ENGLISH GRAMMAR

VERB

BY: DOMAS YUCHINTYA

(1401305055)

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF LETTERS AND

CULTURES UDAYANA UNIVERSITY BALI

Chapter 1
Introduction
Languange is one of the important thing in our social life.
Because languange is our way to communicate with other people to
share joy and sadness. Within languange itself also has rule so we
could use the languange properly with a good order. Eventhough,
we knew that not everyone speaks the correct form of the
languange.
In english, it is Grammar. Many people this day think that
grammar is a boring subject which is not so important in daily life.
Even many people think that grammar is a hard subject. So
grammar is often associated as learning how to write and speak
english in a good and proper way. It is not completely wrong but
grammar itself is way more than that.
Grammar is a system of a languange that allow us to put
words together in a certain ways, but which do not allow others. So
it is basically a rule. A rule that we should learn if we are serious to
learn foreign language. But it is not a requirement if we just want to
learn a languange. But grammar somehow help us to learn a
languange in an easy and efective way.
Most people learn English because they want to communicate
better in English. But need to remember within one language there
are many varities. In english, we can identify Americans speaking in
a different way from British people, northerners from southerners,
young from old, midleclass from workingclass people, and men from
woman. So languange itself sometimes will vary according to their
user. So basically language can be spoken differently depends on
their user perconal characteristic. It's important to learn in a
balanced four main language skills like as, Listening, Speaking,
Reading and Writing. Has the excellent ability in one skill alone will
not help to be able to communicate. Example, we must know about
reading, grammar, and pronunciation in english language.
These are the words that you use to make a grammatical
rules. There are only 8 types of word the total is around 500.000
according to The Oxford English Dictionary. Nouns, Pronouns,
Adjective, Verbs, Adverbs, Preposition, Conjuction, Interjenctions.
And the most importat one is the Verb.

Chapter 2
DESCRIPTION
VERB
I.

Meaning
Verb (\vrb\)
Grammar:
A word (such as jump, think, happen, or exist ) that is
usually one of the main parts of a sentence and that
expresses an action, an occurrence, or a state of being.
General meaning :
From the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word (part of
speech) that in syntax conveys an action (bring, read, walk,
run, learn), an ourrence (happen, become), or a state of
being (be, exist, stand). In the usual description of English,
the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the
infinitive. In many languages, verbs are inflected (modified
in form) to encode tense, aspect, mood, and voice. A verb
may also agree with the person, gender, and/or number of
some of its arguments, such as its subject, or object. Verbs
have tenses: present, to indicate that an action is being
carried out; past, to indicate that an action has been done;
future, to indicate that an action will be done.
Full meaning :
A word that characteristically is the grammatical center
of a predicate and expresses an act, occurrence, or mode of
being, that in various languages is inflected for agreement
with the subject, for tense, for voice, for mood, or for
aspect, and that typically has rather full descriptive
meaning and characterizing quality but is sometimes nearly
devoid of these especially when used as an auxiliary or
linking verb.
1.
2.
3.

Example :
I washed the car yesterday.
The dog ate my homework.
John studies English and French.
4. Lucy enjoys listening to music.

II.

Definition

As we will see on this page, verbs are classified in many ways.

First, some verbs require an object to complete their meaning:
A. Intranstitif Verb
An intransitive verb is one that does not take a direct object.
In other words, it is not done to someone or something. It only
involves the subject.
Examples of Intransitive Verbs
Here are some more examples of intransitive verbs:
o Every single person voted.
o The jackdaws roost in these trees.
o The crowd demonstrated outside the theatre.
(In this example, demonstrated is an intransitive verb.
However, to demonstrate can be used transitively too, e.g.,
He demonstrated a karate chop to the class.)
Remember, you can find the direct object of a verb by
reading the verb and then asking "what?" (or "whom?"). If this
question is not appropriate, then you're probably dealing with an
intransitive verb. For example (verbs in bold):
o He disappeared after the party.
(Q: Disappeared what? That doesn't make sense. You can't
disappear something. This is an intransitive verb. It can't take a
direct object.)
Common Intransitive Verbs
Here is a list of common intransitive verbs:

