What Are Verbs In English? Definition, Types, Usage, & Examples


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What Are Verbs in English Grammar?

A verb is a word that describes an action (e.g., bring, read, walk, run, learn) or state (e.g., be, seem, appear, look, feel ). Verbs are essential to constructing meaningful sentences in the English language and they help to express the relationships between the subject and the rest of the sentence.

Types of Verbs:

Types of Verbs in English

There are three types of verbs in English: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.

1. Action Verbs:

Verbs that describe an action that is done by the subject (e.g., run, jump, swim, and walk.)

Examples:

  • She ran as fast as she could.
  • The kids are jumping over the table.
  • Swim or sink; the choice is yours.
  • Nadia walks to school every day.

2. Linking Verbs:

Verbs that link the subject of a sentence to a subject complement (e.g., be, seem, and become.)

Examples:

  • It is incredible.
  • It seems big.
  • Dali was a famous artist.
  • Alan will become a great footballer.
  • James feels a bit sad.

3. Helping Verbs:

Verbs that help to form verb tenses, such as do, have, and will

Examples:

  • I have finished.
  • Do you like Chocolate?
  • I will call you.

Verbs can be either:

  • In the infinitive form
  • Or in a conjugated form.

The Infinitive

The basic form of verbs in English is the infinitive form. The infinitive may be written with "to" or without it. In the latter case, it is called the bare infinitive.

Examples:

  • Infinitive with "to": to run, to play, to go, to watch, etc.
  • Bare infinitive; run, play, go, watch, etc.

Verb Tenses

Sentences in English have a main verb which is stated in a tense (e.g., present, past, future.) These tenses are reflected in the way verbs are inflected.

Inflections

Verbs are inflected -modified in their forms - when conjugated. For example, verbs take "s", "ed" or "ing" in some of their forms, depending on the tense and the subject-verb agreement.

Agreement

In English, a verb may agree with the person and number of its subject. For example, verbs take "s" in the third person singular of the simple present:

Bare Infinitive Third Person Singular
play he; she, it plays
work he, she, it works

Transitive or intransitive verbs

Verbs can be classified according to whether they are transitive or intransitive verbs:

Intransitive:

An intransitive verb does not require an object. For example:

  • He runs.
  • It falls.

Transitive:

A transitive verb requires an object.

For example:

  • She speaks English
  • We visited him.

How to identify verbs in a sentence

Verbs can be easily identified by their location in the sentence and the role or function they have in that sentence.

Location:

Generally, verbs come after a noun or a pronoun which functions as the subject of the verb.

Example:

  • They watch TV in the evening. → "watch" is the main verb. It comes after the subject pronoun "they."
  • John creates beautiful designs. → "creates" is the main verb. It comes after the proper noun "John."

The function of the verb

The function or role of the verb in the sentence can also help to identify verbs. Verbs help to communicate an action or a state.

So, in a sentence like "Nancy drives to work", one may ask what the subject of the sentence (Nancy) does. Which word describes something that Nancy does? The obvious answer is the word "drives."

Common mistakes in using verbs

Here are some examples of the common mistakes related to verbs in English grammar:

1. Improper verb tense:

  • Incorrect: Yesterday, I eats breakfast at 8 am. Correct: Yesterday, I ate breakfast at 8 am.
  • Incorrect: She will go to the gym tomorrow morning but yesterday she went for a jog. Correct: She will go to the gym tomorrow morning but yesterday she went for a jog.

2. Inconsistent verb conjugation:

  • Incorrect: He run to the store and buys some milk.
  • Correct: He runs to the store and buys some milk.
  • Incorrect: The cat was meowing all night and still not stopping.
  • Correct: The cat was meowing all night and still has not stopped.

3. Improper use of helping verbs:

  • Incorrect: She can sang beautifully at the concert last night. Correct: She sang beautifully at the concert last night.
  • Incorrect: I will had finished the project by tomorrow. Correct: I will have finished the project by tomorrow.

4. Using passive voice instead of active voice:

  • Misuse of the passive voice: The cake was eaten by me.
  • Correct (active): I ate the cake.
  • Misuse of the passive voice: The ball was hit by John.
  • Correct (active): John hit the ball.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding verbs and their usage is critical in constructing meaningful and grammatically correct sentences in the English language. By mastering the different types of verbs, their forms and tenses, and avoiding common mistakes, you can improve your overall writing and speaking skills.

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