What Is a Verb? Definition, Types and Examples

Imagine trying to describe what you did today without using words that show action. You could name objects, describe their qualities, and maybe label a place or two—but how would you express what people actually did? This is where verbs step in, transforming a lifeless list of nouns and adjectives into a vivid tapestry of motion and meaning.

More than just “action words,” verbs help us navigate time, evoke emotion, and convey transformation. They let us declare not just who or what exists, but what is happening, what has happened, and what could happen. In the grand architecture of language, verbs are the dynamic hinges and joints—ensuring our sentences can do more than stand still; they allow our words to move, dance, and truly come alive.

Table of contents

What is a Verb?

A verb is a part of speech that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being. It’s the word or group of words in a sentence that often tells us what the subject does or experiences, whether it’s a physical activity (like “run,” “jump,” or “write”), a mental process (like “think,” “believe,” or “imagine”), or a state of existence (such as “be,” “seem,” or “become”).

Essentially, verbs are the engine of a sentence, providing the movement and energy that transform simple words into meaningful statements about what is happening.

Below are some example sentences that highlight verbs:

1. I run along the beach every morning. (Physical action)
2. They consider the possibilities before making a decision. (Mental action)
3. The flowers bloom in spring. (An event occurs naturally)
4. The sky darkened as the storm approached. (A change occurs)
5. He is very patient with children. (Expresses a state of existence)
6. She remains confident despite the challenges. (A state continues)

In standard English grammar, a complete sentence typically requires at least one verb. The verb is part of the predicate, which tells us something about the subject and indicates what the subject is doing, experiencing, or being. Without a verb, a group of words is generally just a phrase or a fragment, not a full sentence.

Examples:

• Complete Sentence: “The cat sleeps on the windowsill.” (Subject: “The cat,” Verb: “sleeps”)
• Fragment: “The cat on the windowsill.” (No verb, just a phrase describing the cat)

However, there are a few special cases in everyday language where you might find single-word exclamations (like “Help!” or “Run!”) or imperatives (which often imply a subject like “you”) that still rely on verb forms to convey action or a call for action. Still, in formal writing, complete sentences usually must include a verb.

Verb conjugation

Verb conjugation in English involves changing a verb form to express different grammatical categories such as tense, aspect, mood, voice, person, and number. Unlike some languages with extensive conjugation systems, English has relatively simple verb conjugations, especially in the present tense. However, complexities arise with irregular verbs and the use of auxiliary verbs to form various tenses and aspects.

1. Basic Verb Forms

Every English verb has five basic forms:

1. Base Form (Infinitive): e.g., walk
2. Third Person Singular Present: e.g., walks
3. Simple Past: e.g., walked
4. Past Participle: e.g., walked
5. Present Participle/Gerund: e.g., walking

Example with Regular Verb: to walk

Example with Irregular Verb: to go

2. Tenses and Aspects

English verbs are primarily conjugated to express different tenses and aspects. Here’s an overview:

a. Simple Tenses

• Simple Present:
  • Form: Base form (add -s for third person singular)
  • Example: She walks to school.
• Simple Past:
  • Form: Past form (regular verbs add -ed, irregular verbs vary)
  • Example: They walked yesterday.
• Simple Future:
  • Form: will + base form
  • Example: I will walk tomorrow.

b. Progressive (Continuous) Aspects

• Present Progressive:
  • Form: am/is/are + present participle (-ing)
  • Example: He is walking now.
• Past Progressive:
  • Form: was/were + present participle
  • Example: They were walking when it started to rain.
• Future Progressive:
  • Form: will be + present participle
  • Example: She will be walking to the park later.

c. Perfect Aspects

• Present Perfect:
  • Form: have/has + past participle
  • Example: I have walked this path before.
• Past Perfect:
  • Form: had + past participle
  • Example: They had walked ten miles before sunset.
• Future Perfect:
  • Form: will have + past participle
  • Example: By next week, he will have walked the entire trail.

d. Perfect Progressive Aspects

• Present Perfect Progressive:
  • Form: have/has been + present participle
  • Example: She has been walking for an hour.
• Past Perfect Progressive:
  • Form: had been + present participle
  • Example: They had been walking before the rain started.
• Future Perfect Progressive:
  • Form: will have been + present participle
  • Example: By tomorrow, I will have been walking for two days.

3. Mood and Voice

a. Mood

• Indicative: States facts or asks questions.
  • She walks to school.
• Imperative: Gives commands or requests.
  • Walk to school.
• Subjunctive: Expresses wishes, demands, or hypothetical situations.
  • I suggest that he walk to school.

b. Voice

• Active Voice: The subject performs the action.
  • She writes a letter.
• Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
  • A letter is written by her.

4. Regular vs. Irregular Verbs

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs form their past tense and past participle by adding -ed to the base form.

