WHAT IS A VERB?

Verbs are the foundation of every sentence, and there are thousands of
verbs you can use. Verbs express actions, connect ideas and create movement.
Without verbs, there would be no communication. Verbs can be used to
describe physical actions, such as walking or running, or mental actions, such as
thinking or feeling.
Verbs are the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is
doing. Along with nouns, verbs are the main part of a sentence or phrase, telling
a story about what is taking place.
A verb is a word used to describe the subject’s action, state or occurrence
within a sentence. They are the heart of every language and are used to describe
the action or state of someone or something. A verb can express actions or a
state of being. In English, verbs are the only word that changes to show whether
they are used in the present, past or future tense.
CLASSES OF VERBS
1. Action Verb
2. State Verbs
3. Intransitive Verbs
4. Transitive Verbs
5. Auxiliary Verbs
6. Modal Verbs
7. Regular Verbs
8. Irregular Verbs
9. Phrasal Verbs

1. ACTION VERB
- One of the basic types of verb along with the state verb.
- A verb that shows what the subject in a sentence is doing.
- An action verb is a verb that expresses something that a person, animal,
object, or process in nature (such as a storm) can do rather than
expressing a state of being.

EXAMPLE:
 The dog jumps.
 The children play in the park.
 The busy squirrels quickly climbed the tree.
 I ride my bicycle to work.
 Brianna was smiling because the university accepted her application.
 Our grandparents will visit us next week, so we are preparing the
guest room.

There are many examples of action verbs. Action verbs come in two main
types: verbs that refer to physical actions and verbs that refer to mental actions.
PHYSICAL ACTION VERBS
Generally speaking, an action verb describes a physical action if it refers
to an action that requires movement of bodies or objects.
EXAMPLES:
ask, bend, climb, drive, eat, frolic, go, hang, inch, jiggle, kick, leap, mumble,
nod, open, pull, quake, run, swim, tumble, unlock, vibrate, walk, yell, zip

MENTAL ACTION VERBS

Action verbs that refer to mental actions are a bit trickier. At first glance,
many of these verbs may not seem like action verbs at all. However, all of these
verbs can still refer to things that a person can do. Rather than physical
activities, these verbs refer to actions that you can use your brain to do. It may
not surprise that many of these verbs can also be used as stative verbs to express
states of being or conditions, it just depends on the thought of what a sentence is
trying to say.
EXAMPLES:
consider, dream, imagine, ponder, think, remember, forget, memorize, learn,
doubt, condemn, analyze, review, dread, worry, fear, fantasize, appreciate,
evaluate

2. STATE VERB
- Stative verbs are verbs that express a state rather than an action. They
usually relate to thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, states of being
and measurements. These verbs are not usually used with ing in
progressive (continuous) tenses even though they may take on time
expressions such as now and at the moment. Simple tenses for are
commonly used here.
EXAMPLES:
  Paul feels rotten today. He has a bad cold.
 Do you recognize him? He is a famous rock star.
 Our client appreciated all the work we did for him.
 James is seeing Marsha. They’ve been together for a month. (He's
dating her.)
 Jeremy has a Mercedes. (He owns it.)
 Sara is having lunch with her editor. (She's eating lunch)

Incorrect: I'm smelling your wife's wonderful spaghetti sauce.

Correct: I smell your wife’s wonderful spaghetti sauce.

State verbs shows;

- Thoughts/opinions: I agree, She believes, He thinks, etc.
- Feelings/emotions: love, hate, want, like. Etc.
- Senses/perceptions: smell, look, feel, see, appear, etc.
- Possession: have, has, had, I have a pet
- Profession/position: I am a teacher. He lives in Japan.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTION AND STATE/STATIVE VERB

Action verbs emphasize the action being done by the subject in a sentence,
while state verb emphasizes or states something about the subject.
EXAMPLE:
Action verb State verb
She sings very well. She is a singer.
Sarah cooks dinner. Sarah is a good cook.
3. INTRANSITIVE VERBS
- An intransitive verb is the opposite of a transitive verb: It does not require
direct object to act upon.
EXAMPLES:
  They jumped.
 The dog ran.
 She sang.
 A light was shining.

