Verbs – Meaning, Examples & Correct Conjugation

25.10.23 Verbs Time to read: 18min

How do you like this article?

0 Reviews


Verbs-01

Verbs are an essential component of sentence structure by integrating and expressing states, occurrences, or actions and propelling the narrative forward. In grammar, they follow a range of language rules in terms of how they are used correctly. Proper use of verbs is vital to portray and convey clear and effective messages in academic writing. This article gives a more profound insight into the types of verbs, conjugations, and tenses, providing relevant tools to enhance your academic language.

Verbs in a nutshell

Verbs refer to the words in a sentence that indicate the actions carried out by a subject. These actions can be states or occurrences. The verb form is dictated by mood, tense, aspect, and voice and poses multifaceted roles in conveying meaning in sentences and the overall context. Without the verb, it is an incomplete sentence or a sentence fragment. Because of this, English verbs are often called the heart of sentences.

Definition: Verbs

Verbs are types of words that describe an occurrence, physical action, or state of being and shape the foundation of a predicate in a sentence. The verb meaning depends on the context of the intended message and refers to actions a subject can experience, do, or be. Verbs are adaptable and are commonly used to express mood, tense, voice, and aspect, which makes them a vital component of sentence structures in the English language. There is a variety of verb types, which will be delved into extensively in this article.

Examples

  • Action verbs
  • Stative verbs
  • Modal verbs
  • Auxiliary verbs
  • Phrasal verbs

Verb examples

As mentioned above, verbs act as the backbone of a sentence, expressing occurrences, states of being, and actions. The following verb lists illustrate common examples for each type.

Examples

Occurrence verbs (event verbs):

  • To happen
  • To become
  • To occur

Stative verbs:

  • To be
  • To seem
  • To know

Action verbs:

  • To eat
  • To run
  • To jump

Physical and mental verbs

To articulate actions, states, and occurrences effectively and clearly, it is imperative to distinguish physical actions from mental actions. Both types are vital for constructing descriptive and nuanced sentences that accurately express what is occurring in the physical realm and the sphere of emotions and thoughts.

Physical verbs

Physical verbs are forms of action verbs and refer to activities that involve bodily motion or external influences of the environment. In other words, they describe actions that involve senses or interactions with objects, which makes them easily detectable. The following outlines a few physical verb examples.

Examples

  • The team is building a new model.
  • She danced in front of the crowd.
  • They always eat sandwiches at work.
  • The cat jumped out of the trash bag.
  • She had a hard time lifting the chair.

Mental verbs

Contrarily to physical verbs, mental verbs refer to stative verbs, state-of-being verbs, or perception verbs, describing emotional or cognitive processes rather than physical ones. These are often invisible and can’t be observed externally, as they refer to processes happening in our minds.

Examples

  • She believes in karma.
  • He is considering changing jobs.
  • They doubt her competencies.
  • She feels great about her new diet.
  • They imagine a better future for themselves.

“Be” verbs

In the English language, the verb “to be” serves a foundational role and is the most-used linking verb. The verb “to be” is versatile, taking on various roles in sentences. They can operate as linking verbs, main verbs, and auxiliary verbs. The following list of be-verbs showcases them in various ways, in their forms and functions, demonstrating their common uses.

  • As linking verbs: In this form, being-verbs link the subject and subject complement in a sentence.

Examples

  • The ocean is endless.
  • I am exhausted.
  • You are pretty.
  • As main verbs: In this form, they act as state-of-being verbs, referring to mental or cognitive processes and to objects.

Examples

  • She is the boss.
  • I am a writer.
  • They are authors.
  • As auxiliary verbs: In this form, they act as helper verbs to shape voices, moods, aspects, and tenses.

Examples

  • She has been dancing all night.
  • They were running late.
  • I am going to the spa.

Types of verbs

In general, verbs power the narratives of sentences forward by indicating occurrences, actions, and states. Depending on their form and function, they can be classified into a range of types. In context, each type serves a distinctive and important role in constructing meaningful statements. Understanding these types is crucial to internalizing and articulating the English language. Find the types below.

Action verbs

Verbs describing directly performed actions by the subject are referred to as action verbs. With the purpose of creating clarity and vitality in a sentence, they indicate what the subject is doing.

Examples

  • He jumped the farthest.
  • She swam one lane.
  • They hiked the whole way.

