VERBS

Auxiliary Verbs, Transitive and Intransitive Verbs, Irregular Verbs, Modal Verbs

Discussant:
KIEV B. ALMIRA
WHAT IS A ?

• a word that characteristically is the grammatical center of a

predicate and expresses an act, occurrence, or mode of
being, that in various languages is inflected for agreement
with the subject, for tense, for voice, for mood, or for aspect,
and that typically has rather full descriptive meaning and
characterizing quality but is sometimes nearly devoid of
these especially when used as an auxiliary or linking verb
-https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verb
WHAT IS A ?

• is a word that describes what the subject of a sentence is

doing. Verbs can indicate (physical or mental) actions,
occurrences, and states of being.

-https://www.scribbr.com
WHAT IS A ?

• is a word that shows action, links another word to the

subject, helps another verb, or merely indicates
existence

-Intensive English Grammar (Lopez et al.)

1. Liza ANNOUNCED the result. (action verb – shows what the
subject is doing)
2. The soup TASTES delicious. (linking verb – links
DELICIOUS to the subject SOUP)
3. They WILL enjoy the movie. (helping verb – WILL helps the
verb ENJOY to show action)
4. Dr. Raymundo Piccio IS here. (the verb IS merely indicates
the existence of the noun Dr. Raymundo Piccio)
 VERB CONJUGATION
Verbs can change form depending
on subject, tense, mood,
and voice. This is called
conjugation.
SUBJECT
There are six subject forms in English:
Verbs and subjects must agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb
must also be singular. Similarly, if the subject is plural, the verb must be
plural. This is called subject-verb agreement.

I First person singular Examples: Subject-verb agreement

You Second person singular She talks a lot.
He/she/it Third person singular
She talk a lot.
We First person plural
We talk a lot.
You Second person plural
We talk a lot.
They Third person plural
TENSE

Verbs are also conjugated based on tense. There are three main tenses in
English:
Past (an action has taken place)
Present (an action is taking place)
Future (an action will take place)
Each tense has a simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect
progressive aspect with its own rules for conjugation.

The forms a verb takes in each aspect depend on the subject and on
whether the verb is regular or irregular.
 Past Present Future

Simple I looked at the I look at the I will look at the

painting. painting. painting.

Progressive I was looking at the I am looking at the I will be looking at

painting. painting. the painting.

Perfect I had looked at the I have looked at the I will have looked at
painting. painting. the painting.

Perfect progressive I had been looking at I have been I will have been
the painting. looking at the looking at the
painting. painting.
MOOD
The mood of a verb indicates the tone and intention of a sentence.
There are five grammatical moods in English:
Grammatical mood Function Example
Indicative Express a fact “Tony likes chocolate.”
Imperative Express a command or a “Wash the dishes.”
request
Interrogative Ask a question “Did you do your
homework?”
Conditional Express a condition “If you want to borrow that
book, you can.”
Subjunctive Express a wish, demand, “If I were rich, I would buy
doubt, or hypothetical an island.”
situation
VOICE

Most sentences can use either the active or the passive voice.
An active sentence is one in which the subject performs the action.
Example: Active sentence
Lucas broke a chair.

A passive sentence is one in which the subject is acted upon. Passive

sentences are constructed using a form of the auxiliary verb “be” (e.g.,
“was,” “is,” “were”) followed by the past participle of the main verb (e.g.,
“eaten,” “taken”).
Passive sentences are useful for emphasizing the outcome of an action
rather than the action itself.
Example: Passive sentence
A chair was broken (by Lucas).
 AUXILIARY VERBS
• also called helping verbs
• include verbs such as “be,” “do,” and “have.” They’re
used in combination with another (main) verb to
modify its meaning. Auxiliary verbs can be used to
indicate tense, mood, and voice. They’re also used to
form negative statements when used with words such
as “not” and “never.”
• Auxiliary verbs must be conjugated for tense and
person (e.g., “I am,” “she was”).
Examples of AUXILIARY VERBS
 Children MUST obey their parents. (The verb MUST helps the main verb
OBEY to show action.)

 Children MUST be obedient to their parent’s wishes. (The verb MUST helps
the main verb BE to link OBEDIENT to the subject CHILDREN.)

 We WILL be here next time. (The verb WILL helps the main verb BE to
indicate existence.)
Examples of AUXILIARY VERBS

Auxiliary or Helping Verbs

be are been have do shall may would

am was being has does will might could

is were had did can must should

 TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS
 A verb is transitive when the action it expresses is directed
toward a person or thing named in the sentence. The action
passes from the doer (subject) to the receiver of the action
(objects – direct and indirect).
Direct Object – receives the action directly from the subject.
Example: The boy threw the ball outside.
Indirect Object – receives the action of a transitive verb, indirectly.
The indirect object names the person (or thing) to whom (or to
what) or for whom (or for what) something is done.
Example: The producer gave me a real show.
TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

 Intransitive verb refers to an action which is complete in itself.

It does not need an object to receive the action.

Examples:
The birds fly high.
The boat passed.

