Is the word gave a verb

В английском языке глаголы делятся на правильные и неправильные. Неправильные глаголы — это такие глаголы, у которых форма прошедшего времени ( Past tense form ), а также форма причастия прошедшего времени ( Past participle ) образуется не так, как у правильных глаголов. Правильные глаголы образуют эти формы путём прибавления –ed к первой форме. Подробнее про глаголы.

Нет общего правила для неправильных глаголов. Их нужно просто выучить.

Base form	Past simple	Past participle	Перевод
A
arise	arose	arisen	возникать, появляться
awake	awakened / awoke	awakened / awoken	будить, проснуться
B
backslide	backslid	backslidden / backslid	отказываться от прежних убеждений
be	was, were	been	быть
bear	bore	born / borne	родить
beat	beat	beaten / beat	бить
become	became	become	становиться, делаться
begin	began	begun	начинать
bend	bent	bent	сгибать, гнуть
bet	bet / betted	bet / betted	держать пари
bind	bound	bound	связать
bite	bit	bitten	кусать
bleed	bled	bled	кровоточить
blow	blew	blown	дуть
break	broke	broken	ломать
breed	bred	bred	выращивать
bring	brought	brought	приносить
broadcast	broadcast / broadcasted	broadcast / broadcasted	распространять, разбрасывать
browbeat	browbeat	browbeaten / browbeat	запугивать
build	built	built	строить
burn	burned / burnt	burned / burnt	гореть, жечь
burst	burst	burst	взрываться, прорываться
bust	busted / bust	busted / bust	разжаловать
buy	bought	bought	покупать
C
can	could	could	мочь, уметь
cast	cast	cast	бросить, кинуть, вышвырнуть
catch	caught	caught	ловить, хватать, успеть
choose	chose	chosen	выбирать
cling	clung	clung	цепляться, льнуть
clothe	clothed / clad	clothed / clad	одевать (кого-либо)
come	came	come	приходить
cost	cost	cost	стоить, обходиться (в какую-либо сумму)
creep	crept	crept	ползать
cut	cut	cut	резать, разрезать
D
deal	dealt	dealt	иметь дело
dig	dug	dug	копать
dive	dove / dived	dived	нырять, погружаться
do	did	done	делать, выполнять
draw	drew	drawn	рисовать, чертить
dream	dreamed / dreamt	dreamed / dreamt	грезить, мечтать
drink	drank	drunk	пить
drive	drove	driven	управлять (авто)
dwell	dwelt / dwelled	dwelt / dwelled	обитать, находиться
E
eat	ate	eaten	есть, кушать
F
fall	fell	fallen	падать
feed	fed	fed	кормить
feel	felt	felt	чувствовать
fight	fought	fought	драться, сражаться, бороться
find	found	found	находить
fit	fit	fit	подходить по размеру
flee	fled	fled	убегать, спасаться
fling	flung	flung	бросаться, ринуться
fly	flew	flown	летать
forbid	forbade	forbidden	запрещать
forecast	forecast	forecast	предсказывать, предвосхищать
foresee	foresaw	foreseen	предвидеть
foretell	foretold	foretold	предсказывать, прогнозировать
forget	forgot	forgotten	забывать
forgive	forgave	forgiven	прощать
forsake	forsook	forsaken	покидать
freeze	froze	frozen	замерзать
G
get	got	gotten / got	получать, достигать
give	gave	given	давать
go	went	gone	идти, ехать
grind	ground	ground	молоть, толочь
grow	grew	grown	расти
H
hang	hung / hanged	hung / hanged	вешать, развешивать
have, has	had	had	иметь
hear	heard	heard	слышать
hew	hewed	hewn / hewed	рубить
hide	hid	hidden	прятаться, скрываться
hit	hit	hit	ударять, поражать
hold	held	held	держать, удерживать, фиксировать
hurt	hurt	hurt	ранить, причинить боль
I
inlay	inlaid	inlaid	вкладывать, вставлять, выстилать
input	input / inputted	input / inputted	входить
interweave	interwove	interwoven	воткать
K
keep	kept	kept	держать, хранить
kneel	knelt / kneeled	knelt / kneeled	становиться на колени
knit	knitted / knit	knitted / knit	вязать
know	knew	known	знать, иметь представление (о чем-либо)
L
lay	laid	laid	класть, положить
lead	led	led	вести, руководить, управлять
lean	leaned / leant	leaned / leant	опираться, прислоняться
leap	leaped / leapt	leaped / leapt	прыгать, скакать
learn	learnt / learned	learnt / learned	учить
leave	left	left	покидать, оставлять
lend	lent	lent	одалживать, давать взаймы
let	let	let	позволять, предполагать
lie	lay	lain	лежать
light	lit / lighted	lit / lighted	освещать
lose	lost	lost	терять
M
make	made	made	делать, производить, создавать
may	might	might	мочь, иметь возможность
mean	meant	meant	значить, иметь ввиду
meet	met	met	встречать
miscast	miscast	miscast	неправильно распределять роли
misdeal	misdealt	misdealt	поступать неправильно
misdo	misdid	misdone	делать что-либо неправильно или небрежно
misgive	misgave	misgiven	внушать недоверия, опасения
mishear	misheard	misheard	ослышаться
mishit	mishit	mishit	промахнуться
mislay	mislaid	mislaid	класть не на место
mislead	misled	misled	ввести в заблуждение
misread	misread	misread	неправильно истолковывать
misspell	misspelled / misspelt	misspelled / misspelt	писать с ошибками
misspend	misspent	misspent	неразумно, зря тратить
mistake	mistook	mistaken	ошибаться
misunderstand	misunderstood	misunderstood	неправильно понимать
mow	mowed	mowed / mown	косить
O
offset	offset	offset	возмещать, вознаграждать, компенсировать
outbid	outbid	outbid	перебивать цену
outdo	outdid	outdone	превосходить
outfight	outfought	outfought	побеждать в бою
outgrow	outgrew	outgrown	вырастать из
output	output / outputted	output / outputted	выходить
outrun	outran	outrun	перегонять, опережать
outsell	outsold	outsold	продавать лучше или дороже
outshine	outshone	outshone	затмевать
overbid	overbid	overbid	повелевать
