Verbs are the most important component of any sentence. These words
talk about the action or the state of any noun or subject. This means
that verbs show what the subject is doing or what is the state or
situation of the subject.
For example:
He ran to the store. - Here the verb ran describes the action of the subject ‘he’
She is a creative person. - Here there is no action being done. Instead the auxiliary verb ‘is’ shows the state of the subject ‘she’ as being ‘creative’.
There are different types and classifications of Verbs; some of the most important ones are listed below:
Action Verbs
These verbs talk about what the subject is doing in the sentence. Action Verbs are one of the most easily identifiable types of verbs. To recognize them, you simply have to look for the word in the sentence that answers the question ‘What is the subject doing?’ e.g. -
Rose is painting the kitchen walls.
The subject here is Rose, and what is Rose doing? Rose is painting. Hence painting is our action verb.
My dog is sleeping on the sofa.
The subject here is dog, and what is the dog doing? The dog is sleeping. So sleeping is our action verb.
There are two types of Action Verbs which describe the Verb and the Subject doing the action and the Object on which the action is done, they are -
Transitive Verbs -
These Action Verbs have a definite object on which, or for which the action is being performed. That means that the action has a definite recipient or object. To identify them you can ask the question what is the/did the subject -verb-?
Rose is painting the kitchen walls.
Here the verb is painting and the subject is Rose.
If we form the question - what is Rose painting?
The answer is- The kitchen walls.
Thus, we see that there was a specific object on which the action of painting was being done.
Hannah gave him a big hug.
Here we see that the action ‘gave’ is being performed by the subject Hannah. So the question is what did Hannah give? And the answer is - A big hug.
Here, we also have a indirect object as ‘him’. This indirect object would be the answer to the question-
Who did the subject (Hannah) -verb- (give) the object (hug) to?
Intransitive Verbs -
These verbs also show an action but here there is no specific object on which the action is being done. To recognize these verbs, we ask the question what is the/did the subject -verb- ? If there is no answer present, then the verb in the sentence is an Intransitive Verb.
Rose is painting right now.
Here, if we ask the question what is Rose painting? There is no answer which means that in this sentence painting is an Intransitive Verb.
It is telling us about the action of the subject but there is no specific object for the action.
Hannah sneezed repeatedly.
Here, the verb is sneezed. If we ask the question what did Hannah sneeze? There is no answer present for it making sneezed a intransitive verb.
Dynamic and Stative Verbs
This category of verbs deals with the verb words themselves; and whether they indicate an action or a state of the subject. This category is not concerned with the object in particular.
Dynamic Verbs
These verbs denote an actual action or expression or process done by the subject. They mean an action which can be seen or physically felt or the result of which is seen or physically felt by the object or an indirect object.
She buys new clothes every week.
Here the verb is buys which is an action done by the subject ‘she’, hence it is a dynamic verb.
He is swimming at the beach.
Here again we have the definite action swimming done by the subject ‘he’, making ‘swimming’ a dynamic verb in this sentence.
Stative Verbs
These verbs refer to the state of the subject or the situation of the subject. Stative Verbs tell us about the state of mind of the subject, or the relation between the subject and the object.
She prefers strawberry jam.
Here the Stative Verb is ‘prefers’ which shows the thinking of the subject ‘She’ towards the object, which is ‘jam’.
The cupboard requires a new coat of paint.
Here the subject is ‘cupboard’ and the stative verb is ‘requires’ which is telling about the relation between the subject ‘cupboard’ and the object ‘paint’.
Linking Verbs
These verbs are unlike other verbs as they do not tell anything about a subject themselves, instead Linking Verbs connect the subject to a noun or adjective that helps in describing or providing additional information about the subject. Those nouns or adjectives are called the subject complements.
Lisa is fussy about food.
Here we see the subject is Lisa and the linking verb is ‘is’ which is connecting Lisa to the subject complement ‘fussy about food’ which is giving additional information about Lisa’s preferences.
They are stubborn children.
Here the linking verb is ‘are’ which is combining the subject They to the subject complement of ‘stubborn’ which is an adjective.