Intransitive Verbs Do Not Have a Passive Form

As an intransitive verb cannot take a direct object, there is no passive form.

example:

o She fell.
(The verb fell (from to fall) is intransitive.)
o She was fallen.
(There is no passive version of to fall.)
Here is another example:
o The event happened at 6 o'clock.
(The verb happened (from to happen) is intransitive.)
o The event was happened at 6 o'clock.
(There is no passive version of to happen.)
Compare those two examples to one with a transitive verb:
o The man baked a cake.
(The verb baked (from to bake) is transitive.)
o A cake was baked by the man.
(You can have a passive version with a transitive verb.)

B. Transitif Verb
A transitive verb is a verb that can take a direct object. In
other words, it is done to someone or something. Most verbs are
transitive.

A transitive verb contrasts with an intransitive verb. An

intransitive verb cannot have a direct object.
Here is an example of a transitive verb:
o He read a book.
(Read (from to read) is a transitive verb. In this example,
the direct object is a book. To read is transitive because
you can read something. You can read a poem, a story, a
face, a horoscope, etc.)

Finding the Direct Object

Remember, to find a direct object of a transitive verb, first find

the verb and then ask "what?" (or "whom?").
(Note: If this question seems nonsensical, then you're probably
dealing with an intransitive verb.)
In each example below, the transitive verb is shaded and
direct object is in bold.
o Lee loves pies.
(Q: Loves what? A: pies)
(The direct object is pies. To love is a transitive verb. It has a
direct object.)
o Lee eats cakes.
(Q: Eats what? A: cakes)
(The direct object is cakes. To eat is a transitive verb. It has a
direct object.)
Direct objects aren't usually single words. They are usually
noun phrases. For example:
o
o
o
o

Lee loves mince pies.

Lee eats dozens of cakes.
Mary saw the eagle two days after it escaped.
As the clock struck midnight, all the toys opened their eyes.
(Q: Struck what? A: midnight)
(Note: A direct object does not have to be something tangible.
If it answers the question "what?" or "whom?" in relation to a
verb, then it's a direct object. The word midnight is not
tangible, but it is a perfectly good direct object for the verb to
strike.)

Examples of Transitive Verbs

Here are some more examples of transitive verbs. Remember,
to prove they are transitive, find the verb (shaded) and then ask
"what?" or "whom?" to find the direct object (in bold).
o No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and
no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur
from your couch. (Leo Buscaglia, 1925-1998)
Transitive verbs are very common. They even appear inside
the direct objects of other transitive verbs. Look at these
examples:
o I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who
haven't got the guts to bite people themselves.
(Q: Loathe what? A: people who keep dogs)
(Q: Got what? A: the guts to bite people)
o I loathe people who keep dogs. They are cowards who haven't

got the guts to bite people themselves.

(Q: Keep what? A: dogs)
(Q: To bite what? A: people)
o You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow. (Jeff
Valdez)
(Q: Can't get what? A: eight cats to pull a sled through snow)
o You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.
(Q: To pull what? A: a sled)
Examples of Verbs Which Are Transitive and Intransitive
Some verbs can be transitive and intransitive. For example:
o Mark walks his dog for miles
o (To walk is transitive.)
However, compare it to this:
o Mark walks for miles.
(As walks is not being done to anything, this verb is
intransitive. Some verbs can be both transitive and
intransitive, depending on the precise meaning.)
Here is another example:
o The workers protested their innocence in the car park.
(transitive)
o The workers protested in the car park.(intransitive)
Verbs are also classified as either finite or non-finite
A. Finite
A finite verb is a verb which has a subject and shows tense. In
short, it is a verb being a verb (i.e., a doing word) as opposed to a
verbal (which is another part of speech formed from a verb).
Examples of Finite Verbs
Every sentence needs a finite verb. Look at these examples (with
the finite verbs shaded):
o He painted the fence.
(In this example, painted is a finite verb.)
o He varnished the painted fence.
(In this example, painted is a verbal. It's actually a participle
from the verb to paint, which is being used as an adjective. A
verbal is another name for a non-finite verb.)
Here are some more examples:

You promised me the last ticket.