Dynamic verbs, or process verbs, are a subcategory of action verbs and refer to temporary actions that happen during specific time periods and can happen in a sequence or be paused or disrupted. These types of verbs are often used with continuous tenses to depict whether the action is occurring during these specific time periods or at the moment.

Examples

  • She was jogging when it started to rain.
  • They were talking about us at lunch.
  • The dogs are playing in the garden.

Stative verbs

Stative verbs illustrate conditions or situations that are unchanging or static in nature. They indicate relationships between things, rather than performed activities that can be observed.

Examples

  • They own a house.
  • She understands the severity.
  • You know the drill.

State-of-being verbs, or stative verbs, often serve as linking verbs, as they indicate unchanging conditions and connect the subject to the subject complement in a sentence.

Examples

  • She is excited.
  • You are a doctor.
  • We were sad.

Modal verbs, also referred to as modal auxiliary verbs, have the function of representing possibility, necessity, ability, and permission. They often modify the main verbs in sentences by clarifying the narrator’s intent for an action. As shown in the modal verb examples below, the structure or form of the original verb never changes and is always followed by the root form of the main verb.

Examples

Modal verb Examples
Can
  • Ability: “He can sing.”
  • Permission: “You can leave.”
Could
  • Past ability: “He could sing before.”
  • Polite request: “Could you help me?”
  • Possibility: “It could work.”
May
  • Permission: “May I leave?”
  • Possibility: “It may arrive late.”
Might
  • Condition: “If he tried, he might win.”
  • Possibility: “She might get the job.”
Must
  • Necessity: “You must buckle up.”
  • Certainty: “This must be it.”
Shall
  • Suggestion: “Shall we leave?”
Should
  • Advice: “You should wear boots.”
  • Obligation: “You should finish the test.”
Will
  • Future action: “I will dance tomorrow.”
  • Promise: “I will always be there.”
Would
  • Condition: “I would, if I could.”
  • Past habit: “Back then, I would play.”
  • Polite request: “Would you like some?”

The modal verb examples above list the most common examples of modal verbs in the English language and their various functions.

Auxiliary verbs

Auxiliary verbs, or helper verbs, serve as building blocks to construct moods, voices, tenses, and aspects in sentences. In other words, they modify the key verb in a sentence structure and provide extra details regarding the described state, occurrence, or action. As a single verb, these types of verbs don’t entail any semantics, but merely operate as “help.” The following auxiliary verb examples entail the primary auxiliaries “to be,” “to do,” and “to have.” However, they can become quite tricky when dealing with more advanced tenses.

“To be” is used to construct passive voice, continuous aspects, and tenses.

Examples

  • The key was hidden. (Past simple, passive voice)
  • He is lying in the game. (Present continuous)
  • She was running the whole way. (Past continuous)

“To do” is typically used to introduce questions, and implement negation or emphatics in simple tenses.

Examples

  • Do you want to join the dinner? (Present simple, question)
  • She doesn’t want to be involved. (Present simple, negated)
  • He did want to come along. (Past simple, emphatic)

“To have” is used to form perfect tenses like past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect.

Examples

  • He had left by the time we arrived. (Past perfect)
  • We have finished our project. (Present perfect)
  • I will have closed it down by then. (Future perfect)

The following list of helping verbs shows the primary auxiliaries in their various forms:

  • Be: am, are, is, was, were
  • Do: do, does, did
  • Have: have, has, had

Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs refer to idioms containing a main verb combined with other components such as adverbs, prepositions, or both. In combination, they typically provide a different meaning than the initial verb and act as individual verbs. The following phrasal verb examples illustrate commonly used ones with their meanings and examples, respectively.

Examples

Phrasal verb Meaning Example
To break down
  • To stop functioning
  • To emotionally collapse
  • The computer broke down.
  • She broke down after the diagnosis.
To cut off
  • To disconnect
  • To sever
  • She cut off the call.
  • The blood flow was cut off.
To check out
  • To examine something
  • To document leaving
  • I checked out the situation.
  • She checked out of the bus.
To make up
  • To reconcile
  • To invent a story
  • They made up after the match.
  • He made up a lie.
To work out
  • To exercise
  • To find a solution
  • She works out at the home.
  • All will work out in the end.

These examples of phrasal verbs represent a fraction of an endless list. Learn more about them in this detailed article about phrasal verbs.

Categories

Verbs can further be classified into various categories, each following their individual rules. A more profound understanding of the categories can be an immense advantage in terms of grasping language, allowing you to improve your spoken and written articulation.

