So, today’s topic is VERB or Action Words. This is easy as well as complex. Simple because this is very easy to understand. And complex because its application is a little confusing sometimes.
But after reading this article, the concept of verbs will be a simple affair for you, and you will feel that your knowledge and your fluency in speaking English will improve.
- What do you mean by the term verb?
- Definition and meaning of verb/what does verb mean?
- Verb concept understanding, along with examples of verbs.
- Different types of verbs?
At the end of this article, you will be going to understand the full concept of verbs and their applications.
What is a verb with examples?
A verb is a word in a sentence that tells us what the subject is doing or what the subject is doing. It represents the action and state of the subject in the sentence if used appropriately.
It is also known as the ‘Action word’ nowadays. It is very easy to understand this. For example:
- When You write: It is an action
- I am going to school: It is an action
- When You walk: It is an action
- When You talk: It is an action.
So, whatsoever you, me, or anyone is doing something. It became an action.
Now, you have understood ‘What is a verb’. Now, let us move toward the ‘Definition and meaning of the verb’.
Definition and meaning of verb/what does verb mean?
A verb is any word or group of words with a specific meaning indicating some form of action, condition, or state of being. We can easily identify the verb in the sentence. That is why it is known as the king of English sentences.
The verb is a must in any sentence. It should be present in the smallest of phrases. Like if, we say, “RUN!”, “EAT”. One important thing to remember is that Verbs are the only ones that change their form.
Verb concept understanding along with examples of verbs.
- Ram eats food.
- He runs every morning.
- I have 4 pencils.
- Ram seems sad.
- Jasmine likes apples.
- Shiva paid for lunch yesterday.
- Rahul took a splendid catch.
- I quit the band last semester.
- I read a novel.
- She loves riding horses.
Types of verbs
In this section, we will be going to understand a variety of verbs. In addition, we will take simple examples to grasp the knowledge of it fully. You can also call it “different types of verbs”. There are primarily two types of verbs.
- Main verb
- Helping Verb
1. Main verb:
What is the main verb? What do you mean by the main verb? Definition and meaning of the main verb:
The main verb is the action word in a sentence. When combined with the subject, it is the word that makes the complete thought. It is the word that describes the action of the subject. Any sentence is incomplete without it. For example:
- Ram is running in the streets.
- Sita drinks milk every day.
- Police caught Mohan.
- He is going to school.
- The cat was catching a mouse.
2. Helping verb:
What is a helping verb? What do you mean by a helping verb? Definition and Meaning of a helping verb:
A helping verb is used to help the main verb while completing the sentence. The helping verb is also named an auxiliary verb. The helping verb has no meaning of its own if used in solitude. The helping verb is of 16 types divided into two segments, i.e.
Primary and Modals.
1. Primary – Be, Do, Have.
The following are the Verbs that come under Primary Auxiliaries:
Verb “to be” = is, are, am, was and were
Verb “to do” = do, does and did
Verb “to have” = have, has and had
There is a small catch in the primary helping verb that it can be used as the main verb in exceptional circumstances.
That is, in any sentence in which the main verb is not there, the helping verb is called the main verb in that sentence. Or we can also say that in such a situation the helping verb is treated as the main verb.
For example:
- I have done that. (helping verb)
- I have four pencils. (main verb)
A few examples of the helping verb are:
- Monica can write a romantic story in an hour.
- I wish I could eat pizza.
- I may call him over dinner.
- I might have slept early yesterday.
- I will go to Manali this season.
Some examples of auxiliary or helping verbs are as follows:
- Am
- Is
- Are
- Was
- Were
- Have
- Has
- Do
- Will
- Can
2. Modals: A small group of auxiliary verbs, called modal verbs, are used only in conjunction with common verbs. An adverbial verb can change the meaning of another verb from a simple fact to a possibility. Modal is used to express permission, ability, predicament, possibility, or need.
Some modals verbs are: Can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must, ought to, need, dare, and used to.
| Modal Auxiliary | Modal Auxiliary + Main Verb |
|---|---|
| can | I can lift this heavy weight box. (ability) |
| could | I could beat you in cricket when we were kids. (past ability) |
| may | I may attend the marriage function. (uncertain future action) |
| might | I might attend the marriage function (uncertain future action—same as may) |
| shall | I shall go to the market. (intended future action) |
| should | I should mail my team. (obligation, same as ought to) |
| will | I will get the best prize in this class. (intended future action) |
| would | I would like the steak, please. (preference) |
| must | We must be on time for class. |
| ought to | I ought to mail my team. (obligation, same as may) |
As we know a verb changes its form according to time and tense. Here are forms of all modal verbs:
| Affirmative | Negative | Contracted forms |
|---|---|---|
| can | cannot | can’t |
| could | could not | couldn’t |
| may | may not | — |
| might | might not | — |
| ought to | ought not to | oughtn’t to |
| need | need not | needn’t |
| shall | shall not | shan’t |
| should | should not | shouldn’t |
| will | will not | won’t |
| would | would not | wouldn’t |
However, English grammar’s influence also diversified the verb types into eight distinctions.
