Is the word coming a verb

Why is it that we always have to double-check online or dictionary the spelling of a word? Understanding that languages evolve and what we use now might not have been the choice two hundred years ago is why we doubt ourselves.

The correct spelling for this word is «coming,» and the reason is simple. When we have a verb that ends in a silent -e, we drop this letter and add the -ing. According to the English grammar rules, in order for this word to be spelled with two m’s, «come» would’ve had to look like «com.»

We are used to seeing so many variations of common words and just end up embracing them all; just don’t make that mistake with this one. Now that we know the correct spelling, when did it all go wrong? Or better yet, when did it start, right? Let me tell you about where it all started.

It Started Before You And Me

The word coming comes from (no pun intended) German origin. In old English, we have «cuman,» from dutch «komen,» and German «kommen.» Like many words we have in our language, the word coming is just a mix of other languages, most of them from the eastern hemisphere.

From middle high German, the word komen (or even less common «cuman) was used to say come, back in the 1500 hundreds. but the replacement or the word that is used nowadays is «come,» or at least since the 1800s it’s become the most frequent one.

English is not a new language; it was brought to the western hemisphere in the 1500s with the colonial settlement. They gave us traditional English, and we turned it into modified English. Then, being such a big country, having so many people, some places hadn’t encountered other groups of people, so they adapted English to their own dialects.

Variants or dialects? You can call it either. In the end, it is just a way to say that just because we speak the same language doesn’t mean we do it the same way. The United States comprises three variants; New England English (people who came from New England), Southern English dialect (people who came from Africa as slaves), and Common American dialect, which is the form of speech used by radio and television.

While standard American English is the most visible dialect of the United States, we still have many others, such as Boston English, New York City English, Appalachian English, and Valley Girl English. We can find most of the differences in the pronunciation, but you can find a lot of spelling differences as well.

What Does Grammar Say About This?

When a verb ends in -e, drop it, and add -ing. is that simple, but we understand that people may not be that into grammar unless they go to school to become a teacher or maybe to study English literature, there’s no reason for anybody to remember that rule.

So far, we’ve been doing great just remembering how to write it, although it is not that easy for most people. There are so many things that we would need to keep in mind that it is entirely acceptable for one of those to slip. And since people could be wondering what other rules they may have forgotten ever existed, let me show what they’ve been missing:

• If a one-syllable verb ends in a vowel+consonant, double the final consonant and add the -ing. eg «run + ing = running».
• If a verb ends in a vowel + consonant with stress on the last syllable, double the consonant and add the -ing. E.g. «forget + ing = forgetting»
• If a verb ends in -ie, switch the -ie to -y and add the ing. E.g. «die + y + ing = dying».

Often Confusing Words

It is even worse when we try to write something, and we get it confused with another word. I don’t know how often this happens to others but when I start to write a message, and I’m not sure about a word and unable to check for the spelling, I just change the whole sentence. As opposed to getting caught misspelling something, I’d rather do that.

To show a piece of what I’m talking about, here are some of the words that can be confusing. Most of them used daily:

• affect vs. effect
• all ready vs. already
• a lot vs. alot (alot is not a word)
• between vs. among
• emigrate vs. immigrate
• everyday vs. every day (and all the other indefinite pronouns)
• farther vs. further
• it’s vs. its
• lay vs. lie (my favorite among all)
• would of vs. would have
• they’re vs. there vs. their

Often Misspelled Words

Let’s say people know the exact word they want to use. It’s probably the only one known for what they try to say. They say it every day, which is typical for them; on the other hand, they’ve never needed to write it down, so they are unsure about the spelling. Here there are some of the words anyone can easily misspell. The ones to the left have the correct spelling:

• calendar vs. calender
• tomorrow vs. tommorrow
• disappear vs. dissapperar
• deteriorate vs. deterioreit
• argument vs. arguement
• wednesday vs. wensday
• occurred vs. occured
• queue vs. que
• twelfth vs. twelth
• definitely vs. definately
• noticeable vs. noticable
• convenient vs. convinient
• beginning vs. beggining
• ignore vs. ignor
• opportunity vs. oppertunity
• truly vs. truely
• weird vs. wierd
• leisure vs. liesure

How come it doesn’t get mistaken as often

In general, the great thing about languages is that there’s one word, spelled one way, used for different things. It can even be used in combination with other words, becoming a collocation, phrasal verb, or even an idiom. We have plenty of room to play with.

With the word coming, we can use it as a verb, noun, or adjective. As a noun, it can be used like «an arrival or approach»; as a verb, move or travel towards a place thought of as near or familiar to the speaker; and as an adjective, due to happen or just to begin.

A collocation is a specific arrangement of words that communicates a particular meaning, never literal.

• Come to an end (to stop, to end). I was sad to hear that our vacation was coming to an end.
• Come to a decision (to make a decision). I will be coming to a conclusion about our new manager by EOD.
• Come prepared (to arrive ready beforehand for something specific). I hope you are coming prepared for this meeting; Jackie seems to have a lot to offer.

 A phrasal verb combines two to three words from different grammatical categories to form a single meaning.

• Come back (returning to a place). I’m coming back to the place I call home.
• Come out (become known). The truth will be coming out soon; it always does.
• Come forward (volunteer, show oneself). I saw her coming forward to speak up.

An idiom is a form of expression natural or specific to a group of people or language.

• Come down with (to become ill). I feel like I’m coming down with a cold; I don’t feel well. 
• Come clean about (to admit something to someone). I was coming clean about the accident when the call dropped.
• Come on board (to join an idea, an organization, or group). She was coming on board and then changed her mind. I don’t know why.

Conclusion

However you choose to use this word is really up to you, but the spelling must be the correct one. Whether you look it up online or in a dictionary app (because, let’s face it, nobody has a paper dictionary anymore), accuracy when writing is key to success.

See Also: comfy comic comic book comic opera comic relief comic strip comical Comice Comines Cominform coming coming-out comingle comint Comintern comitative comitia comity comity of nations comix coml. Recent searches: View All

Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks. From the verb come: (⇒ conjugate) coming is: ⓘClick the infinitive to see all available inflections v pres p WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023 com•ing /ˈkʌmɪŋ/USA pronunciation   n. [countable] approach; arrival; advent:They awaited the coming of the king. adj. [before a noun] following or approaching; next: the coming year. promising future fame or success: a coming actor. Idioms comings and goings, [plural] actions of arriving and departing:all the comings and goings in the busy train station. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023 com•ing  (kum′ing),USA pronunciation n.  approach; arrival; advent:His coming here was a mistake. adj. following or impending; next; approaching:the coming year. promising future fame or success:a coming actor. 1250–1300; Middle English; see come, —ing1 —ing2 Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: coming /ˈkʌmɪŋ/ adj (prenominal) (of time, events, etc) approaching or next promising (esp in the phrase up and coming) of future importance: this is the coming thing have it coming to one ⇒ informal to deserve what one is about to suffer n arrival or approach WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023 come /kʌm/USA pronunciation   v., came/keɪm/USA pronunciation  come, com•ing.  to approach or move toward someone or something: [no object]Come a little closer.[~ + to + verb]Can’t you come to see me more often?[~ + verb-ing]The tide came rushing in. [no object] to arrive by movement or through time: The train is coming; step back. to move into view; appear:[no object]The light comes and goes. [not: be + ~-ing* ~ + to + object] to extend; reach: The dress comes to her knees. to take place; occur; happen: [no object]Her trumpet solo comes in the third act.[~ + to + verb]How could such a thing come to exist? [not: be + ~-ing* no object] to be available, be produced, be found, etc.: Toothpaste comes in a tube. [~ + of + object] to arrive or appear as a result: This comes of carelessness. to enter, get into, or be brought into a specified state or condition: [~ + into + object]The word multicultural has come into popular use.[~ + to + object]The war came to an abrupt halt. [no object] to do or manage; go along or progress; fare: How are you coming with your term paper? How’s it coming? to become or seem to become a specified way:[no object]We came unglued (= overly nervous) at the thought of another exam that day. (used as a command to call attention, or to express impatience, etc.): Come, come, can’t we agree on one little point here? Informal Terms[no object][Slang.]to have an orgasm. come about, to come to pass; happen: [no object]How did such a mess come about, anyway?[it + ~ + (that) clause]It came about that he had to cancel his vacation. Naval Terms[no object] to turn a ship or boat at an angle in the wind. come across or upon, [~ + across/upon + object] to find or encounter, esp. by chance:Look at these photos that I came across. Informal Terms[no object] to do what one has promised or is expected to do:He finally came across and did it.See come through below. [no object] to be understandable or convincing: The humor doesn’t come across. Informal Terms[~ + across + as + noun/adjective] to make a particular impression: He comes across as a cold person. The teacher comes across as very cruel, but that is misleading. come again, (used as a request to repeat a statement):I didn’t hear you; come again. come along, [no object] to accompany a person or group:We’re going to the mall; you can come along if you like. to proceed or advance: The project is coming along on schedule. to appear:An opportunity came along to invest in real estate. come around or round, [no object] Also, come to. to recover consciousness; revive:The unconscious patient finally came around. [~ + around + to + object] to change one’s opinion, etc., esp. to agree with another’s:She finally came around to our point of view. [no object] to stop being angry, etc.:She’s mad and upset now, but I’m sure she’ll come around. [no object] to visit:Why don’t you come around and see me some time? come apart, [no object] to break or fall into pieces:The doll just came apart when touched. come at, [~ + at + object] to arrive at; reach or attain:How did he come at such a sum? to rush at; attack:came at me with a knife. come back, [~ + back (+ to + object)] to return, esp. to one’s memory:I remember now; it’s all coming back to me. [~ + back (+ to + object)] to return to a former position, place, or state:Do you have any idea when he’ll come back? [no object] to become fashionable or popular again:Short skirts are coming back again. come between, [~ + between + object] to separate; get in the way of; interrupt: Nothing can come between us. come by, [~ + by + object] to obtain; find; acquire:We never came by such good fortune again. come down, [no object] to fall down; collapse:The entire building came down on them. to lose wealth, rank, etc.:The senator has really come down in the world. [~ + down (+ to + object)] to be handed down or passed on by tradition or inheritance:This ancient song comes down to us from Norway. [no object] to be relayed or passed along from a higher authority: Our orders will come down tomorrow. to lead or point in a basic, important way, such as a choice or problem; be the deciding factor: [~ + down + to + object]It all comes down to a sense of pride.[~ + down + to + verb-ing]It all comes down to living or dying. come down on or upon, [~ + down + on/upon + object] to scold or reprimand; punish:Why did you come down on her so hard? come down with, [~ + down + with + object] to become sick from or afflicted with (an illness):She came down with the flu. come from, [~ + from + object] [not: be + ~-ing] to have been born in (a place); be a resident of (a place): He came from Greece. [not: be + ~-ing] to have as a beginning or source:Pearls come from oysters. [in negative expressions or in questions* usually: be + ~-ing + from] be a starting point in thinking or reasoning:I can’t understand where he’s coming from. come in, [no object] to enter:The door’s open; come in! to arrive:The train comes in at 6:00 p.m. to come into use or fashion:Long skirts have come in again. to begin to produce or yield: The oil well finally came in. to finish in a race or competition: Our team came in fifth. come in for, [~ + in + for + object] to receive; get; be subjected to: He’s going to come in for a lot of criticism. come into, [~ + into + object] to acquire; get:I came into a bit of money winning a wager. to inherit:She came into a lot of money after her cousin died. to get to be in (a state):The president’s car suddenly came into view and everyone cheered. come off, [no object] to happen; occur:The invasion came off just before dawn. to reach the end; conclude:We want this project to come off without any delay. to be effective or successful, esp. in the specified way: She didn’t come off well in that interview. Come off it, (often used as a command) to stop:Come off it; we know where you were. come on, [~ + on/upon + object] to meet or find unexpectedly or by accident:I just happened to come on (upon) a book in the library that has the references you need. [no object] (of a disease) to begin to develop:I can feel a cold coming on. [no object] to make progress; develop; flourish:Just when the challenger was coming on in the primaries, another scandal broke. [no object] to appear on stage; make one’s entrance:He came on to thunderous applause. [no object] to begin to be shown, broadcast, etc.: The game came on at one o’clock. Informal Terms[no object] (used as a command) to hurry; move along:Come on, before it rains! Informal Terms[no object] (used to ask someone to do something):Come on, have dinner with us. Slang Terms[~ + on (+ to + object)] Slang. to make sexual advances:He was coming on (to her) and she didn’t know how to respond. come out, [no object] to appear or be seen:Suddenly the sun came out. to be published or made known; appear:The story came out in all the papers. to make a debut in society, etc. to appear and be available to the public:When will this new wonder drug come out? to end; result; emerge: The lawsuit came out badly for both sides. to make public acknowledgment of being homosexual. come out for (or against), [~ + out + for/against + object] to state or declare one’s support for (or opposition to):The president is expected to come out for the new tax bill. come out with, [~ + out + with + object] to reveal by stating; blurt out; say:He came out with a ridiculous remark. come over, [~ + over + object] to happen to; affect: What’s come over him? come round, [no object] Nautical(of a sailing vessel) to head toward the wind; come to. to come around. come through, [~ + through + object] to endure difficulty, illness, etc., successfully:She came through the war safely. [no object] to fulfill needs or meet demands:My friend will come through; he has never disappointed me before. come to, [no object] to recover consciousness:Stand back, he’s coming to. [~ + to + object* not: be + ~-ing] to amount to; total:The expenses came to $5,000 after deductions. [usually: it + ~ + to + object* not: be + ~-ing] to concern:When it comes to quality this is first-rate. Naval Terms[~ + to + object* sometimes: it + ~ + to + object] to enter or be recalled in the mind; occur to the mind or memory:Suddenly it came to me; I knew her from Paris. come under, [~ + under + object] to be the responsibility of: This matter comes under the State Department. to be subjected to; be forced to suffer:came under a lot of criticism for hiring her. [not: be + ~-ing] to be placed in a certain category of:Copying your classmate’s paper comes under the heading of cheating. come up, [no object] to be mentioned or be referred to; arise: Your name came up in conversation. to be presented for action or discussion: The farm bill comes up on Monday. come up to, [~ + up + to + object] to approach; near:She came up to the star and asked for his autograph. to compare with as to quantity, excellence, etc.; equal:Your work just doesn’t come up to our high standards. come up with, [~ + up + with + object] to produce; supply:What new plan did you come up with? to come, in the future:In years to come, we hope to solve these problems. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023 come  (kum),USA pronunciation v., came, come, com•ing, n.  v.i. to approach or move toward a particular person or place:Come here. Don’t come any closer! to arrive by movement or in the course of progress:The train from Boston is coming. to approach or arrive in time, in succession, etc.:Christmas comes once a year. I’ll come to your question next. to move into view; appear. to extend; reach:The dress comes to her knees. to take place; occur; happen:Success comes to those who strive. to occur at a certain point, position, etc.:Tuesday comes after Monday. Her aria comes in the third act. to be available, produced, offered, etc.:Toothpaste comes in a tube. to occur to the mind:The idea just came to me. to befall:They promised no harm would come to us. to issue; emanate; be derived:Peaches come from trees. Good results do not come from careless work. to arrive or appear as a result:This comes of carelessness. to enter or be brought into a specified state or condition:to come into popular use. to do or manage; fare:She’s coming along well with her work. to enter into being or existence; be born:The baby came at dawn. to have been a resident or to be a native of (usually fol. by from):She comes from Florida. to become:His shoes came untied. to seem to become:His fears made the menacing statues come alive. The work will come easy with a little practice. (used in the imperative to call attention or to express impatience, anger, remonstrance, etc.):Come, that will do! to germinate, as grain. [Informal.]to have an orgasm. v.t. British Terms[Chiefly Brit.]to do; perform; accomplish. [Informal.]to play the part of:to come the grande dame. come about: to come to pass; happen. Naval Terms[Naut.]to tack. come across: Also, come upon. to find or encounter, esp. by chance:I came across this picture when I was cleaning out the attic. We suddenly came upon a deer while walking in the woods. [Informal.]to make good one’s promise, as to pay a debt, do what is expected, etc.:to come across with the rent. to be understandable or convincing:The moral of this story doesn’t come across. [Informal.]to make a particular impression; comport oneself:She comes across as a very cold person. come again, (used as a request to repeat a statement). come along: to accompany someone, attend as part of a group:He didn’t come along on the last trip. to proceed, develop, or advance sufficiently or successfully:The new project was coming along quite smoothly. to appear; emerge as a factor or possibility:Even if another job comes along this summer, I won’t take it. Idioms come and go, to occur briefly or suddenly but never for long; appear and disappear. come around or round: to recover consciousness; revive. to change one’s opinion, decision, etc., esp. to agree with another’s. to visit:Come around more often. to cease being angry, hurt, etc. come at: to arrive at; attain. to rush at; attack:The watchdog came at the intruder. come back: to return, esp. to one’s memory:It all comes back to me now. to return to a former position or state. to talk back; retort:to come back with a witty remark. come between, to cause to be estranged or antagonized:Love of money came between the brothers. come by, to obtain; acquire:How did he ever come by so much money? come down: to lose wealth, rank, etc.; be reduced in circumstances or status. to be handed down by tradition or inheritance. to be relayed or passed along from a source of higher rank or authority:The general’s orders will come down tomorrow. Slang Termsto take place; happen. [Slang.]to lose one’s euphoria, enthusiasm, or esp. the effects of a drug high. come down on or upon: to voice one’s opposition to:She came down on increased spending and promised to cut the budget. to reprimand; scold:He came down on me for getting to work late. Idioms come down on the side of, to support or favor:I want to come down on the side of truth and justice. come down with, to become afflicted with (an illness):Many people came down with the flu this year. come forward, to offer one’s services; present oneself; volunteer:When the president called for volunteers, several members of our group came forward. come home, [Naut.] Naval Terms(of an anchor) to begin to drag. Naval Terms(of an object) to move when hauled upon. come in: to enter. to arrive. to come into use or fashion. to begin to produce or yield:The oil well finally came in. to be among the winners:His horse came in and paid 5 to 1. to finish in a race or any competition, as specified:Our bobsled team came in fifth. come in for, to receive; get; be subjected to:This plan will no doubt come in for a great deal of criticism. come into: to acquire; get. to inherit:He came into a large fortune at the age of 21. come off, [Informal.] to happen; occur. to reach the end; acquit oneself:to come off with honors. to be given or completed; occur; result:Her speech came off very well. to succeed; be successful:The end of the novel just doesn’t come off. Idioms come off it, [Informal.]to stop being wrong, foolish, or pretentious; be truthful or honest:Come off it—we know you’re as poor as the rest of us. come on: Also, come upon. to meet or find unexpectedly. to make progress; develop; flourish. to appear on stage; make one’s entrance. to begin; appear:The last showing will be coming on in a few minutes. [Informal.](used chiefly in the imperative) to hurry; begin:Come on, before it rains! [Informal.](as an entreaty or attempt at persuasion) please:Come on, go with us to the movies. Slang Termsto try to make an impression or have an effect; present oneself:She comes on a bit too strong for my taste. [Slang.]to make sexual advances:a Lothario who was always coming on with the women at the office. come on to, [Slang.]to make sexual advances to. come out: to be published; appear. to become known; be revealed. to make a debut in society, the theater, etc. to end; terminate; emerge:The fight came out badly, as both combatants were injured. to make more or less public acknowledgment of being homosexual. come out for, to endorse or support publicly:The newspaper came out for the reelection of the mayor. come out with: to speak, esp. to confess or reveal something. to make available to the public; bring out:The publisher is coming out with a revised edition of the textbook. come over: to happen to; affect:What’s come over him? to change sides or positions; change one’s mind:He was initially against the plan, but he’s come over now. to visit informally:Our neighbors came over last night and we had a good chat. come round: See come (def. 29). Nautical(of a sailing vessel) to head toward the wind; come to. come through: to endure or finish successfully. [Informal.]to do as expected or hoped; perform; succeed:We knew you’d come through for us. [Informal.]to experience religious conversion. come to: to recover consciousness. to amount to; total. Naval Terms[Naut.]to take the way off a vessel, as by bringing her head into the wind or anchoring. Idioms come to pass, to happen; occur. come under: to fit into a category or classification:This play comes under the heading of social criticism. to be the province or responsibility of:This matter comes under the State Department. come up: to be referred to; arise:The subject kept coming up in conversation. to be presented for action or discussion:The farm bill comes up for consideration next Monday. come upon. See come (defs. 25a, 45a). come up to: to approach; near:A panhandler came up to us in the street. to compare with as to quantity, excellence, etc.; match; equal:This piece of work does not come up to your usual standard. come up with, to produce; supply:Can you come up with the right answer? Idioms come what may, no matter what may happen; regardless of any opposition, argument, or consequences:Come what may, he will not change his mind. Slang Terms, Idioms where one is coming from, where the source of one’s beliefs, attitudes, or feelings lies:It’s hard to understand where your friend is coming from when he says such crazy things. n. Slang Terms(vulgar). semen. bef. 900; Middle English comen, Old English cuman; cognate with Dutch komen, German kommen, Gothic qiman, Old Norse koma, Latin venīre (see avenue), Greek baínein (see basis), Sanskrit gácchati (he) goes 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged leave, depart. Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: come /kʌm/ vb (comes, coming, came, come)(mainly intr) to move towards a specified person or place to arrive by movement or by making progress to become perceptible: light came into the sky to occur in the course of time: Christmas comes but once a year to happen as a result: no good will come of this to originate or be derived: good may come of evil to occur to the mind: the truth suddenly came to me to extend or reach: she comes up to my shoulder to be produced or offered: that dress comes in red only to arrive at or be brought into a particular state or condition: you will soon come to grief, the new timetable comes into effect on Monday (followed by from) to be or have been a resident or native (of): I come from London to become: your wishes will come true (tr; takes an infinitive) to be given awareness: I came to realize its enormous value slang to have an orgasm (transitive) Brit informal to play the part of: don’t come the fine gentleman with me (transitive) Brit informal to cause or produce: don’t come that nonsense again as…as they come ⇒ the most characteristic example of a class or type come good ⇒ informal to recover and perform well after a bad start or setback come to light ⇒ to be revealed come to light with ⇒ Austral NZ informal to find or produce interj an exclamation expressing annoyance, irritation, etc: come now!, come come! See also come about, come acrossEtymology: Old English cuman; related to Old Norse koma, Gothic qiman, Old High German queman to come, Sanskrit gámati he goes ‘coming‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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Phrasal verbs with  COME  