I am excited about going to the amusement park.
I went for a walk around the park.

Everyone wanted to go to the

amusement park, but we only had four
tickets.
On that dark day, the spirits rose from
their graves to feast upon the living.
In that moment, it all became clear that
the amusement park was a trap.

B. Non-Finite
A non-finite verb (also known as a verbal) is the term used to
describe a verb that is not showing tense.
In other words, it a verb form which is not acting like a verb (or,
at least, the type of verb you need to form a sentence).
There are three types of non-finite verbs: gerunds, infinitives,
and participles. Look at these examples (non-finite verbs shaded):
o I hate camping.
(Camping is a non-finite verb. In fact, it is a gerund, i.e., a
noun formed from a verb. The giveaway for a gerund is the
-ing ending.)

o I want to go there.
(To go is a non-finite verb. It is an infinitive, i.e., the base form
of a verb. The giveaway for an infinitive is often, but not
always, the to before it.)
o We ate our roasted marshmallows.
(Roasted is a non-finite verb. It is a participle, a type of
adjective. There no real giveaway for a participle, but lots of
participles end in -ed and -ing.)
Some more examples (non-finite verbs shaded):
o I started screaming at my parents for trying to send me to
camp.
(Screaming and trying - gerunds)
(To send - infinitive verb)
o Arriving late, I saw the other kids and they seemed to be
excited.
(Arriving - present participle)
(to be - infinitive verb)
(excited - past participle.)

Four Verb Forms

The inflections (endings) of English verb forms are not difficult
to remember. There are only four basic forms. Instead of forming
complex tense forms with endings, English uses auxiliary verb
forms. English does not even have a proper ending for future
forms; instead, we use auxiliaries such as "I am going to read this
afternoon." or "I will read." or even "I am reading this book
tomorrow." It would be useful, however, to learn these four basic
forms of verb construction.

Linking Verb
A linking verb is a verb which connects a subject to its
predicate without expressing an action. A linking verb is used to reidentify or describe its subject.

A subject complement is a word or phrase which follows a

linking verb (e.g., to be, to become, to appear, to feel, to look, to
smell, to taste) and describes or identifies the subject. A subject
complement is either an adjective, a noun, or a pronoun. The word,
phrase, or clause which follows a linking verb to re-identify or
describe the subject is called :
The Subject Complement.

A List of Linking Verbs

The most common linking verb
verb to be. Other common ones relate
five senses (to look, to feel, to smell, to
and to taste). Here is a list of common
verbs:

is the
to the
sound,
linking

What Is a Subject
Complement?
(e.g., to be, to
become, to appear,
to feel, to look, to
smell, to
taste),describes or
identifies the
subject. A subject
complement is
either an adjective,

o to be
(In all its forms, e.g., am, is, are, was, were, will be, was
being, has been.)
o to appear
o to be

o
o
o
o
o
o
o

to
to
to
to
to
to
to

become
feel
look
seem
smell
sound
taste

Examples of Linking Verbs Used to Re-identify the

Subject.
Here are some examples of linking verbs (shaded) reidentifying the subject:
o Alan is a beast.
o His father was the headmaster.
o This project is a disaster.

Examples of Linking Verbs Modifying (Describing)

the Subject
Here are some examples of linking verbs (shaded) modifying
the subject:
o Alan seems drunk.
o The soup smells delicious.
o His voice sounds flat.

Linking Verbs Are Not Action Verbs

The verbs to be, to become, and to seem are always linking

verbs. They always link the subject to the predicate to re-identify or
describe it. However, the other verbs in the list above are not
always linking verbs. Remember, linking verbs do not express an
action. However, some of the verbs in our list can express an action.
For example:
He smells the soup.
(In this example, smells is not a linking verb. This time, it is an
action verb. It has taken a direct object. He is doing something to
the soup.)
Tony smells awful.
(In this example, smells is a linking verb. It links the subject Tony
to the adjective awful to modify Tony.)

