Key Rules and Practice Questions for The Verb in Class 8 English Grammar 2025-26
The idea of verbs is explained in today's lesson. The article starts with the definition first, then the types of verbs. The article also goes through each of the categories of verbs in detail, including examples and characteristics. For good understanding and concept clarity, practice questions and solved examples are provided throughout the article. Let's start our journey on this beautiful topic.
Introduction to English Grammar
What is a verb?
Verbs are those words that indicate an action or what the subject is doing. They are part of eight components of parts of speech. Apart from action words, the verb also includes a word that expresses feelings or expression, state or condition. A few examples of verbs are given below:
1. Bark
2. Play
3. Love
4. Envy
5. Cherish
6. Recognize
7. Appreciate
8. Will be
9. Should
10. Has
Types of Verbs
Types of Verbs:
Verbs are classified into various categories per their function and role in a sentence.
Transitive Verbs:
Transitive verbs are action verbs that always convey possible actions that relate to or have an impact on someone or something else. These other things are often direct objects, nouns, or pronouns that are impacted by the verb, however some verbs, like show, take, and make, can also accept an indirect object. A transitive verb transfers the verb's action to someone or something else in the sentence.
For example,
Love
Respect
Tolerate
The following sentences are instances of transitive verbs.
Gangadhar ate the cookies.
She kicked Meena.
Intransitive Verbs:
Intransitive verbs are action verbs that always represent possible actions. Because intransitive verb lacks a direct object, they differ from transitive verbs.
For example,
Walk
Laugh
Run
The following sentences are instances of intransitive verbs.
We travelled to Ladakh.
He arrived with lots of chocolates.
Regular Verbs:
Regular verbs are those that have the suffixes "-d" or "-ed" at the end of the word to create both their past simple tense and past participle forms. This is typically the only variation in the word's spelling for normal verbs.
Irregular Verbs:
By definition, irregular verbs do not conform to the spelling rules that we can use to produce the past simple tense and past participles. So, in order to learn how to spell these forms, you must memorise them for each irregular verb separately.
Linking Verbs:
Verbs that describe the topic rather than demonstrating an action are known as linking verbs. While words like "walk" or "jump" denote an activity, linking words like "be" or "seem" give the topic more context, as in "he seems pleasant" or "she is an architect."
Examples:
I am seventeen years old.
She seems upset.
Finite verb:
Person, number, and tense are all indicated via the inflection of finite verb forms. A finite verb can be the single main verb in the sentence.
Example: I go to school daily.
She goes to the temple every day.
He went there.
Non-finite verb:
The person, number, and tense are not indicated by non-finite verb forms. Infinitives, gerunds, and participles make up the majority of non-finite forms in English.
Example,
Difficult Word Meaning:
Summary
In this chapter, we studied Verbs. A verb is a task or action that the subject does. They do matter a lot when it comes to English grammar. Even when a subject is just existing, verbs, which are the fundamental components of sentences and phrases, indicate what that subject is thinking or feeling. In addition, a verb is the only word type that is unquestionably necessary to create a sentence. Even words that signify objects, such as nouns, are not required to be used in every sentence. The purpose of verbs is to describe what is being done or how someone, something, or both is feeling. Nouns have many different functions in sentences. The subject of a sentence can be a noun, such as a person or an object engaged in the action denoted by the verb.
Practice questions
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct Verb
1. How does a butterfly ______ its colour?
(a)get
(b)getting
2. She ______ cricket everyday.
(a) play
(b) plays
3. You _____ come urgently.
(a) may
(b) must
4. Anybody _____ make mistake.
(a) can
(b) should
B. Translate the following verbs into their past and past participle forms.
C. Determine if the highlighted verbs were used in which form in the phrases below.
1. Ring the bell, Vidhi. (Transitive / Intransitive)
2. Paul has accepted the job offer. (Regular/Irregular)
3. The perfume smelled amazing. (Regular/Irregular/Linking)
4. She is watching television. (Finite/Infinite)
Answers:
A.
1. How does a butterfly get its colour?
2. She plays cricket every day.
3. You must come urgently.
4. Anybody can make mistake.
B.