overcome	overcame	overcome	компенсировать
overdo	overdid	overdone	пережари(ва)ть
overdraw	overdrew	overdrawn	превышать
overeat	overate	overeaten	объедаться
overfly	overflew	overflown	перелетать
overhang	overhung	overhung	нависать
overhear	overheard	overheard	подслуш(ив)ать
overlay	overlaid	overlaid	покры(ва)ть
overpay	overpaid	overpaid	переплачивать
override	overrode	overridden	отменять, аннулировать
overrun	overran	overrun	переливаться через край
oversee	oversaw	overseen	надзирать за
overshoot	overshot	overshot	расстрелять
oversleep	overslept	overslept	проспать, заспаться
overtake	overtook	overtaken	догонять
overthrow	overthrew	overthrown	свергать
P
partake	partook	partaken	принимать участие
pay	paid	paid	платить
plead	pleaded / pled	pleaded / pled	обращаться к суду
prepay	prepaid	prepaid	платить вперед
prove	proved	proven / proved	доказывать
put	put	put	класть, ставить, размещать
Q
quit	quit / quitted	quit / quitted	выходить, покидать, оставлять
R
read	read	read	читать
rebind	rebound	rebound	перевязывать
rebuild	rebuilt	rebuilt	перестроить
recast	recast	recast	изменять, перестраивать
redo	redid	redone	делать вновь, переделывать
rehear	reheard	reheard	слушать вторично
remake	remade	remade	переделывать
rend	rent	rent	раздирать
repay	repaid	repaid	отдавать долг
rerun	reran	rerun	выполнять повторно
resell	resold	resold	перепродавать
reset	reset	reset	возвращать
resit	resat	resat	пересиживать
retake	retook	retaken	забирать
retell	retold	retold	пересказывать
rewrite	rewrote	rewritten	перезаписать
rid	rid	rid	избавлять
ride	rode	ridden	ездить верхом
ring	rang	rung	звонить
rise	rose	risen	подняться
run	ran	run	бегать
S
saw	sawed	sawed / sawn	пилить
say	said	said	сказать, заявить
see	saw	seen	видеть
seek	sought	sought	искать
sell	sold	sold	продавать
send	sent	sent	посылать
set	set	set	ставить, устанавливать
sew	sewed	sewn / sewed	шить
shake	shook	shaken	трясти
shave	shaved	shaved / shaven	бриться
shear	sheared	sheared / shorn	стричь
shed	shed	shed	проливать
shine	shined / shone	shined / shone	светить, сиять, озарять
shoot	shot	shot	стрелять, давать побеги
show	showed	shown / showed	показывать
shrink	shrank / shrunk	shrunk	сокращаться, сжиматься
shut	shut	shut	закрывать, запирать, затворять
sing	sang	sung	петь
sink	sank / sunk	sunk	тонуть, погружаться (под воду)
sit	sat	sat	сидеть
slay	slew / slayed	slain / slayed	убивать
sleep	slept	slept	спать
slide	slid	slid	скользить
sling	slung	slung	бросать, швырять
slink	slunk	slunk	красться, идти крадучись
slit	slit	slit	разрезать, рвать в длину
smell	smelled / smelt	smelled / smelt	пахнуть, нюхать
sow	sowed	sown / sowed	сеять
speak	spoke	spoken	говорить
speed	sped / speeded	sped / speeded	ускорять, спешить
spell	spelled / spelt	spelled / spelt	писать или читать по буквам
spend	spent	spent	тратить, расходовать
spill	spilled / spilt	spilled / spilt	проливать, разливать
spin	spun	spun	прясть
spit	spit / spat	spit / spat	плевать
split	split	split	расщеплять
spoil	spoiled / spoilt	spoiled / spoilt	портить
spread	spread	spread	распространиться
spring	sprang / sprung	sprung	вскочить, возникнуть
stand	stood	stood	стоять
steal	stole	stolen	воровать, красть
stick	stuck	stuck	уколоть, приклеить
sting	stung	stung	жалить
stink	stunk / stank	stunk	вонять
strew	strewed	strewn / strewed	усеять, устлать
stride	strode	stridden	шагать, наносить удар
strike	struck	struck	ударить, бить, бастовать
string	strung	strung	нанизать, натянуть
strive	strove / strived	striven / strived	стараться
sublet	sublet	sublet	передавать в субаренду
swear	swore	sworn	клясться, присягать
sweep	swept	swept	мести, подметать, сметать
swell	swelled	swollen / swelled	разбухать
swim	swam	swum	плавать, плыть
swing	swung	swung	качать, раскачивать, вертеть
T
take	took	taken	брать, взять
teach	taught	taught	учить, обучать
tear	tore	torn	рвать
tell	told	told	рассказать
think	thought	thought	думать
throw	threw	thrown	бросить
thrust	thrust	thrust	колоть, пронзать
tread	trod	trodden / trod	ступать
U
unbend	unbent	unbent	выпрямляться, разгибаться
underbid	underbid	underbid	снижать цену
undercut	undercut	undercut	сбивать цены
undergo	underwent	undergone	испытывать, переносить
underlie	underlay	underlain	лежать в основе
underpay	underpaid	underpaid	оплачивать слишком низко
undersell	undersold	undersold	продавать дешевле
understand	understood	understood	понимать, постигать
undertake	undertook	undertaken	предпринять
underwrite	underwrote	underwritten	подписываться
undo	undid	undone	уничтожать сделанное
unfreeze	unfroze	unfrozen	размораживать
unsay	unsaid	unsaid	брать назад свои слова
unwind	unwound	unwound	развертывать
uphold	upheld	upheld	поддерживать
upset	upset	upset	опрокинуться
W
wake	woke / waked	woken / waked	просыпаться
waylay	waylaid	waylaid	подстерегать
wear	wore	worn	носить (одежду)
weave	wove / weaved	woven / weaved	ткать
wed	wed / wedded	wed / wedded	жениться, выдавать замуж
weep	wept	wept	плакать, рыдать
wet	wet / wetted	wet / wetted	мочить, увлажнять
win	won	won	победить, выиграть
wind	wound	wound	заводить (механизм)
withdraw	withdrew	withdrawn	взять назад, отозвать
withhold	withheld	withheld	воздерживаться, отказывать
withstand	withstood	withstood	противостоять
wring	wrung	wrung	скрутить, сжимать
write	wrote	written	писать

