Grammar Funda

While i am posting the grammar questions i feel it necessary to post some grammar concepts also. When i was preparing for CAT 2006, i never tried to study the grammar part seriously but later on when i went on to study the EU part, i came to know that amongst all the people clearing English cut off, winner is the one who solves EU part correctly. As you all know if you are good at EU you will end up solving at least 5-6 question 15 min !! so what is ROI on the investment you do on study of grammar? 15 questions + we assume to solve 5 question correctly = 20 mark i.e. more than half way through to clearing VA cutoff !!

Any ways let me start with discussing some of the grammar funda that i know.
I assume peopel are aware of basics such as Waht is verb? What is noun? so let me take you all to discuss what type sof verbs we mainly have.
There are many types of verbs but i will broadly categorise them into only two types and are :
1) Action verb
2) Linking verb

Let us first see what do you mean by linking verb, A verb that acts as a linking between a subject and direct object would be termed as linking verb. Linking verbs are a lot simpler to understand because there are few verb that always identified a linking verb. The list goes as follows..

is Was been
Am were being
Are be

These are the verbs, whenever occurs, mostly they are linking verbs.

Action verbs are the verbs which indicates action (Verb does the same, then how it is different?)

There is a quick trick to identify action verbs from rest of the verbs. that i will discuss in the next coming post. Firstly let me discuss how should we identify between Verbs & verb phrase??

Let us discuss this with an example

The Cake tasted delicious
Any one would think the TESTED is an actiion verb?? let us check
A simple trick out here is, insert a form of linking verb after the verb you have identified, if after inserting this, sentence still makes sense then verb is linking verb !!!

Let is insert a from of linking verb WAS
Now the sentence becomes : The Cake WAS delicious, Makes sense?? YES
So TASTED is not an action verb but is a linking verb.

Here i have explained a very simple trick to solve questions based on verb and i think this post will surely make things clear.

Hope it helps,
Regards,
Ameya