Verb is a describing word

VERBS

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— Notes and Videos

— Exercises with Answers

NOTES

The Definitions of Verbs

— A verb is
a word or a combination of words that indicates action or a state of being or
condition.

— A verb is
a doing word that shows an action, an event or a state.

— A verb is
the part of speech that indicates what something does, or what it is.

— A verb is
a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and forming the main
part of the predicate of a sentence, such as hear, become, happen.

— A verb can
be defined as a word that expresses an action or a state of
being. 

— Verbs are
the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is doing.

— A verb
is a word or phrase that describes an action, condition, or experience:
«Run,» «keep,» and «feel» are all verbs.

NOTES 1

A verb is a word that we use to refer to actions (what things do) and states of being (how things are). For example, the words describe, eat, and rotate are verbs. 

As you are about to see, verbs come in a lot of different types that don’t all behave the same way. When using proper grammar, it is important that you use verbs correctly. 

So, we are going to explore the many different types of verbs that we use and how to successfully use them to create great, clear sentences.

Types of Verbs

We are going to explore 11 different types of verbs. Because every type deserves some attention, we won’t be going into too much detail on each type. If you want to learn more than what is covered here, you’re in luck. Listed below are each of the 11 types of verbs we are going to look at and a link to an article entirely focused on that specific type of verb.

1. Action verbs
2. Stative verbs
3. Transitive verbs
4. Intransitive verbs
5. Linking verbs
6. Helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs)
7. Modal verbs
8. Regular verbs
9. Irregular verbs
10. Phrasal verbs
11. Infinitives

1. Action verbs

Action verbs, as their name says, are used to refer to actions. These can refer to physical actions that are performed with bodies or objects, such as jump, hit, or sing, or mental actions that we use our brains to perform, such as think, consider, or memorize. Most verbs you will find are action verbs.

List of action verbs

• run
• swim
• help
• ignore
• believe

Examples of action verbs in a sentence

Each of these sentences uses action verbs. You’ll see that each verb is referring to a physical or mental action.

— I work at a factory.

— Cats chase mice.

— We listened to the woman’s amazing story.

 2. Stative verbs

Unlike action verbs, stative verbs refer to conditions or states of being. Generally speaking, we use stative verbs to describe things like qualities, states of existence, opinions, beliefs, and emotions. When used in a sentence, stative verbs do not refer to actions. It is important to know that some verbs can be used as either action or stative verbs depending on their meaning in the sentence. We are less likely to use stative verbs in the continuous verb tenses.

List of stative verbs

• love
• want
• own
• have
• resemble

Examples of stative verbs in a sentence

These sentences all use stative verbs. You’ll notice that none of these verbs refer to actions.

— The mansion has five bathrooms.

— Allie loves her younger sisters.

— My car needs an oil change.

3. Transitive verbs

A transitive verb is a verb that is accompanied by a direct object in a sentence. The direct object is the noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that is having something done to it by the subject of the sentence. Both action and stative verbs can have direct objects, which means they can both be used as transitive verbs.

Examples of transitive verbs in a sentence

The following sentences all contain examples of transitive verbs. As you read each one, consider what the direct object of the sentence is.

— Leonardo ate a delicious pepperoni pizza.

— The wealthy man bought three paintings.

— She really hates broccoli.

4. Intransitive verbs

The opposite of a transitive verb is an intransitive verb. A verb is an intransitive verb if it is not used with a direct object. Remember, only nouns, pronouns, and  noun phrases can be direct objects. Prepositional phrases, adjectives, and adverbs cannot be used as direct objects. Once again, both action and stative verbs can be used as intransitive verbs.

Examples intransitive verbs in a sentence

Each of these sentences uses intransitive verbs. Look carefully and you will see that none of these sentences have direct objects.

— Airplanes fly.

— The children slept while the adults worked.

— The terrified monkeys hid in the trees after they saw the gigantic hungry snake.

5. Linking verbs

Linking verbs are a special type of stative verb whose name gives a big clue as to what they do. Linking verbs are used to link a subject with a subject complement. A subject complement describes or identifies the subject of the sentence or clause. Linking verbs can function as intransitive verbs, which do not take direct objects.

List of words used as linking verbs

• be
• become
• seem
• appear
• grow

Examples of linking verbs in a sentence

In each of the following sentences, linking verbs are used to link a subject with a subject complement.

 — Mike is a great dancer.

— That gold watch looks expensive.

— Suddenly, the mall got really crowded.

