Problem of the right form verbs

The verbs lie/lay, rise/raise, and site/set cause problems even for native English speakers. The solutions to the problem is to remember which verbs are transitive (verb that take a complement) and which are intransitive (verbs that do not take a complement).

Transitive verbs

raise- raised - raised- raising
lay - laid - laid - laying
set - set - set - setting

Intransitive verbs

rise - rose- risen - rising
lie - lay- lain- lying
sit - sat - sat - sitting

Rise verb of the sentence

This verb means to get up, move up under one's own power (without the help of someone else), increase. Notice that there is no complement.

•  The sun rises early in the summer.
• When the bell rings, the students rise from their seats.
• When oil and water mix, oil rises to the top.
• Jim rose early so that he could play golf before the others.
• It must be late; the moon has risen.
• Prices have risen more than ten percent in a very short time.

Raise verbs of the sentence

The verb means to lift or elevate an object: or to increase something. It must have a complement.

• The students raise their hands (complement) in class. 
• The weightlifter raises the barbells(complement) over his head.
• The crane raise the car(complement) out of the lake.
• After studying very hard, John raised his grades (complement)substantially. 
• Mr. Daniels has raised his tenants' rent (complement) another fifteen dollars.

Lie verb of the sentence

This verb means to rest, repose, or to be situated in a place. It is often used with the preposition down. Note: This verb should not be confused with the verb lie, lied, which means to say something that is not true.

Examples of lie verb:

• The university lies in the western section of town.
• If the children are tired, they should lie down for a nap.
• Maria Elena lay on the beach for three hours yesterday sunbathing. 
• The old dog just lay on the grass watching the children at play.
• That old rug had lain in the corner for many years before it was put in the garage.

Lay verb of the sentence

• This verb means to put somebody or something on a surface.
• Don't lay your clothes(complement) on the bed.
• The boy lays his books(complement) on the table every day.
• The enemy soldiers laid down their weapons(complement) and surrendered.
• The children laid their toys(complement) on the floor when they had finished using them.
• The nurse laid the body(complement) in the crib.

Sit verb of the sentence

This verb means to take a seat. It is also often used with the preposition down.

For example:

• We are going to sit in the fifth row at the Google.
• Bullfight fans sit in the shade because it is cool.
• Because the weather was nice, we sat on the patio.
• After swimming, Bob sat on the beach to dry off.
• Nobody has sat through as many boring lectures as Pete has.
• They have sat in the same position for two hours.

Set verb of the sentence

This verb means to put somebody or something on a surface or in a place. I is often interchangeable with lay or put except in certain idiomatic expressions like set the table.

• The little girl helps her father set the table(complement) every night.
• The carpenters set their tools(complement) in the box at noon and go to luch.
• The botanist set her plants(complement) in the sun so that they would grow.
• After carrying her son from the car, the mother set him(complement) in his crib.
• Don't set the chocolate(complement) near the oven or it will melt.

How to use the verb need

The verb need is followed by the infinitive only if an animate being is the subject. It an inanimate object is the subject of this verb, the verb is followed by a gerund or the verb be plus the pas participle.

Animate being as subject + (verb in infinitive )……..

• John and his brother need to paint the house.
• My fried needs to learn Spanish
• He will need to drive alone tonight

Inanimate object as subject + (verb + in)/(to be + (verb in past participle )………

• The grass needs cutting.      Or     The grass needs to be cut.
• The television needs repairing.     Or The television needs to be repaired.

In need of

It is also possible to use the expression in need of in some cases instead of using need as a verb. Because need is not a verb in this case, it must be preceded by the verb be. Study the following rule.

Subject + be + in need of + noun………..

• Jill is in need of money
• The roof is in need of repair
• The organization was in needed of volunteers.

Pronouns before the gerund or infinitive

In cases where the infinitive is used as a complement, any noun or pronoun directly preceding it preceding it will be in the complement form, some common verbs which are followed by the infinitive and which often require an indirect object are listed here.

