Verb
“Verbs are essential parts of speech that describe actions, states, or occurrences. They can be classified in various ways, depending on their function, structure, and how they interact with other words in a sentence.”
Role of Verb in a sentence:
Verb forms the main part of the predicate of a sentence. Every complete sentence must have a verb.
Verbs are:
(i) Actions: read, do, walk, bring, run, learn, eat, etc.
(ii) States: be, exist, stand, etc.
(iii) Occurrences: happen, become, etc.
Examples:- He is a good man. (Using the most common to be verb)
– We learn from the Web.
– She speaks in English.
– Rimi is thinking about the incident.
Kinds of Verb:
Firstly, verb is divided into two major categories:
i. Principal or Lexical or Main Verb
ii. Auxiliary or Helping Verb
i. Principal or Lexical Verb:
Verbs which are used independently without the help of other verbs, are called Principal or Main verb.
Example:- He is a singer.
– She does her job.
– They have many problems.
Principal verbs are of two types depending on the object they take:
a. Transitive verb.
Transitive verb is an action verb that requires one or more objects which receive the action of the verb in the sentence.
Examples:
– She reads the book. (verb with the object ‘the book’)
– He gave me a mobile phone. (verb with the object ‘me’ and ‘mobile phone’)
– I saw her in the market.
– Rifat wants a pen form Ryan.
b. Intransitive verb.
Intransitive verb is an action verb that requires no direct object in the sentence.
Example:
– She reads. (no object in the sentence)
– Sit down here. (“)
– The birds are flying. (“)
– She is singing. (“)
– The sun set. (“)
– I walked to the park today. (“)
– I went to the campus for a scheduled class. (“)
ii. Auxiliary or Helping Verb:
Verbs which help a Principal verb to form a sentence are called Auxiliary or Helping verb.
Example:
– He is singing a song.
– She is doing her job.
– They are facing many problems.
Here, ‘is’ and ‘are’ are helping the main verbs sing, do and face.
Auxiliary verbs are of two types:
i. Primary or Tense Auxiliaries such as be, am, is was, are, were, been, being, have, has, had, having, do, does and did.
Example:
Different forms of verb are used in different situations.
– I am doing the job. (present Continuous)
– Ryan was sleeping that moment. (past Continuous)
– It is done by her. (passive form)
– Rifat reads the book. (present form as principle verb)
– She is here. (principle verb)
– They have completed the mission. (present perfect)
– Does he make it?
– Have you prepared for the situation?
Modal Auxiliariessuch as can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must, need, dare, used to, ought to etc.
Modals only take the base form of verbs after them.
Example:
– Shall we start the game? (Asking the question)
– You should read the book attentively. (Suggest)
– Would you give a cup of coffee? (request)
– I can do the sum? (ability)
– May I come in? (permission)
– I used to have tea in the evening. (habit)
– We ought to respect our seniors (moral obligation)
Actions verb of two;
Finite and Non-finite Verbs:
Finite verb:
A Verb which changes its form according to the number, person or tense and must has subject is called finite verb
Example:
– I saw her crying.
– He makes me proud.
– I will write a book in this month.
– The honey tastes sweet.
– They are doing a good job.
Non-finite verb:
A Non-finite verb is a form of verb that is not limited by person, number or tense in a sentence and cannot act as main verb.
There are three kinds of non-finite verbs.
- Infinite
ii. Gerund
iii. Participles
Infinitive:
Infinitive verb is a non-finite verb that is made up of “to + base form of verb”.
Example:
– He likes to play football.
– Honey is sweet to taste.
– The man is too late to go.
– People gathered here to hear the news.
Example:
– Make her stand.
– Let the people go there.
– You need not leave the place.
Gerund:
A gerund is a form of non-finite verb which is made up by adding the ‘ing’ at the end of the base form of a verb.
Example:
– I saw her crying.
– Swimming is good for health.
– Being tired I took rest for a while.
– Seeing is believing.
Participles:
A Participle is verbal but works as an adjective. Participle can be following types.
Present Participle: Present participle is made by adding ‘ing ’ to the base form.
Example:
– A swimming snake bit him in the leg.
– Don’t put your hand into boiling water.
– Look at the setting sun.
– Don’t get into a running bus.
Past Participle:
Past participle is made by adding ‘ed’, ‘-d’ or ‘-t’ to the base form of a regular verb. Such as looked, said, learnt, broken, etc.
The past participle can be preceded by have, has, had, etc. to express the perfect aspect. And it also expresses the passive voice.
Example:
– They have invited him to the party.
– A faded flower attracts none.