Regular and irregular verbs

When verbs follow a predictable and consistent conjugation pattern, we speak of regular verbs. In the English language, they end in “-ed” when using the past simple and past participle forms.

Examples

Present/base Past simple Past participle
Talk Talked Talked
Like Liked Liked
Imagine Imagined Imagined

On the other hand, irregular verbs have an inconsistent pattern when conjugated. As they don’t follow set rules, but each have their individual and unique pattern, they must be memorized. When dealing with advanced tenses, these can become increasingly difficult to remember. The following irregular verb examples provide an insight into some of them.

Examples

Present/base Past simple Past participle
Go Went Gone
See Saw Seen
Speak Spoke Spoken

Here is a short irregular verbs list of the most commonly used ones with their conjugations:

Present/base Past simple Past participle
Be, am, is, are Was, were Been
Become Became Become
Begin Began Begun
Break Broke Broken
Bring Brought Brought
Buy Bought Bought
Come Came Come
Do Did Done
Drink Drank Drunk
Drive Drove Driven
Eat Ate Eaten
Find Found Found
Fly Flew Flown
Get Got Gotten
Give Gave Given
Have Had Had
Know Knew Known
Make Made Made
Run Ran Run
Say Said Said
Take Took Taken
Write Wrote Written

Transitive and intransitive verbs

As the word already indicates, transitive verbs need a direct object for a complete meaning. This means that the action indicated by the verb transfers an object. According to English grammar, a transitive verb precedes a direct object.

Example

  • He eats a burger once a week.

In this example, the verb “eats” transfers the direct object “a burger.”

On the contrary, intransitive verbs don’t need to transfer direct objects to convey a complete meaning. The action is carried out on its own and does not need a receiving object to be executed. Typically, sentences with intransitive verbs include prepositions or adverbial phrases for more detailed contexts; however, there is no direct object.

Examples

  • He sprinted to the grocery store. (Prepositional phrase)
  • We arrived early. (Adverb)
  • He sleeps. (Stand alone)

Depending on the context of the sentence, some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive.

Examples

Verb Transitive verb Intransitive verb
Read She reads the book. She reads all the time.
Drink He drinks beer. He drinks frequently.

Active and passive verbs

Active verbs indicate that the subject in a sentence carries out the action. This type of structure is referred to as active voice and is based on the following sentence structure:

Subject + Active verb + Object

Examples

  • The dog (subject) chased (active verb) the cat (direct object).
  • The mother (subject) holds (active verb) the child (direct object).
  • The doctor (subject) prescribed (active verb) medicine (direct object) to the patient (indirect object).

In contrast, the subject in a sentence receives the action of a passive verb, but does not carry it out. This type of structure is also called passive voice and is based on the following sentence structure:

Subject + Passive verb + Agent

Examples

  • The cat (subject) was chased (passive verb) by the dog (agent).
  • The child (subject) is held (passive verb) by the mother (agent).
  • Medicine (subject) was prescribed (passive verb) by the doctor (agent) to the patient (indirect object).

Active voice vs. passive voice

Active voice Passive voice
  • Direct, straightforward, and concise
  • Focus lays on the doer of the action
  • Mainly used in writing and speech
  • Indirect and more extensive in wording
  • Focus lays on the action or result
  • Used when doer is not important

Linking verbs

Verbs that link the subject of a sentence with the subject complement are called linking verbs or popular verbs. These types don’t describe actions, but rather conditions or states of being. Subject complements are typically nouns or adjectives and provide extra information about the subject. Below are some linking verb examples for a better understanding.

Examples

  • She is a dentist. (“is” connects “she” to “a dentist”)
  • The perfume smells great. (“smells” connects “the perfume” to “great”)
  • He looks exhausted. (“looks” connects “him” to “exhausted”)

Common Linking verbs list

Here are some of the most frequently used linking verbs in the English language.

Examples

  • Appear
  • Be
  • Become
  • Feel
  • Grow
  • Look
  • Remain
  • Seem
  • Smell
  • Sound
  • Stay
  • Taste
  • Turn

Reflexive verbs

When the object reflects on the subject in a sentence, the respective verb is called a reflexive verb. In other words, the subject and the object are both affected by the same verb. Oftentimes, these types of sentences involve reflexive pronouns such as, “myself,” “yourself,” “himself,” “herself,” “itself,” “ourselves,” “yourselves,” and “themselves” as indicators that the action carried out by the object returns to the subject. The following examples of reflexive verbs portray the correct use of them in sentences.

