give
Primary: verbCan function as: verb, noun
Can function as noun in phrases like 'give and take'
๐ Pronunciation
/ษกษชv/
Syllables: give
Stress: single syllable
Short 'i' sound, voiced consonants
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Word Family
| Word Class | Forms |
|---|---|
| Verbs | give, gives, gave, given, giving |
| Nouns | gift, giver, giving |
| Adjectives | given, giving |
| Adverbs | givingly |
Many compound forms with 'give-' prefix
๐ฏ Verb Forms
| Infinitive: | to give |
| Base form: | give |
| 3rd person singular: | gives |
| Past simple: | gave |
| Past participle: | given |
| Present participle: | giving |
| Gerund: | giving |
Note: Irregular past simple and past participle forms
๐ Meanings & Definitions
Noun Meanings
1
elasticity or flexibility
Countability: uncountable
“There's no give in this rope”
Common collocations: no give, some give
Synonyms: flexibility, elasticity
Antonyms: rigidity, stiffness
neutralgeneral
Verb Meanings
1
transfer possession of something to someone
“She gave me a book”
“He gave the money to charity”
Synonyms: provide, hand over, transfer
neutralgeneral
2
present or communicate information
“Give me your opinion”
“The teacher gave a lecture”
Synonyms: present, deliver, communicate
neutralgeneral
3
yield or produce
“This tree gives fruit all year”
“The investment gave good returns”
Synonyms: yield, produce, generate
neutralgeneral/business
๐ง Verb Patterns
give + indirect object + direct object
“She gave me the book”
Note: Most common pattern
give + direct object + to + indirect object
“She gave the book to me”
Note: Alternative to double object construction
give + away/back/out/up + object
“She gave away her old clothes”
Meaning: Phrasal verb variations change meaning
Transitivity
Type: transitive
Passive possible: Yes
Passive examples:
“The award was given to her”
“She was given the award”
๐ค Collocations
Verb + Noun
โ ๏ธ Common Errors
โ *She gave me itโโ She gave it to me
Pronoun order with double objects
Common for: Common in many L1 groups
Medium impact
โ *He gave to me a bookโโ He gave me a book/He gave a book to me
Word order in double object constructions
โ *She is giving exam tomorrowโโ She is taking/sitting an exam tomorrow
Confusion with take/sit exam
๐ Etymology
Origin: Old English 'giefan', from Germanic root
Original meaning: “to bestow, deliver”
Development: Stable meaning since Old English
Related words in other languages: German 'geben', Dutch 'geven'
๐ Register & Frequency
Frequency: top 100 words
Spoken: very common
Written: very common
Academic: common
Business: common
Formality: neutral