Happy holidays! ‘Tis the season for gifting!

Ooh, sorry—did that use of the verb gift make you feel weird? Or perhaps fill you with an unearthly fury? We apologize, but we did it for your own good. You’re likely to keep hearing and seeing the verb gift in the coming weeks, and as your dictionary, we feel it is our duty to help make those encounters as pain-free as possible. If you’d like to be better equipped to cope with the onslaught of gift-as-a-verb incidences, read on.

Yes, Gift is a Verb

First things first: there are some among you who are asking, «Is the verb gift even a word?»

It’s a good question, and we have a good answer for you, which is, sorry, YES. Gift has been used to mean «to present someone with a gift» for 400 years.

To which you might well reply: «OK, fine, but do we really need it? What’s wrong with using plain, old, utilitarian give?»

And of course there’s nothing wrong with using give. It’s a great word, as is evidenced by the frequency with which we use it and the variety of meanings we’ve bestowed on it: in this very dictionary, the entry for give has 16 transitive senses and 5 intransitive senses, with multiple subsenses listed at the majority of those. But a word that has such frequent and varied use can also be ambiguous. Take the sentence «She gave me the book.» Without getting more information, we don’t know if the book was a gift or if she simply handed it to the speaker. But in «She gifted me the book» the meaning is instantly clear: the book was a gift.