6. Helping verbs (auxiliary verbs)

Helping verbs, also called auxiliary verbs, are helpful verbs that work with other verbs to change the meaning of a sentence. A helping verb combines with a main verb in order to accomplish different goals. These include changing the tense of the verb or altering the mood of a sentence.

List of words used as helping verbs

• be
• have
• do
• can
• will

Examples of helping verbs in a sentence

Each of the following sentences uses a helping verb. Take a moment to consider what each sentence is saying and how a helping verb contributes to the meaning of the sentence.

— The musician has performed in concerts all over the world.

— My cat is getting slow in her old age.

— Cheetahs can run incredibly fast.

7. Modal verbs

Modal verbs are a subgroup of helping verbs that are used to give a sentence a specific mood. Each modal verb is used differently, and they can express concepts such as ability, necessity, possibility, or permission.

List of verbs used as modal verbs

• can
• may
• might
• must
• would

Examples of modal verbs in a sentence

The following sentences all use modal verbs to express a certain tone. You’ll see that each sentence would have a different meaning (or wouldn’t make sense) without the modal verb.

— Once you finish your homework, you may play outside.

— We must carefully add two eggs to the mixing bowl.

— I would go to the movies if I wasn’t busy working.

8. Regular verbs

A verb is considered a regular verb if its past tense form and past participle ends in -ed, -d, or the verb is a -t variant verb. For example, the verb look is a regular verb because both its past tense form and past participle is looked. Sometimes, regular verbs may slightly change spelling. For example, the past tense and past participle of cry is cried.

List of regular verbs

• jump becomes jumped
• slip becomes slipped
• try becomes tried
• sleep becomes slept
• lend becomes lent

Examples of regular verbs in a sentence

Each of the following sentences use regular verbs in either their past tense form or as a past participle.

— He walked two miles to the post office.

— We purchased all of the supplies that we needed for the camping trip.

— Tiffany had noticed something strange about Marcus’s story.

9. Irregular verbs

An irregular verb is a verb whose past tense and past participle form doesn’t end in -ed, -d, and doesn’t use the –t variant. Often, the spelling of these verbs changes dramatically or may not even change at all.

List of irregular verbs

• be becomes am, is, are, was, were, be, being, and been
• eat becomes ate, eaten
• fly becomes flew, flown
• catch becomes caught, caught
• set becomes set, set

Examples of irregular verbs in a sentence

The following sentences use irregular verbs. Despite being used in the past tense or as a past participle, none of these verbs end in -ed, -d, or are a -t variant verb.

— Cindy knew all of the right answers.

— This junky computer has given me nothing but headaches since I bought it.

— The workers took the furniture out of the moving truck.

10. Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb with prepositions and/or adverbs that have a different meaning from the individual words used to form them. For example, the verb shut means “to close,” and the adverb down means “not up” or “in a descending direction.” However, the phrasal verb shut down means to stop the operation of something.

List of phrasal verbs

• ask for
• put up with
• talk down to
• lock up
• cut across

Examples of phrasal verbs in a sentence

The following sentences show how we can use phrasal verbs. Sometimes, we can separate out the words of a phrasal verb and the sentence is still grammatically correct.

— The frustrated business owner closed down his store.

— Dave loves to show off his baseball trophies.

— My mother always told me it is a good idea to put some money away in case of emergencies.

11. Infinitives

Our last type of verb isn’t actually a verb at all—sorry about that! However, infinitives look a lot like verbs because they are derived from them. An infinitive of a verb is identical to the base form of the verb. For example, the infinitive form of the verb open is open. Typically, we use infinitives with the word to in order to form infinitive phrases. Infinitive phrases can be used for a variety of reasons, such as to act like nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

Examples of infinitive phrases in a sentence

All of the following sentences use infinitive phrases. In order, the infinitive phrases are acting as a noun (nominal infinitive), an adjective (adjectival infinitive), and an adverb (adverbial infinitive).

— To play guitar in a rock band is my goal.

— If you are looking for the best restaurants in town, Luis is the person to ask.

— The writing in the letter was too small to see.

Types of verbs

Dynamic (action) verbs

Most verbs describe a physical action or activity, something external that can be seen or heard. These verbs are formally known as dynamic verbs, but can also be called action or event verbs.  

Examples: walk, laugh, swim, play, eat, drink, sing, dance, talk, say

There are a lot of actions that take place in our minds and feelings, which are not external. Verbs that describe mental or internal actions are still dynamic verbs, but they’re not always so obvious. These include “process verbs,” which describe actions of transition.  

