Verbs: Definition, Types & Examples

A verb is a word that asserts something about the subject of the sentence and expresses actions, events, or states of being.

A verb is a word that expresses:

• • A physical action (e.g., “to swim,” “to write,” “to climb”).
  • A mental action (e.g., “to think,” “to guess,” “to consider”).
  • A state of being (e.g., “to be,” “to exist,” “to appear”).

You might find it useful to think of verbs as “doing” words.

Look at the diagram below to understand the classification of verbs.

1. Finite Verbs: A finite verb is a form of a verb that (a) shows agreement with a subject and (b) is marked for tense. If there is just one verb in a sentence, that verb is finite. Finite verbs are sometimes called main verbs or tensed verbs. A finite clause is a word group that contains a finite verb form as its central element.

• • • I have done my duty.
    • He sleeps.
    • They sleep.

Finite Verbs are categorized into two types: the principal verb and the auxiliary verb.

i) Principal Verbs: The principal verb also called the lexical verb or the main verb is used independently in a sentence without the help of other verbs.

The underlined words in the following sentences are all principal/main/lexical verbs:

• • • He helps the poor.
    • They play badminton.
    • The boy walked carelessly.
    • He is a writer.

A Principal Verb is classified into two types: the transitive verb and the intransitive verb.

a) Transitive verbs: A transitive verb is an action verb that requires one or more objects which receive the action of the verb in the sentence.

The underlined words in the following sentences are all transitive verbs:

• • • We helped the wretched. (verb with the object ‘the wretched’)
    • They betrayed the country in 1971. (verb with the object ‘the country’)

b) Intransitive verbs: An intransitive verb is an action verb that requires no direct object in the sentence.

• • •  The baby sleeps. (no object in the sentence)
    •  We walk in the morning. (no object in the sentence)

N.B. If you ask the action (verb) with “what” or “Who”, you’ll get the OBJECT.

ii) Auxiliary Verbs: A verb that helps a Principal verb to form a sentence is called an Auxiliary or Helping verb.

The underlined words in the following sentences are all auxiliary/helping verbs:

• • • They are running in the field.
    • I have had my breakfast.
    • Does it work well?

Here, ‘are’ and ‘have’  and ‘does’ are helping the main verbs run, have, and work.

An auxiliary verb is classified into two types: the principal auxiliary or the primary auxiliary and the modal auxiliary.

(a) Principal Auxiliary

1. 1. i) ‘To be’ verb:   be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being
   2. ii) ‘To have’ verb:       have, has, had, having

iii) ‘To do’ verb:   do, does, did

(b) Modal auxiliary:   Can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, used to, ought to, must, need, dare

N.B. Modals only take the base form of verbs after them.

2. Non-finite verbs: A non-finite verb is a form of the verb that is not limited by a person, number, or tense in a sentence and cannot act as the main verb.

The underlined words in the following sentences are all non-finite verbs:

• • • I want to reach the goal.
    • Swimming is a good exercise.
    • Finishing the work, I went home.

Non- finite Verb are classified into three types: the participle, the gerund, and the infinite.

i) Participles: A Participle is verbal but works as an adjective. Participles are formed when “the verb” takes the suffixes: -ed, -t, -n, -en, or -ing after it and works as both the verb as well as the adjective. For example, classified, learnt, broken, learning, 

Participles are classified into three types: the present participle, the past participle, and the perfect participle.

a) Present participles: Present participle is made by adding ‘ing ’ to the base form. For example, hearing, doing, learning, etc.

The underlined words in the following sentences are all present participles:

• • • Hearing the news, she fainted.
    • I saw a bird sitting on a bough.
    • A rolling stone gathers no moss.