• Example:
  • Base: talk
  • Past: talked
  • Past Participle: talked

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow a fixed pattern in their conjugation. Their past forms and past participles must be memorized.

• Examples: Base Form Simple Past Past Participle go went gone eat ate eaten see saw seen take took taken

5. Subject-Verb Agreement

In English, the verb must agree with its subject in person and number.

Rules:

1. Singular Subjects take singular verbs (usually add -s in the present tense).
   • He runs every morning.
2. Plural Subjects take plural verbs (base form).
   • They run every morning.
3. Compound Subjects connected by and are plural.
   • John and Mary walk to work.
4. Indefinite Pronouns can be singular or plural.
   • Everyone is welcome. (singular)
   • Many are called, but few are chosen. (plural)
5. Collective Nouns can be singular or plural based on context.
   • The team is winning. (acting as one unit)
   • The team are arguing among themselves. (acting as individuals)

6. Examples of Verb Conjugation in Different Tenses

a. Verb: To Speak

b. Verb: To Be (Irregular)

Note: Some forms, especially perfect progressive forms of “to be,” are rarely used in everyday English.

Action Verbs vs. Stative Verbs

a. Action Verbs

Action verbs express physical or mental actions performed by the subject of the sentence.

Types of Action Verbs:

• Physical Actions: Activities involving bodily movement.
  • Examples: run, jump, write, eat, swim
• Mental Actions: Activities involving thought processes.
  • Examples: think, believe, imagine, consider, decide

Examples in Sentences:

• She runs every morning.
• They are thinking about the new project.

b. Stative Verbs

Stative verbs describe a state or condition rather than an action. They often relate to emotions, possession, senses, or thoughts.

Categories of Stative Verbs:

• Emotions: love, hate, prefer, enjoy
• Possession: have, own, belong
• Senses: see, hear, smell, taste, feel
• Thoughts: know, believe, understand, remember

Examples in Sentences:

• He owns a vintage car.
• I believe in fairies.

Note: Stative verbs are generally not used in continuous (progressive) tenses.

Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs

a. Transitive Verbs

Transitive verbs require one or more objects to complete their meaning. They transfer the action from the subject to the object.

Examples:

• She reads a book.
• They built a house.

Structure:

• Subject + Transitive Verb + Object
  • Example: The chef cooked a delicious meal.

b. Intransitive Verbs

Intransitive verbs do not require an object. The action stays with the subject, and the sentence remains complete without additional information.

Examples:

• He sleep.
• They arrived late.

Structure:

• Subject + Intransitive Verb
  • Example: The sun rose.

Note: Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive depending on their usage.

• She runs every morning. (Intransitive)
• She runs a successful business. (Transitive)

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, which can be a noun, pronoun, or adjective that describes or identifies the subject.

Common Linking Verbs:

• Forms of “to be”: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
• Sensory Verbs: seem, appear, look, sound, taste, feel
• Others: become, grow, remain

Examples in Sentences:

• She is a teacher.
• The soup tastes delicious.
• He seems tired.

Identifying Linking Verbs: Replace the verb with a form of “to be” to see if it still makes sense.

• She seems happy. → She is happy. (Makes sense, so “seems” is a linking verb)

Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs and Modal Verbs

a. Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary verbs help the main verb in a sentence by expressing tense, mood, voice, or aspect. They are used alongside main verbs to form different grammatical structures.

Primary Auxiliary Verbs:

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

Examples in Sentences:

• She is running.
• They have finished their homework.
• Do you like coffee?

Functions:

• Forming Continuous Tenses: She is running.
• Forming Perfect Tenses: They have finished.
• Forming Questions and Negatives: Do you like coffee? / She does not like tea.

b. Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verb that express necessity, possibility, permission, ability, or obligation. They do not change form based on the subject and are followed by the base form of the main verb.

Common Modal Verbs:

• can, could
• may, might
• will, would
• shall, should
• must
• ought to

Examples in Sentences:

• She can swim.
• You must finish your work.
• They might come to the party.

Characteristics:

• Do not add “-s” in the third person singular.
  • He can swim. (Not cans)
• Cannot be used in the continuous form.
  • She is being able to swim. (Incorrect)
• Followed by the base form of the verb.
  • She should go now.

Regular vs. Irregular Verbs

a. Regular Verbs

Regular verbs follow a consistent pattern when changing tenses, typically by adding “-ed” for the past simple and past participle forms.

Examples:

• Base Form: talk
  • Past Simple: talked
  • Past Participle: talked
• Base Form: jump
  • Past Simple: jumped
  • Past Participle: jumped

Usage in Sentences:

• She talked to her friend yesterday.
• They have jumped over the fence.

b. Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow standard patterns when changing tenses. Their past simple and past participle forms must be memorized as they vary significantly.