The best to recognize linking words in a sentence is to see whether the verb can be replaced by ‘is, am or are’. If the sentence still sounds logical you know you have a linking verb.
The students felt relieved. - The students are relieved.
Hence ‘felt’ was a linking verb and not an action verb. As ‘felt’ here is simply connecting the subject to the adjective.
Every student felt the relief. - Every student is/am/are the relief.
Hence in this sentence ‘felt’ is action verb as it is the action of ‘feeling an emotion.’
Using Verbs in Sentences -
To use verbs correctly in sentences you need to learn more about the construction and use of the various verbs. And how they change form according to tenses and use in a sentence. For correct application verbs in written text you will need to know about -
Regular and Irregular Verbs - These are the two different ways in which verbs change to form different tenses. Whether to simply add ‘-ed’ at the end of a verb or does it take a different form altogether.
Finite and Non-Finite Verbs - These are verbs which can be either the main verb of a sentence or just one that is used as an adjective or noun as well.
Modal Verbs - These verbs tell us whether something is probable or about the skills of a noun etc. There are 10 modal verbs in total and each have an important part in sentence formation.
Participles, Gerunds and Infinitives are called verbals. Verbals are words which are formed from a verb but which function as a different part of speech.
A participle is usually formed by adding –ing or –ed to a verb. It functions as an adjective.
Examples:
The singing bird was the main attraction at the event.
The injured man was waiting for the doctor.
Examples:
Swimming is very good for the body.
Smoking is prohibited in the hospital.
Examples:
He was made to clean his room.
Shalini loves to talk.
BE
The verb ‘be’ can be used as an auxiliary and a full verb, we can distinguish between the two uses as the auxiliary ‘be’ will always have another main verb coming after it in a sentence. ‘Be’ is an irregular verb with many different forms according to the different tenses. Please refer to the Irregular Verbs list to avoid confusion.
Progressive Tense Use of Be:
In progressive tense sentences made with ‘be’, we always use the ‘-ing’ suffixed version of the main verb.
Passive Voice Use of Be:
Using passive voice means when we want to put the emphasis on the object, to which the action is being done instead of on the subject or not include the subject at all e.g. -
The dishes are washed. - Here the dishes are the object that received the action of washing but no subject is mentioned to show ‘who’ was washing the dishes.
HAVE
The verb ‘have’ can also be used as full verb or a helping verb. The way to differentiate between them is that if ‘have’ is used as an auxiliary verb, then it has to be followed by a main verb as well. The verb ‘have’ is used to make compound tenses in active and passive voices, and also used in the making of negative sentences and questions. It is an irregular verb that changes form according to tense.
Using ‘Have’ in Compound Tenses:
When we use ‘have’ in simple tense with an active voice, we use the ‘-ed’ suffixed form of the main verb unless it is an irregular verb. While for progressive tenses we use the ‘-ing’ suffixed form of the main verb. Have is used for only two compound tenses in the passive voice.
Negative Sentences and Questions:
While making negative sentences and questions with ‘have’ as an auxiliary verb, we need to be careful to put ‘have’ before the other verb otherwise ‘have’ becomes the main verb of the sentence.
She does not have a cake.
Has she got cake?
WILL
The verb ‘will’ is the only auxiliary verb that can never be a main verb. It is always used as an auxiliary to make future tenses and negative sentences. Also, it remains the same throughout every tense and person.
Future Tense Use of ‘Will’:
Negative Sentences:
In negative sentences, the verb ‘will’ does not change its form when used with ‘not’. But it does form the contraction ‘won’t’ that is equally correct to use depending upon the language and flow of the sentence.
She will not have cake. = She won’t have cake.
DO
The helping verb ‘do’ can also act as a full verb only in positive sentences. When do is used in a negative sentence, it is an auxiliary verb. The helping verb ‘do’ is also used to make questions for most verbs except other auxiliary verbs and the modal verbs. Do is an irregular verb that changes its form according to the tense.
Negative Sentences:
Questions:
When ‘do’ is used to make a sentence, we can only ask the question in the simple tense. For other tenses, we have to use other verbs whether main or auxiliary.