Come across – случайно найти, натолкнуться, случайно встретиться

Come along – 1) спешить, 2) приходить, появляться

Come by – получить, приобретать, добиваться

Come down with – заболеть

Come into – получить в наследство

Come off – 1) иметь успех, удаваться, 2) покидать, оставлять

Come out – 1) бастовать, 2) расцветать, 3) выходить в свет, публиковаться,            

                      4) раскрываться (о правде, …)

Come over – приезжать, заходить

Come round – 1) заглянуть(зайти), 2) прийти в себя, 3)  изменить мнение

Come up – упоминать, всплывать в беседе, 2) возникать, случаться

Come up against – столкнуться (с трудностями)

Come up with – придумать, найти решение

Ex. 1. Fill in the correct particle:

1. Only Jane was invited to the party, but both her sisters came …… too.
2. Why don’t you come …………. to our place one evening?
3. Come ……………. , children, or we’ll be late!
4. His name never comes ………….. in our conversation these days.
5. We are sorry to be late with the goods, but we came ……….. some unexpected delays.
6. Trouble comes ……………. when you least expect it.
7. Your question came ………………. at the meeting.
8. Women in the police force often complain that they come …………. a lot of prejudice.
9. Take every chance that comes……………. .
10. I’ll let you know if anything comes ……………. .
11. Come ……………  with me & have some coffee, I’m tired of listening to his speech.
12. The flowers are coming ……………… in everyone’s gardens.
13. I won’t be seeing you any more, I’m coming ………….  your case.
14. The girl fainted but she came ………….  when we threw drops of water on her face.
15. Her gentle nature comes ……………  when she is helping children.
16. Don’t worry about the chairman, he’ll soon come ……………  to our opinion.
17. The post office workers have come ………….. .
18. An opportunity came …………..  to work in Ethiopia for a year, so I went.
19. This job came ………….  just at the right time.

Ex. 2. Rewrite the underlined words in these horoscopes, using phrasal verbs with COME.

SCORPIO *************************************************************

You may have to deal with1 a few problems at work today, but don’t worry, they’re only temporary, & a new job opportunity will arise2 which could change your life. The name of an old friend is mentioned3 in conversation, bringing back powerful memories.

TAURUS************************************************************

You will meet someone by pure chance4 who seems to share the same world view as you, but be careful, they are not what they seem to be. Don’t forget that, in the end, true love very often appears by chance5 & it may be a surprise to find someone you can trust.

KEY   

    Ex. 1.   Fill in the correct particle:  

1. Only Jane was invited to the party, but both her sisters came along too.
2. Why don’t you come over to our place one evening?
3. Come along, children, or we’ll be late!
4. His name never comes up in our conversation these days.
5. We are sorry to be late with the goods, but we came up against some unexpected delays.
6. Trouble comes along when you least expect it.
7. Your question came up at the meeting.
8. Women in the police force often complain that they come up against a lot of prejudice.
9. Take every chance that comes along.
10. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.
11. Come off with me & have some coffee, I’m tired of listening to his speech.
12. The flowers are coming out in everyone’s gardens.
13. I won’t be seeing you any more, I’m coming off your case.
14. The girl fainted but she came round when we threw drops of water on her face.
15. Her gentle nature comes out when she is helping children.
16. Don’t worry about the chairman, he’ll soon come round to our opinion.
17. The post office workers have come out.
18. An opportunity came up to work in Ethiopia for a year, so I went.
19. This job came along just at the right time.

