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:
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.

Tenses of Verbs
Definition: Earlier in this module you learned that verbs are action words. Verbs have multiple forms called
tenses that tell us when an action occurs. In this lesson you'll learn about the simple, progressive, and perfect
tenses.

Simple Tenses
The present, past, and future tenses are called simple tenses.
Simple Tenses
Present Past Future
walk(s) walked will walk

Simple Present Tense

The term present tense is a little deceiving. You're probably thinking to yourself, "It's a no-brainer, isn't it? The
present tense is used for actions that are happening now, right?"—not exactly. Although it's true that the
present tense does have to do with current events, there are several specific ways in which it's used, including:
Talking about actions that occur repeatedly
These are actions that happen on a regular basis, such as habits or routines. They can have a specific or
general time frame.

I brush my teeth every morning and every night.

Bret runs five miles every day.
We visit my grandparents twice a year.
Sometimes Sean and Jaimie go to the pool.
Mom never lets us eat chocolate cake for breakfast.

Discussing current facts, basic truths, or widely accepted beliefs

The sky is blue, and the grass is green.

Cats catch mice.
Stealing is unethical.
Describing people or things

Use the present tense to describe physical characteristics, personality traits, feelings, abilities, and likes and
dislikes that are true in the present.

Her brothers are both over six feet tall.

He is the nicest person I know.
I feel sick today.
My best friend plays minor league baseball.
Many people love dogs, but many also love cats.
This milk smells funny.
Your new rose bush looks beautiful!

Note:When you want to talk about an action that is occurring at this very moment, you typically use the
present progressive tense, which you'll learn about later in this lesson.
You already learned how to form the present tense in Lesson 5, but let's review. The base alone is used for
most forms of the present tense, including the first person (I and we), second person (you), and third person
plural (they). The only time the base changes is in the third person singular (he, she, it). To form the third
person singular, just add the letter -s to the end of the base.

Simple Past Tense

The past tense is more straightforward than the present tense—you only use it to talk about actions, events,
or feelings that happened at an earlier point in time.
Olivia closed the door behind her.
We pushed through the crowd to get a better view of the stage.

Let's also review how to form the past tense. Simply take the base form and add -ed. If the base ends in a silent
e, just add -d, not -ed. Unlike the present tense, the past tense always uses the same form regardless of person
or number. If you would like to see more examples, you can go back to Lesson 5.

Note:The English language has quite a few irregular past tense forms that don't end in -ed. You can learn
about them here.

Future Tense
The future tense is one of the easiest tenses to learn because it has no irregular forms. Just as its name
suggests, it's used to describe actions that will happen in the future. It is formed by combining the helping
verb will with the base form of the main verb.

Tomorrow I will walk home from school.

Progressive Tenses (A.K.A. the Continuous Tenses)

Progressive tenses are used to discuss ongoing or continuing actions. They can also be used to talk about an
action that is, was, or will be occurring at the same time as another action. The progressive tenses use a form
of the verb to be plus the present participle of the verb.

Progressive Tenses
Present Progressive Past Progressive Future Progressive
am walking was walking will be walking
am eating was eating will be eating
Present Progressive
The present progressive tense is typically used to talk about something that is happening right now. It can also
be used to talk about a future action or an action that is occurring at the same time as another one. It is
formed by using a present tense form of the verb to be plus the present participle of the main verb.

I am walking to school right now. (current action)

He is walking to school tomorrow. (future action)
Most days we are walking to school when you see us. (simultaneous actions: are walking and see)
Hint:The word simultaneous means happening at the same time.

Past Progressive
The past progressive is used to describe an action that was occurring at the same time as another past action.

Yesterday I was walking to school when you saw me.

(simultaneous actions: was walking and saw)
Future Progressive
The future progressive is usually used to describe an action that will occur at the same time as another future
action. To form the future progressive tense, use this formula: will be + present participle.

Tomorrow I will be walking to school when you see me.

(simultaneous actions: will be walking and see)

Notice how the verb see is in the present tense, not the future tense. When people talk about future
simultaneous actions, usually one verb is in the future progressive and the other is in the simple present.

Perfect Tenses
Perfect tenses show when an action happened in relation to another action. To form the perfect tenses, use a
form of the helping verb have (have, has, had, will have) plus the past participle of the main verb. The verb
have changes to show the tense.

Hint:To review irregular past participles, visit Lesson 7.

Perfect Tenses
Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect
have walked had walked will have walked
have finished had finished will have finished

Present Perfect
An action in the present perfect began in the past and continues in the present or has ended by the present. It
can also be used to talk about past actions that happened multiple times. To form the present perfect, use the
present tense of the verb to have plus the past participle of the main verb.

Most days I take the bus to school, but for the last two weeks I have walked to school.
I have finished my homework already.

Past Perfect
An action in the past perfect began and ended before another past event. To form the past perfect, use the
past tense of the verb to have plus the past participle of the main verb.

Yesterday I rode the bus to school, but the day before I had walked to school.
I was watching TV because I had finished my homework already.

Future Perfect
An action in the future perfect tense will be finished by a particular time in the future. To form this tense, use
this formula: will + have + past participle.
By the time I arrive at school tomorrow, I will have walked to school 100 days in a row.
By 8 p.m. I will have finished my homework.
Perfect Progressive Tenses
Perfect progressive tenses are a combination of perfect (completed before) and progressive (ongoing) tenses,
which show that something began, continued, and ended before another action. The perfect progressive
tenses combine the perfect (have, has, had, will have), the progressive (been) and the present participle of the
main verb.

Perfect Progressive Tenses

Present Perfect
Progressive Past Perfect
Progressive Future Perfect
Progressive
have been walking had been walking will have been walking
have been finishing had been finishing will have been finishing

Present Perfect Progressive

This tense is used for recent past actions that happened repeatedly.

I have been walking to school on sunny days.

He has been finishing his homework by 7 p.m. every day this week.

It is also used for continuous past actions that are affecting the present in some way.
I have been walking to school a lot, so I'm in much better shape than I was before.
He has been finishing all his homework, and his grades have improved a lot.

Past Perfect Progressive

Use the past perfect tense to express actions that happened in the more distant past that happened
repeatedly. This tense is frequently used in relation to another past action that occurred at a later time.

I had been walking to school every day, but then the weather turned cold.
Isabella had been finishing her homework on time all month, but then she caught a cold and missed school.

Future Perfect Progressive

This tense is used when you are anticipating a time in the future when a continuous action will be finished.

By tomorrow I will have been walking to school for six weeks straight.

Hint:Choosing the correct tense to use in a sentence requires you to pay close attention to the clues in the
sentence.

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.