Places Where ‘Do’ is Not Used:
There are certain instances where the auxiliary verb ‘do’ is not used for negative sentences or questions. The following table tells the different reasons and instances where and why ‘do’ is not used.
Stative verbs are verbs that describe a state rather than an action. When describing states, they never take the continuous (‘-ing’) form. Here are some examples of stative verbs and instances of their correct and incorrect usage.
There are 10 modal verbs in the English language:
Source:
http://www.englishleap.com
For example:
He ran to the store. - Here the verb ran describes the action of the subject ‘he’
She is a creative person. - Here there is no action being done. Instead the auxiliary verb ‘is’ shows the state of the subject ‘she’ as being ‘creative’.
There are different types and classifications of Verbs; some of the most important ones are listed below:
Action Verbs
These verbs talk about what the subject is doing in the sentence. Action Verbs are one of the most easily identifiable types of verbs. To recognize them, you simply have to look for the word in the sentence that answers the question ‘What is the subject doing?’ e.g. -
Rose is painting the kitchen walls.
The subject here is Rose, and what is Rose doing? Rose is painting. Hence painting is our action verb.
My dog is sleeping on the sofa.
The subject here is dog, and what is the dog doing? The dog is sleeping. So sleeping is our action verb.
There are two types of Action Verbs which describe the Verb and the Subject doing the action and the Object on which the action is done, they are -
Transitive Verbs -
These Action Verbs have a definite object on which, or for which the action is being performed. That means that the action has a definite recipient or object. To identify them you can ask the question what is the/did the subject -verb-?
Rose is painting the kitchen walls.
Here the verb is painting and the subject is Rose.
If we form the question - what is Rose painting?
The answer is- The kitchen walls.
Thus, we see that there was a specific object on which the action of painting was being done.
Hannah gave him a big hug.
Here we see that the action ‘gave’ is being performed by the subject Hannah. So the question is what did Hannah give? And the answer is - A big hug.
Here, we also have a indirect object as ‘him’. This indirect object would be the answer to the question-
Who did the subject (Hannah) -verb- (give) the object (hug) to?
Intransitive Verbs -
These verbs also show an action but here there is no specific object on which the action is being done. To recognize these verbs, we ask the question what is the/did the subject -verb- ? If there is no answer present, then the verb in the sentence is an Intransitive Verb.
Rose is painting right now.
Here, if we ask the question what is Rose painting? There is no answer which means that in this sentence painting is an Intransitive Verb.
It is telling us about the action of the subject but there is no specific object for the action.
Hannah sneezed repeatedly.
Here, the verb is sneezed. If we ask the question what did Hannah sneeze? There is no answer present for it making sneezed a intransitive verb.
Dynamic and Stative Verbs
This category of verbs deals with the verb words themselves; and whether they indicate an action or a state of the subject. This category is not concerned with the object in particular.
Dynamic Verbs
These verbs denote an actual action or expression or process done by the subject. They mean an action which can be seen or physically felt or the result of which is seen or physically felt by the object or an indirect object.
She buys new clothes every week.
Here the verb is buys which is an action done by the subject ‘she’, hence it is a dynamic verb.
He is swimming at the beach.
Here again we have the definite action swimming done by the subject ‘he’, making ‘swimming’ a dynamic verb in this sentence.
Stative Verbs
These verbs refer to the state of the subject or the situation of the subject. Stative Verbs tell us about the state of mind of the subject, or the relation between the subject and the object.
She prefers strawberry jam.
Here the Stative Verb is ‘prefers’ which shows the thinking of the subject ‘She’ towards the object, which is ‘jam’.
The cupboard requires a new coat of paint.
Here the subject is ‘cupboard’ and the stative verb is ‘requires’ which is telling about the relation between the subject ‘cupboard’ and the object ‘paint’.
Linking Verbs
These verbs are unlike other verbs as they do not tell anything about a subject themselves, instead Linking Verbs connect the subject to a noun or adjective that helps in describing or providing additional information about the subject. Those nouns or adjectives are called the subject complements.