Examples: consider, guess, change, grow, live, endure, succeed, fail

Stative (state-of-being) verbs

The opposite of dynamic verbs of action is stative verbs of being. Stative verbs describe a subject’s state or feeling, including things they like and don’t like. 

Examples: want, need, prefer, love, hate, like, dislike, seem, understand, know, believe, involve, realize

One of the most important parts of stative verbs is that you can’t use them in the continuous tenses. Stative verbs stick to the simple tenses, or occasionally use the perfect. 

The trouble is that some verbs can be dynamic or stative, depending on the specific meaning and how they’re used. This includes the most popular verb be. Let’s take a deeper look at these.

Verbs that can be dynamic or stative

A lot of verbs have more than one meaning, so they can be used as dynamic or stative. These include perception words: see, hear, taste, smell, feel. 

When perception verbs are used as an involuntary action, such as passive or unintentional actions, they are stative. This applies when these verbs are used in the general sense, a state of being that’s always happening. 

I can’t see without my glasses. 

Cake still tastes great even if it’s not your birthday.

When those same verbs are used for a voluntary action—specific, deliberate, and/or temporary events—they are dynamic. Among other things, it means they can be used in the continuous tenses. 

I haven’t been seeing well since I lost my glasses. 

We were tasting cakes for the wedding all afternoon. 

Likewise, some perception verbs have alternative meanings, especially if they’re part of expressions or phrasal verbs. Often, this means they act as dynamic verbs. 

Romeo and Juliet had been seeing each other for just five days when they died. 

Other verbs, like think, have, and, above all be, follow the same voluntary/involuntary rules as perception verbs. Depending on how they’re used, they can be either dynamic or stative. 

I think toads are better than frogs. 

(stative: expresses an opinion or feeling always there; involuntary)

All morning I was thinking about how toads are better than frogs. 

(dynamic: expresses the temporary action of thinking; voluntary)

I have a ten-year-old dog. 

(stative: expresses permanent ownership; involuntary)

I am having a party for my dog’s eleventh birthday. 

(dynamic: used as part of phrase; voluntary)

He is nice to everyone. 

(stative: expresses an ongoing state or personality trait; involuntary)

He was just being nice to everyone to get a promotion. 

(dynamic: expresses a temporary/intentional state; voluntary)

Auxiliary (helping) verbs

Auxiliary verbs, or “helping verbs,” are used in English to change another verb’s tense, voice, or mood. When auxiliary verbs are used, there’s always a main verb that represents the main action. However, the auxiliary verb must still be conjugated correctly. 

The main auxiliary verbs are be, have, and do. We explain how they’re used specifically for conjugating below, but here are a few quick examples: 

I have eaten sushi many times before. (tense)

That piece of sushi was eaten by me. (voice)

Did you eat my sushi? (mood)

Modal auxiliary verbs

Some auxiliary verbs are added to another verb to show necessity, possibility, or capability. Like other auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliary verbs are not the main verb, but they do change its meaning slightly. Some common examples are can, may, could, should, would, must, ought, and might.  

I could swim across the English Channel, but should I do it? 

She must be the strongest person on the team, and might be the strongest person in the region. 

Phrasal verbs 

Phrasal verbs are phrases that act as individual verbs, often combining two or more words and changing their meaning. The verb get, for example, becomes many different phrasal verbs when combined with different prepositions. 

When the bus stops, passengers get out on the sidewalk. 

After losing his job, he’s getting by on savings. 

The important thing to remember about phrasal verbs is that they act as a single verb, so you can still use them with other verbs and prepositions. However, when you conjugate a phrasal verb, you only conjugate the part of the phrase that’s actually a verb, like get. 

Verb categories

Aside from the different types, verbs also come in different categories. Dynamic, stative, and auxiliary verbs all make up the categories below. 

Transitive, intransitive, and ditransitive

Transitive, intransitive, and ditransitive refer to how a verb acts with direct and indirect objects. A direct object is the person or thing that the action happens to, while an indirect object is the person or thing that receives the direct object. 

Lindor threw the ball to deGram. 

In this example, the subject is Lindor and the verb is threw. The direct object is the ball because that is what was thrown—Lindor did the action to the ball. The indirect object is deGram because he received the direct object, the ball. 

Verbs that don’t use either a direct or indirect object are called intransitive. These verbs are complete actions by themselves. 

Examples: go, walk, run, talk, sit, sleep, work

Verbs that use a direct object, but not an indirect object, are called transitive. They don’t always need a direct object, but they have the option. 

