VERBS
VERBS
VERBS
Every sentence
needs at least one verb. If there’s no verb, it’s an incomplete sentence or a sentence
fragment. Except for imperative sentences (commands), a sentence also needs a
subject, the thing doing the action.
Subjects are important for a verb because they change how it’s conjugated, which we
explain below. This is especially true for the most common verb: be.
Types of verbs
Dynamic (action) verbs
Most verbs describe a physical action or activity, something external that can be seen or
heard. These verbs are formally known as dynamic verbs, but can also be called action
or event verbs.
Examples: walk, laugh, swim, play, eat, drink, sing, dance, talk, say
There are a lot of actions that take place in our minds and feelings, which are not
external. Verbs that describe mental or internal actions are still dynamic verbs, but
they’re not always so obvious. These include “process verbs,” which describe actions of
transition.
Examples: consider, guess, change, grow, live, endure, succeed, fail
The main auxiliary verbs are be, have, and do. We explain how they’re used specifically
for conjugating below, but here are a few quick examples:
I have eaten sushi many times before. (tense)
That piece of sushi was eaten by me. (voice)
Did you eat my sushi? (mood)
Modal auxiliary verbs
Some auxiliary verbs are added to another verb to show necessity, possibility, or
capability. Like other auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliary verbs are not the main verb, but
they do change its meaning slightly. Some common examples are can, may, could,
should, would, must, ought, and might.
I could swim across the English Channel, but should I do it?
She must be the strongest person on the team and might be the strongest person in the
region.
Phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs are phrases that act as individual verbs, often combining two or more
words and changing their meaning. The verb get, for example, becomes many different
phrasal verbs when combined with different prepositions.
When the bus stops, passengers get out on the sidewalk.
After losing his job, he’s getting by on savings.
The important thing to remember about phrasal verbs is that they act as a single verb,
so you can still use them with other verbs and prepositions. However, when you
conjugate a phrasal verb, you only conjugate the part of the phrase that’s actually a
verb, like get.