Examples

  • dressed myself slowly in the morning.
  • You might hurt yourself in the process.
  • He enjoyed himself at the event.
  • She makes herself pretty every morning.
  • It cleaned itself every day.
  • We taught ourselves to draw.
  • They introduced themselves as family.

When the subject and the object of the sentence do not share the same verb, reflexive verbs are used in other verb forms.

Note: While not every verb can be reflexive, some reflexive verbs can be used in other forms, e.g., “It cleaned the floor.”

Tips

To pinpoint verbs in sentences, it is integral to understand their form and functions. The following illustrates some tips that may help recognize verbs:

  • Action words:
    The most common function of a verb is to describe an action someone/something carries out, e.g., “to write,” “to sing,” or “to swim.”
  • State of being:
    If an action is not detectable or can’t be identified, look for a condition or state of mind like “to believe,” “to seem,” or “to know.”
  • Tense markers:
    Look for auxiliary verbs such as “will,” “have,” or “was,” as a sentence may contain verb phrases, which are made of multiple words like “has eaten.”
  • Detect the subject:
    Verbs are closely connected to the subject of a sentence, as they typically describe its action. Detecting the subject simplifies finding the verb.
  • Pronouns:
    Test if words change by using different pronouns. E.g., when an “-s” follows a “verb” when you use he/she/it, it’s most likely a verb.
  • Negation words:
    Use negated words such as “not” after the potential verb. If the meaning of the sentence still makes sense, it is most likely a verb.
  • Sentence structure:
    In English grammar, the foundational sentence structure is Subject + Verb + Object (SVO). However, this varies depending on the complexity.
  • Questions:
    If you analyse a question, the auxiliary verb most likely stands in the initial position of the sentence, introducing the question.
  • Infinitive form:
    The infinitive of a verb is often preceded by the word “to” (e.g., to sing). Be cautious of the prepositional use in a sentence.

Verb forms

Forms of verbs are crucial for understanding and mastering the English language, as they indicate the mood, voice, number, tense, and person. The most common verb forms you may encounter are:

  • Infinitive form – is the root form of the verb, i.e., its initial form. It is frequently indicated with the word “to” standing in front of it.
  • Simple present – refers to the tense that forms the verb in a way to express actions that have a habitual nature or depict general truths.
  • Simple past – refers to the tense that forms the verb in a manner that indicates an action that took place in the past.
  • Past participle – refers to the form, where the verb is often accompanied by the word “have/has” to refer to a perfect tense.
  • Present participle – is a form where the verb is often accompanied by the word “be” to shape continuous or progressive tenses.

The following table shows examples of these forms of verbs for regular and irregular verbs.

Examples

Verb form Regular verb Irregular verb
Root form/infinitive To talk To write
Simple present Talk / talks Write / writes
Simple past Talked Wrote
Past participle Talked Written
Present participle Talking Writing

Infinitive verb form

The infinitive verb form refers to the basic form or root form of a verb. It is usually preceded by the word “to” and depicts the verb in its natural form without any conjugation. The following represents infinitive examples of using them in sentences and as bare infinitives.

Examples

Used in sentences:

  • He likes to take a walk in the forest.
  • She wants to start a new hobby.
  • We help others to relax.

Bare infinitives:

  • He likes science fiction books.
  • You should try it next time.
  • They might win the match.

Infinitives can act as adjectives, nouns, and adverbs in a sentence, as illustrated examples.

Examples

As an adverb:

  • He went to school to pick up the book.

As a noun:

  • To make decisions is stressful.

As an adjective:

  • I have some homework to do.

Imperative verb form

Sentences that express commands, offer invitations, or make requests usually contain an imperative verb. In addition, the subject is typically implied and not directly stated in imperative sentences. Most of the time, the subject refers to the person being addressed. In this type of sentence, the verb is typically in its infinitive form and stands in the initial position.

Examples

  • Shut the windows.
  • Help her with chores.
  • Join us for a drink.
  • Fill out the blanks.
  • Get plenty of rest.

Third-person singular

When we speak of a third-person singular in a sentence, we refer to one person or entity. The pronouns for 3rd person singular are “he,” “she,” and “it.” Verbs are commonly conjugated differently in the third-person singular and present tense in comparison to the other persons’ singular and plural forms.