Ex. 2. 1. come up against     2. come up   3. comes up    4. come across    5. come along

Phrasal Verbs with CUT

Cut down – валить, рубить

Cut down on – сократить (употребление)

Cut in (to) – прервать, вмешаться в разговор

Cut off – 1) изолировать, отрезать 2) отключать, разъединить

Cut out – вырезать, исключить, убрать, удалить

Cut out to be sth, cut out for sth – создан для (профессия)

Ex. 1. Fill in the correct particle

1. You’d better cut ____ that last sentence.
2. Cutting ____ the rainforest has a terrible effect on the environment.
3. The gas company is threatening to cut us ____ if we don’t pay the bill immediately.
4. It’s the fatty foods you need to cut ____ if you want to lose weight.
5. I was enjoying the dance until that rude man cut ____.
6. Could you try & cut ____ the amount of time you spend on the phone?
7. Some of the mountain villages are extremely cut ___, & can only be reached on foot.
8. I wish I’d cut ____ cigarettes years ago.
9. I wish Mary would stop cutting ____ our conversation all the time.
10. The US has cut ____ aid to Cambodia.
11. In winter the town is often cut ____ by snow.
12. After the first 2 months, Jim realised that he wasn’t cut ____ a policeman.
13. They had to cut ____ their charitable donations.
14. Save time for yourself by cutting your shopping ____ to twice a week.
15. I don’t really enjoy being at home with the children – I just wasn’t cut ____ it!
16. There were pictures of animals cut ____ of magazines & tacked to the wall.
17. They held a gun to his head & threatened to cut ____ his ears.
18. Mrs Travers began a reply, Mrs Patel cut ____.

Ex. 2. Translate from Russian into English using phrasal verbs with CUT:

1. Если будет землетрясение, снабжение электричеством будет прекращено.
2. В наше время повышения цен мы все должны сокращать свои расходы.
3. Редакторы книги попросили меня вырезать несколько абзацев.
4. Нужно было срубить несколько деревьев прежде чем начать строительные работы.
5. Доктор посоветовал отцу меньше курить.
6. «Вообще-то», прервал Марк, «это не совсем верно».
7. Целые деревни были отрезаны наводнениями.
8. Правительство рассматривает различные предложения для сокращения количества машин на наших дорогах.
9. Они были отрезаны русской армией и вынуждены были сдаться.
10. Я не думаю, что ты подходишь для профессии учителя – у тебя недостаточно терпения.

KEY

Ex. 1. Fill in the correct particle:

1. You’d better cut out that last sentence.
2. Cutting down the rainforest has a terrible effect on the environment.
3. The gas company is threatening to cut us off if we don’t pay the bill immediately.
4. It’s the fatty foods you need to cut down on if you want to lose weight.
5. I was enjoying the dance until that rude man cut in.
6. Could you try & cut down the amount of time you spend on the phone?
7. Some of the mountain villages are extremely cut off, & can only be reached on foot.
8. I wish I’d cut down on cigarettes years ago.
9. I wish Mary would stop cutting in(to) our conversation all the time.
10. The US has cut down   aid to Cambodia.
11. In winter the town is often cut off by snow.
12. After the first 2 months, Jim realised that he wasn’t cut out to be a policeman.
13. They had to cut down on their charitable donations.
14. Save time for yourself by cutting your shopping down  to twice a week.
15. I don’t really enjoy being at home with the children – I just wasn’t cut out for it!
16. There were pictures of animals cut out of magazines & tacked to the wall.
17. They held a gun to his head & threatened to cut off his ears.
18. Mrs Travers began a reply, but Mrs Patel cut in again.

Ex. 2.

1. Если будет землетрясение, снабжение электричеством будет прекращено.

If there is an earthquake, the electrical supply will be immediately cut off.

1. В наше время повышения цен мы все должны сокращать свои расходы.

In these times of rising prices we must all cut down our spending (expense).

1. Редакторы книги попросили меня вырезать несколько абзацев.

The editors of the book asked me to cut out several paragraphs.

1. Нужно было срубить несколько деревьев прежде чем начать строительные работы.

Several trees had to be cut down before the building work could start.

1. Доктор посоветовал отцу меньше курить.

The doctor advised father to cut down on smoking.

1. «Вообще-то», прервал Марк, «это не совсем верно».

“Actually,” Mark cut in, “that’s not quite true.

1. Целые деревни были отрезаны наводнениями.

Whole villages were cut off by the floods.

1. Правительство рассматривает различные предложения для сокращения количества машин на наших дорогах.

The government is looking at various proposals for cutting down the number of cars on our roads.

1. Они были отрезаны русской армией и вынуждены были сдаться.

They were cut off by the Russian army & forced to surrender.

1. Я не думаю, что ты подходишь для профессии учителя – у тебя недостаточно терпения.

I don’t think you are cut out for teaching – you haven’t enough patience.

What is a verb?

Physical Verbs – Definition and Examples

Physical verbs are action verbs. They describe specific physical actions. If you can create a motion with your body or use a tool to complete an action, the word you use to describe it is most likely a physical verb. For example, Joe sat in his chair, the dog breathes quickly after she chases her ball, and should we vote in the election? Even when the action isn’t very active, if the action is done by the body or a tool, consider it a physical verb.

Physical Verb Examples

The physical verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

• Let’s run to the corner and back.
• I hear the train coming.
• Call me when you’re finished with class.

Mental Verbs – Definition and Examples

Mental verbs have meanings that are related to concepts such as discovering, understanding, thinking, or planning. In general, a mental verb refers to a cognitive state.

Mental Verb – Definition and Examples

Mental verbs have meanings that are related to concepts such as discovering, understanding, thinking, or planning. In general, a mental verb refers to a cognitive state.

Mental Verb Examples

The mental verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

• I know the answer.
• She recognized me from across the room.
• Do you believe everything people tell you?

States of Being Verbs – Definition and Examples

Also known as linking verbs, state of being verbs describe conditions or situations that exist. State of being verbs are inactive since no action is being performed. These verbs, forms of to be, such as am, is, are, are usually complemented by adjectives.

States of Being Verb Examples

The state of being verbs in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

• I am a student.
• We are circus performers.
• Please is quiet.

Types of Verbs

There are many types of verbs. In addition to the main categories of physical verbs, mental verbs, and state of being verbs, there are several other types of verbs. In fact, there are more than ten different types of verbs that are grouped together by function.

List of all Verb Types

Action Verbs

Action verbs express specific actions and are used any time you want to show action or discuss someone doing something.  It’s important to remember that the action does not have to be physical.

Action verb examples:

1. Run
2. Dance
3. Slide
4. Jump
5. Think
6. Do
7. Go
8. Stand
9. Smile
10. Listen.

The action verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

I run faster than David.

He does it well.

She thinks about poetry all day long

Transitive Verbs
Transitive verbs are action verbs that always express doable activities that relate or affect someone or something else. These other things are generally direct objects, nouns or pronouns that are affected by the verb, though some verbs can also take an indirect object, such as show, take, and make. In a sentence with a transitive verb, someone or something receives the action of the verb.

Transitive verb examples:

1. Love
2. Respect
3. Tolerate
4. Believe
5. Maintain.

The transitive verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

Gary ate the cookies.

The transitive verb is ate, Gary is the subject, because it is Gary who is doing the eating, and the cookies are the direct object, because it is the cookies that are being eaten. Other examples:

He kicked John.

John punches him.

They sold the tickets.

Examples of verbs used with both direct and indirect objects:

They sell him the tickets.

In this sentence, the tickets are the direct object while him is the indirect object.

Mary baked her mother a pie.

In this sentence, a pie is the direct object while her mother is the indirect object.

Intransitive Verbs

Intransitive verbs are action verbs that always express doable activities. They are different from transitive verbs because there is no direct object following an intransitive verb.

Intransitive verb examples:

1. Walk
2. Laugh
3. Cough
4. Play
5. Run

The intransitive verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

We travelled to London.

The intransitive verb is travelled, the subject is we, because we are doing the travelling, but London is not a direct object because London is not receiving the action of the verb. Other examples:

I sneeze in the morning.

He arrived with moments to spare.

Kathryn sat away from the others.

John eats before leaving for school.

The last example shows that the verb eats can be both transitive and intransitive depending on whether there is a direct object or not. If the sentence read: John eats the cookies before leaving for school, eats would be transitive as there is a direct object – the cookies.

By the way, some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive. These verbs include: start, leave, change, live, stop.

Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary verbs are also known as helping verbs and are used together with a main verb to show the verb’s tense or to form a question or negative. Common examples of auxiliary verbs include have, might, will. These auxiliary verbs give some context to the main verb, for example, letting the reader know when the action took place.

Auxiliary verb examples:

1. Would
2. Should
3. Do
4. Can
5. Did
6. Could
7. May

The auxiliary verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

I will go home after football practice.

