If you have observed, you must have realised that among the eight parts of speech, verbs seem to have a lot of different usages and rules to be followed. Verbs change according to person, number, mood and tense. When you learn verbs, verb conjugation is one of the most essential topics you will have to familiarise yourself with. For the same reason, you will be introduced to what verb conjugation is, how to conjugate a verb based on person, number, mood and tense in this article. Also, check out the examples given to develop a deeper understanding of the same. Furthermore, try out the practice questions to check your understanding of verb conjugation.
Table of Contents
- What Is Verb Conjugation?
- How Is ‘Verb Conjugation’ Defined?
- How to Conjugate a Verb? – Rules and Examples
- Verb Conjugation According to Person
- Verb Conjugation According to Number
- Verb Conjugation According to Mood
- Verb Conjugation According to Tense
- Check Your Understanding of Verb Conjugation
- Frequently Asked Questions on Verb Conjugation in English Grammar
What Is Verb Conjugation?
Conjugation of verbs is the linguistic process in which a verb changes its form in order to reflect aspects like person, number, tense, mood, etc. Changes in the verb can be by way of inflections, changes in the spelling, usage of helping verbs and so on. In simpler terms, the verb in the infinitive form is conjugated to agree with the person, number, mood and tense of the particular sentence.
How is ‘Verb Conjugation’ Defined?
The term ‘verb conjugation, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as the process in which you have to “conjugate something to give the different forms of a verb, as they vary according to number, person, tense, etc.” According to the Collins Dictionary, conjugation is defined as “the act of giving the different forms of a verb according to the number of people it refers to, or according to whether it refers to the past, present, or future”, and “inflection of a verb for person, number, tense, voice, mood, etc”.
How to Conjugate a Verb? – Rules and Examples
As already mentioned, a verb can be conjugated with reference to the number, person, mood and tense. Now, let us take a look at how it is done in each of these cases in detail.
Verb Conjugation According to Person
‘Person’ in English grammar is classified (with reference to pronouns) into three – the first person, the second person and the third person. The verb in a sentence appears in the singular or plural form according to the pronouns. Given below is a table to show you how it works.
| Pronoun | Person | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | First person singular | Plural verb | I teach English. |
| We | First person plural | Plural verb | We teach English. |
| You | Second person | Plural verb | You teach English. |
| He | Third person singular | Singular verb | He teaches English. |
| She | Third person singular | Singular verb | She teaches English. |
| They | Third person plural | Plural verb | They teach English. |
| It | Third person singular | Singular verb | It looks amazing. |
Verb Conjugation According to Number
‘Number’ refers to singular nouns and plural nouns. The table below shows how verbs are conjugated according to the number of nouns.
| Number of Nouns | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular Noun | Singular verb | Remya likes trying out new recipes. |
| Plural Noun | Plural verb | The children play cricket in the evening. |
| Compound Noun | Plural verb | Nakul and Preethi always watch marvel movies together. |
Verb Conjugation According to Mood
In the English language, mood refers to the intention behind a thought and the manner in which it is expressed in a sentence. The verb in a sentence takes different conjugated forms based on this attribute too. Take a look at the following table and examples given below to understand how the verb is conjugated according to the mood of the sentence.
| Mood | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Indicative | Simple Present Tense |
|
| Imperative | Simple Present Tense |
|
| Interrogative | Separation of the helping verb and the main verb with the subject in between |
|
| Infinitive | Infinitive form of the verb |
|
| Conditional | Contains a helping verb and a main verb |
|
| Subjunctive | Verb changes according to the intent of the sentence – a wish, a hypothetical situation, a demand, a doubt |
|
Verb Conjugation According to Tense
There are twelve different tenses in the English language and the verb is different with each tense. Take a look at the table below to see how verbs are conjugated in accordance with the various tenses.
| Tense | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Main verb in its singular/plural form |
|
| Present Continuous | Am/is/are + present participle (verb + ing) |
|
| Present Perfect | Have/Has + past participle |
|
| Present Perfect Continuous | Have/Has + been + present participle |
|
| Simple Past | Verb + ed/d (regular verbs) Change in spelling for irregular verbs |
|
| Past Continuous | Was/Were + present participle |
|
| Past Perfect | Had + past participle |
|
| Past Perfect Continuous | Had + been + present participle |
|
| Simple Future | Will + main verb |
|
| Future Continuous | Will + be + present participle |
|
| Future Perfect | Will + have + past participle |
|
| Future Perfect Continuous | Will + have + been + present participle |
|
Check Your Understanding of Verb Conjugation
Now that you have seen the many ways in which verbs are conjugated, why not check if you have understood and comprehended them well. Go through the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct conjugated form of the verb given in brackets.
1. Norah ________ (be) a renowned artist.
2. Tharun and Varun ________ (play) football.
3. If you were the leader, the situation ________ (be) better.
4. My father demanded I ________ (attend) the youth retreat.
5. You ________ (be) good at multitasking unlike your sister.
6. Only if you eat well, you ________ (be) able to stay active throughout the day.
7. ________ (close) the windows and doors when you come down.
8. ________ your parents ________ (know) about your grades?
9. How can you expect the others ________ (respect) you when you don’t respect them?
10. All youngsters ________ (use) social media applications regularly.
Check if you have conjugated the verbs accurately by referring to the answers given below.
1. Norah is a renowned artist.
2. Tharun and Varun play football.
3. If you were the leader, the situation would be better.
4. My father demanded I attend the youth retreat.
5. You are good at multitasking unlike your sister.
6. Only if you eat well, will you be able to stay active throughout the day.
7. Close the windows and doors when you come down.
8. Do your parents know about your grades?
9. How can you expect the others to respect you when you don’t respect them?
10. All youngsters use social media applications regularly.
Also try out: Subject-verb agreement exercises for class 9 │Verbs exercises │ Phrasal verbs exercises
Frequently Asked Questions on Verb Conjugation in English Grammar
Q1
What is verb conjugation?
Verb conjugation is the linguistic process in which a verb changes its form in order to suit the subject. In simpler terms, the verb in the infinitive form is conjugated to agree with the person, number, mood and tense of the particular sentence.
Q2
What is the definition of verb conjugation?
The term ‘verb conjugation, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as the process in which you have to “conjugate something to give the different forms of a verb, as they vary according to number, person, tense, etc.” According to the Collins Dictionary, conjugation is defined as “the act of giving the different forms of a verb according to the number of people it refers to, or according to whether it refers to the past, present, or future”, and “inflection of a verb for person, number, tense, voice, mood, etc”.
Q3
Why should we learn verb conjugation?
A student or any English language learner should learn verb conjugation in order to use the verb in accordance with the person, number, tense and mood of the sentence. It is also essential to help you write meaningful sentences.
Q4
How do you conjugate the verb in simple past tense?
The simple past tense of verbs are formed generally by adding ‘ed’ or ‘d’ to the end of the verb. However, there are verbs that do not follow the general rule. For those irregular verbs, conjugation is done by making minor changes in the spelling of the root verb. There are also some verbs which have completely different spellings to represent the past tense.
Q5
Give some examples of verb conjugation.
Here are a few examples of verb conjugation.
- If you want to score good marks, you have to work hard.
- Keep the glasses on the second rack of the shelf.
- Sourav offered me a ride to the airport.
- Beena bakes yummy cookies.
- Jared and Shaun live in Chennai.