In the simple present tense, third-person singular verbs usually end with an “-s” or “-es.”

Examples

  • He eats
  • She carries the weight.

Printing Your Thesis With BachelorPrint

  • High-quality bindings with customizable embossing
  • 3D live preview to check your work before ordering
  • Free express delivery

Configure your binding now!

to the print shop

Participle verbs

Participle verbs act as adjectives and modify pronouns and nouns. The two types of participles are present participle and past participle, delved into below.

Present participle

The format of present participles is: base form of the verb + “-ing”

Present participle examples are shown in the following.

Examples

  • The sleeping cat woke up from the noise.
  • The nightmare was about a growing sprout.

Past participle

The format for past participles of regular verbs is: base form of verb + “-ed”

The format for past participles of irregular verbs is not consistently the same, meaning that they vary depending on the verb. In this case, they need to be studied individually. Here are past participle examples for regular and irregular verbs.

Examples

Regular verbs

  • The jammed door could not be opened.
  • The expired milk smelled awful.

Irregular verbs

  • The written note was very touching.
  • His broken ribs did not recover.

Present and past participles are integral in forming the present continuous tense and past perfect tense. Read more in the following!

Conjugation

Verb conjugation takes on an important role in identifying the form of the verb and its purpose in the sentence construct. This is essentially crucial, as it shows the way, in which a verb varies depending on the intended meaning. The form of a verb is primarily influenced by the main tenses for the present, past, and future, as well as individuals or numbers. Below, we delve into the conjugations of verbs in different tenses, especially complicated tenses, providing a detailed guide on verb forms.

Conjugating simple tenses

The simple tenses consist of the simple present, simple past, and simple future, which all follow specific rules. These are all fairly common tenses.

  • Simple present:
    • Use root form for “I,” “you,” “we,” and “they.”
    • End verb with “-s” or “-es” for “he,” “she,” and “it.”
  • Simple past:
    • End root form of regular verbs with “-ed.”
    • Learn the individual past forms of irregular verbs.
  • Simple future:
    • Precede the root form with “will” to indicate a future action.

The following tables show simple past, simple future, and simple present tense examples of regular and irregular verbs.

Examples

Regular verb

Person Simple present Simple past Simple future
I Look Looked Will look
You Look Looked Will look
He/she/it Looks Looked Will look
We Look Looked Will look
They Look Looked Will look

 

Irregular verb

Person Simple present Simple past Simple future
I Sleep Slept Will sleep
You Sleep Slept Will sleep
He/she/it Sleeps Slept Will sleep
We Sleep Slept Will sleep
They Sleep Slept Will sleep

Conjugating continuous tenses

The simple continuous or progressive tenses have a predicate construct of the verb “to be” and the present participle of the main verb.

  • Simple present continuous:
    • Construct of the present tense of “to be” and the present participle
    • Am/are/is + ing-form of the main verb
  • Simple past continuous:
    • Construct of the past tense of “to be” and the present participle
    • Was/were + ing-form of the main verb
  • Simple future continuous:
    • Construct of the future tense of “will be” and the present participle
    • Will be + ing-form of the main verb

The following tables show the correct conjugations of continuous tenses of a regular and an irregular verb.

Examples

Regular verb

Person Present continuous Past continuous Future continuous
I Am looking Was looking Will be looking
You Are looking Were looking Will be looking
He/she/it Is looking Was looking Will be looking
We Are looking Were looking Will be looking
They Are looking Were looking Will be looking

 

Irregular verb

Person Present continuous Past continuous Future continuous
I Am sleeping Was sleeping Will be sleeping
You Are sleeping Were sleeping Will be sleeping
He/she/it Is sleeping Was sleeping Will be sleeping
We Are sleeping Were sleeping Will be sleeping
They Are sleeping Were sleeping Will be sleeping

Conjugating perfect tenses

The past perfect tenses are the present perfect tense, past perfect tense, and future perfect tense. The predicate constructs include the auxiliary verb “to have” and the past participle of the main verb. These are more complicated tenses, which may be confusing, especially regarding irregular forms.

  • Present perfect:
    • Construct of the present tense of “to have” and the past participle
    • Have/has + past participle of the main verb
  • Past perfect:
    • Construct of the past tense of “to have” and the past participle
    • Had + past participle of the main verb
  • Future perfect:
    • Construct of the future tense of “will have” and the past participle
    • Will have + past participle of the main verb

The following tables illustrate present perfect tense examples, past perfect tense examples, and future perfect tense examples of a regular and an irregular verb.