Best Buy said they are looking for the gentleman in hopes to connect with him and gift him some items he wasn’t able to buy that night.

— Elenee Dao, KXLY, 6 Dec. 2019

All of this, however, is unlikely to stem the annoyance/disgust/fury of those who truly detest the use. Maybe having someone to blame (however unfairly) for the popularity of gift-as-a verb would help.

Recent Popularity

While it’s true that gift has meant «to present someone with a gift» for 400 years, the verb has never been so widely used as it is now. It’s impossible to say exactly why this is, but we may be able to place a smidgen of the blame on a certain comedian.

Maybe you’ve seen the rerun: in a Seinfeld episode from January 1995 Tim Whatley «regifts» a label maker that Elaine gives him, and then Jerry wants to «degift» some Super Bowl tickets that he gave Tim when he thought he couldn’t use them. Gift-as-a-verb in 1995 was already seeing an increase in use that seems to have begun in earnest around 1960, but that increase became especially dramatic in the second half of the 1990s. We can’t say for certain that the verbal use of regift and degift made people somehow more willing to treat gift as a verb, but if it makes you feel better to blame Jerry Seinfeld and his friends we won’t stop you. Perhaps you’ll even want to include Seinfeld scriptwriters among those who’ve wronged you as you indulge in the Airing of Grievances at your Festivus celebration.

Фразовый глагол Give – один из самых употребляемых наряду с take, put, look, break и get. Его сочетания на слуху у изучающих английский язык, но есть смысл обобщить их в одной статье. Приготовьтесь – их немало.

Give up — «сдаваться, бросать»

Most of the teachers gave up on her years ago.

She gave up smoking when she was 25.

Give away — «выдавать (секрет)»

Don’t give these data away or we’ll get the sack.

Give over — «переставать, бросать»

Give over making that noise!

Give over to — «посвящать (себя)»

She gave herself over completely to her work.

Give in — «уступать, сдаваться»

I couldn’t finish the crossword puzzle and had to give in and look at the answers.

Give out — «объявлять выдавать»

Details of the accident were given out on the nine o’clock news.

Give back — «отдавать»

Give me the keys back.

Give off — «производить, вырабатывать»

When they die, plants give off gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Give onto — «выходить, иметь вид на»

The roof gives onto the central lake.

In this post, Michael Ennis shares his ideas on teaching verbs for future intentions. One confusing aspect of English word order involves the two objects—indirect and direct—that follow certain verbs related to giving, lending, refusing (in the sense of “not giving”), and similar functions.

Some grammarians call these dative verbs from the Latin word dare, “to give.” Such verbs are essential in even the most basic conversations, but to use them correctly a speaker has to know whether a certain verb is followed by (1) a direct object plus a prepositional phrase with the receiver as its object, or (2) an indirect object and a direct object, but no preposition. Further, students must learn how the word order is affected if one or both objects is a pronoun.

For instance, consider the different word orders in the following examples, where the noun phrases in (parentheses) are direct objects and the noun phrases in {braces} are indirect objects:

He passed (his notes) to {a classmate}.
I lent {my friend} (my textbook).
Can you hand {me} down (that red book) on the shelf?
The teacher handed out (the tests) to {the students}.
My teacher gave {me} (an A)!
Our professor granted {us} (an extension).

Direct vs. Indirect

Your students must first understand the difference between a direct object and an indirect object, at least implicitly. If a sentence has both kinds of object, the direct object is the noun or pronoun that refers to the thing that is being given, while the indirect object is the noun or pronoun that refers to the entity that is receiving it. Alternatively, a sentence may express the receiver as the object of the preposition to.

Inconveniently, the word order after verbs of giving is determined by each verb itself. Verb X takes Pattern Y just as a matter of convention, not because of any rule. To master such an unpredictable system, a student needs frequent exposure to and practice with the most important verbs. I have also found that if you are teaching deductively, it is often better not to confuse your students with too many grammar terms or concepts.

Start your treatment of this topic with familiar verbs, like give and hand out (before gradually expanding input with more examples). Sentences with give and hand out represent the two sentence patterns we are targeting. The easiest way to teach this at first is to break things up into two categories of verbs that follow two possible patterns. 

Patterns and Categories:

The two patterns are:

• The prepositional pattern: verb + direct object + prepositional phrase (preposition + object of preposition);
• The double-object pattern: verb + indirect object + direct object.