Linking Verbs in the Passive Voice and Progressive

Tense
The verb to be is used to form the passive voice and the
progressive tenses. For example:
o He was painted.

(This is the passive voice.)

o He is complaining.
(This is the present progressive tense.)
As past participles (here, painted) and present
participles (here, complaining) are classified as
adjectives, the constructions above are no different from
these:
o He was happy.
o He is happy.
Therefore, the "to be" part of a passive construction
(here, was painted) and a verb tense (here, is
complaining) can be considered a linking verb.

Mood Verb
In a sentence, the grammatical mood conveys the speakers
attitude about the state of being of what the sentence describes.
This may sound a little complicated, but its simple enough: In the
indicative mood, for instance, the speaker is sure that something is
the case, while in the imperative mood the speaker desires that
something should happen.
Mood is only one of many verb properties, others being tense,
aspect, and voice. It is expressed through the sentences verbs and
grammatical structure. For example, a sentence that lacks a subject
and begins with a present-tense verb is likely imperative, and a
sentence that begins with if and uses past-tense verbs is likely
subjunctive.
Linguists have defined dozens of moods used in languages
throughout the world, but English only uses three.
a. Indicative mood
The indicative mood is used to make factual statements, ask
questions, or express opinions as if they were facts. Any verb tense
may be deployed in the indicative mood.
The following sentences are statements of fact or belief, so they are
in the indicative mood:
o I saw something today that really annoyed me.
o He lives most of the year in Spain but returns regularly to
visit his ailing mother.
o Vikings will be the new vampires.
o Prosecutors have not said whether they will appeal the
decision.
b. Imperative mood
A sentence in the imperative mood expresses commands or
requests. It indicates that the speaker desires for the action
expressed in the sentence to take place. In most imperative
sentences, theres an implied you. These sentences are in the
imperative mood:

o Get your homework done before you watch television

tonight.
o Please include cash payment with your order form.
c. Subjunctive mood
The subjunctive mood is used in dependent clauses
that do the following: 1) express a wish; 2) begin with if and
express a condition that does not exist (is contrary to fact); 3)
begin with as if and as though when such clauses describe a
speculation or condition contrary to fact; and 4) begin with
that and express a demand, requirement, request, or
suggestion.
o She wishes her boyfriend were here.
o If Juan were more aggressive, he'd be a better hockey
player.
o We would have passed if we had studied harder.
o He acted as if he were guilty.
o I requested that he be present at the hearing.
The subjunctive is not as important a mood in English as it is in
other languages, like French and Spanish, which happen to be more
subtle and discriminating in hypothetical, doubtful, or wishful
expressions. Many situations which would require the subjunctive in
other languages are satisfied by using one of several auxiliary verbs
in English.
The New York Public Library's Writer's Guide to Style and Usage has this
important note on the subjunctive: "The words if, as if, or as though do
not always signal the subjunctive mood. If the information in such a
clause points out a condition that is or was probable or likely, the verb
should be in the indicative mood. The indicative tells the reader that the
information in the dependent clause could possibly be true" (155). Cited
with permission.

The present tense of the subjunctive uses only the base form of the
verb.
o He demanded that his students use two-inch margins.
o She suggested that we be on time tomorrow.
The past tense of the subjunctive has the same forms as the
indicative except (unfortunately) for the verb to be, which uses were
regardless of the number of the subject.
o If I were seven feet tall, I'd be a great basketball player.
o He wishes he were a better student.
o If you were rich, we wouldn't be in this mess.

o If they were faster, we could have won that race.