4. TRANSITIVE VERBS
- Transitive verbs are not just verbs that can take an object; they demand
objects. Without an object to affect, the sentence that a transitive verb
inhabits will not seem complete.
- A transitive verb needs to transfer its action to something or someone—
an object. In essence, transitive means “affecting something else.”
EXAMPLES:
 Please bring coffee.
In this sentence, the verb bring is transitive; its object is coffee, the thing that
is being brought. Without an object of some kind, this verb cannot function.
 “Please bring.”
Bring what, or whom? The question raises itself, because the meaning of
bring demands it.

EXAMPLES:
 The girls carry water to their village.
 Juan threw the ball.
 Could you phone the neighbours?
 I caught a cold.
 She loves rainbows.
 Lila conveyed the message.
To decide whether the verb is being used transitively or intransitively, all
you need to do is determine whether the verb has an object. Does she sing
something? Does he leave something? The verb is transitive only when the
answer is yes.
A verb can be described as transitive or intransitive based on whether or
not it requires an object to express a complete thought. A transitive verb is one
that makes sense only if it exerts its action on an object. An intransitive verb
will make sense without an object. Some verbs can be used both ways.

5. AUXILIARY VERBS
- Auxiliary verbs, also known as helper verbs or helping verbs, are minor
verbs that support the sentence’s main verb to communicate complex
grammar concepts like aspects of time or modality.
- Auxiliary verbs are a type of verb that takes a supportive role in a
sentence, second to the main verb. They’re used mainly to create complex
grammatical tenses, like the perfect and continuous tenses, which show
different aspects of time, or how long an action takes place.
- These verbs are used to support the main verb.
3 most common auxiliary verbs are: be, do, have
 be: is, am, are, was, were, been, being (I am cooking food.)
 do: do/does, did (She does not talk much.)
 have: has/have, had (He has been waiting for you.)

6. MODAL VERBS
- Modal verbs show possibility, intent, ability, or necessity. Common
examples of modal verbs include can, should, and must. Because they’re
 a type of auxiliary verb (helper verb), they’re used alongside the infinitive
form of the main verb of a sentence.
- Modal verbs are used to express certain hypothetical conditions, such as
advisability, capability, or requests.
- Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb which express ability,
permission, possibility, and obligation.

i. Ability: can/could
Example: I couldn’t sing well but now I can.
ii. Permission: can/may/might
Example: Can I open the door? / May I come in?
iii. Possibility: could/may/might
Example: It could rain. (strong)
It may rain. (weak)
It might rain. (less chances)
All have differences in terms of intensity.
iv. Obligation: could/should/must
Example: You could go to the doctor.
You should go to the doctor.
You must go to the doctor.
All have difference sense of urgency.

7. REGULAR VERBS
- Regular verbs are a form of verbs that follow the normal rules of
conjugation, that is, they follow a typical pattern for changing verbs into
 their past, past participle or future tense forms. Usually, -ed or -d is added
to regular verbs when used in the past tense or in case the word ends with
a ‘y’ then the ‘y’ is removed, and -ied is added.
EXAMPLES:
 Maria accepts the award on his behalf.
 Maria accepted the award on his behalf.
 Maria will accept the award on his behalf.
 walk, walked,
 watch, watched
Other examples could include: approve, behave, change, care, bake,
argue, appreciate, bore, breathe, cause, charge, complete, escape, force, guide,
hate, hope, invite, move, manage, notice, owe, phone, recognise, remove, smile,
snore, stare, taste, use, etc.

8. IRREGULAR VERBS
- Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs do not follow the normal rules of
conjugation to form their past, past participle, or future tense forms. In
other words, any verb that does not add -ed, -ied, or -d to its past tense
form is considered an irregular verb. Irregular verbs are sometimes also
called strong verbs.
EXAMPLE:
 I have a lot of work to do.
 Did you complete the work?
 The work was done.
 eat, ate, eaten
 drive, drove, driven
Other examples include: break, broke, broken, see, saw, see, have, has, had

9. PHRASAL VERBS
 - A phrasal verb is a combination of words (a verb + a preposition or verb
+adverb) that when used together, usually take on a different meaning to
that of the original verb.
- No rules, may have multiple meanings, cannot be self-constructed, and is
needed to memorize
EXAMPLES:
 break down, check in, tear up, get away with, put up with, put on

When we use phrasal verbs, we use them like normal verbs in a sentence,
regardless if it’s a regular or irregular verb.
 Ella tore up the letter after she read it.
 Their car broke down two miles out of town.
 Did the manager deal with that customer’s complaint?

