यूनिवर्सिटीज़ ऑफ मिशिगन ऐण्ड विर्जिनिया
Key to exercise on compound verbs and their meanings.
 la. The compound form बैठ जाइए gives a more peremptory tone to a command addressed to a stranger.  See discussion of example (16) in Notes
 lb. The non-compound form बैठिए is appropriate when addressing an older relative who is perfectly willing to co-operate.
 2a.The non-compound form की is much to be preferred since Columbus's discovery of what we have come to know as "America" was unforeseen (and unforeseeable) at the time. Columbus, believing he had reached Asia, did not know that he had discovered a new continent.  See discussion of examples (4) and (5) in Notes
 2b.The compound form कर ली because the statement contrasts Leif Ericson's discovery of America as occurring before Columbus's discovery of it.  See discussion of examples (9) and (10) in Notes
 3a.The compound form कर लेते is appropriate because the second clause introduces an activity that is an exception to that in the first clause.   See discussion of example (14) in Notes
 3b. The writer does not present Kabir's occupation [he was a weaver in Varanasi] as being a departure from his writing poetry. The activities of working and writing were both normal parts of his life. For this reason the non-compound form करते is to be preferred to the compound कर लेते.
 4a. The host guesses that his guests will arrive after 2:30 o'clock so the compound form पहुँचेंगे is appropriate.  See discussion of example (11) in the Notes
 4b. The speaker claims that the guests will arrive before 8 or 9 o'clock has struck so the compound form पहुँच जाएँगे is appropriate.  See discussion of examples (9) and (10) in the Notes
 5a. Use of a compound verb in the past tense implies successful completion of the action it refers to. Thus only the non-compound form खोला is possible when the following clause negates it.  See discussion of example (6) in the Notes
 5b. Roopchand's action of opening the door precedes his visitors' knocking on it. Hence the compound form खोल दिया is appropriate.  See discussion of examples (9) and (10) in the Notes
 6a. By paying a tonga driver to take him there the writer arrives easily at his destination. In such a situation the compound form पहुँच गया is felicitous (although the non-compound is also possible).  See discussion of examples (12) and (13) in the Notes
 6b. Traveling via a mountain road the writer has had trouble getting to where he wanted to go so the non-compound form पहुँचा is more likely than the compound पहुँच गया.
 7a. The first clause "sets up" the event in the second clause as a salient result of the explosion.  See example (7) in the Notes
 7b. The main point of this part of the report is that no-one was in the room at the time the roof fell, hence the non-compound form गिरी is more likely than the compound गिर गई. Generally speaking, position inside a relative clause decreases the likelihood that a verb will occur in compound form.
Return to exercise on compound verbs and their meanings.
To index of grammatical notes.
Corrected first 2 items (with help of कुसुम जैन) 21 Mar 2001.
Keyed in by विवेक अगरवाल in Feb 2001. First posted 8 Mar 2001. More on 24 May 2004. Revamped on 27-30 Aug 2015.