Verbs are the heart of every sentence in the English language. They convey actions, states of being, and occurrences, enabling us to express what is happening, what has happened, or what will happen. Without verbs, communication would be incomplete, and our sentences would lack meaning. In this blog, we will explore what a verb is, its types, forms of verbs, and tips in detail. So, get ready to polish your English grammar through this guide.
Table of Contents
A verb is a word that generally describes an action (read, walk, run, learn, bring), an occurrence (become, happen) or a state of being (stand, exist). In simpler terms, verbs tell us what the subject of the sentence is doing or what condition it is in. They are one of the most essential parts of speech and are crucial for sentence structure. Without a verb, a sentence would be incomplete.
For example:
In both simple and complex sentences, verbs serve as the backbone, giving structure and meaning to the sentence.
Also read: Proverbs in English
The types of verbs can be classified into various categories according to their role and function in any context. Moreover, the reason behind several types of verbs is to indicate the specific subject in a sentence when it's performing any action. Therefore, in this section, we have shared the verb definitions and types along with their examples. So, let's navigate them.
Action verbs express physical or mental actions. They show what the subject of the sentence is doing.
Examples:
Action verbs can be further divided into transitive verbs (verbs that require an object) and intransitive verbs (verbs that do not require an object).
Example of transitive verbs:
Example of intransitive verbs:
A linking verb in English also denotes the copular verb, which is very dynamic and connects the context's subject to another word in a similar text. In other words, it links the next word with subject compliments that describe nouns, pronouns and adjectives. Moreover, the linking words can be, be, seem, feel, or refer to the five senses.
Examples:
Common linking verbs include: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, seem, appear, feel, and become.
The other types of verbs are Auxiliary verbs, or you can say helping verbs. According to the name, it is used to assist another verb to make a sentence meaningful and sensible. Moreover, it is used to indicate or change another verb's tense, voice, and mood. Therefore, whenever an auxiliary verb is used, you have to use another verb that will act as the main verb in the text.
Examples:
Common auxiliary verbs include: am, is, are, was, were, has, have, had, will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might, and must.
Modal verbs are types of verbs or auxiliaries that are used to express permission, ability, possibility or obligation. Moreover, the main modal verbs are may, might, much, can, could, should, will, and would. However, keep in mind that it does not change the form of the verb.
Examples:
Common modal verbs include: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and would.
A stative verb is specific to the perception or state of being a verb. It is mainly used to describe the emotional, mental, or physical state. Moreover, this verb is mainly used when any content is unchanging or general so that it can be used in the continuous tense in English.
Examples:
Stative verbs are typically not used in continuous (progressive) tenses because they refer to states rather than actions.
Also, read: degrees of comparison
Dynamic verbs, or action verbs in short, are mostly used to describe physical action that is external and can be heard or seen. Moreover, in English grammar, these verbs are mainly used to express physical action taking place on the exterior.
Examples:
Dynamic verbs contrast with stative verbs because they often describe actions that change or develop over time.
A phrasal verb is a type of phrase that is created by adding two or more words that work as one verb. Thus, it combines verbs and adverbs or prepositions to create a meaning that is neutral to the original word.
Examples:
Regular verbs adhere to standard rules of inflection in English verbs, as most of them are regular. However, a verb is considered regular when it is in the simple past or past participle created by adding “ed” or “d.”
Examples:
Regular verbs are predictable because they follow this consistent rule. However, some regular verbs might end in -e, in which case only -d is added to form the past tense.
Examples:
Irregular verbs don’t use “ed” or “d” patterns in the past participles or simple past. Moreover, many of the irregular verb forms sound the same. Each irregular verb has its own unique form.
Examples:
Finite verbs in English show specific tenses, numbers, and nouns. Also, it differentiates a person, any digit, or mood. This is usually used to express emotions by using finite verbs in the sentence.
Examples:
Lastly, an infinite verb denotes the use of “to” with a non-conjugated verb or base verb. Moreover, they are often used in writing and speaking in English, for instance, to eat, to run, or to jump.
Examples:
These are different types of verbs in English that are used differently and in various ways. Thus, it is important to understand them in detail and use them appropriately. However, did you know that there are distinct verb forms? If not, worry less and understand the verb form in the next section.
In English, there are different types of forms of verbs. These helped to modify or shape the verb to fit in the setting that conveys the actions performed at a specific time. Thus, there are five Verb forms v1, v2, v3, v4 and v5. Moreover, these are distinct from each other. This verb form helps massively when you conjugate verbs in the sentence. However, you need to use this in the right place and form. Also, these works mainly in regular verbs, as irregular verbs have their own forms. Hence, here is the table to give you an idea of the forms of verbs by using an action.
| Base | Simple Past | Past Participle | Third-person singular present | Present Participle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dance (regular ) | Danced | Danced | Dances | Dancing |
| Sing (irregular) | Sang | Sung | Sings | Singing |
Now let’s understand forms of verb meaning along with its examples in the next section. So have a glance.