PROPERTIES OF VERBS
Understanding the properties of verbs results to a better understanding of
how verbs are used and how you can use them to communicate more clearly and
effectively.
(6) PROPERTIES OF VERBS:
 I. Voice
II. Mood
III. Infinitives
IV. Tense
V. Person
VI. Number

I. VOICE
- Voice refers to the form of a verb that indicates when a grammatical
subject performs the action or is the receiver of the action.
- Voice is the property of the verb that shows whether the subject is the
doer or the receiver of the action in the sentence.

TWO TYPES:
1. Active Voice
- A verb is in the active voice when the subject does the action.
EXAMPLE:
- The award-winning chef prepares each meal with loving care.
(In the above example of an active sentence, the simple subject is “chef” and
“prepares” is the verb: the chef prepares “each meal with loving care.”

2. Passive Voice
- A verb is in the passive voice when the action is done to the subject. In
other words, the subject receives the action. The verb after the subject is
always a be-verb followed by a verb in the past participle.
EXAMPLE:
 - Each meal is prepared with loving care by the award-winning chef.
(In the passive sentence, “meal” is the simple subject and “is prepared”
is the verb: each meal is prepared “by the award-winning chef.”

In effect, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject in the
passive sentence. Although both sentences have the same basic components,
their structure makes them different from each other. Active sentences are about
what people (or things) do, while passive sentences are about what happens to
people (or things).
The passive voice is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb “be”
(be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been) followed by the past participle of the
main verb.

ACTIVE PASSIVE
He loves me. I am loved.
We took our children to the circus. The children were taken to the circus.
A thief stole my money. My money was stolen.

Some verbs in the past participle may not be used alone in their passive
form. Prepositions should be added to make them correct.
Example: laugh
Active: He laughed hard when he heard the joke.
Passive: He was laughed at when he slipped on a banana peel.

Some verbs, however, cannot be used in the passive voice.

Examples: abide, bid, bleed, cling, come, cost, flee, float, flow, hesitate, mingle,
quit, roar, and soar.
Active: My sister hesitated to answer the question.
Passive: My sister was hesitated… (This is incorrect)
Active: Daryl came to the convention alone.
Passive: Daryl was came… (This is also incorrect)

II. MOODS OF VERBS

- Moods tells the manner of expression of the verb.
- The mood of a sentence is determined by the inflection of the verb.
- Mood represents the intention of the speaker or writer in a sentence. It
denotes if the stated sentence is a request, order, suggestion, fact or
something imaginary. According to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary,
mood is “one of the categories of verb use that expresses facts, orders,
questions, wishes, or conditions”.
3 TYPES
1. Indicative Mood
- Expresses declaration or inquiry
- The most commonly used mood in the English language, the indicative
mood, expresses facts, opinions and general statements. It is used to say if
something did or did not happen.
EXAMPLES:
 Do you know where the coffee shop is?
 Irene washed all the clothes yesterday.
 We will be going to Dubai next month.
 Tomorrow is a holiday.
 It is raining heavily.
2. Imperative Mood
- Speaks of a request or a command
- Sentences with verbs conveying commands, orders, and requests are said
to be in the imperative mood. In other words, it can be said that all
imperative sentences are in the imperative mood. The actions stated in the
 imperative mood are yet to happen, and there are chances that they might
not happen at all. These sentences take the infinitive form of the verb and
exclude the subject. However, you can use nouns or noun phrases as a
noun of address to specify who/whom the request, order or command is
directed.
EXAMPLES:
 Please leave your things at the counter.
 Pick up the dress on your way.
 Switch on the lights; it is getting dark.
 Trisha, can you please help me with this?
 Stop when you see the red light.
 Shaun, close the door.

3. Subjunctive Mood
- The subjunctive mood does not speak about objective facts. It includes
opinions, intentions, beliefs and desires; in general, it portrays an
individual’s state of mind. It is also used to present hypothetical
situations.
- In all of these, the verb “were” or a modal in the past tense is used.
The subjunctive mood is used:
when a sentence expresses a condition contrary to fact
(The director decided to have the opening night next week as if our
rehearsals were that much.)
when a sentence expresses compromise or resolve
(If Princess were to visit me next week, I should be in Italy then.)
when a sentence uses the verb “wish”
(Ella wishes Joshua were there in the meeting.)

