Verbs

Verbs are the most important component of any sentence. These words talk about the action or the state of any noun or any 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 sleepingis 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	Print	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

Regular and Irregular Verbs

The distinction between regular verbs and irregular verbs is a very simple one:

Regular Verbs

Those verbs that form their past participle with ‘d’ or ‘ed’ are regular verbs. These verbs do not undergo substantial changes while changing forms between tenses.

1. If the verb ends with a vowel, only ‘d’ is added. For example:

PRESENT TENSE	PAST TENSE
Share	Shared
Scare	Scared
Dare	Dared

2. If the verb ends with a consonant, ‘ed’ is added. For example:

PRESENT TENSE	PAST TENSE
Want	Wanted
Shout	Shouted
Kill	Killed

Regular and Irregular Verbs Exercise 1

Irregular Verbs

Those verbs that undergo substantial changes when changing forms between tenses are irregular verbs. The changed forms of these verbs are often unrecognisably different from the originals. For example:

PRESENT TENSE	PAST TENSE
Go	Went
Run	Ran
Think	Thought

There is no way to tell what form an irregular verb is going to take in a changed tense; the only option for an English speaker is to commit the changes to memory. With practice, it will become a matter of habit.

Finite and Non-Finite Verbs

Finite Verbs

Finite Verbs are those verbs that have a definite relation with the subject or noun. These verbs are usually the main verb of a clause or sentence and can be changed according to the noun. They are used only in present and past tense. They can be indicative of passive or active voice and also of number (singular or plural).

She walks home. - Here we see that the finite verb is walks and the pronoun is 'she'.

She walked home. - Here we can see how the verb changed/modified to change the tense of the sentence.

Non-Finite Verbs

These verbs cannot be the main verb of a clause or sentence as they do not talk about the action that is being performed by the subject or noun. They do not indicate any tense, mood or gender. They are used as nouns, adverbs and adjectives. They are also used to form non-finite clauses which are simply dependent clauses that use non-finite verbs.

He loves camping in the woods. - Here the non-finite verb is camping and it is used as a noun. These kind of non-finite verbs are called Gerunds.

I need to go to sleep. - Here the non- finite verb phrase is to sleep, it is acting as a noun. Non-finite verbs that use ‘to’ before them are called Infinitives.

The sleeping dog caused a delay. - The nonfinite verbs that have ‘-ing’ or ‘-ed’ as suffixes and cause the verb to come an adjective are called Participles.

Participles, Gerunds & Infinitives

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.

Auxiliary Verbs

These verbs are also called Helping Verbs, as they ‘help’ the main verb to denote the actions of the subject. They help in making compound tenses of the main verb and also help in making negative statements, questions and passive voice statements. There are only four auxiliary verbs - Be, Have, Will and Do.

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 beenmade.
Past Perfect (Passive Voice)	Action that happened before another action in the past	The cake had beenmade.

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’.

- Has she got cake?

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:

1. 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.

2. ‘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.

3. ‘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.

4. ‘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.

5. ‘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.

These verbs differ from ordinary verbs in 3 respects.

1. When used with the third person singular (he, she), they don’t require the addition of an ‘s’.
2. They can be used to form questions by inverting the structure of the sentence.
3. They can be followed directly by the verb, without the use of ‘to’.