Chapter 8 · Book pages 26–28

🏃 Verbs and Adverbs

Doing words, helper words, modal magic, phrasal verbs and the adverbs that tell us how, when, where and how often.

By the end of this lesson, you can…

choose the correct verb form (play, plays, played, playing, flown, broken) for a sentence
use helping verbs (is, was, were, has, have) that agree with the subject
pick the right modal verb (can, may, might, must, mustn't, should, need, dare) for the meaning
use phrasal verbs like get out of, clean up and bring out
spot adverbs of manner, time, place and frequency, and fix verb and adverb errors

Start the story →Jump to quiz

Verbs make things happen and adverbs tell us how they happen. Let's race through them, quickly and carefully! 🏃

📖 Story time

The Great Bramblewood Race

It was Sports Day in Bramblewood. Hedgie was the race reporter, scribbling notes on a leaf.

HedgieHere is my report! “Nutty run fast. Tara walking slow. Bizzy flied over the finish line.”

🦉

Ollie the OwlHoo-hoo! Lots of action, Hedgie, but your verbs are tangled. A verb is a doing word. The race is over, so we need the past: Nutty ran, Tara walked, Bizzy flew.

HedgieFlew? Not flied? English verbs are so sneaky!

🐢

Tara TortoiseSome verbs follow the -ed rule, like walk → walked. Others are rule-breakers, like fly → flew → flown. I keep a list of the rule-breakers.

🦊

Fizz the FoxHa! And you wrote Tara walked slow. Shouldn't it be slowly? I can won the next race, easy!

🦉

Ollie the OwlFizz is half right! slowly is an adverb: it tells us how she walked. But Fizz, after can we always use the plain verb: I can win.

🐰

Bela BunnyAdverbs can also tell when (yesterday), where (everywhere) and how often (usually). Like: Nutty usually runs everywhere!

🐿️

Nutty SquirrelIt's true! I ran quickly yesterday and I always win!

HedgieNew report: “Nutty ran fast. Tara walked slowly but carefully. Bizzy flew over the finish line.”

Everybody clapped loudly. And so the verb-and-adverb adventure began…

💡 Big ideas

Let's learn it

Read each card, try the example sentences out loud (tap 🔊), then answer the Quick check.

🏃Action verbs and their forms

A verb is a doing word (run, sing, fly) or a being word (is, was). Every verb has different forms. Pick the form that matches who is doing it and when.

Every day / habits: he/she/it + -s: Lata exercises every morning.
Finished in the past: past form: The bird flew away.
After has / have / had / is broken: the 3rd form: The glass is broken.
After to: the plain (base) verb: waiting for you to sing.

Base	Past	3rd form	-ing
pause	paused	paused	pausing
fly	flew	flown	flying
sing	sang	sung	singing
break	broke	broken	breaking
go	went	gone	going
advise	advised	advised	advising

He paused in fear and waited for his friend. two past actions joined by 'and': both past
The vase is broken. Please be careful. is + 3rd form describes its state
The doctor advised her to eat leafy vegetables. advise (verb) · advice (noun: a piece of advice)

Hedgie's trickLook for clue words! every day, always → -s form. yesterday, when he was…, and waited → past. to → base form. has / is (for a state) → 3rd form.

Olympiad trap!Rule-breaker verbs! It is flew not flied, broken not breaked. And advice is a noun; the verb is advise.

🧐 Quick check

As soon as the cat came near, the sparrow ______ away.

🤝Helping verbs that agree

Helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs) help the main verb or stand alone. They must agree with the subject: one thing or many things?

Helper	One (singular)	Many (plural)
be (now)	is (I am)	are
be (past)	was	were
have	has (I have)	have
do	does (I do)	do

The sums were very hard for me. sums = many, and it's the past → were
She was a little girl when they moved to Pune. she = one, in the past → was
My grandmother has a lot of knowledge about birds. has = owns / possesses (for he, she, it)
They are excited about the trip. not 'They have excited'

Hedgie's trickFind the real subject first. Cover the extra words: The math problems (of the test) were… Problems = many → were.

Olympiad trap!They have excited is wrong. Feelings use be: They are excited, I am tired, She was happy.

🧐 Quick check

The puzzles in this book ______ too easy for Kabir.

🪄Modal verbs: can, may, must…

Modal verbs are special helpers that show ability, permission, possibility, duty or advice. After a modal, always use the plain verb (no -s, no -ed, no -ing).

Modal	Meaning	Example
can / could	ability, offer	Tina can sing well.
may / might	maybe, permission	It may rain today.
must	sure it's true, or a strong rule	She must be tired.
mustn't	it is NOT allowed	You mustn't touch wires.
should / ought to	good advice	You should rest.
need / dare	necessity / courage	You needn't worry. How dare you!

I can help you with your project if you need. an offer: I am able to help
You mustn't play near the railway track. a strong NO: it is dangerous
Dev's bag is gone. He must be at home now. must = I am almost sure

Hedgie's trickModal + plain verb: can sing, must go, should eat. Think of a modal as a magic wand that freezes the verb in its plain shape. 🪄

Olympiad trap!ought needs to (ought to go), so it can't fill a blank followed straight by a verb. And should touch the switch gives the opposite meaning of mustn't!

Fun factDare and need can be modals only in questions and 'not' sentences: Dare he jump? You need not come.