Auxiliary verbs

Helping verbs or auxiliary verbs such as will, shall, may,

might, can, could, must, ought to, should, would, used to, need are
used in conjunction with main verbs to express shades of time and
mood. The combination of helping verbs with main verbs creates
what are called verb phrases or verb strings. In the following
sentence, "will have been" are helping or auxiliary verbs and
"studying" is the main verb; the whole verb string is underlined:
As of next August, I will have been studying chemistry for ten years.
Students should remember that adverbs and contracted forms are
not, technically, part of the verb. In the sentence, "He has already
started." the adverb already modifies the verb, but it is not really
part of the verb. The same is true of the 'nt in "He hasn't started
yet" (the adverb not, represented by the contracted n't, is not part
of the verb, has started).
Shall, will and forms of have, do and be combine with main
verbs to indicate time and voice. As auxiliaries, the verbs be, have
and do can change form to indicate changes in subject and time.
I shall go now.
He had won the election.
They did write that novel together.
I am going now.
He was winning the election.
They have been writing that novel for a long time.

Phrasal verb
A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an
adverb; the combination creates a meaning different from the
original verb alone.

Example :
To get = to obtain

I need to get a new battery for my

camera.

To get together =
to meet

Why dont we all get

together for lunch one day?

Phrasal verbs are part of a large group of verbs called multipart or "multi-word verbs. The preposition or adverb that follows
the verb is sometimes called a particle.
Phrasal verbs and other multi-word verbs are an important
part of the English language. However, they are mainly used in
spoken English and informal texts. They should be avoided in
academic writing where it is preferable to use a formal verb such as
to postponerather than to put off.

a. Transitive and intransitive phrasal verbs :

o Some phrasal verbs are transitive. (A transitive verb
always has an object.)
Example : I made up an excuse. ('Excuse' is the object
of the verb.)
o Some phrasal verbs are intransitive . (An intransitive
verb does not have an object.)
Example : My car broke down.
b. Separable or inseparable phrasal verbs :
o Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable. (The
object is between the verb and the preposition.)
Example : I looked the word up in the dictionary.
o Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. (The
object is placed after the preposition.)
Example : I will look into the matter as soon as
possible.
o Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object in
both places.
Example : I picked up the book.
I picked the book up.
o However, if the object is a pronoun, it must be placed
between the verb and the preposition.
Example : I picked it up.

Causative Verb
Causative structures indicate that one thing or person causes
another thing or person to do something or be something.

Examples of causatives
Have (give someone the responsibility to do something)
I had John fix the car
I had my hair cut
Make (force someone to do something)
The teacher made the students work in groups
Our boss made us work extra hours
Get (convince or trick someone into doing something)
He got the mechanic to repair the machine.
She got him to read more.
Let (allow someone do something)
Jane let her son go out
They let the children play in the yard
Other causative verbs
Other causative verbs include:
allow, help, enable, keep, hold, force, require, persuade

Facititive Verb
Verbs like make, choose, judge, elect, select, name. are called
factitive verbs. These transitive verbs can take two objects, or
seem to:
o They judged Philbert's dog Best of Show. (where "dog" is the
direct object and "Best of Show" is the second complement).
o The faculty elected Dogsbreath the new Academic Dean.
(where Dogsbreath is the direct object and "Academic Dean"
is the second complement).
o U.S. News and World Report named our college the best in the
northeast. (where "our college" is the direct object and "the
best" is the second complement).

Tenses

Tense shows the time of a verb's action or being. There are

three inflected forms reflected by changes in the endings of verbs.
The present tense indicates that something is happening or being
now: "She is a student. She drives a new car." The simple past
tense indicates that something happened in the past: "She was a
student. She drove a new car." And the past participle form is
combined with auxiliary verbs to indicate that something happened
in the past prior to another action: "She has been a student. She
had driven a new car."
Unlike most other languages, English does not have inflected
forms for the future tense. Instead, English future forms are created
with the use of auxiliaries: "She will be a student. She is going to
drive a new car." English can even create the future by using the
present tense, "The bus arrives later this afternoon," or the present
progressive, "He is relocating to Portland later next month."