The auxiliary verb will is telling us that the action of the main verb go is going to take place in the future – after football practice has ended. If the auxiliary verb will was removed, we get the sentence:

I go home after football practice.

In this case, there is no definite time frame for the action. The sentence suggests that going home after football practice is just something the subject I generally does. Other examples:

I may dance with you later.

We did consider Bryan’s feelings.

Jenny has spoken her final words.

In addition, we can sometimes use the auxiliary very before the pronoun to make a question:

Might you dance with me later?

Did we consider Bryan’s feelings?

Has Jenny spoken her final words?

Also, auxiliary verbs are used to help form negative statements, with the use of words like not and never. These will usually split the auxiliary and main verbs:

I may never dance with you again.

We did not consider Bryan’s feelings.

Jenny has not spoken her final words.

Stative Verbs

Stative verbs can be recognized because they express a state rather than an action. They typically relate to thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, states of being, and measurements. The best way to think about stative verbs is that they are verbs that describe things that are not actions. The stative verbs are all expressing a state: A state of doubting, a state of believing, a state of wanting. These states of being are often temporary.

The stative verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

The doctor disagrees with your analysis.

Disagree is a stative verb here, as it describes the doctor’s state of being – disagreement.

John doubts the doctor’s opinion.

I believe the doctor is right.

She wanted another opinion.

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are used to express abilities, possibilities, permissions, and obligations.

Modal verb examples:

1. Can
2. Must
3. May
4. Should
5. Would

The modal verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

He can shoot a three-point shot easily.

The auxiliary verb can is expressing an ability, suggesting that shooting a three-point shot is a skill the subject possesses.

Please note that in the case of should and must in the examples below, the modal verbs are expressing obligations, whereas would and may are expressing possibilities.

I should go home.

You must not delay.

Sally would not recommend the sushi.

David may be late.

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs aren’t single words; instead, they are combinations of words that are used together to take on a different meaning to that of the original verb. There are many examples of phrasal verbs, some of which have colloquial meanings, such as make up, hand in, bring up, point out, look forward to. Each time the verb takes the extra word(s) it takes on a new meaning. For example, make without the up expresses that something is being created, whereas with make up, the suggestion is that there are some lies or a fantastical element to the story and make out can mean either to grasp or see something difficult, or to kiss passionately.

Phrasal verb examples:

1. Run out
2. Go all out
3. Make out
4. Hand out
5. Bring out
6. Face up
7. Think through

The phrasal verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

Mary looked forward to her high school reunion.

The verb looked has taken on forward to to become a phrasal verb meaning to be excited about or eagerly await something.

He brought up the same points again and again.

Leroy handed in the wallet to the police.

I make up stories all the time.

She pointed out Donald’s mistake.

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs are those that don’t take on the regular spelling patterns of past simple and past participle verbs. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of irregular verbs in the English language. But don’t worry, while many are used often, the majority are not in common usage – or if they are, you will use them so often you will learn them quickly. Some of the most common irregular verbs include: say, make, go, take, come, know and see.

Irregular verb examples:

1. Eat
2. Think 
3. Bring
4. Hold
5. Bear
6. Buy
7. Lay
8. Catch
9. Drive
10. Paid
11. Feel
12. Redo

The irregular verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

I take my time when I go to the shops (present tense)

I took my time when I went to the shops (past tense)

Julie makes cake for the classroom (present tense)

Julie made a cake for the classroom (past tense)

She sees a silhouette shaped like a man in the window (present tense)

She saw a silhouette shaped like a man in the window (past tense)

We come to Aunt Jane’s for Thanksgiving each year (present tense)

We came to Aunt Jane’s for Thanksgiving each year (past tense).

You should also remember that auxiliary verbs ‘do’ and ‘have’ are also irregular verbs:

I do agree.

He does it often.

We have done our homework early.

They do their homework on Fridays.

I have a suspicion about Fran

Fran has a devious look.

We have no money left.

They have had a cough twice this winter.

Examples

I ‘jump’ up and down. That is John. I beat my friend. They are running . Go there on Monday. He said, «Hello!». Can she play the piano? The sleeping baby looks beautiful. She saw the girl who had been bitten by the dog.

A verb is a kind of word (part of speech) that tells about an action or a state. It is the main part of a sentence: every sentence has a verb. In English, verbs are the only kind of word that changes to show past or present tense.^[1]

Every language in the world has verbs, but they are not always used in the same ways. They also can have different properties in different languages. In some other languages (Chinese & Indonesian, for example) verbs do not change for past and present tense. This means the definition above only works well for English verbs.

There are sixteen verbs used in Basic English. They are: be, do, have, come, go, see, seem, give, take, keep, make, put, send, say, let, get.

The word ‘verb’[change | change source]

The word verb originally comes from *were-, a Proto-Indo-European word meaning «a word». It comes to English through the Latin verbum and the Old French verbe.

Verbal phrase[change | change source]

In simple sentences, the verb may be one word: The cat sat on the mat. However, the verb may be a phrase: The cat will sit on the mat.

Verbal phrases can be extremely difficult to analyse: I’m afraid I will need to be going soon. There seem to be three verbal phrases here, which mean something like Sorry, I must go soon.

Verb forms[change | change source]

In English and many other languages, verbs change their form. This is called inflection. Most English verbs have six inflected forms (see the table), but be has eight different forms.

Forms of English verbs

Primary forms	past: walked	She walked home
3rd singular present: walks	She walks home
plain present: walk	They walk home
Secondary forms	plain form: walk	She should walk home
gerund: walking	She is walking home
past participle: walked	She has walked home

You should notice that some of the verb forms look the same. You can say they have the same shape. For example, the plain present and the plain form of walk have the same shape. The same is true for the past and the past participle. But these different forms can have different shapes in other verbs. For example, the plain present of be is usually are but the plain form is be. Also, the past of eat is ate, but the past participle is eaten. When you look for a verb in the dictionary, it is usually the plain form that you look for.

An English sentence must have at least one primary-form verb. Each main clause can only have one primary-form verb.

Kinds of Verbs[change | change source]

English has two main kinds of verbs: normal verbs (called lexical verbs) and auxiliary verbs. The difference between them is mainly in where they can go in a sentence. Some verbs are in both groups, but there are very few auxiliary verbs in English. There are also two kinds of auxiliary verbs: modal verbs and non-modal verbs. The table below shows most of the English auxiliaries and a small number of other verbs.

Kinds of English verbs

auxiliary verbs	lexical verbs
modal verbs	Can you play the piano?	I fell.
I will not be there.	I didn’t fall.
Shall we go?	I had breakfast.
Yes, you may.	I’m playing soccer.
You must be joking.	Must you make that noise?
non-modal verbs	Have you seen him?	Have you seen him?
I did see it.	I did see it.
He is sleeping.	He is sleeping.

There are several auxiliary verbs:

• To do (do, does, did)
• To be (am, is, are, was, were): Creates a progressive tense
• To have (have, has, had): Creates a perfect tense

The following verbs are modal auxiliaries.

• Can
• Could
• May
• Might
• Must
• Shall
• Should
• Will
• Would

Auxiliary verbs also inflect for negation. Usually this is done by adding not or n’t.^[1]

• You shouldn’t be here.
• He isn’t at home.
• We haven’t started yet.

Use of the auxiliary do[change | change source]

Sometimes the verb do is used with other verbs. It does not really change the meaning, but it can be used to make a strong statement.

• I do talk (Present)
• I did go (Past)

It is also used in the negative when no other auxiliary verbs are used.

• I don’t talk (Present)
• I didn’t go (Past)

Sometimes it comes before the subject. This is called inversion and it usually means the sentence is a question.

• Do you talk? (Present)
• Did you go? (Past)

Many other languages do not use the verb do as an auxiliary verb. They use the simple present for do, and the simple past or perfect for did.

Tense, aspect, and mood[change | change source]

There are three main systems related to the verb: tense, aspect, and mood.

Tense[change | change source]

Tense is mainly used to say when the verb happens: in the past, present, or future. In order to explain and understand tense, it is useful to imagine time as a line on which past tense, present tense and future tense are positioned.^[2]

Some languages have all three tenses, some have only two, and some have no tenses at all. English and Japanese for example have only two tenses: past and present.^[1] Chinese and Indonesian verbs do not show tense. Instead they use other words in the sentence to show when the verb happens.

English tenses

Past tense	Present tense
She walked home	She walks home
He ran quickly	He runs quickly
I could swim well	I can swim well
Did you live here?	Do you live here?

Aspect[change | change source]

Aspect usually shows us things like whether the action is finished or not, or if something happens regularly. English has two aspects: progressive and perfect. In English, aspect is usually shown by using participle verb forms. Aspect can combine with present or past tense.

