VERB: FORM AND FUNCTION – EXERCISES

1. Label the underlined verb forms.

Sauron was believed to have been destroyed.

Hobbits eat two dinners a day, if they can get them.

Never mess with a hungry hobbit.

Gandalf recommended that Thorin hire a burglar.

Bilbo was having dinner when the dwarves arrived.

Trolls really appreciate good cooking.

Radagast must surely be addicted to mushrooms.

1. Which term describes the underlined verb form?

Always look on the bright side of life. imperative / infinitive

I must be dreaming! gerund / infinitive

I’ve seen this film three times already. perfective / passive

They usually go out on Friday nights. indicative / infinitive

It is essential that he stay at our side. conditional / subjunctive

I don’t particularly like cooking. participle / gerund

They have certainly worked hard all day. past participle / past tense

He’s thought to have been murdered. perfective aspect / past tense

1. Finite or non-finite?

To be or not to be, that is the question

I’m singing in the rain.

Singing in the rain, I caught a cold.

Give the audience a grin.

Worse things happen at sea.

I’m waiting for the miracle to come.

When I heard him singing in the shower, I couldn’t help laughing.

1. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate forms of infinitives and gerunds/participles. Name the verb forms you have selected.

I don’t think he was serious. He must …………………………..……………………(joke).

I strongly dislike …………………………………..(scream at), so please lower your voice.

The film was awful. We should ……………………..…………….(go) ice-skating instead.

All the evidence seems …………………………………(destroy) before the police arrived.

What are you doing here? You’re supposed …………………….………………….(work)!

…………………………..…………….(treat) so unfairly by his boss, he decided to resign.

They were made ………………….(work) overtime without ………..……………….(pay).

The kids hate …….………….(sit) at the table, so we let them ……….……..(play) outside.

1. Stative or dynamic?

I see what you mean.

Are you seeing the doctor this week?

They’re fitting in new windows.

The grey jacket doesn’t fit you.

Do you read crime stories?

I’m reading another grammar book just now.

He speaks too quickly for me to understand.

The notice says ‘no admittance’.

1. Choose one correct option:

2. How many basic inflectional forms does the English verb have?

   1. three

   2. four

   3. five

3. The category of voice tells us whether or not the action described by the verb is:

   1. Real

   2. Completed

   3. Performed by the subject

4. According to the two-tense theory, the only two tenses in English are:

   1. Present simple and present progressive

   2. Present simple and past simple

   3. Present simple and future simple

5. Aspect in English can be:

   1. Stative or dynamic

   2. Perfective or progressive

   3. Active or passive

6. Subjunctive is an example of:

   1. Tense

   2. Aspect

   3. Mood

7. Finite clauses…:

   1. Always have subjects

   2. Usually have subjects

   3. Never have subjects

8. Infinitives and participles are:

   1. Always finite

   2. Always non-finite

   3. Can be both

9. Stative verbs are not normally used with:

   1. Progressive aspect

   2. Perfective aspect

   3. Adverbials of time

10. Somebody help me!

    1. Imperative

    2. Infinitive

    3. Intransitive

11. He walked away whistling a merry tune.

    1. Infinitive

    2. Gerund

    3. Participle

12. You must be joking!.

    1. Infinitive

    2. Gerund

    3. Participle

13. I really hate being sneered at.

    1. Perfect participle

    2. Passive gerund

    3. Continuous infinitive

14. I need a large mug of strong coffee.

    1. Lexical/ordinary verb

    2. Auxiliary verb

    3. Semi-modal

15. Don’t be shy. Step into the light.

    1. Imperative

    2. Infinitive

    3. Subjunctive

16. Eating sweets is my favourite thing to do.

    1. Infinitive

    2. Gerund

    3. Participle

17. Eating a muffin, he choked on a raisin.

    1. Infinitive

    2. Gerund

    3. Participle

18. The verb see is …

    1. Stative

    2. Dynamic

    3. Can be both

19. Does that mean what I think it means?

    1. Lexical/ordinary

    2. Auxiliary verb

    3. Semi-modal

20. Having done my homework, I opened a can of beer.

    1. Perfect participle

    2. Passive gerund

    3. Progressive infinitive

21. I need to go home now.

    1. Lexical/ordinary verb

    2. Auxiliary verb

    3. Semi-modal