Irregular Verbs

Most verbs in English form their various tenses consistently:

add -ed to the base of a verb to create the simple past and past
participle: he walked; he has walked. There are, however, a number
of so-called irregular verbs, (including, unfortunately, some very
common verbs such as to be and to have) whose various forms
must be memorized.

Chapter III

Conclusion
Verbs are doing words. A verb can express a physical action, a
mental action, or a state of being.
Verbs break down into five groups:
1. action transitive verbs, which can form a direct relationship
with a noun, called a direct object,
2. action intransitive verbs, which cannot stick directly to a
noun and need the help of a preposition,
3. the verb to be, which as a main verb links a grammatical
subject to an adjective, another noun, or a phrase, and as an
auxiliary verb forms the progressive tense and the passive
voice, and
4. linking verbs, which link a grammatical subject to an
adjective, another noun, or a phrase.
The fifth group comprises the:
5. auxiliary verbs, which join with main verbs to form tenses;
ask questions; create negatives; and show various conditions,
abilities, and obligations.
We also explored four forms of the verb:
1. Infinitive Verb. The infinitive form of the verb is the word

you would ordinarily look up in the dictionary (write). We use

the base infinitive, without the word to, to form many of the
tenses. The one-word present tense (I write, you write) uses
the infinitive, the sole exception being third-person singular,
which adds an -s, -ies, or -es (he or she writes) The past tense
has its own form (wrote). Then we form the future tense by
joining the base infinitive with shall (England, though many
Brits now use will for all persons) or will (America) (you will
write, she will write).
The base infinitive also joins with auxiliary verbs to show
various conditions, orders, grants of permission, negations,
and many other states of verbs (you should write, you used to
write, she ought to write).
Put the word to in front of the infinitive, and you have what we
think of as the infinitive form of the verb. The infinitive does
not specify any finite time dimension or any specific person
performing the action of the verb or any particular number of
people performing the action. The infinitive can join with other
words and form whats called an infinitive phrase, which can
act as a noun (He wanted to write a grammar book), an
adjective (The hardest book to write is a grammar book), or an
adverb (To write a grammar book, you must practice your
skills as a writer and be a little bit crazy).
2. Finite Verb. The finite form of the verb is the verb appearing
in its conjugated states. The finite verb reveals when
something happens (tense), whos doing it (person), how
many are doing it (number), and the nature of the statement
(mood). We saw that our language provides six major tenses
(present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, and
future perfect) and six additional progressive tenses to show
an ongoing action (present progressive, past progressive,
future progressive, present-perfect progressive, past-perfect
progressive, and future-perfect progressive). We also saw how
to conjugate those verbs that are regular (they form their
past tense and past participle the same way, usually by
adding ed) and those that are irregular (they use different
words for their past tense and past participle).
3. Present Participle. Every verb has a present participle. To
form it, add -ing. You might have to drop an ending silent e
(writing) or double up an ending consonant (occurring) (check
the dictionary). The -ing verb shows up in verb conjugation
when it joins with the verb to be to form the six progressive
tenses (We are writing a grammar book). But the -ing verb
does far more when it forms a phrase. It acts as a noun
(gerund) (Writing a grammar book was fun), as an adjective
(The guy writing the grammar book is nuts), or sometimes as
an adverb (He went nuts writing a grammar book). It also
serves as a one-word adjective (The grammar book won the
writing award).

4. Past Participle. Every verb also has a past participle. For the
regular verbs, add ed (or sometimes -d or -t). Sometimes you
must double up an ending consonant (occurred) (check the
dictionary). For irregular verbs, complete this sentence and
youll discover the past participle: I have [insert verb]
(written). If you do not know the past participle, check the
dictionary, which will list the past tense first, the past
participle second, and the present participle third. The past
participle also shows up in verb conjugation, but it serves not
one role like the present participle, but two roles. It joins the
verb to have and forms the perfect tenses (He has written the
grammar book). It joins the verb to be to form the passive
voice (The grammar book was written by me). Further, as we
saw with the infinitive and the present participle, the past
participle forms the past-participial phrase, which can act only
as an adjective (Written in 2001, the grammar book sold
millions of copies). The past participle also serves as a oneword adjective (the written agreement).

