English Verbs: Baby Verbs (1)

When you speak English, are you afraid that you may speak it with wrong grammar?

When you chat with a new co-worker, will you say something like:

                                   Where are you come from? {wrong, absolutely wrong}


There is an easy way to make you speak English with confidence.  You can find it in chapter two of the following book:

FeelGoodGrammar:

How to Make Sentences

in Business English

In the book, we try to make things easy and make you feel good.  How?
We divide English sentences into two groups, yes, two types of sentences only.

They are:

1. Sentences with Baby Verbs

2. Sentences with Non-Baby Verbs


What are Baby Verbs and Non-Baby Verbs?


Read the following preview of chapter 2 and you’ll know what we are talking about.

FEELGOOD GRAMMAR

Chapter 2 Two Types of Sentences ONLY (1): Baby Verbs

Believe it or not!  This chapter is about babies. You’ll see how babies can help you move your (Business) English to another level, of course, a higher one.

But you have to change something.  You have to change your way of thinking about babies.  What is it?

Babies suck.

What do I mean?  ‘Suck’ is American slang.  It means that something or somebody is really, really bad (a video on 'suck').

So, in this chapter, you’ll learn that a baby doesn’t suck.  Baby Verbs are powerful, so powerful that they help you to:

a. express your anger to your coworker
b. defend and summarize  your points
c. challenge others
d. make an offer (when negotiating)
e. get a lower price (when negotiating)

But before you move to another level, you have to know one thing: how to tell a Baby Verb from a Non-Baby Verb.   

A. Two Types of Sentences ONLY?

Before you get started, a piece of good news for you.  There are only two types of sentences in English.  Yes, you are right, only two.

Two only?  Yes, when you focus on verbs, the center of sentences, there are only two types of sentences only.

What are they?

Sentences with Baby Verbs

Sentences with Non-Baby Verbs

So in other words, if you have a deep understanding of what the two verbs are, you can speak and write (business) English with confidence.

And, you can also write a long sentence like the following (with confidence):

The starting point for any good discussion is a shared understanding of the aim of a company.  

Well, before you get more confident, before you feel better about yourself, you have to know the differences between Baby and Non-Baby Verbs.  So, are you ready, baby?

Well, in the following, you will have to make a decision.   What decision is it?

What do you think?

The decision to make is:

Are the following sentences correct?

1. Where are you from?   
2. Where do you come from?
3. Where are you come from?

Ans: Only 1 & 2 are correct.

    3 is absolutely wrong.

        (Where are you come from? Wrong!!!!)

Why?  In sentence 1, the verb is ‘are’, and it is a Baby Verb.

Where are you from?

                                                                                                                    
However, in sentence 2, the verb is ‘come’ and it is a Non-Baby Verb (‘do’ is a helping verb, turning the sentence into a question).

Where do you come from?

Yet, you find both a Baby and a Non-Baby Verbs in sentence 3.  

In English sentences, you either use a Baby Verb or a Non-Baby Verb.   They usually don’t go together in a sentence.

Where are you come from?   [WRONG]

Baby Verb	Non-Baby Verb
are	come

So the rule, the rule of babies, is:

Baby Verbs VS Non-Baby Verbs

For easy memory, either you are a baby or you are not a baby.  You can’t be both, can you?


Common examples in the two groups of verbs are:

 Baby Verbs:

be / is / am / are / was / were / being/ been

Non-Baby Verbs
 work / discuss / suggest /

think / decide / guess / develop

       

Typical mistake: I am fully agree with you. (WRONG)

You may apply the rule to the following sentence.

Situation	At a meeting
Aim	To agree with somebody

I am fully agree with you.  

The sentence is absolutely, definitely, totally wrong.   ‘Am’ is a Baby Verb while ‘agree’ is  a Non-Baby.  So when applying the rule that you are either baby or non-baby,you have two ways.  


a. With a Baby Verb (am)

     I am totally with you.

b. With a Non-Baby Verb (agree)

I fully agree with you.    

So next time, when you agree with Mr Right, either be a Baby or a Non-Baby.  


Further examples (for agreeing) are:

Baby Verbs	Non-Baby Verbs
That is (That’s) not a bad idea.	I can’t agree with you more. (Yes, it means you agree with Mr Right.)
I am (I’m) fond of the idea of building a new team.	You can say that again.

                   (Part I of English Verbs: Baby Verbs (1) is done.)








Other Baby-Verb Sentences to Make  in the coming blogs include:

Situation	Aim	Sample Sentence
At a meeting	To defend your points To challenge others To summarize decisions	This is for the benefit of (our company). Why is the report important (to our company)? The decision is to cut cost.
Negotiating	To make an offer To get a lower price	The offer is firm (for 7 working days). There is a big difference between (your prices) and (those of other competitors).
Casual Talk	To express your opinions	The interviewee appeared (disorganized) and (confused).
Talking to coworkers	To express your anger	Is that the best (you could make)?