 The two categories are:

• Verbs that almost always follow the prepositional pattern, such as hand out, hand over, give away, give out, turn in, turn over, pass out, contribute, donate, distribute, disburse, dispense, submit, consign, relinquish, surrender, and forfeit;
• Verbs that often also follow the double-object pattern, such as give, grant, lend, present, hand, pass, deal, provide, send, deliver, gift, bequeath, award, transfer, and transmit.

Since all of the “giving” verbs we’ve mentioned can follow the prepositional pattern, I recommend building upon that structure. Then explain that the double object is an option available for a subset of these verbs.

A useful tip

A useful tip is that this double-object option is not usually seen with phrasal verbs, which tend to follow only the prepositional pattern. However, when working with the phrasal verbs for giving, you may need to review particle movements, especially with pronominal direct objects, as in the examples below.
The billionaire gave away (his money) to {charities}.
The billionaire gave (his money) away to {charities}.
The billionaire gave (it) away to {charities}.
* The billionaire gave away (it) to {charities}.

Something else to introduce relatively soon is how the use of pronouns restricts the use of double objects. Essentially, if the direct object is a pronoun but the indirect object is not, then the double-object pattern is usually not an option, as illustrated by the following examples.
He passed (his notes) to {a classmate}.
He passed (his notes) to {her}.
He passed (them) to {a classmate}.
He passed (them) to {her}.
 
He passed {a classmate} (his notes).
He passed {her} (his notes).
* He passed {a classmate} (them). (not grammatical)
? He passed {her} (them). (of questionable grammaticality)

The conventions of when the double-object pattern is used are somewhat subjective. For instance, the construction “he passed her them”, though perhaps not “incorrect”, sounds awkward to me. Yet I can imagine many contexts in which “he passed her those” sounds perfectly fine to my ears.

The next steps

As your students get more comfortable with these patterns, you can expand the two categories of verbs and introduce new exceptions and restrictions. For instance, all of the “giving” verbs listed above take the preposition to. However, others with very similar meanings take the prepositions for or upon (e.g., purchase, bought, acquire, confer, and bestow). While some verbs are restricted to the prepositional pattern, others cannot take a preposition at all and therefore only follow the double-object pattern (e.g., allow or permit), including verbs that imply “not giving” (e.g., deny or refuse). And then there are giving verbs which take the receiver as their direct object but require the preposition with in order to specify whatever is being given (e.g., endow, equip, furnish, and provide).

Given all the possibilities, it might also be wise to train your students to use a dictionary or free corpus to explore which prepositions and which pattern(s) a new “giving” verb takes in different communicative and linguistic contexts.

So, as you can see, you can continue to revisit “giving” verbs at almost any point in an English class at almost any level!

Use this downloadable worksheet to give your students extra practice with “giving” verbs.

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Personally, I find ‘gifted’ perfectly fine and a good option, though I do find other forms such as gifting to be awkward.

However, someone mentioned that although it has been in used since the 16th/17th century, it could have been invented by someone unlearned in the language. This is a rather invalid assumption. First and foremost, colonisation of America only begain in 17th century. Colonisation of other regions, such as Africa and Asia, would be much late, mostly in the 19th century. Furthermore, English only became a universal language in the 20th century. Prior to that, most commoners only knew their own language, with the European nobility also learning French, the universal language amongst European nobility then. Non-natives who knew English would mostly have been royalty or a small population of nobles who had an interest in the subject, or were harsh on themselves. I highly doubt they would have embarrassed themselves by using imperfect English before they perfected it.

To be fair, an english word, with usage from the 16th/17th century, and still used today, would be quite an old word, since prior to that, up to the 15th century, English was in the state of Old English or later Middle English, both of which are rather different to the English we know today. 16th/17th century would be Early Modern English, which was what Shakespeare himself would have learnt and used.

As for what connotation it has as compared to give, when one gives something to another, it is unclear if one is giving the thing as a present, or simply passing it, while gift, as a verb, would be more precise.

Think of all the actions you can perform. You can walk, run, and dance. You can speak, read, and write.

All of these are verbs—words that tell us what the subject of a sentence is doing.

Verbs are one of the most important parts of speech. In fact, they’re the only word that every complete sentence needs to include.

You can build a grammatically complete sentence without any nouns or adjectives, but no matter what, you need a verb.

If you want your writing to be clear and effective, you need to understand the different types of verbs and how they work.

This article will give you a complete guide to verbs to help you improve your writing.

What Is a Verb: A Simple Explanation

A verb is a word that denotes action or a state of being.