Examples:

• Base Form: go
  • Past Simple: went
  • Past Participle: gone
• Base Form: eat
  • Past Simple: ate
  • Past Participle: eaten
• Base Form: see
  • Past Simple: saw
  • Past Participle: seen
• Base Form: take
  • Past Simple: took
  • Past Participle: taken

Usage in Sentences:

• She went to the market yesterday.
• They have eaten all the cookies.
• I saw a movie last night.
• He has taken the test.

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a main verb with one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs) that alter the meaning of the original verb. They often function as single verbs with unique meanings.

Structure:

• Verb + Preposition: look up, run into
• Verb + Adverb: give up, take off
• Verb + Preposition + Adverb: put up with, get along with

Examples in Sentences:

• She looked up the word in the dictionary.
• They ran into their old friend at the mall.
• He gave up smoking last year.
• We need to put up with the noise for now.

Important Notes:

• Phrasal verbs can be separable or inseparable.
  • Separable: She turned off the lights. / She turned the lights off.
  • Inseparable: He looks after his younger brother.

Finite vs. Non-Finite Verbs

a. Finite Verbs

Finite verbs are limited by tense, person, and number. They are essential for constructing complete sentences as they provide the main action or state.

Examples in Sentences:

• She writes every day.
• They were singing loudly.
• I have eaten breakfast.

Characteristics:

• Change form based on the subject and tense.
• Can stand alone as the main verb in a sentence.

b. Non-Finite Verbs

Non-finite verbs do not show tense, person, or number. They cannot function as the main verb on their own and often serve as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs within sentences.

Types of Non-Finite Verbs:

• Infinitives: to + base form (e.g., to run, to eat)
• Gerunds: base form + -ing (e.g., running, eating)
• Participles:
  • Present Participle: base form + -ing (e.g., running, eating)
  • Past Participle: often ending in -ed, -en, etc. (e.g., eaten, written)

Examples in Sentences:

• Infinitive: She likes to read.
• Gerund: Running is fun.
• Present Participle: The running water was cold.
• Past Participle: The eaten cake was gone.

Usage Notes:

• Infinitives can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
  • To learn is important.
• Gerunds function as nouns.
  • Swimming is my favorite sport.
• Participles can modify nouns or form part of verb phrases.
  • The broken window needs fixing.
    • She has finished her homework.

Dynamic vs. Stative Verbs

This classification overlaps with some of the earlier categories but provides additional insights into verb usage based on the nature of the action or state.

a. Dynamic Verbs

Dynamic verbs express actions, processes, or sensations that can begin and end. They often form the basis for continuous tenses.

Examples:

• run, jump, write, think, eat, grow

Usage in Sentences:

• She is writing a novel.
• They were playing soccer yesterday.

b. Stative Verbs

Stative verbs describe a state or condition that is static and unchanging over time. They typically do not appear in continuous tenses.

Examples:

• know, believe, love, own, belong, seem

Usage in Sentences:

• I know the answer.
• He owns a vintage car.

Important Note: Some verbs can function both as dynamic and stative verbs depending on their meaning in context.

• He has a chicken (stative – possession).
• He is having a chicken for dinner (dynamic – action).

Causative Verbs

Causative verbs indicate that one person causes another person to do something. The most common causative verbs are make, let, and have.

Structure:

• Make + Object + Base Verb: She made him do the work.
• Let + Object + Base Verb: They let her go early.
• Have + Object + Base Verb: I had the mechanic check the car.

Examples in Sentences:

• The teacher made the students stay after class.
• She let her friend borrow her book.
• We had the chef prepare a special meal.

Reciprocal Verbs

Reciprocal verbs express actions that are performed mutually by two or more subjects. They often involve the prepositions each other or one another.

Examples:

• love each other, help one another, meet each other

Examples in Sentences:

• They love each other deeply.
• The teammates help one another during practices.

Impersonal Verbs

Impersonal verbs do not have a specific subject performing the action. They are often used in expressions related to weather, time, or general statements.

Examples:

• It rains often here.
• It seems that everyone is busy.
• There are many people in the park.

Usage Notes:

• The pronouns it or there are used as dummy subjects.
• These verbs do not change form based on the subject.

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs indicate that the subject performs an action on itself. They are formed using reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves).

Examples in Sentences:

• She prides herself on her work ethic.
• They introduced themselves to the new neighbors.

Usage Notes:

• Not all verbs can be reflexive.
• The reflexive pronoun emphasizes that the subject and object are the same.

Defective Verbs

Defective verbs are verbs that lack certain forms or do not follow standard conjugation patterns. They might be incomplete in their tenses or moods.

