Verbs
What is a verb?
A verb is one of the main parts of a sentence or question in English.
In fact, you can’t have a sentence or a question without a verb! That’s how important these
“action” parts of speech are.
The verb signals an action, an occurrence, or a state of being. Whether mental, physical, or
mechanical, verbs always express activity.
Physical Verbs – Definition and Examples
Physical verbs are action verbs. They describe specific physical actions. If you can create a
motion with your body or use a tool to complete an action, the word you use to describe it is
most likely a physical verb.
Physical Verb Examples
The physical verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
• Let’s run to the corner and back.
• I hear the train coming.
• Call me when you’re finished with class.
Mental Verbs – Definition and Examples
Mental verbs have meanings that are related to concepts such as discovering, understanding,
thinking, or planning. In general, a mental verb refers to a cognitive state.
Mental Verb Examples
The mental verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
• I know the answer.
• She recognized me from across the room.
• Do you believe everything people tell you?
States of Being Verbs – Definition and Examples
Also known as linking verbs, state of being verbs describe conditions or situations that exist.
State of being verbs are inactive since no action is being performed. These verbs are usually
complemented by adjectives.
States of Being Verb Examples
The state of being verbs in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
• I am a student.
• We are circus performers.
• Please is quiet.
Types of Verbs
How many types of verbs are there? 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 by function.
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List of all Verb Types
Action Verbs
Action verbs express specific actions, and are used any time you want to show action or
discuss someone doing something.
Action Verbs are verbs that express action. Ex: run, walk, do, drive.
I’ll do my homework when I get home.
Transitive Verbs
Transitive verbs are action verbs that always express doable activities. These verbs always
have direct objects, meaning someone or something receives the action of the verb.
Intransitive Verbs
Intransitive verbs are action verbs that always express doable activities. No direct object
follows an intransitive verb.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Examples
Most action verbs are defined as transitive or intransitive. This means that some are used
with a direct object (the person or thing that receives the action of the subject) and others
don’t need a direct object. Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive depending on
their meaning.
• Transitive Verb – Joe will send the price quote as soon as he can.
• Intransitive Verb – Many of the students are not well. They coughed throughout the
lesson.
Auxiliary Verbs
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.
Auxiliary (or Helping) Verbs
Auxiliary (or Helping) verbs are used together with a main verb to show the verb’s tense or
to form a negative or question. The most common auxiliary verbs are have, be, and do.
• Does Sam write all his own reports?
• The secretaries haven’t written all the letters yet.
Terry is writing an e-mail to a client at the moment.
Stative Verbs
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.
Stative verbs are verbs that express a state rather than an action. They usually relate to
thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, states of being and measurements. These verbs are
not usually used with ing in progressive (continuous) tenses even though they may take on
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time expressions such as now and at the moment. We use the simple tenses for them.
• Paul feels rotten today. He has a bad cold.
• Do you recognize him? He is a famous rock star.
• Our client appreciated all the work we did for him.
Modal Verbs
Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are used to express abilities, possibilities, permissions,
and obligations.
Modal and Modal Phrases (Semi-Modals)
A modal is a type of auxiliary (helping) verb that is used to express: ability, possibility,
permission or obligation. Modal phrases (or semi-modals) are used to express the same
things as modals, but are a combination of auxiliary verbs and the preposition to. The
modals and semi-modals in English are:
• Can/could/be able to
• May/might
• Shall/should
• Must/have to
• Will/would
Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs aren’t single words; instead, they are combinations of words that are used
together to take on a different meaning to that of the original verb.
Phrasal Verbs
What are Phrasal Verbs?
A phrasal verb is a combination of words (a verb + a preposition or verb +adverb) that
when used together, usually take on a different meaning to that of the original verb.
Phrasal Verb Examples
• break down, check in, tear up
When we use phrasal verbs, we use them like normal verbs in a sentence, regardless if it’s a
regular or irregular verb.
1 Ella tore up the letter after she read it.
2 Their car broke down two miles out of town.
3 Did the manager deal with that customer’s complaint.
More phrasal verb examples:
1 Be sure to put on a life jacket before getting into the boat.
2 We left out the trash for pickup.
3 It’s time to get on the plane.
4 What will she think up next?
5 I’m having some trouble working out the solution to this equation.
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6 We’re going to have to put off our vacation until next year.
7 Stand up when speaking in class, please.
8 We’ll have to wake up early if we want breakfast.
9 Take off your shoes before you walk on the carpet.
My dog likes to break out of his kennel to chase squirrels.
Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are those that don’t take on the regular spelling patterns of past simple and
past participle verbs.
Irregular verbs are verbs that don’t take on the regular –d, -ed, or -ied spelling patterns of
the past simple (V2) or past participle (V3). Many of the irregular V2 and V3 forms are the
same, such as: cut – cut, had – had, let – let, hurt – hurt, fed- fed, sold-sold.
Irregular Verb Examples
Irregular verbs are also known as strong verbs. Here are nine that are used more often than
the rest. These nine irregular verb examples also happen to be among the most commonly
used words in the English language. They are:
• Go
• Get
• Say
• See
• Think
• Make
• Take
• Come
• Know
The following list of examples show how irregular verbs are used in sentences. Some
sentences contain more than one example.
• Go get your brother. It’s time to eat dinner. → In this example, all three irregular verbs (go,
get, and eat) are in base form.
• I want to build a sand castle like the one we built last year. → In this example, the irregular
verb build is in base form. The irregular verb built is the past simple form of “build”.
When you look at the complete list of examples, you’ll notice that built is also the
past participle of the irregular verb “build”.
• He bet me that I couldn’t run five miles without stopping. I proved him wrong; I ran seven miles before I
had to catch my breath. → In this example, bet is a past simple form. When you look
at the complete list, you will see that all three forms of “bet” are the same. Next, in
the same sentence, the irregular verb run is in base form. In the next sentence, ran is
the past simple form of “run” and had is the past simple form of “have.” Meanwhile,
catch is base form.
• I awoke to find that a spider had bitten me. Although the wound didn’t bleed, it itched terribly. →
In this example, the irregular verb awoke is the past simple form of “awake.” Bitten
is past participle form of “bite” and bleed is base form.
Let’s drink some of this lemonade. I drank some yesterday and found it delicious. → In this example,
the irregular verb drink is in base form. Drank is the past simple form of “drink,” and found
is the past simple form of “find.”
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