VERBS

Verbs have traditionally been defined as words that show action or state of being.

            

            

Verbs can also sometimes be recognized by their position in a sentence.

In the following two sentence frames, only a verb can be put into the empty slot.

            NOUN __________                            THERE ________ NOUN

                            (verb)                                                        (verb) 

         

Often, prefixes and suffixes (affixes)  will signify that a word is a verb.  For example, the suffixes -ify, -ize, -ate, or -en usually signify that a word is a verb, as in typify, characterize, irrigate, and sweeten.  Prefixes such as be-, de-, or en-  may signify that a word is a verb, as in bestow, dethrone, and encourage.  

These affixes, often inconsistent from verb to verb, are called derivational affixes. Added to a word, they either change the word's part of speech

     Example: 

      

or change the word's meaning

     Example: 

The base form of a verb is derived from the verb’s infinitive:  to  +  verb

               

          

Four suffixes consistently added to a verb’s base create all forms of a verb used in all tenses:

1. -s          creates 3rd person singular / present tense  (He talks.)

2. -ing       creates the present participle / used with be  (He is talking.)

3. -ed        creates the simple past  (He talked.)

4. -en        creates the past participle / used with have  (He has talked.)

Note:

The -en verb ending used with a form of to have as an auxiliary is generally written -ed, as in has talked.

      

Unlike the derivational affixes, these inflectional suffixes are consistently used with all verbs, even though their form may look different from verb to verb.

Because many verbs in English are irregular; as result, their –ed and/or –en  endings may not follow any obvious pattern.

Examples:
(to write)	Smith writes short stories at home. (-s ending)
	Smith is writing short stories at home. (-ing ending)
	Smith wrote short stories at home. (-ed ending)
	Smith has written short stories at home. (-en ending)
	*
(to buy)	Jones buys a newspaper each day.  (-s ending)
	Jones is buying a newspaper today.  (-ing ending)
	Jones bought a newspaper yesterday. (-ed ending)
	Jones has bought newspapers every day.  (-enending)
	*
(to go)	Students go to the library often. (-s ending)
	Students are going to the library often. (-ing ending)
	Students went to the library often. (-ed ending)
	Students have gone to the library often. (-en ending)

    

      

The majority of verbs are regular and consistently use -ed and -en to form their simple past tense and past participles. (e.g. talked, has talked)

    

Many verbs are irregular, however, and follow no consistent pattern in creating their -ed and/or -en forms.  A list of the major irregular verbs is shown below.

Present	Past (-ed form)	Past Participle (-en form)
arise	arose	arisen
ask	asked	asked
attack	attacked	attacked
awaken	awakened OR awoke	awakened
bear	bore	borne/born
begin	began	begun
blow	blew	blown
break	broke	broken
bring	brought	brought
burst	burst	burst
choose	chose	chosen
cling	clung	clung
come	came	come
dive	dived OR dove	dived
do	did	done
drag	dragged	dragged
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
drown	drowned	drowned
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
fly	flew	flown
forgive	forgave	forgiven
freeze	froze	frozen
get	got	got OR gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grow	grew	grown
hang (things)	hung	hung
hang (people)	hanged	hanged
happen	happened	happened
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
lie	lay	lain
loosen	loosened	loosened
lose	lost	lost
pay	paid	paid
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
see	saw	seen
set	set	set
shake	shook	shaken
shrink	shrank OR shrunk	shrunk OR shrunken
sing	sang	sung
sink	sank OR sunk	sunk
sit	sat	sat
speak	spoke	spoken
spin	spun	spun
spit	spat	spat
spring	sprang OR sprung	sprung
steal	stole	stolen
sting	stung	stung
stink	stank OR stunk	stunk
strive	strove	striven
study	studied	studied
swear	swore	sworn
swim	swam	swum
swing	swung	swung
take	took	taken
tear	tore	torn
throw	threw	thrown
wake	woke OR waked	woken OR waked
wear	wore	worn
weave	wove	woven
wring	wrung	wrung
write	wrote	written

    

A verb phrase is defined as the main verb together with all its auxiliaries (helping verbs).

Auxiliary verbs always precede the main verb.

There are two types of auxiliary verbs:

1. Inflected auxiliary verbs: 

be

have

do

2. Modal auxiliaries (considered more fully under (auxiliary verbs)

present	past	no tense
will	would	must
shall	should
can	could
may	might

    

Examples of verb phrases:

He has taken the test.	(auxiliary has  +  main verb  take.)
He is taking the test.	(auxiliary is  +  main verb  take)
He did take the test.	(auxiliary do  +  main verb take)
He has been taking the test.	(auxiliaries has been + main verb take)

Verbs may be divided into three types:

A.     Action verbs - show an action -- either physical or mental

               

B.   Verbs of being (forms of be - is, are, was, were, has/have/had been, will be) - show a state of existence:

            

C.  **Linking verbs - link a subject with its complement 

            (A subjective complement "completes" / "equals" the subject.)

            Linking verbs:  appear, taste, smell, feel, look, sound, grow, seem, remain, become

    

        NOTE:  Most linking verbs can also be used as action verbs.

    
            

Action verbs may be either transitive or intransitive.

A.  A transitive verb is one that is followed by a direct object.

  Example: 

  
        

B.  An intransitive verb is one that is NOT followed by a direct object.

   Example:
   

              

Caution:  An intransitive verb may be followed by adjectives, adverbs, and/or prepositional phrases.  As long as the verb is not followed by a noun or pronoun functioning as the direct object, the verb is intransitive.

   Example:   

    

          

NOTE:  Some action verbs may be either transitive or intransitive.

  Example:  (left) 

         
        

          Another example (read):                   

             
              
          

Verbs have three moods:  indicative, imperative, and subjunctive.

A. The indicative mood states a fact, asks a question, or exclaims.

          

B. The imperative mood gives a command.  The subject is always "you" understood.

          

C. The subjunctive mood occurs in two instances:

1. The sentence indicates a situation contrary to fact.

          

2. The sentence

shows a wish, desire, or demand

in a nominal clause beginning with that

following verbs such as desire, demand, request, suggest