III. INFINITIVES
 - An infinitive verb, or a non-finite verb, is the basic form of a verb that
presents an action as an idea or a concept rather than the specific action of
a subject. An infinitive verb often follows the word “to” (as in “to walk”).
- These are used as nouns, or adverbs. They are constructed by adding
“to” before a verb.
EXAMPLES:
 To eat is a necessity.
 The person to consult is my teacher.
 I find it really hard to dance.
`
In the first example, the infinitive “To eat” functions as a noun because it
is the subject which answers the question “What is a necessity?”
In the second example, “to consult” describes the kind of person talked
about in the sentence. It functions as an adjective.
Lastly, in the third example, “to dance” functions as an adverb which
describes the adjective hard.

There are 2 kind of infinitives:

1. PRESENT INFINITIVES – when “to” is followed by a base or a
simple form of a verb.
 I love to sing.
 To smile is a good thing.
2. PERFECT INFINITIVES – when “to” is followed by the helping
word have and a verb in the past participle.
 To have slept is so relaxing.
 I am glad to have come.
 Some verbals omit the preposition “to” but are still considered as
infinitives. This may be applied when dare, help, let, or make is used as the
verb in a sentence.
 I dared not to join.
 My students helped me check papers.
 They let me see their work right away.
 Trixie just made the baby laugh!
The words join, check, see, and laugh do not have “to” before them but
are still considered infinitives.

IV. VERB TENSES

The tense property of a verb tells us when the action took place and
indicates whether or not it is a continuous or completed action.
Tense refers to the form a verb takes to indicate when and/or how long
the action is, was, or will be done (whether it is done in the present, or during
the past, or in the future.)
 Singular Plural
Present am, is, does are, do
Past was, did were, did
Future will be will be
Perfect has, has done, have, have done,
had, had done had, had done
Progressive has been, had been have been, had been

The English language has twelve tenses, which can be subdivided into
three categories: past, present, and future. The tenses in each of these categories
can be further subdivided into simple, perfect, progressive, and perfect
progressive.

A. THE SIMPLE TENSES

Tense Example
PRESENT  Edelyn bakes a cake.
(Add –s or –es at the end if the subject  He goes to school every
in the sentence is singular.) morning.
PAST  The scouts decided to move the
(verb with –d or –ed for regular verbs, trip from May 5 to May 15.
verb changed in spelling for irregular  Lisa went to the supermarket
verbs yesterday.
FUTURE  She will dance in the contest
(verb with the modal will or shall) tomorrow.

B. THE PERFECT TENSES

Tense Example
PRESENT PERFECT  Lani has worked like a dog ever
(has / have + past participle) since the supervisor came.
  We have arrived in Hawaii.
PAST PERFECT  I had finished the work.
(had + past participle)  She had gone.
FUTURE PERFECT  I will have finished my
(will have + past participle) homework by dinner time.
 She will have fallen asleep by
the time we get home.

C. THE PROGRESSIVE TENSES

Tenses Example
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE  The children are sleeping right
(am/is/are + present participle) now.
 She is dancing to the music.
PAST PROGRESSIVE  He was writing an e-mail when
(was/were + present participle) the phone rang.
 Hanna was baking a cake.
FUTURE PROGRESSIVE  I will be sleeping by ten this
(will be + present participle) evening.
 I will be working.

D. THE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSES

Tenses Example
PRESENT PERFECT  We have been driving all day,
PROGRESSIVE but we are not at our
(has been/have been + present destination yet.
participle)  Honey has been living in that
house for only a year.
PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE  Kent had been partying all
(had been + present participle) night, so he fell asleep in class.
  We were thirsty because we
had been working out outside
in the heat.
FUTURE PERFECT  In December, I will have been
PROGRESSIVE working here for two years.
(will have been + present participle)  They will have been studying
for five hours by the time the
exam starts.

V. PERSON
Verbs can be either first person, second person, or third person. This
property tells us whether the action was taken by the speaker, the person spoken
to, or a separate third party.
The easiest way to identify the person is by looking at the pronoun that
accompanies the verb.

VI. NUMBER
The number property indicates whether the subject of the verb is one
person/thing or multiple people/things. (The subject is who/what is doing the
verb.)
The two options for number are singular and plural. A singular verb has
one person or things as a subject, while a plural verb has multiple people or
things as subjects.
Like with the person property, an easy way to identify the number is by
looking at the pronoun that accompanies the verb.