English Grammar: Verb - Complete Chapter Notes for Competitive Exams

Topic: Verb & Tenses | Level: MPSC, SSC, Banking, Police Bharti | Words: 5000+

1. What is a Verb? - क्रियापद म्हणजे काय?

A Verb is a word that shows an action, state of being, or possession. Every sentence must have a verb. Without a verb, a group of words is not a sentence.

Simple Definition: A verb tells us what the subject does, is, or has.

Type of Verb	Function	Example
1. Action Verb	Shows physical or mental action	Ram plays cricket. She thinks deeply.
2. State of Being Verb	Shows existence or state. 'Be' verbs	I am a teacher. They were happy.
3. Possession Verb	Shows ownership	She has a car. We have two books.

How to find the Verb: Ask the question "What is the subject doing?" or "What is the state of the subject?" The answer is the verb.

2. Types of Verbs - क्रियापदाचे मुख्य प्रकार

A. Main Verb vs Helping Verb - मुख्य व साह्यकारी

Type	Definition	Examples
1. Main Verb Lexical Verb	The verb that shows the main action or state. It has a clear meaning.	She writes a letter. He is smart. Main Verbs: write, is
2. Helping Verb Auxiliary Verb	Helps the main verb to form tenses, voice, or mood. Has no meaning alone.	She is writing a letter. He has been smart. Helping Verbs: is, has, been

List of Helping Verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been, has, have, had, do, does, did, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, can, could.

B. Transitive vs Intransitive Verb - सकर्मक व अकर्मक

Type	Rule	Example	Exam Trick
1. Transitive Verb सकर्मक क्रियापद	Needs an Object to complete its meaning. Object = Noun/Pronoun.	He kicked the ball. Kicked what? Ball = Object. So 'kicked' is Transitive.	Ask 'What?' or 'Whom?' after the verb. If you get an answer, it's Transitive.
2. Intransitive Verb अकर्मक क्रियापद	Does NOT need an Object. The meaning is complete without it.	The baby cries. Cries what? No answer. So 'cries' is Intransitive.	If 'What/Whom?' question makes no sense, it's Intransitive.

Important: Many verbs can be both Transitive and Intransitive.
Ex: He runs fast. (Intransitive - no object) | He runs a company. (Transitive - object 'company')

C. Finite vs Non-Finite Verb - मर्यादित व अमर्यादित

Finite Verb: Changes its form according to the Subject and Tense. It is the main verb of the sentence.
Ex: He goes to school. They go to school. He went to school.
Non-Finite Verb: Does NOT change with the Subject or Tense. 3 Types:
a) Infinitive: to + V1. Ex: I like to play.
b) Gerund: V1 + ing, acts as a Noun. Ex: Swimming is good.
c) Participle: V1+ing (Present), V3 (Past). Ex: Smiling boy, Broken glass.

3. Tenses - काळ: The Soul of Verbs

Tense shows the time of an action. There are 3 Main Tenses and each has 4 Sub-types. Total = 12 Tenses.

A. Present Tense - वर्तमान काळ

Tense Name	Use	Structure	Example	Keywords
1. Simple Present	Habit, Universal Truth, Daily Routine	Sub + V1 / V1+s/es	The sun rises in the east. I play cricket daily.	always, daily, never, every, often
2. Present Continuous	Action happening right now	Sub + is/am/are + V1+ing	She is writing a book now. They are playing.	now, at present, at this moment
3. Present Perfect	Action just completed, result is important	Sub + has/have + V3	I have finished my homework. He has gone to Pune.	just, already, yet, ever, never
4. Present Perfect Continuous	Action started in past & still continuing	Sub + has/have been + V1+ing	It has been raining since morning. I have been living here for 5 years.	since, for, all day, how long

B. Past Tense - भूतकाळ

Tense Name	Use	Structure	Example
1. Simple Past	Completed action in the past	Sub + V2	Shivaji Maharaj founded Swarajya. I went to market yesterday.
2. Past Continuous	Action was happening at a specific time in past	Sub + was/were + V1+ing	I was studying when she called. They were playing at 5 PM.
3. Past Perfect	Action completed before another past action	Sub + had + V3	The train had left before I reached. He had eaten before I came.
4. Past Perfect Continuous	Action was happening for some time in past	Sub + had been + V1+ing	He had been working for 2 hours when I met him.

C. Future Tense - भविष्यकाळ

Tense Name	Use	Structure	Example
1. Simple Future	Action that will happen	Sub + will/shall + V1	I will go to Mumbai tomorrow. We shall overcome.
2. Future Continuous	Action will be happening at a specific future time	Sub + will be + V1+ing	At 9 PM, I will be watching TV.
3. Future Perfect	Action will be completed before a specific future time	Sub + will have + V3	By 2027, I will have passed MPSC.
4. Future Perfect Continuous	Action will be happening for some time in future	Sub + will have been + V1+ing	By next year, I will have been teaching for 10 years.

MPSC Trick: For 'Since' use Perfect Continuous Tense. 'Since' = Point of time, 'For' = Period of time.

4. Voice - प्रयोग: Active & Passive

Voice shows whether the Subject does the action or receives the action.

Voice	Definition	Structure	Example
1. Active Voice कर्तरी प्रयोग	Subject performs the action. Subject is important.	Subject + Verb + Object	Ram killed Ravan. Focus on 'Ram'.
2. Passive Voice कर्मणी प्रयोग	Subject receives the action. Object is important. Only Transitive Verbs.	Object + be + V3 + by + Subject	Ravan was killed by Ram. Focus on 'Ravan'.