Progressive aspect[change | change source]

English uses the gerund-participle, usually together with the auxiliary be (and its forms am, is, are, was, and were) to show the progressive aspect.

• I’m sleeping. (present progressive)
• He was studying English last night. (past progressive)
• He will be going to the store tomorrow (future progressive)

Many other languages, such as French, do not use progressive tenses.

• I’ve seen him twice. (present perfect)
• I had lived there for three years. (past perfect)

The past perfect can be used to express an unrealized hope, wish, etc.

• He had intended to bake a cake but ran out of flour.
• She had wanted to buy him a gift but he refused.

After If, wish and would rather, the past perfect can be used to talk about past events that never happened.

• If only I had been born standing up!
• I wish you had told me that before.
• I would rather you had gone somewhere else.

Mood[change | change source]

Finally, English mood is now usually shown by using modal verbs. In the past, English had a full mood system but that has almost completely disappeared. The subjunctive mood now uses the plain form. There is also a form of be that is used in conditionals to show that something is not true (e.g., If I were a bird, I would fly to California.)

Sentence parts that go with verbs[change | change source]

Certain parts of a sentence naturally come before verbs or after them, but these are not always the same for all verbs. The main sentence parts are: subject, object, complement, and modifier.

Subjects[change | change source]

Almost all English sentences have subjects, but sentences that are orders (called imperatives) usually do not have any subjects. A subject usually comes before a verb, but it can also come after auxiliary verbs. In the following examples, the subject is underlined and the primary verb is in bold.

• We need you.
• The food was good.
• The small boy with red hair is sleeping.
• Can you see the car?
• Come here. (no subject)

Objects[change | change source]

Many verbs can be followed by an object. These verbs are called transitive verbs. In fact, some verbs must have an object (e.g., take), but some verbs never take an object (e.g., sleep). Verbs that do not take an object are called intransitive verbs. Some verbs can even have two objects. They are called ditransitive verbs. In the following examples, the object is underlined and the primary verb is in bold.

• I’m sleeping. (no object)
• I took the book from him.
• I gave him the book. (2 objects)
• I am happy. (no object)
• I became a teacher. (complement, no object)
• I slept in my bed (1 object)

Complements[change | change source]

Some verbs can or must be followed by a complement. These verbs are called linking verbs or copula. In the following examples, the complement is underlined and the verb is in bold.

• He is good.
• He is a boy.
• She became sick.
• She became a manager.
• It looks nice.

Modifiers[change | change source]

Verbs can be modified by various modifiers, mainly adverbs. Note that verbs generally do not need modifiers; it’s usually a choice. In the following examples, the adverb is underlined and the verb is in bold.

• The boy ran quickly.
• The freely swinging rope hit him.

Verbs also commonly take a variety of other modifiers including prepositions.

Differences between verbs and other words[change | change source]

Sometimes a verb and another word can have the same shape. In these cases you can usually see the difference by looking at various properties of the words.

Verbs vs. adjectives[change | change source]

Sometimes a verb and an adjective can have the same shape. Usually this happens with participles. For example, the present participle interesting and the adjective interesting look the same. Verbs are different from adjectives, though, because they cannot be modified by very, more, or most.^[1] For example, you can say «That is very interesting,» so you know interesting is an adjective here. But you cannot say «My teacher is very interesting me in math» because in this sentence interesting is a verb. On the other hand, if you cannot change the ‘be’ verb to ‘seem’ or ‘become’, it is probably a verb.

• He was isolated / He became isolated (isolated is an adjective)
• The door was opening / *The door became opening (opening is a verb)

Verbs vs. nouns[change | change source]

The gerund-particle sometimes looks like a noun. This is especially true when it is used as a subject, as in the following example:

• Running is good for you.

The main differences between these verbs and nouns are: modifiers, number, and object/complement

Modifiers[change | change source]

Verbs cannot generally be modified by adjectives and nouns cannot generally be modified by adverbs. So, in «Running regularly is good for you», running is a verb because it is modified by regularly, an adverb.

Number[change | change source]

Verbs cannot change for number, so if you can make the word plural, it is a noun, not a verb. For example, «this drawing is nice» can change to «these drawings are nice», so drawing is a noun. But «drawing trees is fun» cannot change to «drawings trees is fun», so it is a verb here.

Object/complement[change | change source]

Many verbs can take objects or complements, but nouns cannot.^[1] So, in «parking the car is hard», parking is a verb because it takes the object the car. But, if you say, «there’s no parking», parking may be a noun because it does not have an object.

Verbs vs. prepositions[change | change source]

Some verbs have become prepositions.^[1] Again, usually these share a shape with participles. Here are some examples:

• Given the problems, I do not think we should go.
• We have many helpers, including John.
• According to the map, we are here.
• He went to hospital following the fight.

The main difference between verbs and prepositions is that verbs have a subject. Even if the subject is not written, you can understand what it is. Prepositions do not have a subject.^[1]

References[change | change source]

There are various types of verbs and verb forms that you need to understand in order to successfully use the English Language. 

Read through the page or click on the verb type in the box to go to the explanation of that particular verb.  The types are:

What are Verbs?

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Most people often tend to think of verbs as ‘action words’ or ‘doing words’ as this is usually how they are first learned at school. 

Many do express actions in relation to the subject of the sentence (e.g. jump, walk, draw) but others express things such as mental conditions (e.g. love, believe, doubt), existence (e.g. exist, become) and relationships (e.g. determine, depend).

And other types of verbs are not directly related to expressing what the subject is doing, instead possibly being used to add more information to a main verb or noun. Or they may be used to form adjectives and nouns.  

Where verbs come in a sentence depends on what types of verbs they are. Take a look at the following text. The verbs are highlighted in blue:

Usually every sentence must have one verb. Some types of verbs (the main verb) follow after the subject but as you can see from the example above, they can vary in their positions depending on the type of verb it is. 

Main Verbs

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The first types of verbs are main verbs. Main verbs are finite, which means they have a subject and a tense form. 

The general structure of a clause is that it has a subject and a main verb, which can take various forms, such as the past, present, or future tense.

A main verb (also known as principle verb, primary verb, or lexical verb) is the most important verb in the sentence.

It can be recognised as it comes after the subject:

• They arrived
• She is coming next week
• Lately, he has been feeling unwell
• The government lost the vote yesterday
• He is going to town later
• Susan thought about it carefully

This type of verb can be an action or stative verb, meaning it expresses the action or state of the subject of the sentence. It can also be a copular (linking) verb. It will also be transitive or intransitive. 

Action and State Verbs

These types of verbs are the primary way that main verbs can be distinguished. Action verbs (also knows as dynamic verbs) express something the subject does. 

In contrast to this, state verbs (also known as stative verbs) express a state of mind or mental process. 

The main differences are set out below. 

Learn more about Stative Verbs >>>

Copular Verbs (Linking Verbs)

As well as action and state verbs, main verbs can also be copular verbs, also commonly known as linking or complementary verbs. These types of verbs are a subset of state verbs as they are ways in which to express a state of being.

The main purpose of them is to identify the subject, in which case they are followed by a noun or noun phrase:

• She is my freind
• John and Sarah are solicitors

Or to describe the subject, in which case they are followed by an adjective or adjective phrase:

• He seems concerned
• Peter was happy about it

Copular verbs cannot be used alone and need a subject complement (i.e. we can’t say ‘He seems’ or Peter was’).

Learn more about Copular Verbs >>

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Transitive and intransitive verbs are types of action verbs, though linking verbs are also intransitive verbs.

It’s not possible to tell whether a verb is transitive or intransitive just by looking at the verb. It would need to be worked out from the context of the sentence. 

Learn more about transitive and intransitive verbs >>

Ditransitive Verbs

These are verbs that take two objects: a direct object and an indirect object. 

The direct object is the noun that directly receives the action of the verb while the indirect object is the noun that answers questions about the direct object, such as to whom, for whom, or for what?

For example:

• Bob sent a parcel to Mark
• Sent = ditransitive verb
• Parcel = direct object
• Mark = indirect object (the receiver of the action)

Learn more about ditransitive verbs >>

Auxiliary Verbs

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The second types of verbs are auxiliary verbs. They are used to add functional or grammatical meaning to other verbs. So rather than being main verbs, they may be used with a main verb in order to change its function or meaning. 

Auxiliary verbs are also know as helping verbs. The two main types of auxiliary  verb are:

• be, do, have and will 
• Modals  (could, should, must, will etc)

‘be’ ‘do’ ‘have’ ‘will’ Auxiliary Verbs

Be, do, have and will are three auxiliary verbs that have a variety of functions.  