As a part of speech in grammar, a verb is the action in the sentence. Along with a noun, the verb is a critical component of a complete sentence. Somebody (noun) does something (verb).

In grammar, the doer is the subject, and the action is the predicate (the part of the sentence containing the verb and describing the subject).

Those two elements form a complete sentence: “Jim grins.”

You may want more information in your sentence, like an object: “Jim grins at Sally.”

You may add subordinate clauses: “Jim grins at Sally when she fumbles the ball.”

However complex your sentence, the verb is the action. It tells you what the subject is doing, feeling, or being.

How to Use Verbs in Writing

You use verbs every day when you talk and write. Because verbs denote action, they move every story forward.

In writing, your verb choice delivers a punch to your prose.

Using the right verb also increases readability for your audience because you don’t need to lengthen the sentence by describing the action with extra modifiers. The verb does all the work.

Here are our three favorite tips for how to use verbs well in your writing.

Tip #1: Don’t Hide Your Verbs

Many writers unintentionally hide their verbs by turning them into nouns accompanied by a weak verb.

Take these two sentences:

• «We will decide tomorrow.”
• “We will make a decision tomorrow.”

The first sentence is shorter and more direct. In the second sentence, the strong verb decide is changed into the weaker make, which dilutes the meaning.

How can you spot hidden verbs? Look for words ending in -ment, -tion, -sion, and -ance.

Also, if you’ve used weak verbs like give, have, make, reach, and take, this could be a sign of a hidden verb.

Reading through your whole document to find weak verbs takes time. ProWritingAid automatically highlights your hidden verbs so you can change them with a single click.

Tip #2: Avoid Passive Verbs

You could say “The ball was thrown by me” or “I threw the ball,” and both sentences mean the same thing.

However, it’s normally better to convey action and grab your reader’s attention, rather than using passive verbs like is, has, and was.

Rewording your sentences to favor active verbs instead of passive verbs will strengthen your writing.

For example, you can use a verb instead of an adjective:

• Original Sentence: He is asleep under the tree.
• Improved Sentence: He sleeps under the tree.

The verb sleeps is more powerful than the passive version is asleep.

Similarly, you can use a verb instead of a noun:

• Original Sentence: She was a good writer.
• Improved Sentence: She wrote well.

Once again, the verb wrote is more powerful than the passive version was a writer, because it conveys movement and action.

Letting active verbs do the heavy lifting in your sentence will help you convey your point in a strong and concise way.

Tip #3: Choose Specific Verbs Instead of Modifying Weak Verbs

Some verbs in the English language are more descriptive and precise than others.

For example, the word whispered conveys more information than the word said, because it implies adverbs like quietly or furtively.

Similarly, the verb sprint conveys more information than move, because it tells the reader the specific type of movement being described.

There’s nothing wrong with using a generic verb like said, but if you want to provide more information, it’s almost always better to use a specific verb instead of modifying a weak verb.

Sometimes, this rule means replacing a generic verb and its adverb with a stronger, more specific verb. Consider the following example:

Original Sentence: She walked slowly up the stairs.

Improved Sentence: She trudged up the stairs.

Trudged is more concise and evocative than walked slowly.

Other times, this rule can also mean replacing a generic verb and a modifying phrase with a stronger verb.

• Original Sentence: He smiled in a mean way at the new kid in class.
• Improved Sentence: He sneered at the new kid in class.

Sneered is a more interesting way to say smiled in a mean way and will make your writing more powerful.

Keep in mind it’s okay to use phrasal verbs, which are verbs that consist of multiple words, such as break down and let go.

There’s a difference between using a phrasal verb and modifying a generic verb.

Choosing the right verb can help you say a lot more with fewer words.

Types of Verbs

There are three main types of verbs. Familiarity with verb types will help you understand when to use each type and when to avoid a verb type.

The three verb types are:

• Action verbs (which can be transitive or intransitive)
• Modal or helping verbs
• Linking verbs

Let’s take a closer look at each of these verb types and how they function in a sentence.

Action Verb: Definition & Examples

When a person or thing is doing something, that’s an action verb.

Action verbs are the best ones to use in your writing to move your story forward and create tension.

Action verbs can also clarify articles and papers by indicating direct action.

Action verbs are split into two categories: transitive verbs and intransitive verbs.

1) Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb is always followed by a noun that receives the action, called the direct object.

Consider the sentence “I patted my dog’s head.”

The transitive verb is “patted,” and the noun that’s receiving this action is “my dog’s head,” which is the direct object of the action verb.

Sometimes an object can be indirect, such as when you’re expressing to whom the action is being done.

Consider the sentence “Mary gave Angelina a kiss on the cheek.”