Examples: clean, like, love, dislike, hate, want, learn, deserve, say

Verbs that use both direct and indirect objects are called ditransitive. They don’t always need an indirect object, but they have the option. 

Examples: throw, make, buy, sell, read, give, lend, bring

Just as a verb can be either dynamic or stative depending on the meaning, a verb can sometimes act transitive while at other times act intransitive. These are known as ambitransitive. For example, if you ask someone if they’re hungry, they might respond:

No, I already ate. (intransitive)

No, I already ate a sandwich. (transitive)

Active vs. passive voice

In English, the standard format where the subject performs the action is known as the active voice. However, you can switch around your words to make the direct or indirect objects the subject of the sentence, known as the passive voice. You can make a verb passive by adding a conjugated form of be in front of its past participle. 

Stricklen threw the ball to Williams. (active)

The ball was thrown to Williams by Stricklen. (passive)

Williams was thrown the ball by Stricklen. (passive)

Linking (copular) verbs

A linking verb is any verb, dynamic or stative, that directly connects or “links” the sentence’s subject to other words in the sentence. For example:

Garfield is a cat.  

Here, “Garfield” and “a cat” are the same thing, so “is” acts as a linking verb. 

A linking verb—also known as a copula or copular verb in formal linguistics—connects the subject not just to other nouns and adjectives, but also to prepositional phrases and other verbs in the infinitive form. Although the verb be is the most-used linking verb in English, other linking verbs like seem and become are also common. 

Garfield is in the kitchen. 

Garfield became fat by eating lasagnas. 

Garfield seems to hate Mondays. 

Likewise, perception verbs are often linking verbs as well, but only when they describe what is being perceived. 

The mild sauce also tastes spicy. 

Birds look happy when the sun comes out. 

The student felt pride when they used perfect grammar. 

Regular vs. irregular Verbs

Verbs have different forms to show different uses, such as an action that happened in the past, or an action that happens continuously. Normally, these forms follow the same patterns of conjugation, so that you can use the same rules on all verbs. Verbs that use the normal forms are regular verbs. 

Unfortunately, some verbs don’t want to play by the rules. They have their own unique forms with no patterns, specifically for the simple past tense and past participle forms. These are the notorious irregular verbs, and there are quite a few of them—including the most common verb be. 

To make matters worse, the only way to learn how to use irregular verbs is to study them and all their forms. But first, you’ll want to learn the standard verb forms of the majority regular verbs below. 

Verb Forms

Verbs can be said to have five forms in English: the base form,
the present tense form (which may include
the agreement ending -s), the past tense form,
the present participle, and the past participle. Although the forms
are predictable for most verbs in English, many common verbs have one or more
unpredictable or irregular forms.

Forms of the Verb Study

— Base form: study

— Present tense form: studies

— Past tense form: studied

— Present participle: studying

— Past participle: studied

VIDEOS

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EXERCISES
with
ANSWERS

>> Verb Exercises with Answers

Verbs are an integral component in the constitution of the English language and are among the first things learners are taught in English lessons. Verbs are essential in that a sentence can’t be deemed complete without containing at least one. Sometimes, a verb is dubbed the heart of the sentence because a sentence would lose its core meaning without it.

In this article, you will learn what a verb is, the basic form of verbs, different types of verbs, and finally, the list of verbs. Additionally, this will help you use verbs correctly in your writing and speech and improve your vocabulary.

What Is a Verb?

A verb is a word or group of words that describe an action in its various forms. A verb can be further defined as a set of words that expound three core things, namely, physical and mental actions and the state of being. To clearly understand the two definitions, let’s look at an example.

• Jane jumped through the window.

Jane is the noun, and jumped explains the action she took.

• The bus overturned at the main bridge on the way to town.

In this example, the bus is the noun, and overturned describes the physical action.

Basic Form of Verbs

Verbs are classified into six basic forms: base form, infinitive, past tense, past participle, present participle, and gerund. Let’s look at examples to help you grasp what each of them entails.

• Students meet in the dining hall. (Basic form)
• Tell them not to sing. (Infinitive)
• They watched a movie yesterday. (Past tense)
• I have eaten a sausage. (Past participle)
• I saw them studying with him today. (Present participle)
• Kayaking is the best water sporting workout. (Gerund)

Different Type of Verbs

Verbs are grouped into three main categories, namely, action, modal, and auxiliary. Let’s look at each of them in detail.

Action Verbs

As the name implies, action verbs are verbs that express an action done by someone or something. These verbs are further categorized into two, transitive and intransitive.

Transitive verbs

This verb usually precedes a noun that is being acted upon, referred to as a direct object.