Use of Present Participles

Use	Examples
As a Predicative adjective:	The scene looks charming.
As an Attributive adjective:	She is a charming woman. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
To qualify a noun:	Hearing the news, he fainted. I saw a bird sitting on a bough.
Absolutely in a sentence:	Weather permitting, we shall go to your party. God willing, we will come tomorrow.
As part of a Compound noun:	A sleeping boy, a walking boy,  a flying bird, etc.
As a Preposition:	I know nothing regarding/ respecting/concerning the issue.
After a ‘Be’ verb:	I am going to college.

b) Past participles: A past participle is made by adding ‘ed’, ‘-d’ or ‘-t’ to the base form of a regular verb and works as both the verb and the adjective.

The underlined words in the following sentences are all past participles:

• • • A fallen tree across the road made a traffic jam.
    • Dazed with fear, Okonkwo cut him down.
    • I found the work done.

Use of Past Participles

Use	Examples
As a Predicative adjective:	Azad seems to be learned. Nothing is left for you.
As an Attributive adjective:	Nahid is a learned man. I found my lost pen.
To qualify the noun:	Dazed with fear, Okonko cut him down.
Absolutely in a sentence:	This done, they went away.
As part of a Compound noun:	A well-learned man, a soft-spoken girl, a burnt child, etc.
In a passive voice after a ‘Be-verb’:	English is spoken across the globe.

c) Perfect Participles: The perfect participle indicates completed action. You form the perfect participle by putting the present participle having in front of the past participle.

Formula: Having + any past participle = perfect participle

The underlined words in the following sentences are all perfect participles:

• • • Having finished the work, we returned home.
    • The sun having risen, we started for the village.
    • Having been fed up, he left the work.

ii) Gerunds: A gerund is a noun formed from a verb. All gerunds end with -ing.

The underlined words in the following sentences are all gerunds:

• • • Smoking is injurious to health. (subject)
    • Walking in the morning is good for health. (subject)
    • He stopped writing. (object)
    • He is accustomed to drinking. (prepositional object)

Use of Gerunds

Use	Examples
As a subject of the verb:	Writing poetry is difficult.
As an object of the verb:	I like writing.
As an object of a preposition:	I am fond of writing.
As part of a Compound Noun:	A living room, a drinking glass, laughing gas
As a Possessive Case	I appreciate your singing. He insisted on my doing it.
As a Verbal noun with a determiner:	The writing of poetry is difficult.
As a Complement:	It is a known saying.
With “No”:	There is no denying the fact.
After “To” in some specific phrases:	I prefer reading to speaking.

A list of phrases with ‘to’ where gerunds follow:

Look forward to, object to, be/get used to, get round to, with a view to, committed to, devoted to, accustomed to, addicted to, habituated to, in addition to

Also, a list of verbs that takes the gerund form of a verb that follows:

admit, appreciate, dislike, give up, postpone, endure, practise, avoid, enjoy, imagine, put off, burst out, escape, involve, resent, excuse, keep (on), resist, consider, face, leave off, risk, contemplate, fancy, mention, delay, feel like,  mind, suggest,  deny, finish, miss,  understand, detest, forgive, (can’t) help, (can’t) stand.

iii)  Infinitives: The infinitive is the base form of a verb. It works as a verb and noun, as a verb and adjective, or as a verb and adverb.

Look at the underlined words as examples of infinitives:

• • • I have a lot of work to do.
    • To swim is beneficial to health.
    • He started to speak.

There are, however, four other forms of the infinitive: the perfect infinitive, the perfect continuous infinitive, the continuous infinitive, & the passive infinitive.

The present infinitive has two forms:

• • the to-infinitive = to + base (eg. to read)
  • the zero/bare infinitive = base (eg. read)

The negative infinitive is formed by putting not in front of any form of the infinitive.

Use of Bare/Zero Infinitive:

a) After certain verbs such as please, see, let, make, bid, hear, help, behold, watch, feel, notice in the active voice-and after the verbs “need” and “dare” as modal verbs.

Look at the underlined word as examples of bare/zero infinitives:

• • • I saw him go.
    • You need go there.
    • I made him laugh.

