What Is A Verb?
A verb is a word that expresses an action or a state of being.
As you can see from that definition, there are two main categories of verbs: action verbs and state of being verbs (also known as linking verbs).Because action verbs and linking verbs are strong enough to be used in sentences all by themselves, they are called main verbs.
I love cheese. I turned the page. (action verbs)
I am a teacher. I turned green. (linking verbs)
3: The present simple and the past simple have no auxiliary. We make questions by adding the auxillary do/does for the present simple or did for the past simple:
There are four present tense forms in English:
We use these forms:
Verbs in English have four basic parts:
| Base form | -ing form | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| work | working | worked | worked |
| play | playing | played | played |
| listen | listening | listened | listened |
Most verbs have past tense and past participle in –ed (worked, played, listened). But many of the most frequent verbs are irregular.
Most verbs have past tense and past participle in –ed ( worked, played, listened). But many of the most frequent verbs are irregular:
| Base form | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
be
begin break bring buy build choose come cost cut do draw drive eat feel find get give go have hear hold keep know leave lead let lie lose make mean meet pay put run say see sell send set sit speak spend stand take teach tell think understand wear win write | was/were began broke brought bought built chose came cost cut did drew drove ate felt found got gave went had heard held kept knew left led let lay lost made meant met paid put ran said saw sold sent set sat spoke spent stood took taught told thought understood wore won wrote | been begun broken brought bought built chosen come cost cut done drawn driven eaten felt found got given gone had heard held kept known left led let lain lost made meant met paid put run said seen sold sent set sat spoken spent stood taken taught told thought understood worn won written |
We make questions by:
1: moving an auxiliary to the front of the clause:
| Everybody is watching | >> | Is everybody watching? |
| They had worked hard | >> | Had they worked hard? |
| He's finished work | >> | Has he finished work? |
| Everybody had been working hard | >> | Had everybody been working hard? |
| He has been singing | >> | Has he been singing? |
| English is spoken all over the world | >> | Is English spoken all over the world? |
| The windows have been cleaned | >> | Have the windows been cleaned? |
2: … or by moving a modal to the front of the clause:
| They will come | >> | Will they come? |
| He might come | >> | Might he come? |
| They will have arrived by now | >> | Will they have arrived by now? |
| She would have been listening | >> | Would she have been listening? |
| The work will be finished soon | >> | Will the work be finished soon? |
| They might have been invited to the party | >> | Might they have been invited to the party? |
3: The present simple and the past simple have no auxiliary. We make questions by adding the auxillary do/does for the present simple or did for the past simple:
| They live here | >> | Do they live here? |
| John lives here | >> | Does John live here? |
| Everybody laughed | >> | Did everybody laugh? |
The present tenses in English are used:
- to talk about the present
- to talk about the future
- to talk about the past when we are telling a story in spoken English or when we are summarising a book, film, play etc.
There are four present tense forms in English:
| Present simple: | I work |
|---|---|
| Present continuous: | I am working |
| Present perfect: | I have worked |
| Present perfect continuous: | I have been working |
We use these forms:
- to talk about the present:
He works at McDonald’s. He has worked there for three months now.
He is working at McDonald’s. He has been working there for three months now.
London is the capital of Britain.
He is working at McDonald’s. He has been working there for three months now.
London is the capital of Britain.
- to talk about the future:
The next train leaves this evening at 1700 hours.
I’ll phone you when I get home.
He’s meeting Peter in town this afternoon.
I’ll come home as soon as I have finished work.
You will be tired out after you have been working all night.
I’ll phone you when I get home.
He’s meeting Peter in town this afternoon.
I’ll come home as soon as I have finished work.
You will be tired out after you have been working all night.
But wait! There is also a third category of verbs which doesn't get any glory. They are the helping verbs.
There are only 24 helping verbs
| be | am | is | are |
| was | were | been | being |
| have | has | had | could |
| should | would | may | might |
| must | shall | can | will |
| do | did | does | having |
Helping verbs always help either an action verb or a linking verb.
Example: I have been feeling great!
So, you now know the answer to the question, "What is a verb?" (It's a word that expresses an action or a state of being!)
You also know that there are three categories of verbs (action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs).
For the next little while, we are going to focus on main verbs. So, forget about those poor little helping verbs for a bit, and let's turn our attention to action verbs and linking verbs.
These two kinds of main verbs can act in four different ways.
This type of verb does not transfer its action to anyone or anything. These verbs make sense without having to transfer action anywhere.
Cats drink. Clocks tick. Buses move.
That means that something or someone is always being acted upon. In our example sentence, Jen is receiving the action kicked - even though she probably doesn't want to be receiving it.
The receiver of the action in this kind of verb is called the direct object. In our example sentence, Jen is the direct object.
Every single transitive active sentence must have a direct object, and the direct object always receives the action.
Cats drink milk. Clocks make noise. I lost my ticket.
Milk is receiving the action of drink. It is what cats drink. It is the direct object.
Noise is receiving the action of make. It is what clocks make. It is the direct object.
Ticket is receiving the action of lost. It is what I lost. It is the direct object.