– It is said by them.
– The floated area is good for cultivation.
Verbs are essential parts of speech that describe actions, states, or occurrences. They can be classified in various ways, depending on their function, structure, and how they interact with other words in a sentence. Below are key verb classifications, along with details for each:
1. By Function
Action Verbs: These verbs describe physical or mental actions.
Examples: run, jump, think, write.
Subtypes:
i. Transitive Verbs: Require a direct object to complete their meaning.
Example: She read the book.
ii. Intransitive Verbs: Do not require a direct object.
Example: He laughed loudly.
iii. Stative Verbs: These verbs describe a state or condition rather than an action.
Examples: be, exist, belong, know.
Example in a sentence: She feels tired.
iv. Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs: These verbs help the main verb to form different tenses, moods, voices, or questions.
Examples: be, have, do, can, will, should.
Example: She is running.
v. Modal Verbs: A type of auxiliary verb that expresses necessity, possibility, permission, or ability.
Examples: can, could, may, might, should, would, must.
Example: You must leave now.
2. By Tense and Aspect
Verbs can be classified based on their tense (the time of the action) and aspect (the completion or ongoing nature of the action).
i. Simple Tense:
-
- Present: She writes letters.
- Past: She wrote a letter.
- Future: She will write a letter.
ii. Progressive/Continuous Tense: Indicates an ongoing action.
-
- Present Progressive: She is writing a letter.
- Past Progressive: She was writing a letter.
- Future Progressive: She will be writing a letter.
iii. Perfect Tense: Indicates a completed action.
-
- Present Perfect: She has written a letter.
- Past Perfect: She had written a letter.
- Future Perfect: She will have written a letter.
iv. Perfect Progressive Tense: Combines completion and ongoing action.
-
- Present Perfect Progressive: She has been writing a letter.
- Past Perfect Progressive: She had been writing a letter.
- Future Perfect Progressive: She will have been writing a letter.
3. By Voice
Active Voice: The subject performs the action.
Example: The cat chased the mouse.
Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
Example: The mouse was chased by the cat.
4. By Mood
The mood of a verb expresses the attitude of the speaker toward the action or state.
Indicative Mood: Used for stating facts or asking questions.
Example: He goes to school every day.
Imperative Mood: Used for commands, requests, or instructions.
Example: Go to school!
Subjunctive Mood: Used to express wishes, hypothetical situations, or conditions contrary to fact.
Example: I wish he were here.
5. By Regularity (Form)
- Regular Verbs: These verbs follow a consistent pattern in the past tense and past participle, typically adding “-ed” to the base form.
Examples: talk → talked, jump → jumped.
- Irregular Verbs: These verbs do not follow a predictable pattern and must be memorized.
Examples: go → went, buy → bought, be → was/were.
6. By Transitivity
- Ditransitive Verbs: These verbs take two objects (a direct and an indirect object).
Example: She gave him a gift.
- Monotransitive Verbs: These verbs take only one object (a direct object).
Example: She gave a gift.
- Intransitive Verbs: These verbs do not take an object.
Example: She arrived early.
7. By Meaning
- Causative Verbs: These verbs express the idea of causing someone or something to do something.
- Examples: make, have, get, let.
- Example: She made him cry.
- Phrasal Verbs: Verbs combined with prepositions or adverbs, changing the meaning from the base verb.
- Examples: look up, give up, run out.
- Example: He gave up smoking.
8. By Verb Form (Gerund/Infinitive)
- Gerund: A verb form that functions as a noun, ending in “-ing.”
- Example: Reading is fun.
- Infinitive: The base form of the verb, often preceded by “to.”
- Example: She loves to read.
9. By Number and Person
Verbs also change form based on the subject’s number (singular or plural) and person (first, second, third).
- First Person Singular: I am.
- Second Person Singular/Plural: You are.
- Third Person Singular: He/She is.
- First Person Plural: We are.
- Third Person Plural: They are.
Summary Chart:
| Category | Type/Example |
|---|---|
| Function | Action, Stative, Auxiliary, Modal |
| Tense/Aspect | Present, Past, Future, Progressive, Perfect, Perfect Progressive |
| Voice | Active, Passive |
| Mood | Indicative, Imperative, Subjunctive |
| Regularity | Regular, Irregular |
| Transitivity | Transitive, Intransitive, Ditransitive, Monotransitive |
| Meaning | Causative, Phrasal |
| Verb Form | Gerund, Infinitive |
| Number/Person | Singular/Plural, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Person |
Understanding these classifications helps in grasping the complexities of verb usage in sentences.