Lesson 2

GLOBAL WRITERS BUREAU ENGLISH GRAMMAR & WRITING STYLE COURSE

LESSON 2

The verb is the most important part of speech. In any sentence, without the verb – a finite verb – there cannot be a sentence. A verb is said to be finite when it takes a subject, to find the subject of a verb, we ask “who?” or “what?” in front of it:

1. The large man walks. (Who walks?)
2. Jean was hurt. (Who was hurt?)
3. It will have been found. (What will have been found?)
4. The old barn is creaking. (What is creaking?)

So a sentence must always contain at least two words, a verb and its subject word. Without these there can be no sentence. Length is no guide. Note that, as in (3) above, a verb may contain as many as four words – “will have been found.”

Note that the subject words in the above examples (man, Jean, it, barn) are nouns or pronouns. This is always the case.

Example 2:

Decide whether the following groups of words are sentences or not:

1. I work. (A- yes) (B- no)
2. Taken by surprise at dusk in a little-frequented quarter of the city. (A- no) (B-yes)
3. To make an important decision and carry it out with determination and effort. (A- no) (B- yes)
4. The boy was taken by surprise. (A- no) (B- yes)