• She patted her dog’s tail.

In this example, “patted” is the verb, and the noun that is being acted upon is “her dog’s tail,” which is the direct object of the action verb.

Intransitive verbs

An intransitive verb has no direct object, and it precedes an adverb or adverb phrase.

• Jason walks swiftly away.

In this example, “runs” is the verb, and “swiftly away” is the phrase that expounds about the verb; however, the action is not directed to any object.

Modal verbs

These types of verbs help us comprehend entirely pertaining to the verb in question. They give us a clue about the likelihood of something occurring (can, should) or time (was, did). The incorporation of a modal or helping verb in a sentence creates a verb phrase.

• Joyce is (helping verb) drafting (main action verb) her biography.
• Her experience might (helping verb) be (main verb) traumatizing for some of her buddies.

Some of the words that act as helping or modal verbs include: should, would, could, can, will, must, ought to, may, shall, etc.

Auxiliary Verbs

Also known as linking verbs, auxiliary verbs join a sentence subject to a noun or adjective that gives more information about the subject. The noun or adjective on which a subject is connected is known as a subject complement.

• My son is a university lecturer.
• We are your new helpers.

The most typical connecting verb is the different forms of “to be” (am, is was, are, were, etc.)

“To seem” and “to become” are normally auxiliary verbs. However, some verbs can act as linking or action verbs on various circumstances. They include: to smell, to remain, to continue, to stay, to turn, to grow, to taste, to grow, etc.

Verb Definition | Infographic

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Слова в любом языке делятся на части речи — классы, отличающиеся друг от друга по значению, форме и функциям, которые они выполняют в предложении. В английском языке обычно различают следующие части речи:

• глаголы (verbs)

• существительные (nouns)

• артикли (articles)

• прилагательные (adjectives)

• местоимения (pronouns)

• числительные (numerals)

• наречия (adverbs)

• предлоги (prepositions)

• союзы (conjunctions)

“Parts of speech” are the basic types of words that English has. Most grammar books say that there are nine parts of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions,numerals and interjections. We will add one more type: articles.

It is important to be able to recognize and identify the different types of words in English, so that you can understand grammar explanations and use the right word form in the right place. Here is a brief explanation of what the parts of speech are:

Noun Имя существительное	A noun is a naming word. It names a person, place, thing, idea, living creature, quality, or action. Существительное обозначает предмет. Оно называет человека, предмет, место, вещь, идею, существо, качество или действие. Examples: cowboy, theatre, box, thought, tree, kindness, arrival.
Verb Глагол	A verb is a word which describes an action (doing something) or a state (being something). Глагол- часть речи, обозначающая действие или состояние. Examples: walk, talk, think, believe, live, like, want.
Adjective Имя прилагательное	An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It tells you something about the noun. Имя прилагательное обозначает качества, свойства, состояния, относящиеся к существительному. Examples: big, yellow, thin, amazing, beautiful, quick, important.
Adverb Наречие	An adverb is a word which usually describes a verb. It tells you how something is done. It may also tell you when or where something happened. Наречие определяет глагол и обозначает признак действия или качества. Examples: slowly, intelligently, well, yesterday, tomorrow, here, everywhere.
Pronoun Местоимение	A pronoun is used instead of a noun, to avoid repeating the noun. Местоимение обозначает предмет или признак предмета, но не называет его. Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
Conjunction Союз	A conjunction joins two words, phrases or sentences together. Союз — служебная часть речи, которая соединяет слова, фразы, предложения. Examples: but, so, and, because, or.
Preposition Предлог	A preposition usually comes before a noun, pronoun or noun phrase. It joins the noun to some other part of the sentence. Предлоги — служебные слова, которые указывают на связь существительных (или местоимений) с другими словами в предложении. Examples: on, in, by, with, under, through, at.
Interjection Восклицание	An interjection is an unusual kind of word, because it often stands alone. Interjections are words which express emotion or surprise, and they are usually followed by exclamation marks. Восклицание выражает эмоции и ,как правило, обозначается восклицательным знаком. Examples: Ouch!, Hello!, Hurray!, Oh no!, Ha!
Numeral Числительное	A word denoting number. Числительное обозначает количество или порядок предметов при счете. Examples: one, first.
Article Артикль	An article is used to introduce a noun. Артикль — служебное слово, определяющее существительное. Examples: the, a, an.

The verb is the word used to describe an action, being, or a situation or experience. For example: come, go, take, see, play, walk, run, etc.

