Verb Forms: Explore Different Types with Examples

What Is a Verb Form?

A verb form is a specific way in which a verb is shaped or modified to suit the context of a sentence. Forms of verbs are often considered to be the fundamental element of the English language. Without verb form, everything in the English language would seem to be absurd. Besides, the main purpose of forms of verbs is to indicate the timing or tense of an action. Moreover, there are up to five forms for each verb. The next section discusses all the forms of verbs in detail.

Different Forms of Verbs in English with Examples

There are 5 forms of verb in the English language. These include base form, past form, past participle, present participle, and third person singular. Below are the explanations for each form along with a few examples for your reference.

1. Base Form

The base form of verb also known as the root form is the original form where there are no changes. This means that these words have not been conjugated and do not include prefixes or suffixes. In fact, the base form of the verb is used to create other forms of verbs in English. Besides, root verbs are most often used to indicate the simple present tense.

Examples of Base Form of Verb

1. I love to play lawn tennis.

2. She goes for a run every morning.

3. I like to watch movies with my friends.

Here, ‘love’, ‘run’, and ‘like’ are examples of the base form of verb that is the original form.

2. Past Form

The past form of the verb is used to denote an action that occurred or took place in the past. Moreover, if it is a regular verb then adding an ‘ed’ or ‘d’ (for words ending in ‘e’) to the root word will give you past form. However, irregular verbs do not follow the same pattern.

Examples of Past Form of Verb

1. She jumped from a 10 ft. high building.

2. Sanya adored her cat.

3. I knew the answers to all the questions asked in the exam.

Here, ‘jumped’, ‘adored’, and ‘knew’ are examples of past verb form that are the altered form of the base form.

3. Past Participle

The past participle form of the verb is used to denote the perfect tense. It is used in conjunction with an auxiliary verb to indicate a past action. Besides, in regular verbs, the past form and the past participle form of the verb remain the same. However, the irregular verbs take a different spelling when used as a past participle.

Examples of Past Participle Form of Verb

1. I have cleaned my room today.

2. He has fallen from the stairs.

3. Ishan has chosen not to go back to school.

Here, ‘cleaned’, ‘fallen’, and ‘chosen’ are examples of past participle form of verbs that are the altered form of root from.

4. Present Participle

The present participle form of the verb is used to denote the ongoing action. These are formed by adding an ‘ing’ to the base form. This verb form is used in the past, present, and future continuous tense. This is to indicate that something is happening or has happened over a period of time. Besides, it is also used to convert verbs into nouns that refer to an action.

Examples of Present Participle Form of Verb

1. I am standing in the line to get burgers.

2. She is walking along the garden path.

3. They are coming to the party tonight.

Here, ‘standing’, ‘walking’, and ‘coming’ are examples of present participle verb forms in English grammar. However, there are some exceptions as well.

5. Third Person Singular

The third-person singular form of verb accompanies all third-person singular nouns and pronouns. These verb forms are used when referring to another person. These can be formed by adding ‘s’ or ‘es’ in the ending of the base form.

Examples of Third Person Singular Form of Verb

1. Aditya likes to dance.

2. He comes to the office every day.

3. She orders a large coffee at 4 pm.

Here, ‘likes’, ‘comes’, and ‘orders’ are examples of the third-person singular form of the verb that is the altered form of root from.

These are the 5 forms of verb in the English language. Further, in the next section, you will come across different verb forms list.

Verb Forms List

The table below shows both regular and irregular verb forms. Here are verb forms v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 100 words.

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs are the forms of verbs that are formed by adding a suffix to the base verb. These form the past and past participle tenses of verbs. Adding ‘ed’ or ‘d’ to the end of the original verb makes a regular verb. However, if the verb ends in ‘y’ then you must change it to ‘i’ and add ‘ed’. Besides, if a one-syllable verb ends in consonant-vowel-consonant then double the final consonant.

Listed below are a few examples of regular verbs in different forms.

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs form simple past and past participles forms of verbs. Each of these verbs includes the base form, followed by V2 and V3 forms. Besides, irregular verbs are also known as strong verbs. A form of the verb that is known as voice indicates when a grammatical subject performs the action. Listed below are a few examples of irregular verbs in different forms.

Worksheet of Verb Forms

Do you know what is the best way to understand and remember all the forms of verbs? It is by practising! Below is a basic verb forms worksheet with answers for your reference.

Exercise 1 – Identify the Forms of Verbs

1. I _____ (go) to the office every day.

2. Tanya ______ (love) ice cream.

3. Did you ________ (find) the black sheet I _____ (ask) for?

4. I will _______ (come) to the party tomorrow.

5. My maid________ (clean) the house yesterday evening.

6. My name ______ (to be) Harshit Singh.

7. That bottle _______ (belong) to me.

8. My son, Sid can _________ (count) up to fifty in English.

9. Aditya will be _______ (go) to work tomorrow.

10. Sanaya ______ (play) football.

Answers

1. I go to the office every day.

2. Tanya loves ice cream.

3. Did you find the black sheet I asked for?

4. I will come to the party tomorrow.

5. My maid cleaned the house yesterday evening.

6. My name is Harshit Singh.

7. That bottle belongs to me.

8. My son, Sid can count up to fifty in English.

9. Aditya will be going to work tomorrow.

10. Sanaya plays football.

Exercise 2 – Identify the Forms of Verbs

1. It was Seema who ______ (alert) the police.

2. She is ______ (wait) for me.

3. I ______ (know) her for a long time.

4. The box ______ (was) so heavy that I could not lift it.

5. One of my friends ______ (go) to Zambia recently.

6. Vijay is ______ (write) a novel.

7. I will call you when the guests ______(arrive).

8. Age and experience ______ (bring) wisdom to man.

9. The prize was ______ (give) to our team.

10. She usually ______ (walk) to work every morning.

Answers

1. It was Seema who alerted the police.

2. She is waiting for me.

3. I have known her for a long time.

4. The box was so heavy that I could not lift it.

5. One of my friends went to Zambia recently.

6. Vijay is writing a novel.

7. I will call you when the guests arrive.

8. Age and experience bring wisdom to man.

9. The prize was given to our team.

10. She usually walks to work every morning.

Conclusion

To wrap up, learning verb forms in English grammar is considered a fundamental and essential skill. Thus, mastering the a-to-z verb forms in the English language is vital. Every student or individual should learn these as they not only help you build conversations with ease but also write well. Besides, several exams and tests require you to learn forms of verbs as a part of the syllabus. For this, you may seek professional help from Gradding.com as our experts provide excellent coaching in this domain.

FAQs

What Is V1 V2 V3 V4 V5?

Verb forms v1 v2 v3 v4 v5 refer to the five different forms of verbs. V1 is the base form of the verb; V2 is the past form; V3 is the past participle form; V4 is the third-person singular present form; and V5 is the present participle form.

Why Do We Use Verb Forms?

Verb forms are the core of a sentence, that convey the action or state of being of the subject. A verb form is a way in which a verb is shaped or modified in order to suit the context that talks about an action that is either being performed or has taken place. Using verb forms brings clarity and precision to the sentence.

What Are the Five Verb Forms in English?

The five verb forms in English are root/base verb, past form, past participle, present participle, and third person singular form of the verb.

If the Base Verb Is Laugh, Give Its Other Forms.

1. Base Form: Laugh

2. Past Form: Laughed

3. Past Participle: Laughed

4. Present Participle: Laughing

5. Third-Person Singular: Laughs