The first of these is to make the various tenses. The key ones used are:

• be — am / is / was / were / been etc
• have — have / had / having etc
• will

Here are some examples:

• They have left (present perfect tense)
• She has been working (present perfect continuous tense)
• I am swimming (present continuous tense)
• She will eat it (future tense)
• He will have arrived by 6pm (future perfect continuous tense)

These auxiliaries are then moved around to make Questions and Negative Forms. We make questions by moving the first auxiliary verb to the start of the clause:

• Statement: He has been cycling 
• Question: Has he been cycling?
• Statement: The boy is dreaming
• Question: Is the boy dreaming?

Negative forms of sentences are made by adding not or ‘nt to the first auxiliary:

• Negative: Hasn’t he been cycling?
• Negative: Isn’t the boy dreaming?

Since the affirmative forms of the present simple and past simple don’t have auxiliaries, we use the following auxiliary verbs to make questions and negative forms:

• Present simple: do / does / don’t / doesn’t 
• Past Simple: did / didn’t 

Here are some examples:

• Does she have a car? (present simple question)
• He doesn’t like fish (present simple negative)
• Did they steal the money? (past simple question)
• I didn’t receive the book you sent (past simple negative)

We also use these types of verbs to make the Passive Voice:

• I was arrested
• The tanks are driven by the soldiers
• I have been treated for pneumonia

Modal Verbs

As modal verbs are auxiliary verbs, they again have to be used along with a main verb, not on their own.

Modal verbs are followed by the main verb in the infinitive form (see below for infinitive verbs). Here are the main modal verbs with an example and their function:

• He can read (ability)
• You ought to be more approachable (obligation/advice)
• You must / have to work harder (necessity)
• The car could break down (possibility)
• He might / may come later (possibility) 
• I think they should be back by midnight (logical deduction)

These types of verbs can also make questions. In this case they come before the subject:

• Would you pass the salt? (request)
• Would you like to come to dinner on Friday? (invitation)
• Could / can I borrow your umbrella? (asking permission)
• May I help you? (offer)

As noted above modal verbs are used with the infinitive for of the verb which is discussed next. 

Learn more about modal verbs >>

‘Used to‘ is also a modal verb but a ‘marginal’ modal verb as it is only used in the past tense. It’s therefore only used with the auxiliary verb did for negatives or questions. It’s used to talk about past habits or states that are no longer true.

• She used to learn English but she’s now given up
• He didn’t use to like Italian food though he loves it now
• Didn’t you use to live in Spain?

Learn more about ‘used to’ >>

Infinitives

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The third types of verbs are infinitives.

It was explained above that main verbs are finite, which means they have a subject and a tense form. However, infinitives are non-finite as unlike main verbs they:

• do not have a subject
• do not take a tense form

These are the base form of a verb and their form is the same as the base form of the present simple that follows I, you, we and they.

This illustrates this difference:

‘See‘ is the same as the base form of the present simple (i.e. I see, you see etc) but it is not being used as part of the present simple tense (‘like‘ is the verb with the tense i.e. the main verb).

There are two types of infinitive:

• Infinitive followed by ‘to’ (e.g. to go) as in the above example
• Bare Infinitive (e.g. go) with no ‘to’

Infinitive (with ‘to’)

They have a variety of uses, but these are some of the common uses with examples:

Bare Infinitive

One way we use the bare infinitive (no ‘to’) is after the auxiliaries (do, does, did) in questions and negatives when making the present or past simple tenses:

• Do you want it? (present simple question)
• Please don’t come tonight (present simple negative)
• He didn’t find his wallet (past simple question)
• Did they get their wages last month? (past simple negative)

We also use them after some verb + object combinations, such as ‘make’ and ‘let’ and perception verbs:

• They made the students stay late
• Why don’t we let them eat unhealthy food?
• I think I heard him say something 
• Did you notice them come in?
• I saw her take the tablet

We can though also use the -ing form after these verbs of perception (e.g. …coming in).

We also use the bare infinitive after why…? and why not…?:

• Why let her know her actual score as it will upset her?
• Why not plan the next trip a bit better?

And we use it after try and, come and, and go and:

• Please try and finish the book
• Why don’t you come and see the house?
• Let’s go and find John

-ing

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Another grammatical class are -ing forms of verbs. They are verbs that end in -ing. For example: eating, drinking, sleeping.

Their main uses are:

• In the continuous / progressive tenses e.g. I am leaving tomorrow
• To add more information to certain verbs e.g. I deny taking the money
• When we want to use a verb after a preposition e.g. I’m interested in studying French
• As subjects and complements e.g. Gambling is addictive
• To list activities e.g. Her favourite sports are skiing, running, and hiking

Although -ing forms of verbs can be considered as one grammatical class, they are also often considered as two separate classes:

1. gerunds
2. present participles

Gerunds

The -ing form of the verb can function as a noun, and when it does this is is called a gerund. 

Here are the ways that gerunds are used:

Present Participles

Present participles have various functions but there are two main ones. One is as adjectives and the other is to form the continuous or progressive tenses. 

Adjectives can be spotted as they come before the noun. Forms of -ing in the continuous tenses are evident as they are used with an auxiliary verb such as ‘be’. 

Multiword Verbs

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Multiwords verbs are types of verbs that are created by combining a verb (e.g. come, go, give, look, take) with an adverb and/or a preposition (e.g. back, off, away, out, on).

• give up
• take out
• look away
• look up to

They are also known as phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, or phrasal-prepositional verbs, depending on how they are constructed.

They can be a main verb (i.e. have a subject and verb that takes a tense) but they can also be infinitive: 

• He gave up smoking (main verb)
• He wants to give up smoking (infinitive)

They are treated as a unique grammatical class because when combined they function as inseparable parts of a single unit. In other words, the words have to be placed together to give their particular meaning. 

Here are some examples of each. Note that in some cases the phrasal verb can broken up by the direct object.

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are formed by combining a main verb and an adverb particle.

Some of the most common adverb particles used to form phrasal verbs are: at, around, down, away, off, in, on, over, out, round, over, up:

• The film came out in 2014
• The class went on for 3 hours
• The plane took off late
• I can’t make out what she is saying
• We can sort the problems out / sort out the problems
• They had little time to put the scaffolding up / put up the scaffolding

View some more Phrasal Verb Examples >>

Prepositional Verbs

Prepositional verbs consist of a verb and a preposition:

• The house was broken into
• I can’t do without him
• I look after my sister’s children sometimes
• I get on his nerves if I play loud music

Phrasal-prepositional Verbs

Phrasal-prepositional verbs are formed with a verb, a particle and a preposition:

These types of verbs consist of a verb, a particle and a preposition.

• We are going to come up against many issues
• I will look in on my neighbour and check he is ok
• He couldn’t face up to the reality of it
• John hoped to get away with it

Learn more about Multi-word Verbs >>

Summary of Types of Verbs

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The types of verbs we have looked at on this page are:

• Main Verbs
• Auxiliary Verbs
• Infinitives
• -ing Verb forms
• Multiword Verbs

Some of these are specifically verbs but some, such as present participles and gerunds, are formed from verbs. 

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A verb is a word or a combination of words that indicates action or a state of being or condition. A verb is the part of a sentence that tells us what the subject performs. Verbs are the hearts of English sentences.

Examples:

• Jacob walks in the morning. (A usual action)
• Mike is going to school. (A condition of action)
• Albert does not like to walk. (A negative action)
• Anna is a good girl. (A state of being)

Verbs are related to a lot of other factors like the subject, person, number, tense, mood, voice, etc.

Basic Forms of Verbs

There are six basic forms of verbs. These forms are as follows:

• Base form: Children play in the field.
• Infinitive: Tell them not to play
• Past tense: They played football yesterday.
• Past participle: I have eaten a burger.
• Present participle: I saw them playing with him today.
• Gerund: Swimming is the best exercise.

Different Types of Verbs

• Main/Base Verb
• Regular/Weak Verb
• Irregular/Strong Verb
• Transitive Verb
• Intransitive Verb
• Weak Verb
• Strong Verb
• Finite Verbs
• Non-finite Verbs
• Action Verbs
• Linking Verb
• Auxiliary Verbs
• Modal Verbs
• Reflexive Verb
• Ergative Verb
• Phrasal Verb
• Lexical Verb
• Delexical Verb
• Stative/Being Verb
• Dynamic Verb
• Non-continuous Verb
• Participle
• Gerund
• Infinitive

Base Verb

The base verb is the form of a verb where it has no ending (-ing, -ed, -en) added to it. It is also called the Root Verb since it is the very root form of a verb.

Examples:

• I go to school every day.
• You run a mile every morning.
• Do your homework.

Regular Verb

The Verbs that follow the most usual conjugations are considered Regular Verbs. It is regular since it abides by most if not all of the regular grammar rules there are.

Examples:

• Rehan plays cricket.
• Tam called out my name.
• You really walked all the way back? 