The verb is said to be the most important word in an English sentence. Because no sentence can be written in English without Verb.

How many types of verbs are there?

Verbs can be divided into three main parts based on function. They are:

1.  Finite verb
2. Non-finite or Infinitive verb
3. Auxiliary verb

1. -Finite verb:

The verb which has its own subject in the sentence or clause, which can be changed in different tenses by making necessary changes, and which changes its form with the change of the subject of the sentence is called a Finite verb.

Then it is understood that in order for a verb to be a finite verb, it must have three qualities. These are:

• The verb will have its own subject.
• If necessary, the sentence can be changed to different Tenses by changing the form of the verb.
• The verb will change its form if necessary due to a change in the subject of the sentence.

If a verb does not have the above features, it will never be a Finite verb.

Example:

• I go there to see a tiger. [In this sentence, there are two verbs, ‘go’ and ‘see’. The verb ‘go’ has its own subject which is ‘I’, but the verb ‘see’ does not have any subject of its own. That is why ‘go’ is the Finite verb.]
• I went there to see a tiger. [In this sentence, the verb ‘go’ has been used in the past form ‘went’ to make a sentence of Past Indefinite tense. In this way, by changing the form of the verb, sentences of different tenses can be made].
• He goes there to see a tiger. [In this sentence, ‘es’ has been added with the verb ‘go’ because the subject is in the Third Person singular number. That is to say, the verb ‘go’ has changed its form due to the change of subject].

Notice again:

• They plan to go there. [In this sentence, the verb ‘plan’ has its own subject, but the verb ‘go’ has not. So, the verb ‘want’ is the Finite verb.]
• They planned to go there. [In this sentence, the verb ‘plan’ has been used to the past form to make a Past Indefinite Tense. So, the verb ‘want’ is the Finite verb.]
• He plans to go there. [In this sentence, ‘s’ has been added with the verb ‘plan’ because the subject is in the Third Person singular number. That is to say, the verb ‘plan’ has changed its form due to the change of subject. So, the verb ‘plans’ is the Finite verb.]

Then it is understood that a particular verb can be used as a Finite verb or Non-finite or any other type of verb, and it depends on the use of the verb in the sentence. Here, the verb ‘go’ once is used as a Finite verb and again it is used as a Non-finite verb or any other type of verb.

What is the main function of a Finite verb?

The main or only function of a finite verb in a sentence or clause is to help form different tenses. No verb other than the finite verb has the power to form a tense or to change the sentence into different tenses. Once you understand this, you can easily understand which verb is a finite verb in a sentence.

How does a Finite verb work in sentences?

A finite verb can work in three different ways in a sentence or phrase. They are:

• As a dynamic or action verb
• As a stative verb
• As a linking verb

-As a Dynamic or Action verb:

A finite verb can act as a dynamic verb. The verbs that describe an active physical or mental function, and that can be used in continuous tenses to show ongoing action are called Dynamic or Action verbs.

Example:

• The boy reads a book.
• The players are playing on the field.
• I am writing an application for a job.

Dynamic verbs are of two types. They are:

• Transitive verb
• Intransitive verb

-Transitive verb:

The verb that requires a noun or a pronoun as an object (verb) after the verb to express the full meaning of the sentence is called a transitive verb.

Example:

• William sent me an email from the USA.
• My father will give me a gift on my birthday.
• Mark gave him a flower.

-Intransitive verb:

The verb that does not have a noun/pronoun as an object, but uses adverb or prepositional phrase to express the full meaning of the sentence is called an intransitive verb.

Example:

• Vanessa sang beautifully at the party.
• My friend will arrive tomorrow.
• William lives here.

Can a verb be both Transitive and Intransitive?

There are considerable numbers of verbs that can be used as transitive and intransitive verbs. Whether a verb is transitive or an intransitive is to be judged by looking at how that verb has been used in that sentence. If a verb is used with a noun/pronoun, e.g, with an object, then that verb will be a transitive verb. On the other hand, an intransitive verb will never take an object. But interestingly enough most of the verbs can play the role of a transitive and intransitive verb.

Example:

• Transitive: William is singing a song.
• Intransitive: William will be singing at the party.
• Transitive: William reads a poem.
• Intransitive: William reads silently.
• Transitive: Mark plays football.
• Intransitive: Mark is playing in the field.

-As a Stative verb:

A stative verb is also a finite verb. The verbs that describe the state of being or having without describing any active physical or mental activity are called Stative verbs. Stative verbs are not usually used in the continuous tense because they describe a state or situation rather than an action.