C.
1. Transitive Verb
2. Regular Verb
3. Linking Verb
4. Infinite Verb
NCERT Solutions - Class 8 The Verb Grammar Solution
NCERT Solutions for English Grammar serves as a comprehensive solution book for the students of Class 8 The Verb who are willing to expertise in the English Grammar subject.
The Class 8th English Grammar syllabus is comprehensively mentioned in this NCERT Solutions. Exhaustive Class 8 Grammar topics are present in the NCERT Solutions. Also, this is to ensure that students from any board can refer to the NCERT Solutions for English Grammar Class 8 The Verb.
FAQs on The Verb in English Grammar for Class 8: Syllabus & Practice Insights
1. What are the most frequently asked question types on 'The Verb' for the CBSE Class 8 English exam 2025-26?
For the Class 8 English exam, the most important and expected questions on 'The Verb' typically involve the following formats:
- Identifying Transitive and Intransitive verbs in given sentences.
- Filling in the blanks with the correct form of the verb according to tense and subject-verb agreement.
- Correcting sentences that have an error in verb usage.
- Distinguishing between a main verb and an auxiliary verb, including modal auxiliaries.
- Transforming sentences by changing the verb form as instructed.
2. How can I score full marks on questions asking to differentiate between Transitive and Intransitive Verbs?
To score full marks, you must first understand the core difference. A Transitive verb needs an object to make complete sense (e.g., "The cat chased the mouse."). An Intransitive verb does not need an object (e.g., "The baby laughed."). In an exam, simply labelling the verb is not enough. You must also identify and write down the object of the transitive verb to demonstrate complete understanding.
3. Which rules of Subject-Verb Agreement are considered most important from an examination perspective?
For your Class 8 exam, focus on these critical Subject-Verb Agreement rules, as they are frequently tested:
- A singular subject takes a singular verb (e.g., The boy plays).
- A plural subject takes a plural verb (e.g., The boys play).
- When subjects are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.
- Indefinite pronouns like 'everyone', 'each', and 'nobody' always take a singular verb.
- Collective nouns (e.g., team, jury) usually take a singular verb when acting as a single unit.
4. What is a common mistake students make with verb forms (V1, V2, V3), and how can it be avoided?
A very common mistake is using the simple past form (V2) instead of the past participle form (V3) with auxiliary verbs like 'has', 'have', 'had', or 'was'. For example, writing "I have wrote the letter" is incorrect. The correct sentence is "I have written the letter." To avoid this, always remember that helping verbs like has, have, and had are followed by the V3 (past participle) form of the main verb.
5. Why is it important to distinguish between a main verb and a helping (auxiliary) verb for exam questions?
Distinguishing between them is crucial because it affects the entire structure of a sentence, especially in forming questions and negatives. The main verb shows the primary action or state of being (e.g., 'play' in "They play cricket"). The helping verb (e.g., 'are' in "They are playing cricket") helps the main verb to show tense or mood. In exams, identifying the correct helping verb is essential for tasks like framing questions (e.g., "Are they playing cricket?") and can carry significant marks.
6. How do non-finite verbs (gerunds, infinitives, participles) make a question more challenging or high-scoring?
Questions involving non-finite verbs are considered higher-order thinking (HOTS) questions because they test your understanding of a verb's function beyond just showing action. A non-finite verb can act as a noun, adjective, or adverb. For example, in "To err is human," the infinitive 'to err' functions as the subject (a noun). Recognising these functions is key to solving complex sentence analysis or synthesis questions, which often carry more marks than simple fill-in-the-blanks.
7. How do modal auxiliary verbs like 'must', 'should', and 'may' affect the meaning in sentence correction questions?
Modal auxiliary verbs are critical in sentence correction or transformation questions because they define the tone and intent of the sentence. Using the wrong modal can completely change the meaning. For example:
- 'You must complete the homework' implies a strict obligation.
- 'You should complete the homework' implies advice or a recommendation.
- 'You may complete the homework' implies permission.
Exam questions test this nuance, and choosing the correct modal based on the sentence's context is essential for scoring well.