Lisa is fussy about food.
Here we see the subject is Lisa and the linking verb is ‘is’ which is connecting Lisa to the subject complement ‘fussy about food’ which is giving additional information about Lisa’s preferences.
They are stubborn children.
Here the linking verb is ‘are’ which is combining the subject They to the subject complement of ‘stubborn’ which is an adjective.
The best to recognize linking words in a sentence is to see whether the verb can be replaced by ‘is, am or are’. If the sentence still sounds logical you know you have a linking verb.
The students felt relieved. - The students are relieved.
Hence ‘felt’ was a linking verb and not an action verb. As ‘felt’ here is simply connecting the subject to the adjective.
Every student felt the relief. - Every student is/am/are the relief.
Hence in this sentence ‘felt’ is action verb as it is the action of ‘feeling an emotion.’
Using Verbs in Sentences -
To use verbs correctly in sentences you need to learn more about the construction and use of the various verbs. And how they change form according to tenses and use in a sentence. For correct application verbs in written text you will need to know about -
Regular and Irregular Verbs - These are the two different ways in which verbs change to form different tenses. Whether to simply add ‘-ed’ at the end of a verb or does it take a different form altogether.
Finite and Non-Finite Verbs - These are verbs which can be either the main verb of a sentence or just one that is used as an adjective or noun as well.
Modal Verbs - These verbs tell us whether something is probable or about the skills of a noun etc. There are 10 modal verbs in total and each have an important part in sentence formation.
List of Verbs, Verb Examples
| Accept | Catch | Expand | Lie | Select |
| Achieve | Challenge | Explain | Like | Sell |
| Add | Change | Fear | Listen | Send |
| Admire | Cheat | Feel | Lose | Sing |
| Admit | Chew | Fight | Love | Snore |
| Adopt | Choose | Find | Make | Stand |
| Advise | Clap | Fly | Marry | Stare |
| Agree | Clean | Forget | Measure | Start |
| Allow | Collect | Forgive | Meet | Stink |
| Announce | Compare | Fry | Move | Study |
| Appreciate | Complain | Gather | Murder | Sweep |
| Approve | Confess | Get | Obey | Swim |
| Argue | Confuse | Give | Offend | Take |
| Arrive | Construct | Glow | Offer | Talk |
| Ask | Control | Greet | Open | Teach |
| Assist | Copy | Grow | Paint | Tear |
| Attack | Count | Guess | Pay | Tell |
| Bake | Create | Harass | Pick | Thank |
| Bathe | Cry | Hate | Play | Travel |
| Be | Damage | Hear | Pray | Type |
| Beat | Dance | Help | Understand | |
| Become | Deliver | Hit | Pull | Use |
| Beg | Destroy | Hope | Punch | Visit |
| Behave | Disagree | Identify | Punish | Wait |
| Bet | Drag | Interrupt | Purchase | Walk |
| Boast | Drive | Introduce | Push | Want |
| Boil | Drop | Irritate | Quit | Warn |
| Borrow | Earn | Jump | Race | Wed |
| Breathe | Eat | Keep | Read | Weep |
| Bring | Employ | Kick | Relax | Wink |
| Build | Encourage | Kiss | Remember | Worry |
| Burn | Enjoy | Laugh | Reply | Write |
| Bury | Establish | Learn | Retire | Yell |
| Buy | Estimate | Leave | Rub | |
| Call | Exercise | Lend | See |
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Participles, Gerunds and Infinitives are called verbals. Verbals are words which are formed from a verb but which function as a different part of speech.
PARTICIPLE
A participle is usually formed by adding –ing or –ed to a verb. It functions as an adjective.Examples:
The singing bird was the main attraction at the event.
The injured man was waiting for the doctor.
GERUND
A gerund is formed by adding –ing to a verb. It functions as a noun.Examples:
Swimming is very good for the body.
Smoking is prohibited in the hospital.
INFINITIVE
An infinitive is formed by using the word ‘to’ before the verb in its stem word. It functions as a noun, adjective or adverb.Examples:
He was made to clean his room.