The verb is “gave,” and the direct object was “a kiss.” To whom it happened was Angelina, the indirect object of the sentence.

Transitive verbs act on direct and indirect objects. Something or someone always gets affected by this type of verb.

2) Intransitive Verbs

When an action verb has no direct object, it’s called an intransitive verb. An adverb or adverb phrase can follow intransitive verbs, but there will not be a direct object.

Consider the sentence “Matthew runs away quickly.”

The verb is runs, and the phrase “away quickly” tells us more about the verb, but there is no object in the sentence to receive the action. Therefore, runs is an intransitive verb.

An easy way to tell the difference between a transitive and an intransitive verb is to ask the question, “Who or what is receiving the action from this verb?”

• If you can name a noun that’s on the receiving end, it’s a transitive verb.
• If you can’t name a noun, whether a direct or indirect object, then the verb is intransitive.

Either way, transitive or intransitive, active verbs lend immediacy to your sentence, drawing in the reader.

Auxiliary Verb: Definition & Examples

An auxiliary verb, also called a helping verb, modifies the action in the main verb.

Auxiliary verbs help readers to understand the main verb. They typically change the mood or tense of the main verb.

Auxiliary verbs provide hints related to the possibility of something happening (can, should, would, etc.) or time (has, did, was, etc.).

When you add auxiliary verbs to your sentence, you create verb phrases.

Auxiliary verb examples:

• Laura is (helping verb) writing (main action verb) her life story.
• Her story might (helping verb) be (main verb) embarrassing for some of her friends.

The following verbs always function as auxiliary verbs or helping verbs:

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

In addition, you can have auxiliary verbs comprising the forms of to be, to do, and to have.

Keep in mind that the following words can also serve as linking verbs (which we’ll discuss next):

• Am
• Are
• Be
• Been
• Being
• Did
• Do
• Does
• Had
• Has
• Have
• Is
• Was
• Were

Examples of be, do, have helping verbs in sentences:

• Juliet is changing trains at the station.
• Daniel had eaten everything on his plate.
• Every cyclist does dismount at the crossing.

Linking Verb: Definition & Examples

A linking verb connects the subject of your sentence to a noun or adjective that describes your subject. The noun or adjective is called the “subject complement.”

Here are some examples:

• My daughter is a marketing major.
• We are your new neighbors.

The most common linking verb can be found in the various forms of to be (am, are, is, was, were, etc.). These are also called stative verbs, because they describe a state of being.

To become and to seem are always linking verbs. The following verbs, however, can sometimes be linking verbs and other times be action verbs:

• To appear
• To continue
• To feel
• To grow
• To look
• To prove
• To remain
• To sound
• To stay
• To smell
• To taste
• To turn

Here is an example of the difference between a linking verb and an action verb.

Linking: The seafood smelled off. (The linking verb smelled links seafood to off)

Action: I smelled the seafood before eating. (The action verb refers to the action of smelling)

Why Are Verbs Important?

Verbs are action words that engage your reader and help them picture what’s happening in your writing.

Choosing the right verb can elicit an emotional response, whether you’re writing academic essays or narrative fiction.

Verbs in Academic Writing

Academic writing tends to stick to more formal writing styles than fiction writing, but you still want to keep your reader’s interest and communicate your points clearly.

Whether you’re a student writing essays for class, or a professional researcher trying to publish a paper, using strong action verbs will improve your academic writing.

Look for weak verbs in your writing and try to replace them with precise and dynamic verbs.

Consider the following examples of verb choices in academic writing.

• Original Sentence: “A recent psychological study makes it clear that children are more likely to respond to positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement.”

• Improved Sentence: “A recent psychological study demonstrates that children are more likely to respond to positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement.”

• Original Sentence: “This result is an example of how a single night of sleep loss can have long-term impacts on the brain.”

• Improved Sentence: “This result illustrates how a single night of sleep loss can have long-term impacts on the brain.”

• Original Sentence: “Her findings are in agreement with the conclusions I’ve presented in this paper.”

• Improved Sentence: “Her findings support the conclusions I’ve presented in this paper.”