Note that the use of bare infinitive after verbs “help” and “bid” is optional. For example,

• • • She helped me (to) lift the box.
    • He bade them (to) leave at once.

But after the above verbs in a passive voice, you should use the infinitive, not the bare infinitive. For example,

• • • He was seen to go.
    • He was made to laugh.

b) After modal verbs such as can, could, shall, should, may, might, will, would and do, does, did in an interrogative, negative sentence, you should use the zero/ bare infinitive.

Look at the underlined word as examples of bare/zero infinitives:

• • • I will sing a song.
    • You may leave now.
    • He could do this.
    • Do you like it?

c) After certain phrases such as Had better, had rather, would rather, better, had sooner, you should use the zero/bare infinitive. For example,

• • • You had better/had sooner read.

d) After than, rather than, except, and, as, like, but, you should use the zero/bare infinitive.

Look at the underlined word as examples of bare/zero infinitives:

• • • He does nothing but gossip.
    • I cannot but laugh.
    • Rather than wait for any more, I went to college.

e) To ask a question with “why“, you should use the zero/bare infinitive.

Look at the underlined word as examples of bare/zero infinitives:

• • • Why not take some rest if you are tired?
    • Why sit down if you don’t have any time?

 

Use of Infinitives

Use	Examples
As the subject of a verb:	To write poetry is difficult.
As the object of a verb:	I like to write. I teach him to swim. He was taught to swim.
As the complement of a verb:	Azad seems to be angry. The judge ordered him to be hanged.
As an adjective:	I have no money to lend. I have no pen to write you.
As an adverb:	I am going to market to buy a shirt. He came to Ottawa to find a job.
As the object of a preposition:	The sun is about to set.
In exclamation /interrogation:	To think that he would do such a thing! Now, what to do?
As an adverb with the verb:	Animals live to eat. He happened to see the girl.
As an adverb with the Adjective:	I am glad to meet you.
As an adjective with the noun:	I have a lot of work to do. Here is a house to let.
Absolutely in a sentence:	To be honest, he is gentle.

Infinitives in the active voice        Infinitives in a Passive voice 

To write (simple infinitive)                                         To be written  

To be writing (progressive infinitive)

To have written   (perfect infinitive)                           To have been written

To have been writing (perfect progressive infinitives)

Verbs are classified into two types based on the action or state: the action verb/dynamic verb and the state verb/stative verb.

1. Action verbs: The action verb, also called dynamic verb, expresses an action whether it be physical or mental. An action verb explains what the subject of the sentence is doing or has done. For example,
   • • He plays football every day.
     • He is swimming in the pond.
2. State verbs: State/Stative verbs are verbs that express a state rather than an action. They usually relate to thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, states of being, and measurements. These verbs are not usually used with “ing” in progressive (continuous) tenses even though they may take on time expressions such as now and at the moment. You use simple tenses for them. For example,
   • • He is a student.
     • She takes after her mother.
     • I have a beautiful watch.

Some verbs can be both stative and dynamic:

Be

be is usually a stative verb, but when it is used in the continuous it means ‘behaving’ or ‘acting’ you are stupid = it’s part of your personality you are being stupid = only now, not usually

Think

think (stative) = have an opinion I think that coffee is great think (dynamic) = consider, have in my head what are you thinking about? I’m thinking about my next holiday

Have

have (stative) = own I have a car have (dynamic) = part of an expression I’m having a party / a picnic / a bath / a good time / a break

See

see (stative) = see with your eyes / understand I see what you mean I see her now, she’s just coming along the road see (dynamic) = meet / have a relationship with I’ve been seeing my boyfriend for three years I’m seeing Robert tomorrow

Taste

taste (stative) = has a certain taste This soup tastes great The coffee tastes really bitter taste (dynamic) = the action of tasting The chef is tasting the soup(‘taste’ is the same as other similar verbs such as ‘smell’)