Shalini loves to talk.
BE
The verb ‘be’ can be used as an auxiliary and a full verb, we can distinguish between the two uses as the auxiliary ‘be’ will always have another main verb coming after it in a sentence. ‘Be’ is an irregular verb with many different forms according to the different tenses. Please refer to the Irregular Verbs list to avoid confusion.
Progressive Tense Use of Be:
In progressive tense sentences made with ‘be’, we always use the ‘-ing’ suffixed version of the main verb.
|
Tense
|
Meaning
|
Use of ‘Be’
|
|
Present Progressive |
The action which is ongoing |
She is baking a cake today. |
|
Past Progressive |
An action that was ongoing in the past. |
She was baking a cake yesterday. |
|
Present Perfect Progressive |
Action that began in the past and is still going on. |
She has been baking a cake today. |
|
Past Perfect Progressive |
Action that started in past and finished at another time in the past. |
She had been baking a cake last night. |
Passive Voice Use of Be:
Using passive voice means when we want to put the emphasis on the object, to which the action is being done instead of on the subject or not include the subject at all e.g. -
The dishes are washed. - Here the dishes are the object that received the action of washing but no subject is mentioned to show ‘who’ was washing the dishes.
|
Passive
|
Use of ‘Be’
|
|
Simple Present |
The cake is made. |
|
Simple Past |
The cake was made. |
|
Present Perfect |
The cake has been made. |
|
Past Perfect |
The cake had been made. |
|
Future |
The cake will be made. |
HAVE
The verb ‘have’ can also be used as full verb or a helping verb. The way to differentiate between them is that if ‘have’ is used as an auxiliary verb, then it has to be followed by a main verb as well. The verb ‘have’ is used to make compound tenses in active and passive voices, and also used in the making of negative sentences and questions. It is an irregular verb that changes form according to tense.
Using ‘Have’ in Compound Tenses:
When we use ‘have’ in simple tense with an active voice, we use the ‘-ed’ suffixed form of the main verb unless it is an irregular verb. While for progressive tenses we use the ‘-ing’ suffixed form of the main verb. Have is used for only two compound tenses in the passive voice.
|
Tense
|
Meaning
|
Use of ‘Have’
|
|
Present Perfect |
Action that happened at unspecified time before now |
She has baked a cake. |
|
Past Perfect |
Action that happened before another action in the past |
She had baked a cake. |
|
Present Perfect Progressive |
Action that began in the past and is still going on. |
She has been baking a cake. |
|
Past perfect Progressive |
Action that started in past and finished at another time in the past. |
She had been baking a cake. |
|
Present Perfect (Passive Voice) |
Action that happened at unspecified time before now |
The cake has been made. |
|
Past Perfect (Passive Voice) |
Action that happened before another action in the past |
The cake had been made. |
Negative Sentences and Questions:
While making negative sentences and questions with ‘have’ as an auxiliary verb, we need to be careful to put ‘have’ before the other verb otherwise ‘have’ becomes the main verb of the sentence.
She does not have a cake.
- In this sentence ‘have’ is the main verb while ‘does not’ becomes the auxiliary verb.
She has not got a cake.
- In this sentence ‘have’ is the helping verb for the main verb which is ‘got’.
- Here the main verb is ‘got’ and the helping verb is ‘have’ as it comes before the main verb.
Does she have cake?
- In this sentence the main verb is ‘have’ as it comes after the helping verb ‘does’.
WILL
The verb ‘will’ is the only auxiliary verb that can never be a main verb. It is always used as an auxiliary to make future tenses and negative sentences. Also, it remains the same throughout every tense and person.
Future Tense Use of ‘Will’:
|
Tense |
Meaning |
Use of ‘Will’ |
|
Future I |
An action promised/assumed in the future. |
She will not bake a cake. |
|
Future I I |
An action that will be finished in the future. |
She will have baked a cake. |
Negative Sentences:
In negative sentences, the verb ‘will’ does not change its form when used with ‘not’. But it does form the contraction ‘won’t’ that is equally correct to use depending upon the language and flow of the sentence.