🧐 Quick check

You ______ cross the road when the light is red.

🧩Phrasal verbs: verb + little word

A phrasal verb is a verb + a small word (up, out, off). Together they make a new meaning. You must learn them like new words.

Phrasal verb	Meaning
get out (of)	leave, come out of (get out of bed)
bring out	launch a new product, publish
clean up	make a place tidy
set up	start or build (set up a shop)
give up	stop trying
look out	be careful!
turn up	arrive, appear
pick up	lift, or collect someone

Meera was so sleepy she couldn't get out of bed. get out of = leave
The toy company will bring out a new game in May. bring out = launch
Let's clean up the classroom before the party. clean up = tidy

Hedgie's trickRead the words after the blank: ___ of bed → get out; ___ its new product → bring out; ___ the room before guests → clean up.

Olympiad trap!Take off means a plane leaving the ground or removing clothes, not launching a product. Pick up the room is not used; we clean up a room.

🧐 Quick check

Don't ______! You can finish the puzzle if you keep trying.

🧭Adverbs: how, when, where, how often

An adverb tells us more about a verb. Ask four questions:

How? manner: gently, beautifully, sincerely, obediently
When? time: yesterday, tomorrow, now, soon
Where? place: nearby, everywhere, far away, there
How often? frequency: usually, always, rarely, continually

Many adverbs are adjective + -ly: gentle → gently, sneaky → sneakily, happy → happily.

Kind	Question	Examples
Manner	How?	carefully, sincerely
Time	When?	yesterday, tomorrow
Place	Where?	nearby, everywhere
Frequency	How often?	usually, rarely

The feathers floated gently to the ground. how? gently
I'm busy today. I will visit you tomorrow. when? tomorrow (today is busy, so a later time)
Zoya's puppy follows her everywhere. where? everywhere
Ishaan has been practising the tabla continually for months. how often? again and again without stopping

Hedgie's trickPut the adverb in the sentence and ask how / when / where / how often. The option that answers the question AND fits the meaning wins.

Olympiad trap!fastly is not a word! fast, hard and late stay the same: He runs fast. Also, hardly means 'almost not', not 'with force'.

Fun factAdverbs can describe adjectives too: very tall, remarkably well. Busy words!

🧐 Quick check

In “We usually eat dinner at eight”, what kind of adverb is usually?

🕵️Part-of-speech and error detective

Olympiad questions ask you to name the underlined word or find the part with an error. Use the job test:

Is it an action or state? → verb (read, completed)
Does it tell how / when / where / how often? → adverb (nearby, yesterday, usually)
Does it name something? → noun

Common errors to hunt:

wrong adverb spelling: sneakly → sneakily
verb vs preposition: went pass → went past / passed
double negative: Have you kept it nowhere? → somewhere / anywhere
missing helper: She expressing → She expressed / is expressing

I have already read this book. read = an action → verb
The party was fun yesterday. yesterday answers 'when?' → adverb of time
She has been ill for the last two weeks. No error! has been + for + time is correct

Hedgie's trickRead the sentence aloud slowly, part by part. If every part sounds right, don't be afraid to choose No error.

Olympiad trap!yesterday looks like a noun ('a day'), but in “It rained yesterday” it tells when, so it is an adverb.

🧐 Quick check

Which part has an error? “The fox sneakly / crept into / the farmyard.”

🗺️ Mind map

The whole chapter on one page

Tap a branch to focus on it. Can you explain each bubble to someone at home?

🃏 Flashcards

Flip & remember

Say the answer in your head before you flip. Be honest — "not yet" cards go to your Review Burrow for later.

📘 Book mission

Now practise in your workbook

Use a pencil. Do each set, then check with the answer key and tick it off here.

Set A · Book p.26–27 · Q1–15

Verb forms, helping verbs, modals and phrasal verbs. Hunt for clue words (every, yesterday, to, has) and read the words after the blank.

Set B · Book p.27 · Q16–20

Choose the adverb. Ask how, when, where or how often, then check that the meaning fits the whole sentence.

Set C · Book p.27 · Q21–25

Name the underlined word. Action → verb; tells how/when/where/how often → adverb.

Set D · Book p.27–28 · Q26–30

Error detective. Read each part aloud. Watch for -ly spellings, pass/past, double negatives, and remember No error can be right.

Achievers (HOTS) · Book p.28 · Q31–35

Mixed challenge: verb vs noun (advise/advice), time adverbs, manner adverbs and missing helpers. Take your time!

📗 Open the answer key

🎁 Wrap-up

Remember these

A verb is a doing or being word. Match its form to who and when: plays, played, flew, is broken, to sing.
Helping verbs must agree: was for one, were for many; has for he/she/it. Feelings use be: They are excited.
Modals (can, may, might, must, mustn't, should, need, dare) are always followed by the plain verb.
Phrasal verbs have new meanings: get out of, bring out, clean up, give up.
Adverbs tell how (gently), when (tomorrow), where (everywhere) and how often (usually). Watch spellings like sneakily and never write fastly.

🦔 Teach Hedgie!

Hedgie wrote: “Yesterday I can flied fastly to school.” Explain to him every mistake in this sentence and write it correctly. (Hint: there are three!)

Explaining something in your own words is the best way to make it stick.

How do you feel about this chapter?

Take the quiz 🧭

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