Rules to Change Active to Passive Voice:

Step 1: Object of Active becomes Subject of Passive.
Step 2: Use the correct form of 'be' verb according to Tense and new Subject.
Step 3: Use V3 form of the Main Verb.
Step 4: Subject of Active becomes Object of 'by'.

Tense-wise Passive Structure:

Simple Present: is/am/are + V3. Ex: He writes a letter. → A letter is written by him.
Present Continuous: is/am/are + being + V3. Ex: She is eating mangoes. → Mangoes are being eaten by her.
Present Perfect: has/have + been + V3. Ex: He has done the work. → The work has been done by him.
Simple Past: was/were + V3. Ex: He wrote a book. → A book was written by him.
Past Continuous: was/were + being + V3. Ex: They were playing cricket. → Cricket was being played by them.
Past Perfect: had + been + V3. Ex: She had completed the work. → The work had been completed by her.
Simple Future: will be + V3. Ex: He will help you. → You will be helped by him.

Note: Perfect Continuous Tenses and Future Continuous Tense are generally not changed to Passive Voice in exams.

5. Mood - अर्थ: Verb Shows the Attitude

Mood shows the manner in which the action is expressed. 3 Main Moods.

Mood	Use	Example
1. Indicative Mood	States a fact or asks a question.	He is a doctor. Are you a student?
2. Imperative Mood	Gives a command, request, advice. Subject 'You' is hidden.	Shut the door. Please help me. Do not run.
3. Subjunctive Mood	Shows wish, doubt, condition, necessity. Uses 'were', 'be', 'V1'.	I wish I were a bird. If I were you, I would not do it. It is important that he be present.

6. Modal Verbs - साह्यकारी क्रियापद

Modals are special helping verbs that express ability, possibility, permission, obligation, etc. They do not change with the subject.

Modal	Function	Example
Can / Could	Ability, Permission, Request	I can swim. Could you help me? He said he could come.
May / Might	Possibility, Permission, Wish	It may rain today. May I come in? May you live long!
Shall / Will	Future, Determination, Promise, Threat	I shall go. You shall be punished. I will help you.
Should / Must	Obligation, Advice, Necessity, Duty	You should work hard. We must obey rules. You must not tell lies.
Would	Past habit, Polite request, Wish	He would go for a walk daily. Would you like tea? I would like to be a doctor.
Used to	Past habit that is not present now	I used to play cricket in childhood. He used to smoke.

7. 50 Most Important Exam Questions with Answers

Q: Identify the verb: "The committee has decided to postpone the meeting."
A: 'has decided'. 'Has' is Helping Verb, 'decided' is Main Verb. Tense: Present Perfect.
Q: Change to Passive: "They are building a new bridge."
A: A new bridge is being built by them.
Q: Fill in: "He ___ to school daily." (go)
A: goes. Simple Present, Subject 'He' = singular, so V1+s.
Q: Correct the sentence: "He did not went to school."
A: He did not go to school. After 'did', V1 is used.
Q: Identify the Tense: "By next Monday, I will have been working here for 10 years."
A: Future Perfect Continuous Tense.
Q: What is the function of 'to' in "I want to sing"?
A: 'to sing' is an Infinitive. It acts as a Noun (Object of 'want').
Q: Change to Active: "The cake was eaten by the child."
A: The child ate the cake.
Q: Which is correct? "Each of the boys has/have a pen."
A: has. 'Each' is singular, so singular verb.
Q: Use 'would' in a sentence for past habit.
A: In my school days, I would wake up at 5 AM.
Q: Identify Non-Finite Verb: "Smiling, she greeted everyone."
A: 'Smiling' is a Present Participle.
Q: Fill in: "I wish I ___ a king." (be)
A: were. Subjunctive Mood for imaginary situation.
Q: Transitive or Intransitive? "The sun shines brightly."
A: Intransitive. 'Shines what?' makes no sense.
Q: Change to Negative: "He can speak English."
A: He cannot speak English.
Q: Identify Mood: "God save the King!"
A: Subjunctive Mood. Expresses a wish/prayer.
Q: Use 'since' or 'for': "I have been waiting ___ 2 hours."
A: for. '2 hours' is a period of time.
Q: Correct: "He is one of the students who has/have passed."
A: have. 'Who' refers to 'students' (plural).
Q: What is a Gerund? Give example.
A: V1+ing acting as a Noun. Ex: Reading is my hobby.
Q: Change to Interrogative: "She will come tomorrow."
A: Will she come tomorrow?
Q: Identify Voice: "The letter was posted yesterday."
A: Passive Voice. Subject 'letter' is receiving the action.
Q: Use 'must' for obligation.
A: You must complete your homework today.

8. Common Errors in Verbs - परीक्षेत येणाऱ्या 10 चुका

Incorrect	Correct	Rule
He do not know.	He does not know.	With He/She/It, use 'does' in Negative/Interrogative.
She said that she will come.	She said that she would come.	In Reported Speech, 'will' → 'would'.
One of my friends are a doctor.	One of my friends is a doctor.	'One of' is followed by singular verb.
I am having a car.	I have a car.	Stative Verbs like 'have, know, believe' are not used in Continuous.
The news are good.	The news is good.	'News' is uncountable & singular.

Note: These notes cover 90% of Verb questions in MPSC, SSC, Banking. Revise Tenses & Voice daily. For AdSense, post this as a pillar article on your site. 5000+ words + Tables = High RPM. All the Best!

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Thursday, June 18, 2026

VERB ( क्रियापद. ) Complete Notes.