So, what we have learned about stative verbs is that:

• stative verbs generally describe a state rather than an action
• stative verbs are not usually used in the present continuous form.

The verbs, which can be used as stative verbs, are:

abhor, appear, believe, concern, cost, desire, dislike, doubt, envy, fear, forget, forgive, have, hear, hate, imagine, know, like, love, mind, mean, need, owe, prefer, realize, remember, see, smell, taste, seem, understand, want, wish, etc.

Example:

• Incorrect: I am loving you very much.
• Correct: I love you very much.
• Incorrect: They are seeing the tigers in the zoo.
• Correct: They see the tigers in the zoo.

Remember: Some stative verbs such as: see, hear, have, feel, taste, smell, etc. are used to express perception or feeling. These verbs can also be used in the continuous form in different meanings.

Example:

• See (meaning ‘to meet’): I am seeing my friends later this month.
• Have (meaning ‘to eat’): Now they are having lunch.
• Think (meaning ‘mental activity): I am thinking about my future.

-As a Linking verb:

A linking verb can also act as a finite verb. The verbs that have the feature of creating a link or relationship between the subject and the complement are called the Linking verbs. As a complement of a linking verb, only a noun or an adjective can be used. No other part of speech can play the role of a complement with a linking verb.

The function of a linking verb is to describe the subject. No other verb has this kind of feature.

Example:

• Vanessa is a pretty girl.
• Honey tastes sweet.
• Mark is a doctor.
• Flora looks sad.

What are the verbs that can be used as a linking verb?

When the verb ‘be’ is used as the main verb in a sentence, it is used as a linking verb. There are other verbs that can be used as linking verbs. They are: appear, become, fall, feel, get, go, grow, keep, look, prove, read, remain, run, seem, sell, smell, sound, stay, taste, turn, etc.

2. – Non-finite verb:

The verb in a sentence that does not have its own subject, and which cannot change its form to form sentences of different tenses is called a non-finite verb.

Then it is understood that in order for a verb to be a non-finite verb, it must have at least two qualities. These are:

• This form of the verb will have no subject of its own.
• If necessary, the sentence cannot be changed to different Tenses by changing this form of the verb.

If a verb does not have the above two features, it will never be a Non-finite verb.

Example:

• I am going there to meet my friend. [‘to meet’ has no subject of its own, and it cannot be changed into past form.]
• Reading the book, I shall go there. [‘Reading’ has no subject of its own, and it cannot be changed into past form.]
• Writing is a good practice for improving your handwriting. [‘Writing’ has no subject of its own, and it cannot be changed into past form.]

Types of the non-finite verb:

There are three types of non-finite verbs. They are:

• Infinitive
• Participle
• Gerund

– Infinitive:

An infinitive is a basic verb form with ‘to’ before it and generally functions like nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. The main function of an infinitive is to express the opinion, action, and purpose of an object.

Example:

• They decided to play cricket.
• Then they planned to swim in the nearby river.
• I would like to thank you for what you have done for me.
• To work out in the morning is good for health. (Functioning like a noun and acting as the subject of the verb ‘is’.)

Other examples with explanation:

• I go there to see a tiger. [In this sentence, there are two verbs, ‘go’ and ‘see’. The verb ‘go’ has its own subject which is ‘I’, but the verb ‘see’ does not have any subject of its own. That is why ‘go’ is the Finite verb. On the other hand, ‘to see’ has no subject of its own. Which is why ‘to see’ is an infinitive.]
• I went there to see a tiger. [In this sentence, the verb ‘go’ has been used in the past form ‘went’ to make a sentence of Past Indefinite tense. In this way, by changing the form of the verb, sentences of different tenses can be made. On the other hand, there is no scope of making a past form of the verb ‘to see’].
• He goes there to see a tiger. [In this sentence, ‘es’ has been added with the verb ‘go’ because the subject is in the Third Person singular number. That is to say, the verb ‘go’ has changed its form due to the change of subject. On the other hand, there is no change in the verb ‘to see’].

– Participle:

The present participle and past participle forms of verbs that do not have their subjects of their own and which do not have any role in changing tenses are called participle.

Example:

• That is an interesting story.
• Going there I talked to him.
• I saw him reading a story.

– Gerund:

The present participle form of verbs that are used as the subject of a verb, or an object of a verb, or an object of a preposition is called a gerund.

Example:

• Writing emails is a good form of communication.
• My mother likes cooking.
• I had a great love for reading novels.

3. – Auxiliary verb:

The verbs that help the main verb to form tenses and sometimes help express the mood of the speaker are called auxiliary verbs.