Examples:

• Modal Verbs: can, may, must (do not have infinitive or participle forms)
• Other Defective Verbs: dare, need, suffice (when used as main verbs)

Usage in Sentences:

• You must leave now.
• They need to study harder.

Important Note: When defective verbs are used, they often rely on auxiliary verbs to complete their meanings.

Double Verbs

Double verbs involve two verbs used together in a sentence, often forming a verb phrase that conveys a single idea. This includes combinations like verb + infinitive or verb + gerund.

Common Structures:

• Verb + Infinitive: want to, need to, decide to
• Verb + Gerund: enjoy swimming, avoid eating, finish writing

Examples in Sentences:

• She wants to travel the world.
• They enjoy swimming in the ocean.

Usage Notes:

• Some verbs are followed specifically by infinitives or gerunds.
  • He prefers to read than to watch TV.
  • She admires his singing.

Semi-Auxiliary (Quasi-Auxiliary) Verbs

Semi-auxiliary verbs are verbs that function similarly to auxiliary verbs but can also act as main verbs. They help form different tenses, moods, or aspects.

Common Semi-Auxiliary Verbs:

• Need, Ought to, Used to, Be able to, Be going to

Examples in Sentences:

• She needs to finish her assignment.
• They are going to start the project tomorrow.
• He used to play the guitar.

Characteristics:

• Can take tense and be used with main verbs.
• Exhibit some properties of both auxiliary and main verbs.

Cognitive Verbs

Cognitive verbs relate to mental processes and states, often overlapping with stative verbs. They express thinking, knowing, perceiving, and reasoning.

Examples:

• think, know, believe, imagine, understand, recognize

Examples in Sentences:

• I believe in hard work.
• She understands the problem.

Usage Notes:

• Often used to express opinions, beliefs, and knowledge.
• Typically not used in continuous tenses when describing mental states.

Resultative Verbs

Resultative verbs describe the result of an action. They often imply that the action leads to a particular state or outcome.

Examples:

• paint (as in “paint the wall red”)
• make (as in “make someone happy”)
• *turn (as in “turn the page”)

Examples in Sentences:

• She painted the room blue.
• The news made him happy.
• He turned the key slowly.

Perception Verbs

Perception verbs relate to the senses and describe how we perceive the world around us.

Common Perception Verbs:

• Sight: see, look, watch, notice
• Hearing: hear, listen
• Touch: feel, touch
• Taste and Smell: taste, smell

Examples in Sentences:

• I heard a strange noise.
• She looked at the painting carefully.
• They felt the warmth of the sun.

Usage Notes:

• Some perception verbs can be followed by gerunds or infinitives.
  • I saw him running. (Perception of an ongoing action)
    • *Running is in gerund form.
  • I heard him run. (Perception of a complete action)
    • *Run is in base form.

Impersonal Verbs

Impersonal verbs do not refer to a specific subject and are often used in weather expressions, time, or general statements.

Common Impersonal Verbs:

• Weather: rain, snow, hail, thunder, shine
• Time and General Statements: seem, appear, happen

Examples in Sentences:

• It rains heavily in April.
• There appears to be a misunderstanding.
• It is ten o’clock.

Usage Notes:

• Use “it” or “there” as dummy subjects.
• Do not change the verb form based on a person or number.

Reciprocal Verbs

Reciprocal verbs express actions that are mutually performed by two or more subjects towards each other.

Examples of Reciprocal Verbs:

• love, hate, help, meet, communicate

Examples in Sentences:

• They love each other.
• The team members help one another.
• Friends meet regularly for coffee.

Usage Notes:

• Often accompanied by reciprocal pronouns like “each other” or “one another.”

Summary Table of Verb Types

Tips for Mastering Different Types of Verbs

1. Identify the Function: Determine whether the verb expresses an action, state, or relates to mental processes.
2. Understand Sentence Structure: Recognize whether a verb requires an object (transitive) or not (intransitive).
3. Memorize Irregular Forms: Regular practice and memorization help in mastering irregular verb conjugations.
4. Learn Common Phrasal Verbs: Phrasal verbs are widely used in everyday English, so familiarize yourself with common ones.
5. Practice Subject-Verb Agreement: Ensure that verbs agree with their subjects in number and person.
6. Use Verb Tables: Create tables categorizing verbs to visualize their types and forms.
7. Engage in Active Usage: Incorporate different verb types in your writing and speaking to reinforce understanding.
8. Leverage Resources: Utilize grammar books, online exercises, and language apps to practice and test your knowledge.

Verbs are the backbone of English sentences, carrying the essential information about actions, states, and occurrences. By understanding the various types of verbs and their specific functions, you can enhance your grammatical accuracy and express ideas more precisely. Regular practice, coupled with mindful observation of how verbs are used in different contexts, will significantly improve your command of the English language.