Note: The verbs fly and passed are intransitive verbs. They are complete in themselves; they
do not need a receiver of the action.
TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

 Verbs may also be transitive in ne sentence and intransitive in

another

Examples:
The janitor searched the room. (transitive)
The janitor searched everywhere. (intransitive)

Jenny climbed the mountain. (transitive)

Jenny climbed higher. (intransitive)
REGULAR VS IRREGULAR VERBS

 A regular verb is one to which ‘ed’ or ‘d’ is added to

denote past time or when used as simple past or
past participle, while an irregular verb is one that
undergoes some internal change to denote past time
or used as simple past or past participle.
EXAMPLES OF REGULAR AND IRREGULAR
VERBS
Regular Verbs:
We honor our ancestors.
(Base)

We honored our ancestors.

(Simple past)

We had honored our ancestors every year for the past 20 years.
(Past perfect with past participle included)

Irregular Verbs:
We will fly from New York to San Francisco.
(Base)

We flew from New York to San Francisco.

(Simple past)

We had flown from New York to San Francisco.

(Past perfect with past participle included)
Here are the complete list of Irregular Verbs

• Irregular Verbs List.docx

MODAL VERBS
Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are used along
with another (main) verb to express ability,
permission, possibility, necessity, or obligation.
Common examples of modal verbs
include can, could, may, might, must, ought, shall,
should, will, and would.
OTHER MODAL VERBS

There are other, less common modal verbs. Some—

like shall and ought—are rarely used any longer. There are also
verbs that can function either as main verbs or as modal
auxiliaries depending on the context; got, need, and have all
behave like modal verbs in the common colloquial
expressions got to, need to, and have to. Some modal verbs
express very specific conditions that don’t come up often,
like dare in its modal form in “Dare I ask?” The word used in the
idiomatic phrase used to, as in “I used to be an English student
too,” behaves like a modal verb with only a past tense form.
HOW ARE MODAL VERBS USED?
 Modal verbs are used to express certain hypothetical conditions, such as advisability, capability, or requests
(there’s a full list in the next section). They’re used alongside a main verb to inflect its meaning.
Consider the difference between these two examples:
I swim every Tuesday.
I can swim every Tuesday.
Note: The first example is a simple factual statement. The speaker participates in a swimming activity every week on
Tuesdays. The second example uses the modal verb can. Notice how the meaning changes slightly. The speaker does
not necessarily swim every Tuesday; it says that he/she is capable of swimming every Tuesday or that the possibility
exists for the speaker to swim every Tuesday. It’s hypothetical.

 Because modal verbs are auxiliary, they can’t generally be used on their own. A modal verb can appear alone
only in a sentence only if the main verb is implied because it has previously been established.
Can you swim every Tuesday?
Yes, I can.
WHEN ARE MODAL VERBS USED?
Likelihood
Some things seem likely to be true but can’t be stated as definite facts. In
these cases, you can use the modal verbs should and must to show
probability without certainty.
Her parents must be so proud.
My baby brother should be asleep by now.
Possibility
In a situation when something is possible but not certain, use the modal
verb could, may, or might.
Judging by the clouds, it might rain today.
She may become the youngest pro soccer player ever.
WHEN ARE MODAL VERBS USED?
Ability
The modal verb can expresses whether the subject of a sentence is able to do
something. Likewise, the negative form, cannot or can’t, shows that the subject is
unable to do something.
She can speak three languages but none of them well.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
Permission
If you want to ask permission to do something, start your question with can, may,
or could. Traditionally, may is considered more formal and polite usage for permission;
if you ask “Can I go to the bathroom?” it could be misinterpreted as “Do I have the
ability to go to the bathroom?” However, in modern informal usage, may and can are
both perfectly acceptable options for describing possibility or permission.
Students, you may leave early today.
Could I play too?
WHEN ARE MODAL VERBS USED?
 Request
Similarly, if you want to ask someone else to do something, start your question
with will, would, can, or could.
Would you get that box off the top shelf?
Will you turn that music down?
 Suggestion/advice
What if you want to recommend a course of action but not command it? If you’re giving suggestions or
advice without ordering someone around, you can use the modal verb should.
You should try the lasagna.
That guy should wear less cologne.
 Command
On the other hand, if you want to command someone, use the modal verbs must, have, or need. With
the latter two, the main verb does not drop the word to from its infinitive form.
You must wash your hands before cooking.
You need to be here before 8:00.
WHEN ARE MODAL VERBS USED?
Obligation or necessity
Modal verbs can express a necessary action, such as an obligation, duty, or
requirement. Likewise, the negative forms express that an action
is not necessary. Use the same modal verbs as with commands: must, have,
and need.
We have to wait for our boss to arrive before we open.
You don’t need to come if you don’t want to.
Habit
To show an ongoing or habitual action—something the subject does regularly—you
can use the modal verb would for the past tense and will for the present and
future. The phrase used to is also acceptable when you’re talking about a habit
in the past.
When I lived alone, I would fall asleep with music.
I will arrive early to every meeting and leave late.
References:

• Lopez, Merna et al. Intensive English Grammar. Malones Printing Press, 2005
• Murray, Andrew. High School Subjects for SELF-STUDY. Success Unlimited Enterprises, 2013
• https://www.grammarly.com
• https://www.scribbr.com
• https://languagetool.org
• https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verb