Auxiliary verbs are of two types. They are:

• Primary auxiliary
• Modal auxiliary

-Primary auxiliary:

The verbs that help the main verb to form tenses, and help to make a sentence negative and interrogative are called primary auxiliary.

In total, there are three primary auxiliaries. They are: Do, be, and have.

Example:

• I have got good marks in the exam.
• Do you like watching TV serials?
• He is reading a novel.

-Modal auxiliary:

The verbs that help the main verb to express the speaker’s attitude are called modal auxiliary verbs.

The words used as modal auxiliary verbs are: Shall, should, can, could, may, might, ought, ought to, will, would, must, etc. Using one of these verbs a speaker can express the following attitude.

1. Permission: May take your pen?
2. Ability: I can do this work.
3. Obligation: You always should obey your parents.
4. Prohibition: You must not go there.
5. Advice: You should study attentively.
6. Possibility: It may rain tomorrow.
7. Probability: They might come to attend the party.

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.

In this article, we will discuss what is a verb? and types of verbs. so let’s start

The verb means an action, performed by the subject or a state of the subject. Those words that describe the action or state of a subject is called a verb.

It is the main part of a sentence or phrase, without a verb, we can’t properly convey our message.

Actually, at least one verb is always present in a sentence, it will be either the main verb or helping verb or both. It is a very important part of any sentence and no sentence can be completed without a verb.

Examples:

• I go to school. (Action)
• He told me a story. (Action)
• She is a doctor. (State)
• This boy seems tired. (State)
• She is cute. (State)

A verb can be one word or group of words and it comes after the subject.

Example:

• He writes a letter. (1 verb)
• He is writing a letter. (2 verbs)
• He has been writing a letter for an hour. (3 verbs)
• He will have been writing a letter for an hour. (4 verbs)

Types of verbs

• Finite Verb
• Non-finite verb
• Main Verb
• Linking Verb
• Helping Verb
• Modal Helping Verb
• Infinitive
• Gerund
• Participle

Finite verb

A finite verb is a verb that changes its forms according to the tense (present, past, future) of the sentence, the number, and person of the subject. It is the main verb of the sentence or a clause.

Finite verb includes- main verb, linking verb, and helping/auxiliary verb.

Example:

• Alan went to school.
• Alex plays hockey.
• He is playing for India.
• He is one of the best players. (Here, the verb ‘is’ directly refers to the subject itself.)

Non Finite verb

The verb that is not affected by the person or number of the subject and the tense of the sentence is called non-finite verb. It acts as a noun, adjective, and adverb.

Non-finite verbs are not actual verbs, the verbs include- infinitive, gerund, and participle.

Example:

• Rahul went abroad to play.
• Playing hockey is his only job.
• I have a broken table.
• This chair is broken.

Main Verb

The main verb is the verb that provides information and is used to express action. These are the action verbs that describe the actions of the subject. Main verb tells us about the subject’s action means what the subject is doing. These verbs are also called principle verbs or lexical verbs.

Example:

• The sun shines.
• Rohan eats his dinner quickly
• He sings a song.
• Ronny cooks food.
• He ran across the street.

Linking Verb

This is a linking verb which connects the subject to a word or a phrase of the sentence and gives information about the subject.

• Subject + Linking Verb + Subjective complement

Some linking verbs – is, am, are, was, were, become, look, seem, grow, taste, appear, feel, get, etc.

• They are students.
• She looks happy.
• They seem tired.

Helping verb (Auxiliary Verb)

Helping verbs are the verbs that are used to help the main verb to express its meaning in accordance with tense or mood.

• They are playing.
• I have finished my work.
• Anmol is reading a book.
• She was waiting.

Modal Helping Verb (Modal Auxiliary Verb)

A modal verb is a verb that is used with the main verb to indicate mood or tense.

Ex- can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, ought to, need, used to.

• You can jump
• It may rain today.
• You should call him.

Infinitive

An infinitive is a verb form that acts as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb in a sentence. It is formed with To + Base form of the verb.

Examples: to play, to eat, to write, to buy, etc.

• I like to swim.
• To walk is useful.

Gerund

A gerund is a word that is formed with a verb (by adding ing) and acts as a noun.

Example: playing, swimming, dancing, learning.

• Walking is good exercise.
• Swimming is good for health.

Read More:

• What is Sentence in English?
• What is Noun? and Types of Noun
• What is Pronoun? and Types of Pronoun
• What is a Verb? and Types of Verb
• What is an Adjective?
• What is Adverb?