Irregular Verb

The Verbs that have irregularities in terms of following grammar rules are Irregular Verbs, in general.

Examples:

• Do the dishes.
• I hardly ever drink enough water in a day.
• She drove all the way back. 

Transitive Verb

The Main Verb that takes a direct object sitting right after it would be a Transitive Verb. They usually construct the most straightforward of sentences.

Examples:

• She went to the fair.
• We do not like being called out loud in crowds.
• I love visiting my village home.

Intransitive Verb

The main Verb that does not take a direct object specified right afterward and rather there is an indirect one mentioned somewhere along the line is called an Intransitive Verb. These verbs often make the corresponding sentences incomplete.

Example:

• I laughed.
• John ran.
• A ghast of cold wind blew.

Weak Verb

Verbs that end with “-d” and “-t” in their Past Indefinite and Past Participle form are Weak Verbs. There is a tendency to associate Weak Verbs with Regular Verbs but not all Weak Verbs are Regular Verbs in the English language.

Examples:

Present Indefinite	Past Indefinite
Spend	Spent
Walk	Walked
Book	Booked
Learn	Learnt
Want	Wanted

 Strong Verb

Strong Verbs are those in which the vowels in the verb stem changes from “i” to “a” to “u” in the Present Indefinite to Past Indefinite to Past Participle form of Verbs.

Examples:

Present Indefinite	Past Indefinite	Past Participle
Ring	Rang	Rung
Drink	Drank	Drunk
Cling	Clang	Clung
Swim	Swam	Swum
Sing	Sang	Sung
Wring	Wrang	Wrung

Finite Verbs

Finite verbs are the actual verbs that are called the roots of sentences. It is a form of a verb that is performed by or refers to a subject and uses one of the twelve forms of tense and changes according to the number/person of the subject.

Example:

• Alex went to school. (Subject – Alex – performed the action in the past. This information is evident only by the verb ‘went’.)
• Robert plays hockey.
• He is playing for Australia.
• He is one of the best players. (Here, the verb ‘is’ directly refers to the subject itself.)

Non-finite Verbs

Non-finite Verbs are not actual verbs. They do not work as verbs in the sentence rather they work as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc. Non-finite verbs do not change according to the number/person of the subject because these verbs, also called verbals, do not have any direct relation to the subject. Sometimes they become the subject themselves.

The forms of non-finite verbs are – infinitive, gerund, and participle (participles become finite verbs when they take auxiliary verbs.)

Example:

• Alex went abroad to play (Infinitives)
• Playing cricket is his only job. (Present participle)
• I have a broken bat. (Past participle)
• Walking is a good habit. (Gerund)

Action Verbs

Action verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence performs. Action verbs can make the listener/reader feel emotions, see scenes more vividly and accurately.

Action verbs can be transitive or intransitive.

Transitive verbs must have a direct object. A transitive verb demands something/someone to be acted upon.

Example:

• I painted the car. (The verb ‘paint’ demands an object to be painted)
• She is reading the newspaper. (The verb ‘read’ asks the question “what is she reading?” – the answer is the object)

Intransitive verbs do not act upon anything. They may be followed by an adjective, adverb, preposition, or another part of speech.

Example:

• She smiled. (The verb ‘smile’ cannot have any object since the action of ‘smiling’ does not fall upon anything/anyone)
• I wake up at 6 AM. (No object is needed for this verb)

Note: {Subject + Intransitive verb} is sufficient to make a complete sentence but {Subject + Transitive verb} is not sufficient because transitive verbs demand a direct object.

Linking Verb

A linking verb adds details about the subject of a sentence. In its simplest form, it connects the subject and the complement — that is, the words that follow the linking verb. It creates a link between them instead of showing action.

Often, what is on each side of a linking verb is equivalent; the complement redefines or restates the subject.

Generally, linking verbs are called ‘be’ verbs which are — am, is, are, was, were. However, there are some other verbs that can work as linking verbs. Those verbs are:

Act, feel, remain, appear, become, seem, smell, sound, grow, look, prove, stay, taste, turn.

Some verbs in this list can also be action verbs. To figure out if they are linking verbs, you should try replacing them with forms of the be verbs. If the changed sentence makes sense, that verb is a linking verb.

Example:

• She appears ready for the game. (She is ready for the game.)
• The food seemed delicious. (The food was delicious.)
• You look happy. (You are happy.)

Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary verbs are also called helping verbs. An auxiliary verb extends the main verb by helping to show time, tense, and possibility. The auxiliary verbs are – be verbs, have, and do.

They are used in the continuous (progressive) and perfect tenses.

Linking verbs work as main verbs in the sentence, but auxiliary verbs help main verbs.

Do is an auxiliary verb that is used to ask questions, to express negation, to provide emphasis, and more.

Example:

• Alex is going to school.
• They are walking in the park.
• I have seen a movie.
• Do you drink tea?
• Don’t waste your time.
• Please, do submit your assignments.

Modal Verbs

A modal verb is a kind of auxiliary verb. It assists the main verb to indicate possibility, potentiality, ability, permission, expectation, and obligation.

The modal verbs are can, could, must, may, might, ought to, shall, should, will, would.

 Example:

• I may want to talk to you again.
• They must play their best game to win.
• She should call him.
• I will go there.

Reflexive Verb

When the Subject and the Object are the same and the Verb reflects on the Subject, that is the Reflexive Verb. These Verbs are often used with Reflexive Pronouns like — myself, himself, herself, itself etc.

Examples: 

• He has done it himself.
• I’ll watch it myself. 

Ergative Verb

Ergative Verbs can be used as Transitive and Intransitive Verb. They are also called Labile Verb in English.

Examples:

Intransitive Verbs	Transitive Verbs
The door opens.	I opened the door.
The bell rang.	She rang the bell.
The light is fused.	They fused the lights.
The whistle blew.	Tom blew the whistle.

 Phrasal Verb

An idiomatic phrase consisting of a Verb and another element, most likely an Adverb or a Preposition is called a Phrasal Verb.

Examples:

• She broke down in tears.
• Don’t look down upon the poor.
• I’ll see to it. 

Lexical Verb

Lexical Verb is the main or principal verb of a sentence which typically takes the major responsibility of a Verb that represents the action of the Noun or Pronoun.

Examples:

• He ran to his father.
• I laughed out loud.
• Rina tried her best. 

DE-Lexical Verb

Delexical Verbs lack importance when it comes to meaning since these Verbs hardly have meanings of their own when used individually. The meaning is taken out of the Verbs and put into the Noun. Take, have, make, give etc. are Delexical Verbs.

Examples:

• He took a shower.
• I had a cold drink.
• She made some arrangements. 

Stative Verb

The Verbs that describe the state of being are called Stative or Being Verbs.

Examples:

• I need some boxes.
• You belong to the pomp and power.
• He smells danger.
• They remember what happened that day. 

Dynamic Verb

The Verbs that entail continuous or progressive action of the Subject are called Dynamic or Fientive Verbs. They express the Subject’s state of being on the move.

Examples:

• He’s running fast.
• Keep hitting the ball hard.
• The dog goes for a walk every afternoon.

Non-continuous Verb

The Verbs that are usually never used in their continuous forms are called Non-continuous Verbs.

Examples:

I like to swim.	I’m liking to swim.
I love to do the chords.	I’m loving to do the chords.
He does not hate you.	He’s hating you.
She just feels a bit dizzy, no need to worry.	She’s just feeling a bit dizzy.

 Intensive Verb

The Verbs that focus intensely on just the Subject are called Intensive Verbs. Intensive Verbs are also called Linking or Copular Verbs.

Examples:

• You seem happy.
• It appears to be just perfect.
• She looks stunning.
• He’s become rather irritable. 

Extensive Verb

All the Verbs that do not focus intensively on just the Subject (as the Intensive Verbs) of the sentence are Extensive Verbs.

Examples:

• He loves her.
• She runs too fast.
• Ron sells fish. 

Participle

A participle is a Verb form where they retain some of the characteristics and functions of both Verbs and adopt those of the Adjectives.

Examples:

Present Participle (Verb + -ing)

• Have I become a laughing stock?
• Cycling is a well-rounded exercise.

Past Participle

• I have taken a hint.
• Have you given it enough thought?

Perfect Participle (Having + Past Participle)

• Having said that, I was quite worried.
• Having stepped out of my comfort zone, I saw a whole new world.

Gerund

The Verbs having -ing endings that function like Nouns in sentences are called Gerunds.

Examples:

• Smoking is injurious to health.
• Walking is good for health.
• I love swimming.

Infinitive

The ‘to + Verb’ forms where the Verbs are at their base or stem forms while they function as Nouns, Adjectives or Adverbs instead of Verbs.

Examples:

• I wanted to help you out.
• Are you trying to go there?
• I just love to flaunt my new Ferarri.