Allow    invite remind     ask    order   urge     beg    permit   want     convince     persuade    Expert      prepare      instruct        promise

Subject       +   Verb  +    complement form (Pronoun noun)    + (to + verb)………….

• Joe asked Mary to call him when she woke up.
• We ordered him to appear in court.
• In urge you to reconsider your decision.
• They were trying to persuade him to change his mind.
• The teacher permitted them to turn their assignments in late.
• You should prepare your son to take this examination.

However, before the gerund, a noun or pronoun must appear in the possessive form. 

Subject     +    verb     + (possessive form of noun/possessive adjective) + (verb + ing)……

• We understand your not being able to stay longer.
• He regrets her leaving.
• We are looking forward to their coming next year.
• We don’t approve of John’s buying this house.
• We resent the teacher’s not announcing the test sooner.
• We object to their calling at this hour.

Adjectives followed by the infinitive

The following adjectives are always followed by the infinitive form of the verb and never by the gerund.

Anxious      eager      pleased        usual       boring      easy      prepared       common     Dangerous    good      ready      difficult     hard     strange     able

Able means the same as capable in many instance, but the grammar is very difficult. While able is followed by the infinitive, capable is followed by of + (verb + ing )

• These students are not yet able to handle such difficult problems.
• These students are not yet capable of handling such difficult problems.

Examples of adjectives followed by infinitives:

• Mohammad is eager to see his family.
• It is dangerous to drive in this weather.
• We are ready to leave now.
• It is difficult to pass this test.
• It is uncommon to find such good crops in this section of the country.

Nouns plus prepositions followed by the gerund

The following nouns + preposition are also followed by gerund.

Choice of       possibility of        excuse for       intention of Reason for       method for

• George has no excuse for dropping out of school.
• There is a possibility of acquiring this property at a good price.
• There is no reason for leaving this early.
• Connie has developed a method for evaluating this problem.

Any time a preposition is followed directly by a verb, the verb will be in the gerund form.

• After leaving the party, Ali drove home.
• He should have stayed in new York instead of moving to Maine.

Adjectives plus Prepositions followed by the gerund

The following adjectives + prepositions are also followed by the gerund.

Accustomed to       intend on       afraid of       interested in        Capable of         successful in       fond of       tired of

• Mitch is afraid of getting married now.
• We are accustomed to sleeping late on weekends.
• Jean is not capable of understanding the predicament.
• Alvaro is intent on finishing school next year.
• Craig is fond of dancing.
• We are interested in seeing this film.

Verbs plus Prepositions followed by the gerund

If a verb plus preposition, adjective plus preposition, noun plus preposition, or preposition alone is followed directly by a verb, the verb will always be in the gerund form. The following list consists of verbs + prepositions.

Approve of        give up       rely on        worry about       be better off     Insist on       succeed in         count on        keep on        think about        Depend on    put off      think of

The following expressions contain the preposition to .  the word to in these expressions must not be confused with the to in the infinitive. These verb + preposition expressions must also be followed by the gerund.

Object to        look forward to       confess to

• John gave up smoking because of his doctor’s advice.
• Mary insisted on taking the bus instead of the plane.
• Fred confessed to stealing the jewels.
• We are not looking forward to going back to school.
• Henry is thinking of going to France in August.
• You would be better off leaving now instead of tomorrow.

Verbs that are always followed by the infinitive

Some verbs can take another verb as the complement instead of a noun. Sometimes the verb functioning as the complement must be in the infinitive (to+ verb) and sometimes it must be in the gerund (verb +  ing) form. The following verbs are always followed by the infinitive if the complement is a verb.

Agree     desire      hope     plan       strive         attempt       expect     intend     prepare     tend     Claim    fail      learn       pretend        want        decide       need     refuse        wish      demand     Hesitate    offer    seem

For example:

•  John expects to begin studying law next semester.
• Mary learned to swim when she was very young.
• The budget committee decided to postpone this meeting.
• The president will attempt to reduce inflation in the next four years.
• Cynthia has agreed to act as a liaison between the two countries.
• The soldiers are preparing to attack the village.