If you are new to thinking about verb use, here’s a list of 100 strong English verbs you can use to improve your essays, papers, and articles:

• Admit
• Advocate
• Affirm
• Allude
• Analyze
• Argue
• Assert
• Assess
• Believe
• Caution
• Challenge
• Clarify
• Concede
• Conclude
• Condone
• Confirm
• Consider
• Contemplate
• Contend
• Convey
• Corroborate
• Declare
• Demonstrate
• Denote
• Deny
• Depict
• Derive
• Describe
• Determine
• Discuss
• Dismiss
• Display
• Dispute
• Disregard
• Dissect
• Document
• Emphasize
• Endorse
• Entail
• Establish
• Evaluate
• Examine
• Explore
• Generate
• Highlight
• Hint
• Hypothesize
• Identify
• Ignite
• Ignore
• Illustrate
• Impact
• Imply
• Indicate
• Infer
• Influence
• Inhibit
• Initiate
• Instigate
• Interpret
• Introduce
• Invalidate
• Maintain
• Misconstrue
• Negate
• Observe
• Perceive
• Portray
• Postulate
• Presume
• Promote
• Propose
• Provoke
• Question
• Recognize
• Recommend
• Refer
• Refute
• Reject
• Represent
• Reveal
• Scrutinize
• Signify
• Speculate
• Stimulate
• Substantiate
• Suggest
• Support
• Surface
• Surmise
• Theorize
• Trigger
• Typify
• Uphold
• Underscore
• Unearth
• Utilize
• Validate
• Verify
• Yield

Verbs in Fiction Writing

Fiction writers use verbs with exactitude to prompt reader engagement, thereby sparking emotions and a desire to keep reading.

Dull verbs make for lackluster reading. Finding the right verb for your character’s action brings your story to life.

You might have heard the classic writing advice “Show, don’t tell.” Using strong verbs is a great way to show the reader what’s happening clearly and concisely.

Consider the following examples of verb choice in fiction writing.

• Original Sentence: “Her long skirt was blown outward as she fell through the air.”
• Improved Sentence: “Her long skirt ballooned outward as she fell through the air.”
• Original Sentence: “The sound of his father’s last words was still running through his mind.”
• Improved Sentence: “The sound of his father’s last words reverberated through his mind.”
• Original Sentence: “The man in the black hat walked into the room.”
• Improved Sentence: “The man in the black hat charged into the room.”

If you want a good starting point for stronger verbs to use, here’s a list of 100 strong verbs in English that you can use for fiction writing:

• Absorb
• Alter
• Amplify
• Balloon
• Bash
• Blast
• Brood
• Burst
• Capture
• Charge
• Clasp
• Climb
• Clutch
• Collide
• Cower
• Crash
• Dangle
• Dash
• Demolish
• Detect
• Devour
• Dismantle
• Drag
• Drip
• Eavesdrop
• Engage
• Engulf
• Enlarge
• Ensnare
• Envelop
• Erase
• Expand
• Explore
• Fling
• Garble
• Gaze
• Glare
• Gleam
• Glisten
• Glitter
• Grasp
• Groan
• Growl
• Gush
• Hail
• Hover
• Ignite
• Illuminate
• Intertwine
• Jostle
• Lash
• Leap
• Lurch
• Magnify
• Mimic
• Mystify
• Notice
• Obtain
• Peek
• Peer
• Pinpoint
• Plant
• Pluck
• Plunge
• Prickle
• Recite
• Refine
• Retreat
• Reveal
• Reverberate
• Revolve
• Saunter
• Scamper
• Scrape
• Scrawl
• Shatter
• Shepherd
• Shimmer
• Shrivel
• Skulk
• Slink
• Slump
• Slurp
• Snarl
• Snowball
• Sprinkle
• Strain
• Swell
• Transform
• Trim
• Trudge
• Uncover
• Untangle
• Usher
• Veil
• Weave
• Wind
• Wrestle
• Yank

Using ProWritingAid to Strengthen Your Verbs

It’s easy to skip over weak verbs in your writing when you’re self-editing.

But, taking time to focus directly on your verbs helps ensure you’re always using the best word for your sentence.

ProWritingAid’s Thesaurus Report highlights all the verbs in your writing so you can get an overview of the strength and specificity of your word choices throughout your document.

Hover over a verb to see synonyms and click to replace weak verbs in your text with more powerful alternatives.

Conclusion on Verbs

There you have it: our complete guide to verbs.

Here’s a quick recap of everything we’ve discussed.

Increase the power of your writing by following these three tips:

• Don’t hide your verbs
• Avoid passive verbs
• Choose specific verbs instead of modifying weak verbs

The three verb types are:

1. Action verbs (such as run, jump, and dance)

2. Modal or helping verbs (such as can, was, and has)

3. Linking verbs (such as to look, to feel, and to taste)

Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, specific verbs spark emotions in your readers and keep them engrossed in your writing.

We hope this article helps you choose strong verbs to create powerful, professional prose.

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Take your writing to the next level:

20 Editing Tips From Professional Writers

Whether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas.

This guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers.

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.