Chapter IV

References
The long-lost Walt Disney Christmas film Empty Socks from
1927 has been found and restored in Norway.
The film was found in 2008 during a review of nitrate film in
northern Norway, but it was only identified as the missing film
earlier this year. An American animation historian recognised the
story as Empty Socks, starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a
forerunner to Mickey Mouse and the movie had been considered
lost.

The Oswald the Lucky Rabbit character was created by

Disney and his chief animator in 1927. They produced a series of
26 films with the character before Mickey Mouse was created in
1928. The film has now been digitally restored with copies sent to
the Walt Disney Company in America, while the original remains in
the National Library Archives.
The historic film which lasts for five minutes and 30 seconds,
with around one minute missing in the middle, will be shown at
the National Library in Norway on the 17th of December.

Chapter IV

References
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/verbs.htm
http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/verbs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verb
Grammar Book by Muryani J Semita
www.ondemandnews.com

Chapter V

Sample Data
If Peggy Young, who was a driver for United Parcel Service,
had had an accident that limited her ability to lift heavy packages,
or even lost her license because of driving while intoxicated, U.P.S.
would have allowed her to go on light duty or assigned her
another type of work. But Ms. Young got pregnant. When her doctors
told her not to lift packages over 20 pounds to avoid jeopardizing
the pregnancy, U.P.S. refused to accommodate her and effectively
compelled her to go on unpaid medical leave.
Her case, which has implications for millions of American women
and their families, will be argued before the Supreme Court on
Wednesday. It is an opportunity for the court to strike a blow against
discriminatory treatment and the resulting economic harm that are
too often imposed on women who get pregnant as the vast
majority of women entering the work force eventually do.
Although many women can work through an entire pregnancy
without job modifications, some especially those in low-wage jobs
requiring long hours, prolonged standing and heavy lifting may
require temporary help to safeguard their own health and their
pregnancies.
U.P.S. claims it has a legal right to deny pregnant workers who
have temporary physical limitations the flexibility it shows workers
with other conditions that similarly affect the tasks they are able to
perform. It said its collective bargaining agreement limited work
modifications to only three categories: those with injuries that occur
on the job; people covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act;
and those who lose their Department of Transportation certification
because of a legal impediment, like a license revoked for driving
while intoxicated. Sorry, pregnancy is not included.
Ms. Young argued in her lawsuit that the policy violated the
Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the 1978 law that requires employers
to give women affected by pregnancy, childbirth or related medical
conditions the same accommodations it gives other employees who
are similar in their ability or inability to work.
The language is plain and clear, as is the statutes history, but
the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rejected Ms.
Youngs complaint. It said that respecting the acts unambiguous
text would create anomalous consequences, allegedly giving
pregnant women preferential treatment. That is preposterous. To
avoid systematically forcing pregnant workers out of their jobs, the
law merely requires employers to treat them as they would treat
employees eligible for a change in duty for other reasons.
In a brief filed in October, U.P.S. said it is discontinuing its
policy of not accommodating pregnant workers as a matter of
corporate discretion, but claims the policy was legal and denies
any liability for damages. It is good that, beginning on Jan. 1,
pregnant U.P.S. employees will be treated better. But the notion that

the better treatment is optional should not be allowed to stand.

U.P.S. said it was merely following the same pregnancy policy
observed by the United States Postal Service and defended in the
past by the Justice Department. But, in a brief supporting Ms.
Youngs claim, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. renounced the
Justice Departments stance and said the Postal Service was
reviewing its policy. Someone in the Obama administration needs to
check how many other parts of the federal government have been
following the same unfair policy for pregnant workers and put a stop
to it.
Under a plain reading of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act,
and also as a matter of fairness, pregnant workers should be treated
no worse than employees who are injured on the job, and the
Supreme Court should use the Young case to say so.