard form of English.

English usually helps to get good job.

He always prays his prayer.

✐ RULE 23: (now, at this/the moment, at present, day by day, increasingly, rapidly.) = Present continuous Tense.

🕮 Exam: Mobile Phone users are increasing day by day.

He is eating now.

✐ RULE 24: ( yesterday, one day, ago, once, last, a few days ago , last night, once upon a time, in the past, previously.) = Past Indefinite Tense.

Exam:I received your letter yesterday.

One day I borrowed a book from you.

✐ RULE 25: (Just, just now, already, yet, ever, lately, recently, immediately.) = present Perfect Tense.

Exam: He has transferred from Dhaka recently.

We have shifted to safe place immediately.

✐ RULE 26: (mind/worth/without/get used to/got used to/ be used to/past, can’t help, couldn’t help, would you mind) + verb + ing

Exam: Would you mind having a cup of tea?

He can’t help smoking.

✐ RULE 27: Active voice – ( am, is , are, was, were, have been, has been, had been, shall be, will be, shall have been, will have been) + verb + ing

Exam: Rana is doing the sum.

It has been raining since morning.

Passive Voice ( am, is , are, was, were, have been, has been, had been, shall be, will be, shall have been, will have been) + Past participle form

The thief was arrested yesterday.

The book has been highly praised in the classroom.

A good student must be awarded.

✐ RULE 28: (ask, decide, demand, forget, happen, hope, learn, manage, neglect, offer, plain, prepare, promise, remember, seem, try, want) + to

Exam: Shihab neglects to his friend.

It seems to me false.

We have decided to start a business.

✐ RULE 29: ( had better, had rather, would better, would rather, let, must, need, dare, make, would sooner, had sooner) + verb1

Exam: He had better read newspaper regularly.

I will not let you enter the classroom.

✐ RULE 30: ( It is time, It is high time, wish, fancy) = Past Indefinite

Exam: I fancy I turned a pale.

It is high time we developed our country.

✐ RULE 31: Lest…. Should…

Exam: Walk fast lest you should miss the train.

Read attentively lest you should fail in the exam.

✐ RULE 32 : (if, wish, as if , as though) unreal past = were

Exam:If I were a doctor, I could treat the poor.

I wish I were a king.

✐ RULE 33: If Past Indefinite tense, Sub + would/could/might + verb1

Exam: If I were a doctor, I could treat the poor.

If you came, I would go.

✐ RULE 34: If + Present Indefinite, future Indefinite tense. or

Sub. + may/can/shall/will + v1

Exam:If he runs in the rain, he will catch cold.

If it rains, I will not go out.

✐ RULE 35: If + present perfect tense, Sub.+ might have/could have/ would have + verb 3

Exam:If they had started earlier, they would have reached there in time.

If I had seen him, I might have told him the news.

✐ RULE 36: Present Indefinite or Present perfect tense + since + Past Indefinite tense.

Exam:It is many years since I came to Dhaka.

Many years have passed since I had met her.

✐ RULE 37: Past indefinite tense + since + Past perfect tense.

Exam: Many years passed since I had seen her last.

✐ RULE 38: Past Perfect + before + past Indefinite.

past Indefinite + after + past perfect.

Exam: The patient had died before the doctor came.

The patient died after the doctor had come.

✐ RULE 39: Beginning of the sentence- verb + ing or to + v1 (gerund, infinitive)

Exam: Rising early is a good habit.

Sleeping is necessary to life.

To take drugs leads a man to death.

✐ RULE 40: Verb + (how/what/when/which/why) + to

Exam: He knows what to do.

She taught me how to make a cup of tea.

✐ RULE 41: Things = interesting , person = interested

Exam: History is very interesting subject.

I am very much interested to meet him.

✐ RULE 42: Uncountable noun ( water, air, tea, sugar, environment, furniture, kindness, rainfall, reputation, wood, paper, gum, courtesy, earth, bread, oxygen, smoke, Bangla, English.) + singular verb.

Exam: Air is very important element of the environment.

Water plays a vital role in agriculture.

✐ RULE 43: No sooner had….than,

Scarcely had…..when,

hardly had…before/when.

Exam: No sooner had he seen the police than he ran away.

✐ RULE 44: If Simple Sentence contains two main verbs , It may be 2nd verb with ing or to + 2nd verb with present form.

🕮 Exam: I saw him going.

I am going to open a bank account.

Sub + V₁ + Obj/Ext

Sub+V-s/es/ies+Obj/Ext

Sub+am/is/are/was/were/shall be /will be+ V-ing + Obj/Ext

Sub+have/has/had/shall have/will have+V₃₊ Obj/Ext

Sub+have been/has been/had been/shall have been/will have been+V-ing + Obj/Ext

Sub+V₂+ Obj/Ext

Sub+am/is/are/was/were/shall be/will be+ Noun/Adjective

Sub+have/has/had/shall have/will have+ Noun/Adjective

Sub+shall/will/can/could/will/would/may/might/used to/dare to/must/need/ought to

+V₁+ Obj/Ext

Sub+(shall/will/can/could/will/would/may/might/must)+be/have + V₃ + Obj/Ext

to+V₁+other (as infinitive)

V-ing (as gerund)

Md Ershad Alam

Assistant Teacher, English