Action verbs sometimes change depending on the subject. We mentioned in the last lesson that if the subject is he, she, it, or one person, thing, or animal, then we add an “-s” to most verbs. For example,
- I work at a car company.
- He works at a car company.
- Mark and Tina like pizza.
- John likes steak.
- The dogs play in the garden.
- One dog plays in the garden.
However, some verbs are a little different. We call these irregular verbs.
We add “-es” to the end of some verbs. If a verb ends in “-ch”, “-sh”, “-o”, “-z”, “-ss”, or “-x” then add “-es”.
| watch > watches | catch > catches |
| wash > washes | brush > brushes |
| do > does | go > goes |
| buzz > buzzes | quiz > quizzes |
| miss > misses | discuss > discusses |
| fix > fixes | wax > waxes |
If a verb ends in “consonant + y” then change “y” to “-ies”.
| worry > worries | cry > cries |
| fly > flies | dry > dries |
Usually, if a verb ends in “-e” then we just add an “-s”. For example,
- bake > bakes
- take > takes
But the word “have is special.
- have > has
We need to use the verb “to have” a lot, so it is important to remember.
If you study a lot of examples and practice making your own words, then this will become very easy for you and your English will sound very natural.
Example Sentences
- I watch a movie with my family every Friday.
- He watches TV with his wife every night before bed.
- The boys catch butterflies with nets.
- The boy catches butterflies in the garden in the afternoon.
- Nick and Sean wash their clothes together.
- Nick washes the dishes while his sister brushes her hair.
- The girls do their homework before bed.
- The boy does his homework before bed.
- The businessmen do their work in the conference room.
- The businessman does his work at the coffee shop after lunch.
- I go shopping every Thursday.
- The woman goes shopping on the weekend.
- Sue and Tim go to work at 9 am every day.
- Sue goes to work at 8 am every morning.
- The speakers buzz.
- I hate it when a bee buzzes around me.
- I quiz my sister before her test.
- The math teacher always quizzes the students to make sure they understand.
- I miss my family when I travel.
- The girl misses her friend who moved to a different city.
- We discuss many topics in our debate class.
- The class discusses many interesting topics in English.
- I fix computers in my free time.
- The man fixes cars for a living.
- My sisters wax their legs.
- My neighbor waxes her car once a month.
- I worry about many things.
- The mother worries about her children.
- I cry when I watch sad movies.
- The baby cries because he is scared.
- The birds fly around in the sky.
- This airplane flies faster than other airplanes.
- I dry my hair before I go out.
- He dries his clothes after he washes them.
- I have 2 books.
- We have a pizza.
- They have the same car.
- He has 5 sisters.
- She has a red car.
- Mark has a headache.
- Tina has a good job.
English Conversation 1
A) Tina always worries about money.
B) She has to worry. Her mother has a serious disease.
A) Really? I didn’t know that.
B) It is true. So, she needs a lot of money to pay the hospital bills.
English Conversation 2
A) What does he do for a living?
B) He fixes cars. He owns his own shop.
A) That doesn’t surprise me. Every time I meet him, he discusses cars.
B) He loves talking about cars.
Learn to speak better English and improve your English grammar by simply doing this basic practice exercise. First, complete the sentences with your own answers, and then practice making your own sentences.
Tip: Say the sentences aloud. This will help you practice speaking English and improve your pronunciation and fluency.
I worry about _______________.
He worries about _______________.
I do _______________.
We do not _______________.
She does _______________.
He does not _______________ because _______________.
I have _______________.
My friend has _______________.