- Regular verb
- Irregular verb
- Finite verb
- Infinite verb
- Linking verb
- Transitive verb
- Intransitive verb
- Helping verb
Regular Verb:
What is a Regular verb, what do you mean by Regular verb? Definition and Meaning of a Regular verb:
Any word whose past tense form is made by adding the suffix “-ed” at the end is known as a regular verb. For example, there are many words like ‘drop’, ‘walk’, ‘call’, etc., which made its past tense form by adding the “-ed” end, namely, ‘dropped’, ‘called’, and ‘walked’. For example:
- Mary walked to school.
- Hari climbed the fence wall.
- He dropped his fruits on the road.
- Manish called his parents.
- Shyam begged for mercy.
- Jack wanted a new mobile.
Some more examples of regular verbs are:
| Main form | V2 (2nd form) | V3 (3rd form) |
|---|---|---|
| Walk | Walked | Walked |
| Talk | Talked | Talked |
| Clean | Cleaned | Cleaned |
| Choke | Choked | Choked |
| Grate | Grated | Grated |
| Book | Booked | Booked |
| Ban | Banned | Banned |
| Amuse | Amused | Amused |
| Answer | Answered | Answered |
| Accept | Accepted | Accepted |
Irregular Verb:
What is an Irregular verb, what do you mean by an Irregular verb? Definition and meaning of an Irregular verb:
Any word in the sentence which does not follow the simple rule of grammar while transforming to its past forms. It is the word whose past tense form is not made by adding the suffix “-ed” at the end, which is known as an irregular verb.
For example, there are many words like ‘catch’, ‘buy’, ‘speak’, etc. which made its past tense form by not adding “-ed” at the end, but is a completely new word, namely, ‘caught’, ‘bought’, ‘spoke’.
For example:
- Rakesh was caught stealing shoes.
- Harish bought apples.
- He spoke to his teacher yesterday.
- Justin broke his cycle.
- Shyam rang late at night.
- He was bitten by a dog.
Some more examples of irregular words are:
| Main form Present | V2 (2nd form) Past | V3 (3rd form) Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| Shut | Shut | Shut |
| Drink | Drank | Drunk |
| Break | Broke | Broken |
| Beat | Beat | Beaten |
| Become | Became | Become |
| Bid | Bid | Bid |
| Drive | Drove | Driven |
| Has/Have | Had | Had |
| Know | Knew | Known |
| Rise | Rose | Risen |
Finite Verb:
What is a finite verb, what do you mean by the finite verb? Definition, and Meaning of a finite verb:
It is also known as a lexical verb. The finite verb shows action or state. It is the main verb in any sentence. It is the basic or root word that guides the whole of the sentence to a specific meaning.
The point to remember is that there are thousands of finite verbs. These have their meaning by themselves. For example, there are many words like ‘swim’, ‘look’, ‘work’, etc. that are considered finite verbs. For example:
- Raj swims two times a week.
- I baked a chocolate cake yesterday.
- Miss. Komal is a teacher.
- We had a biology session last Friday.
- Her dance crew worked quite late the day before yesterday.
- Parul wrote a book.
Infinite Verb:
What is an Infinite verb, what do you mean by Infinite verb? Definition and Meaning of an Infinite verb:
It is also known as a non-finite verb. It is the ultimate base form of the verb. The special thing about an infinite verb is that it uses” to” behind the verb. This verb specifically presents the actions as a concept or an idea.
For example:
- My mother promised to hold the rickshaw for me.
- She asked to have another chapati.
- Ram hopes to buy new shoes for Rs 5000.
- I want to be a doctor.
- Try to play with a focused mind.
Linking verb:
What is a linking verb, what do you mean by linking verb? Definition and Meaning of a linking verb:
Linking verbs are words that describe the subject and do not focus on any action. Linking verbs hold an important position in the English language.
For example, “be” is a linking verb because it links the subject with the sentence. The linking verb explains the subject’s state and gives details about it. Like ‘smell’, ‘look’, ‘sound’, and ‘feel’ can be used as linking verbs to describe the subject in a detailed manner.
In other words, The verb that connects the subject of a sentence with its complement is called a linking verb. Is, am, are, was, were, etc. are also linking verbs.
For example:
- Lunch smells delicious.
- She seems confident today.
- The fabric of this bed sheet feels very soft
- His schedule seems busy today.
- The boys sounded excited about the trip.
- The boy is brave.
- I am a student.
Transitive verb:
What is a transitive verb, what do you mean by the transitive verb? Definition and Meaning of a transitive verb:
In any sentence, a transitive verb deals with one or more objects (either direct or indirect) in the action. Simply, they are action words that require an object to form a complete sentence. A sentence having a transitive verb will not make any sense if used without an object.
For example:
- Karan kicked the football.
- Please bring coffee.
- I caught the ball.
- I am singing a song.
- He is getting paid for the work he has done.
