Verbs

What are Verbs? The verb is king in English. The shortest sentence contains a verb. You can make a one-word sentence with a verb, for example: "Stop!" You cannot make a one-word sentence with any other type of word. Verbs are sometimes described as "action words". This is partly true. Many verbs give the idea of action, of "doing" something. For example, words like run, fight, do and work all convey action. But some verbs do not give the idea of action; they give the idea of existence, of state, of "being". For example, verbs like be, exist, seem and belong all convey state. A verb always has a subject. (In the sentence "John speaks English", John is the subject and speaks is the verb.) In simple terms, therefore, we can say that verbs are words that tell us what a subject does or is; they describe:

action (Ram plays football.) state (Anthony seems kind.)

There is something very special about verbs in English. Most other words (adjectives, adverbs, prepositions etc) do not change in form (although nouns can have singular and plural forms). But almost all verbs change in form. For example, the verb to work has five forms:

to work, work, works, worked, working

Verb Classification
We divide verbs into two broad classifications: 1. Helping Verbs Imagine that a stranger walks into your room and says:

I can. People must. The Earth will.

2. Main Verbs Now imagine that the same stranger walks into your room and says:

I teach. People eat. The Earth rotates.

In the following table we see example sentences with helping verbs and main verbs. Notice that all of these sentences have a main verb. Only some of them have a helping verb. helping verb John You They The children We I are must do not main verb likes lied are playing. go want now. any. coffee. to me. happy.

Verb Classification Quiz

2 The mail arrived after I left. (transitive / intransitive) 3 I have already done my homework. (regular / irregular) 4 That book you recommended sounds interesting. (linking / transitive)

5 I prefer cream rather than milk. (dynamic / stative) 6 Jerry studies for three hours every day. (helping / main) 7 We looked at all of the art in the museum. (regular / irregular)

8 Would you take a picture for us? (transitive / intransitive) 9 I don't want to fight about who gets the car. (dynamic / stative)

1 She seemed like an interesting person. (stative / active) 0

Forms of Main Verbs

infiniti ve

bas e

past present past participl participl simple e e

regula (to) r work irregu lar (to) sing (to) make (to) cut

wor k

worked worked

working

sing sang mak made e cut cut

sung made cut

singing making cutting

sings makes cuts

(to) do* do (to) hav have* e infiniti ve bas e

did had

done had

doing having

does has present simple

past past present simple participl participl e e

(to) be* be

was, were

been

being

am, are, is

In the above examples:

to cut has 4 forms: to cut, cut, cutting, cuts to work has 5 forms: to work, work, worked, working, works to sing has 6 forms: to sing, sing, sang, sung, singing, sings to be has 9 forms: to be, be, was, were, been, being, am, is, are

The infinitive can be with or without to. For example, to sing and sing are both infinitives. We often call the infinitive without to the "bare infinitive". Example Sentences These example sentences use main verbs in different forms. Infinitive

I want to work He has to sing. This exercise is easy to do. Let him have one. To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Base - Imperative

Work well! Make this.

Have a nice day. Be quiet!

Base - Present simple (except 3rd person singular)

I work in London. You sing well. They have a lot of money.

Base - After modal auxiliary verbs

I can work tomorrow. You must sing louder. They might do it. You could be right.

Past simple

I worked yesterday. She cut his hair last week. They had a good time. They were surprised, but I was not.

Past participle

I have worked here for five years. He needs a folder made of plastic.

It is done like this. I have never been so happy.

Present participle

I am working. Singing well is not easy. Having finished, he went home. You are being silly!

3rd person singular, present simple

He works in London. She sings well. She has a lot of money. It is Vietnamese.

Main Verb Forms Quiz

Baking cookies is very easy. (base / past participle / present participle) A bird sang to me this morning. (3rd sing. pres. / past simple / past participle) I want to be a fireman when I finish school. (base / infinitive / present simple) Have anything you like, except the champagne. (pres. Participle / 3rd sing. pres. / base) We might not finish our work on time. ( pres. participle / base / 3rd past simple) I asked for your brother to go to the store for me. (infinitive / past simple / past participle) It is a sunny day today. (past simple / 3rd sing. pres. / past participle) We are in the kitchen doing the dishes. (present simple / present participle / base)

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

The dogs were fed an hour ago. (3rd sing. pres. / past simple / past participle) walks to my car with me at night. (pres. participle / 3rd sing. pres. / base)

10. He

Forms of Helping Verbs

Primary helping verbs, used mainly to change the tense or voice of the main verb, and in making questions and negatives. Modal helping verbs, used to change the "mood" of the main verb.

* Sometimes we make a sentence that has a helping verb and seems to have no main verb. In fact, the main verb is "understood". Look at the following examples:

Question: Can you speak English? (The main verb speak is "expressed".) Answer: Yes, I can. (The main verb speak is not expressed. It is "understood" from the context. We understand: Yes, I can speak English.

But if somebody walked into the room and said "Hello. I can", we would understand nothing!

Helping Verbs Primary do be have (to make simple tenses, and questions and negatives) (to make continuous tenses, and the passive voice) (to make perfect tenses) Modal can may will shall must ought (to) "Do", "be" and "have" as helping verbs have exactly the same forms as when they are main Modal helping verbs are invariable. verbs (except that as helping verbs they are They always have the same form. never used in infinitive forms). Primary helping verbs are followed by the main verb in a particular form:

could might would should

do + V1 (base verb)

"Ought" is followed by the main verb in infinitive form. Other modal helping verbs are followed by the main verb in its base form (V1).

be + -ing (present participle) have + V3 (past participle)

ought + to... (infinitive) other modals + V1 (base verb)

"Do", "be" and "have" can also function as main verbs.

Modal helping verbs cannot function as main verbs.

Helping verbs are also called "auxiliary verbs".