VERB

Verbs are words that express action or state of being. There are three types of verbs: action
verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.
A. Types of verbs:
1. Action verbs
Action verbs are words that express action (give, eat, walk, etc.) or possession (have, own,
etc.). Action verbs can be either transitive or intransitive.
a. Transitive verbs
A transitive verb always has a noun that receives the action of the verb, called the direct
object.
Example: Laurissa raises her hand.
The verb is raises. Her hand is the object receiving the verb’s action.
Therefore, raises is a transitive verb.
Transitive verbs sometimes have indirect objects, which name the object to whom or for
whom the action was done.
Example: Abdus gave Becky the pencil.
The verb is gave. The direct object is the pencil. (What did he give? The
pencil.) The indirect object is Becky. (To whom did he give it? To Becky.)
b. Intransitive verbs
An intransitive verb never has a direct or indirect object. Although an intransitive verb
may be followed by an adverb or adverbial phrase, there is no object to receive its action.
Example: Laurissa rises slowly from her seat.
The verb is rises. The phrase, slowly from her seat, modifies the verb, but
no object receives the action.
Transitive or Intransitive?
To determine whether a verb is transitive or intransitive, follow these two steps:
a. Find the verb in the sentence
Example:
1. Dustin will lay down his book What is the action? Will lay
2. His book will lie there all day What is the action? Will lay
 b. Ask yourself, “What is receiving the action of the verb?” If there is a noun receiving the
action of the verb, then the verb is transitive. If there is no direct object to receive the
action, and if the verb does not make sense with a direct object, then it is intransitive.
Example 1:
Dustin will
Dustin will lay His Since the verb can take a direc object,
1. lay down
down his book book it it transitive
what?
His book will His book will It doesn’t make sense to “lie
2. lie down there lie down Nothing something”. Since the verb has no
all day what? direct object, it’s intransitive

2. Linking verbs
A linking verb connects the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or
describes the subject. This noun or adjective is called the subject complement.
Example: 1. Jason became a business major.
The verb, became, links the subject, Jason, to its complement, a business
major.
2. Lisa is in love with Jason.
The verb, is, links the subject, Lisa, to the subject complement, in love with
Jason (describing Lisa).
The most common linking verb is the verb to be in all of its forms (am, are, is, was, were,
etc.). This verb may also be used as a helping verb (see next section). To become and to seem
are always linking verbs.
Other verbs may be linking verbs in some cases and action verbs in others:
to appear to feel to look to remain to stay to taste
to continue to grow to prove to sound to smell to turn

Example:
1. Linking: Libby appeared happy.
(Appeared links Libby to the subject complement, happy.)
2. Action: Deon suddenly appeared.
 (Here, appeared is an intransitive action verb.)
3. Helping verbs
Helping verbs are used before action or linking verbs to convey additional information
regarding aspects of possibility (can, could, etc.) or time (was, did, has, etc.). The main verb
with its accompanying helping verb is called a verb phrase.
Example: Teju is (helping verb) going (main verb) to Florida.
The trip might (helping verb) be (main verb) dangerous.

The following words, called modals, always function as helping verbs:

can may must shall will
coul
might ought to should would
d

Example: Tanya could learn to fly helicopters. (Could helps the main verb, learn.)
Janine will drive to Idaho tomorrow. (Will helps the main verb, drive.)

In addition, the following forms of the verbs to be, to do, and to have sometimes serve as
helping verbs. (Note: In other cases, they may serve as action or linking verbs.)
am be being do had have was
are been did does has is were

Example:
1. Helping: Jana is moving to a new house.
Linking: Jana is ready to go.
2. Helping: Dustin did eat his vegetables!
Action: Dustin did his homework last night.

B. Verb Forms
1. Regular Verbs
 Regular Verbs refers to the verbs that depend on the basic pattern of inflection (or inflexion).
Inflection means the variation in the form of a word, usually in the end, to describe the tense,
mood, number, gender and so forth.
The formation of tenses in regular verbs, particularly the past tense forms, i.e. simple past
and past participle, is done by adding a predefined suffix, i.e., -d, -ed, or -ied to the present
infinitive. The rules are given as under:
a. When the action word ends with a vowel, then -d is added to convert it into past tense.
Example:
Base Form Simple Past Past Participle
Close Closed Closed
Die Died Died
Hate Hated Hated

b. But when it ends with a consonant, then -ed is added to change it into past form.
Example:
Base Form Simple Past Past Participle
Dress Dressed Dressed
Rip Riped Riped
Roll Rolled Rolled

c. If the last letter of the word ends with y, then -ied to change its form.
Example:
Base Form Simple Past Past Participle
Bury Buried Buried
Cry Cried Cried
Fry Fried Fried

2. Irregular Verbs
 An irregular verb is a type of strong verb, which has some special rules for creating past
tense forms. So, these verbs do not end with -d, -ed, or -ied, rather they change their forms
completely, in a sense that the irregular verbs are transformed into an entirely different word.

Example:

Base Form Simple Past Past Participle

Build Built Built
Catch Caught Caught
Do Did Done
Go Went Gone
Know Knew Known

Nevertheless, there are some verbs which do not change their forms at all.
Example:

Base Form Simple Past Past Participle

Bid Bid Bid
Cut Cut Cut
Hit Hit Hit
Let Let Let
Put Put Put

EXERCISE
Directions: The paragraph below contains many problems with verb. Find dan correct the
problems.
The town of has just pass a leash law which requires all dogs to be keeped behind fences
or on leashes whenever they are outside. For years residents demanded such a law because they
were tire of dogs roaming the neighborhoods and leaving their droppings in other people's yards.
The city was finally lead to enact a leash law because of incidents in which dogs attack joggers
or cyclists. The most serious case involve a German Shepherd that bited a little girl playing in the
next yard. She needed eighty stitches to repaired the wounds. Now that the new law has went
into effect, the people of Endeavor were feeling much more secure when they go for walks or
bicycle rides. They also knew their children can play safely in their own yards.