English Grammar By Regularjobalert.com
What is Verb?
Verbs in English Grammar
In the English language or any language for that matter, verbs happen to be a very essential part of speech, without which, it would be impossible to indicate what the subject is doing. It refers to all actions, including those related to feelings and emotions. Verbs come in different types and forms so that they can perform differently in order to provide complete meaning. Before we look into the types of verbs and the verb forms, let us look at how various dictionaries define the term ‘verb’.
Definition of a Verb
The Oxford Learners’ Dictionary defines a ‘verb’ as “a word or group of words that express an action (such as eat), an event (such as happen) or a state (such as exist)”. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a ‘verb’ is defined as “a word or phrase that describes an action, condition, or experience”. The Collins Dictionary provides a much more elaborate definition of a verb. According to them, “A verb is a word such as ‘ sing’, ‘ feel’, or ‘ die’ which is used with a subject to say what someone or something does or what happens to them, or to give information about them”.
Verbs Referring to Actions
Verbs referring to action are those that involve the movement of one’s body in one way or the other. Some examples of verbs referring to actions are as follows:
- play
- Run
- Drink
- Sit
- Read
- Write
- Jog
- Cough
- Sleep
- Jump
- Sing
- Drink
- Teach
Verbs Referring to Experiences or Feelings
These are verbs that refer to something that you can feel or experience and does not necessarily involve a movement of any kind. Some examples of verbs referring to feelings and experiences are as follows:
- Love
- Hate
- Envy
- Believe
- Trust
- Feel
- Entrust
- Experience
- Care
- Cherish
- Sense
Verbs Referring to a State or Condition
These verbs are those that refer to situations or the state of being. All forms of ‘to be’ verbs belong to this category. Some examples of verbs referring to a state or condition are as follows:
- Am
- Is
- Are
- Was
- Were
- Have
- Has
- Will be
- Appear
- Seem
- Become
- Been
The Various Types of Verbs with Examples
Verbs can be classified into numerous types according to their function or role in a sentence or context. Let us look into the various types of verbs and some examples of each type of verb.
Auxiliary Verbs/Helping Verbs
Auxiliary verbs or helping verbs, as the name suggests, is a verb that is used to help another verb sound sensible and meaningful. It is used to change the other verb’s tense, mood or voice. So, every time an auxiliary verb is used, you always have one more verb, which acts as the main verb in a sentence.
Examples of auxiliary verbs are as follows:
- Am
- Is
- Are
- Was
- Were
- Have
- Has
- Do
- Will
- Can
Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are those verbs that are used to denote the possibility, probability, capability or necessity of something happening. Modal verbs, unlike other auxiliary verbs, cannot be used as a main verb in a sentence.
Examples of modal verbs are as follows:
- Can
- Could
- Will
- Would
- May
- Might
- Should
- Must
- Ought to
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs include phrases that are formed by combining two or more parts of speech that performs the same function as a verb in a sentence. In most cases, a phrasal verb results from a combination of a verb and a preposition.
Some examples of phrasal verbs are as follows:
- Go by
- Lay off
- Log in
- Get off
- Run out
- Go all out
- Think through
- Fed up
- Taken aback
- Act on
- Back away
- Back up
- Look up
- Mix up
- Opt out
Linking Verbs
A linking verb, just like the name suggests, is a type of verb that is used to link the subjects in a sentence to the other parts of the sentence so that it is meaningful. It connects the subject to the object, an adjective and even a prepositional phrase. All ‘to be’ forms of verbs and verbs like seem and become can act as linking verbs.
Have a look at the following examples to understand how verbs perform the role of a linking verb in sentences.
Example 1: Connecting Nouns to Other Nouns in a Sentence
Danny is my brother.
In the above example, the verb ‘is’ is used to connect the subject ‘Danny’ as the ‘brother’ of the speaker. In this sentence, the words ‘Danny’ and ‘brother’ are used to refer to the same person.
Example 2: Connecting a Noun to a Prepositional Phrase in a Sentence
The children were in the park.
In Example 2, the verb ‘were’ is used to connect the subject ‘the children’ to the prepositional phrase ‘in the park’.
Example 3: Connecting a Noun/Subject to an Adjective
Your presentation of the life cycle of the silkworm was excellent.
In the above example, the verb ‘was’ is used to link the subject ‘Your presentation of the life cycle of a silkworm’ to the adjective ‘excellent’.
Example 4: Connecting the Subject/Noun to the Predicate using Seem/Become
This book on a treasure hunt seems interesting.
In this sentence, the subject ‘This book on a treasure hunt’ is connected to the adjective ‘interesting’ with the linking verb ‘seem’.
The students became bored after two continuous hours of classes and were not ready to take another hour of class without a break in between.
In the above sentence, the subject ‘The students’ has been linked to the rest of the sentence with the linking verb ‘became’.