Intransitive verb:
What is an intransitive verb, what do you mean by the intransitive verb? Definition and Meaning of an intransitive verb:
An intransitive verb does not require any object to complete the sentence. It indicates a complete action in itself. This means there’s no word in the sentence that tells, “who” or “what” received the action of the verb. For example:
- I coughed all night.
- She fell over.
- Rajesh snores all night.
- He walks for miles.
- He works all day.
Till here, we have discussed the types of verbs that we have to use in formal and informal speech. Now, Let’s learn about the unique features of the verb.
Verb forms
The verb is the only part of speech that changes itself according to the subject as well as according to the time. Let’s learn more about this.
Verbs change depending on the subject.
For example:
- I am a singer. (Subject is first person)
- You are a singer. (A subject is a second person)
- She is a singer. (A subject is a third person)
Verbs change depending on the time of speech.
For example:
- She comes here regularly. (Time is present tense)
- She came here yesterday. (Time is past tense)
- She will come tomorrow. (Time is future tense)
It shows that verbs have different forms in which they are used in sentences. Let us learn about it. It has three primary forms according to the tense. Namely, base form, Present form, past form, and past participle form. It has two more forms: third-person singular form and present participle form.
For example:
| Base Form (V1) | Past Form(V2) | Past participle Form (V3) | Singular Form(V4) | Present Participle Form(V5) |
| Sing | Sang | Sung | Sings | Singing |
| Eat | Ate | Eaten | Eats | Eating |
| Buy | Bought | Bought | Buys | Buying |
| Choose | Chose | Chosen | Chooses | Choosing |
Root Verb:
The root verb is the verb in its raw or original form, as it first appeared in the English language, without any inflections or conjugations. Some examples of root verbs are as follows:
- Go
- Eat
- Write
- Run
- Think
- Fly
- Type
Simple Present: 3rd person singular:
Most of the time, the verb in the singular form is the third-person present tense form of the verb. The verb is singular when the third person singular pronouns, such as he, she, and it, are used, as well as the nouns that can be replaced by the third person singular pronouns, usually by simply adding an “s” to the root verb. This ensures that the verb agrees with the subject of the sentence.
Example:
- Brack likes to have mangoes after every meal. ((The noun ‘Brack’ can be substituted with the third person singular pronoun ‘he’)
- The Dog chases every rat it catches sight of. (The noun ‘The Dog’ can be substituted with the third person singular pronoun ‘it’)
Present Participle:
The present participle is used in the continuous form of tenses to represent an action that is ongoing or in progress at that time, or at some moment in the past or future. These words are created simply by adding ‘ing’ to the original verb. In most situations, the present participle of a verb ending in an ‘e’ is produced by deleting the ‘e’ and then adding ‘ing’ to the remaining section of the verb.
Examples:
- Jack is watching a movie along with her cousin. (Present Continuous Tense)
- My sister is baking cakes (Present Continuous Tense)
- All my brothers and sisters were playing dodgeball in the evening. (Past Continuous Tense)
Simple Past Tense:
When the root verb is used to denote the simple past tense form of the verb, the spelling changes. There is no single rule for writing a verb in the simple past tense; it varies per verb – some verbs, like as ‘give’ and ‘bring,’ adopt a different spelling, while others, such as ‘cut’ and ‘place,’ keep the same when used in the past tense. Most verbs, however, can be converted to the past tense by adding a ‘ed’ at the end of the root verb.
Examples:
- The doctor asked me to take tablets for five days every night. (The root verb here is ‘ask’ and it’s changed to asked to make simple past.)
- Brack bought the car he checked out last Sunday. (The root verbs here are ‘buy’ and ‘check’ and it’s changed to “bought” and “checked”)
- The baby drank the water completely. (The root verb here is ‘drink’ and it’s changed to “drank”)
Past Participle Form:
In a sentence, the past participle form of the verb is used to express the perfect tense forms. In certain cases, the past tense and past participle are the same, although some verbs have different spellings when used as a simple past tense verb and a past participle.
Examples:
- I have searched for the best solution for the question, but I did not find it. (The root verb here is ‘search’, ‘have searched’ is the verb in the sentence that indicates the perfect tense, and ‘searched’ is the past participle)
- Mark had read the book already. (The root verb here is “read” but here as you can see past participle form is remain the same as “read”. and “had read” is the verb In the sentence that indicates perfect tense)
So, here is the end of the topic. I hope that you have understood the subject very well. And I hope that you like it. Do share your feedback in the comments section. Visit our website for more knowledgeable stuff.
Conclusion
Verbs are an important part of speech for kids to learn. without verbs any sentence is incomplete. There are different types of verbs that kids should be familiar with: Main verb, Auxiliary verb also known as helping verb, regular verb, irregular verb, finite and infinite verb, linking verb, transitive verb, and intransitive verb, etc. With practice and examples like those provided in this article, kids will have no trouble identifying the different types of verbs in sentences.
In this article, I have tried to give you all the important information about the verb. like what is a verb, types of verbs with definitions and examples, definitions of verbs in English grammar etc.
In the end, I would like to tell you that if you liked this article about verbs in English grammar, what is verb, then do share it on social media. If you want to say or ask something, then you can comment below.