The first form of the verb is a base form, also defined as the root verb in the original. Moreover, the base form or root verb is created to give it a base to form another verb. In addition, only regular verbs have their root form transformed when conjugated to signify other verb forms. Also, base forms are usually used to specify other simple present tense. It is used in many Idioms in English to create a base by using simple verbs. Thus, to clear doubt, let’s take a look at the examples of verbs stated below.
Examples of base forms
The simple past form is mainly used to describe actions that happened in the past. This type of verbs in English is created by adding words like “ed” or “d” at the end of the root verb. However, keep in mind that irregular verbs don’t follow the general simple past verb form. Hence, below are some examples of simple past verb forms.
Examples of Simple Past Form.
There are some words in the root verbs that are pronounced the same in the simple past form of the verb.
The Past Participle form of the verb indicates the perfect tense. Some irregular verbs have distinct spellings when utilised as past participles. On the other hand, regular verbs maintain their simple past form and past participles form. Thus, to better understand, let’s examine a few examples.
| Root verb | Simple past | Past participles |
| Read | Read | Read |
| Buy | Bought | Bought |
| Stand | Stood | Stood |
| Tumble | Tumbled | Tumbled |
Another form of verb is the third-person singular present, which is mainly used in the simple present tense. Thus, when it comes to regular verbs, the addition of an “es” or” s” to the root verb elaborates the third-person singular present form.
Examples of Third Person Singular Present:
John likes having cereal for breakfast.
Root or base verb – like, Third person singular form – likes
The last form of verb is the present participle that is created by adding “ing” to the root verb in the sentence. Moreover, in some scenarios, there are some words that are monosyllabic that end with a vowel in English grammar. Also, when the verb ends with an “e” that will be removed by “ing”. Let’s analyse this by classifying the Examples of verbs mentioned below.
Examples of Present Participle
Run – Running
Sit – Sitting
Swim – Swimming
Cut – Cutting
Forget – Forgetting
This was all about the three forms of verb that help you choose the right word or verb to use in your daily conversation. Now, in the next section, let's learn How to conjugate verbs in English.
Also read: difficult words in English
You need to conjugate verbs to make them agree with the subject and tense. There are four tense forms, namely the simple tense, the continuous tense, the perfect tense and the perfect continuous tense. Besides, these tense forms represent the present, past and future, thereby forming twelve main tense forms in total. Thus, you can learn more about tenses and how to conjugate verbs in English with them in detail by reading these points in this section.
This was all about how to use conjugate verbs in English. Thus, it will give you an idea of how to use verb forms.
The verbs are important aspects of the speech, showing action, feeling, and state of being. Therefore, you should know the approach to use it properly to improve your English grammar. Therefore, here are a few tips that can help you put verbs into action.
In short, verbs are words that define actions, occurrence, and state of being. There are many different types of verbs that you can use to enhance the sentence structure. Also, you must know the forms of verbs to use them properly according to tenses. Moreover, verbs are the basic component of English grammar that denotes the subject's actions. It is not possible to formulate a proper sentence without using them. Therefore, if you want to learn more about the various forms of verb lists and how to use them, you can consult the experts at Gradding.com. They will assist you in polishing your verb utilization.
Verbs are the essential part of English grammar that denotes the action, occurrence or state of being. Moreover, without using a verb it is impossible to indicate your subject. Hence, there are various types and forms created so that each verb performs differently.
Verbs are the words that generally describe three categories, which are
Action: Walk, Jump, Read, etc.
Occurrence: Trust, Love, Believe, etc.
State of Being: Is, Are, Will be, etc.
In English grammar, a verb specifies a mental action (e.g., think), physical action (e.g., read) or state of being (e.g., exist). In addition, verbs are almost used in every noun and pronoun to showcase what they (noun and pronoun) are doing.
There are several types of verbs. However, it may fall into other categories as well, depending on how it is used. Thus, there are various types of verbs i.e. Action Verb, Transitive verb, Intransitive Verbs, Linking Verbs, Auxiliary Verbs, Modal Verbs, Stative Verbs, Dynamic Verbs, Phrasal Verbs, Regular Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Finite Verbs, and Infinite Verbs
In English grammar, there are different forms of verbs containing V1. Base Form, V2. Simple Past Form, V3. Past Participle, V4. Third person singular present, V5. Present Participle. These forms will help you to use the right form of the verb in the sentence as per the tenses.
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