She will not have cake. = She won’t have cake.
- As ‘will’ can only be an auxiliary verb, both the sentences are grammatically correct.
DO
The helping verb ‘do’ can also act as a full verb only in positive sentences. When do is used in a negative sentence, it is an auxiliary verb. The helping verb ‘do’ is also used to make questions for most verbs except other auxiliary verbs and the modal verbs. Do is an irregular verb that changes its form according to the tense.
Negative Sentences:
|
Tense |
Meaning |
Use of ‘Do’ |
|
Simple Present |
Action taking place now - once or several times or never. |
She does not bake cakes. |
|
Simple Past |
Action that happened in the past - once/ many times/ never. |
She did not bake cakes. |
Questions:
When ‘do’ is used to make a sentence, we can only ask the question in the simple tense. For other tenses, we have to use other verbs whether main or auxiliary.
|
Tense
|
Meaning
|
Use of ‘Do’
|
|
Simple Present |
Action taking place now - once or several times or never. |
Does she bake cakes? |
|
Simple Past |
Action that happened in the past - once/ many times/ never. |
Did she bake a cake? |
Places Where ‘Do’ is Not Used:
There are certain instances where the auxiliary verb ‘do’ is not used for negative sentences or questions. The following table tells the different reasons and instances where and why ‘do’ is not used.
|
Reason
|
Negative Sentence
|
Question
|
|
The main verb is ‘Be’ |
There was no cake. |
Is there any cake? |
|
There is another Helping Verb |
There won’t be any cake. |
Will you have some cake? |
|
There is a Modal Verb |
She can’t make a cake |
Can she make a cake? |
Stative Verbs
Stative verbs are verbs that describe a state rather than an action. When describing states, they never take the continuous (‘-ing’) form. Here are some examples of stative verbs and instances of their correct and incorrect usage.
|
STATIVE VERB
|
CORRECT USAGE
|
INCORRECT USAGE
|
|
Like
|
I like you.
|
I am liking you.
|
|
Love
|
I love you.
|
I am loving you.
|
|
Hate
|
I hate you.
|
I am hating you
|
|
Appear
|
It appears to be cloudy.
|
It is appearing to be cloudy.
|
|
Believe
|
I believe in God.
|
I am believing in God.
|
|
Fit
|
This shoe fits me.
|
This shoe is fitting me.
|
|
Sound
|
This song sounds good.
|
This song is sounding good.
|
|
Remember
|
I remember everything.
|
I am remembering everything.
|
Modal Verbs
There are 10 modal verbs in the English language:
- Can
- Could
- May
- Might
- Will
- Would
- Must
- Shall
- Should
- Ought to
Uses of Modal Verbs:
- To indicate that something is probable or possible, or not so. For example:
- It is sunny today; it must be warm outside. = It is sunny today; it is probably warm outside.
- His mobile is not reachable; he may/might/could be travelling by metro. = His mobile is not reachable; it is possible that he is travelling by metro.
- This can’t be our bill. = It is not possible that this is our bill.
- ‘Can’ and ‘could’ are used to refer to skills and abilities. For example:
- He can cover a hundred metres in under ten seconds.
- My father could see perfectly before the age of fifty.
- I can’t ride a horse.
- ‘Must’ is used to indicate that something is necessary or of extreme importance, and ‘should’ is used to suggest that something is advisable. For example:
- You must do your homework.
- You mustn’t skip school.
- You should say sorry.
- You shouldn’t smoke.
- ‘Can’, ‘could’ and ‘may’ are used to ask for, give and withhold permission. For example:
- Can I try my hand at it?
- Could we disperse early today?
- You may not enter the premises.
- ‘Will’ and ‘would’ are used to refer to habits and inclinations.
- When I was a child, I would often climb trees.
- I will never refuse you anything.
- He would never do such a thing.
- When used with the third person singular (he, she), they don’t require the addition of an ‘s’.
- They can be used to form questions by inverting the structure of the sentence.
- They can be followed directly by the verb, without the use of ‘to’.
Source:
http://www.englishleap.com
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