These verbs are written in the active voice.
In transitive active verbs, the receiver was the direct object. In transitive passive verbs, the receiver of the action is the subject!
John was kicked. The house was demolished.
Who is receiving the action in those sentences?
John received the action of kick and house received the action of demolished. John and house are the subjects of those sentences.
Notice that we may not actually know who initiated the action. (Who kicked John?) Sometimes we find this out in a prepositional phrase.
John was kicked by Jen. The house was demolished by the storm.
These verbs are written in the passive voice.
I will play the piano. (will = helping verb, play = action verb)
I will be a teacher. (will = helping verb, be = linking verb)
Some verbs can function as main verbs or helping verbs, but they will only do one job at a time in a sentence.
I have a cat. (have = main verb, action verb)
I have been reading a great book. (have = helping verb)
I am a teacher. (am = main verb, linking verb)
I am cooking dinner for my family. (am = helping verb)
Some examples of verbs!
| Action verb with no helping verb | |
| Helping verb helping an action verb | |
| Two helping verbs helping an action verb |
Example: Now, I will eat fruits and veggies.
| helping verb | will |
| main verb (action verb) | eat |
| verb phrase | will eat |
Example: I have been feeling great!
| helping verbs | have been |
| main verb (linking verb) | feeling |
| verb phrase | have been feeling |
The Four Verb Types
So, you now know the answer to the question, "What is a verb?" (It's a word that expresses an action or a state of being!)
You also know that there are three categories of verbs (action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs).
For the next little while, we are going to focus on main verbs. So, forget about those poor little helping verbs for a bit, and let's turn our attention to action verbs and linking verbs.
These two kinds of main verbs can act in four different ways.
| Transitive Active John kicked the ball. |
Intransitive Complete The ball rolled. |
| Transitive Passive The ball was kicked. |
Intransitive Linking John felt happy. |
1. Intransitive Complete Verbs
These guys are action verbs, so we know that they show action.This type of verb does not transfer its action to anyone or anything. These verbs make sense without having to transfer action anywhere.
2. Transitive Active Verbs
These action verbs transfer their action to someone or something.That means that something or someone is always being acted upon. In our example sentence, Jen is receiving the action kicked - even though she probably doesn't want to be receiving it.
The receiver of the action in this kind of verb is called the direct object. In our example sentence, Jen is the direct object.
Every single transitive active sentence must have a direct object, and the direct object always receives the action.
Milk is receiving the action of drink. It is what cats drink. It is the direct object.
Noise is receiving the action of make. It is what clocks make. It is the direct object.
Ticket is receiving the action of lost. It is what I lost. It is the direct object.
These verbs are written in the active voice.
3. Transitive Passive Verbs
These verbs also show action, and they also transfer their action to a receiver.In transitive active verbs, the receiver was the direct object. In transitive passive verbs, the receiver of the action is the subject!
Who is receiving the action in those sentences?
John received the action of kick and house received the action of demolished. John and house are the subjects of those sentences.
Notice that we may not actually know who initiated the action. (Who kicked John?) Sometimes we find this out in a prepositional phrase.
These verbs are written in the passive voice.
4. Intransitive Linking
Linking verbs differ from the three other verb types because they are the only verb type that does not express any action.
What do linking verbs do? It's pretty simple. Linking verbs tell us about the state or condition of the subject.
They link the subject of a sentence with either a noun that renames the subject or an adjective that describes the subject.
Nouns that rename the subject are called predicate nouns. Adjectives that describe the subject are called predicate adjectives.
Milk tastes delicious. Clocks are helpful. I am the bus driver!
It may help you to think of linking verbs as an equal sign between the subject and a predicate noun or a predicate adjective.
Am is linking the subject I with the predicate noun teacher. Is is linking the subject soup with the predicate adjective salty.
What do linking verbs do? It's pretty simple. Linking verbs tell us about the state or condition of the subject.
They link the subject of a sentence with either a noun that renames the subject or an adjective that describes the subject.
Nouns that rename the subject are called predicate nouns. Adjectives that describe the subject are called predicate adjectives.
It may help you to think of linking verbs as an equal sign between the subject and a predicate noun or a predicate adjective.
| I am a teacher. | I = teacher |
| The soup is salty. | soup = salty |
Am is linking the subject I with the predicate noun teacher. Is is linking the subject soup with the predicate adjective salty.
Verb Tense Overview with Examples
| Simple Present | Simple Past | Simple Future |
| I study English every day. | Two years ago, I studied English in England. | If you are having problems, I will help you study English. I am going to study English next year. |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | Future Continuous |
| I am studying English now. | I was studying English when you called yesterday. | I will be studying English when you arrive tonight. I am going to be studying English when you arrive tonight. |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | Future Perfect |
| I have studied English in several different countries. | I had studied a little English before I moved to the U.S. | I will have studied every tense by the time I finish this course. I am going to have studied every tense by the time I finish this course. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Past Perfect Continuous | Future Perfect Continuous |
| I have been studying English for five years. | I had been studying English for five years before I moved to the U.S. | I will have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive. I am going to have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive. |
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