Examples

Regular verb

Person Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
I Have looked Had looked Will have looked
You Have looked Had looked Will have looked
He/she/it Has looked Had looked Will have looked
We Have looked Had looked Will have looked
They Have looked Had looked Will have looked

 

Irregular verb

Person Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
I Have slept Had slept Will have slept
You Have slept Had slept Will have slept
He/she/it Has slept Had slept Will have slept
We Have slept Had slept Will have slept
They Have slept Had slept Will have slept

Subjunctive form

States of unreality like necessity, possibility, doubt, or an action that hasn’t happened yet are often times expressed through subjunctive verb forms. In the English language, however, the subjunctive form may be incorporated subtly, thus making it more difficult to detect. Therefore, it is imperative to assess the context, especially, after specific verbs and fixed expressions. The following table shows examples of the subjunctive form with respective explanations.

Examples

Subjunctive form Example Explanation
With the word “be” It’s essential that she be here on time. “Be” substitutes the indicative mood “is.”
With other verbs I insist that he take his vitamins with a meal. “Take” substitutes the indicative mood “takes.”
Fixed expressions God save the Queen! The root form “save” is used instead of “saves.”
Past form If I were her, I would practice for the test. “Were” substitutes the indicative mood “was.”

The subjunctive mood can often be identified when assessing the clause structure. Subjunctives are often included in incomplete sentences or dependent clauses that are introduced with “that” and proceeded by verbs such as “recommend,” “demand,” “insist,” and “suggest” as well as phrases like “it’s necessary,” “it’s essential,” and “it’s important.”

Gerund (-ing verbs)

A gerund is a specific form of -ing verbs and describes a verb in its noun form, which is created by adding the ending “-ing.” It is essential to understand the context and sentence structure when identifying these noun forms, as they are similar to the present participle verbs, which function as adjectives. The following table illustrates gerund examples in various contexts.

Examples

Context Example
Subject Drawing is her hidden talent.
Direct object He enjoys swimming.
After prepositions They talked about divorcing.
After specific verbs She considered moving.
Subject complement His favorite hobby is travelling.
Compound nouns We bought swimming gear.

Compound subject

Compound subjects and compound verbs define subject or verb constructs, meaning they consist of more than one subject or verb, respectively. Using them creates more complex sentences by describing multiple subjects or actions in one sentence.

A compound subject often emerges when there are multiple subjects in one sentence that share the same verb/verbs. In this case, the subjects are commonly linked by conjunctions such as “and” or “or.”

Example

  • Lisa and Thomas are traveling to the Philippines.

Here, “Lisa” and “Thomas” represent a subject. They are both in connection with the verb “traveling.”

The compound verb, on the other hand, describes multiple verbs sharing the same subject in a sentence. Similar to the compound subject, they are frequently joined by conjunctions like “and” or “or.”

Example

  • They cooked and cleaned all morning.

Here, “cooked” and “cleaned” represent two verbs sharing the same subject “they.”

Note: A compound subject and compound verb can occur simultaneously in one sentence, creating compound sentences. For instance, “Lisa and Thomas cooked and cleaned all morning.”

Subject (subject-verb-agreement)

The subject-verb agreement defines the rule that the number of subjects and verbs in a sentence must align. In other words, if there is a singular subject, the verb must be singular, and if there is a plural subject, the verb must be plural correspondingly.

Examples

  • The woman walks down the street. (Singular subject + singular verb)
  • The women walk down the street. (Plural subject + plural verb)

FAQs

A verb is a word that indicates a state, an action, or an occurrence of a subject and resembles the predicate of a sentence construct.

Verbs refer to the words in a sentence that imply actions, states, or occurrences. Typically, verbs describe the action of a noun or pronoun.

Verbs that describe literal actions are called action verbs. Here are ten examples:

  • To be
  • To win
  • To run
  • To listen
  • To sing
  • To promise
  • To have
  • To go
  • To walk
  • To swim

A verb can be identified as a word in a sentence that describes and expresses the action or state of the subject or direct object. Essentially, it can be found in the following structure:

Subject + verb + direct object

The three main types of verbs are:

  • Action verbs
  • Linking verbs
  • Modal verbs