Q1.
Read the following sentences.
a) I have seen a bridge made of roots in Meghalaya.
In the above sentence, the word ‘bridge’ is a noun.
b) Some planks of woods were used to bridge the stream.
In the above sentence, the word ‘bridge’ is a verb.
Answer
The same word can be a naming word in one sentence and a doing word in another. That is the whole idea of this exercise.
- A noun is a naming word. It names a person, a place, a thing or an animal — Meghalaya, roots, bridge.
- A verb is a doing word. It tells what somebody or something does — seen, used, bridge.
Look at the book’s two sentences:
| Sentence | What ‘bridge’ is doing | So it is a… |
|---|---|---|
| “I have seen a bridge made of roots in Meghalaya.” | It names a thing — the thing you walk on. | noun |
| “Some planks of wood were used to bridge the stream.” | It tells an action — to join the two banks. | verb |
Two quick tests you can use every time:
- Can you put a, an or the in front of it? a bridge, the bridge. Then it is a noun.
- Can you put to in front of it, or say they ___ ? to bridge, they bridge. Then it is a verb.
And you have already met this in the poem: “There are bridges on the rivers” — noun. “But the bow that bridges heaven” — verb. The poet uses the word both ways in the same stanza. That is why the book chose this exercise for this chapter.
Did you know? The living root bridges of Meghalaya are real. Villagers guide the roots of the rubber fig tree across a stream and let them grow into each other. The bridge takes fifteen to twenty years to grow — and then it lasts for hundreds of years, because it is alive.