VERB
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. In fact, without a verb, full
thoughts can’t be properly conveyed, and even the simplest sentences, such
as Maria sings, have one. Actually, a verb
can be a sentence by itself, with the subject, in most case you, implied, such
as, Sing! and Drive!
When learning the rules of grammar, schoolchildren are often taught that
verbs are ‘doing’ words, meaning they signify the part of the sentence which
explains the action taking place: He ran away,
she eats chocolate cake on Sundays, the horses gallop across
the fields. Ran, eats and gallop are
the ‘action’ parts of those sentences, thus they are the verbs. However, it can
be confusing because not all verbs are easily identifiable as action: I know your
name, Jack thought about it, we considered several
applications. These are non-action verbs, i.e. those that describe a state
of being, emotion, possession, sense or opinion. Other non-action verbs include
include love, agree, feel, am, and have.
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 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.
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 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.
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
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
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.
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
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.