VERBS
Verbs
It is important to know that the verbs are not always referring to
an action
We can look at verbs from three angles:
Morphology: how it looks (its form)
Syntax: what work it does in a sentence (its function)
Semantics: its meaning
Classification
• SYNTACTICALLY: • MORPHOLOGICALLY:
Finite verbs
Transitive verbs
Intransitive verbs
Linking verbs Regular verbs
Non finite verbs Irregular verbs
Gerunds Compounds (phrasal
Infinitives and prepositional
Participles (present, past
and perfect)
verbs)
Linking verbs • SEMANTICALLY:
Primary auxiliaries
Modal verbs
Action verbs
Verbs of having
Linking verbs
Primary auxiliaries
Modal verbs
Sintactically
• Finite verbs (tensed verbs)
The word finite means limited
This form of the verb has subject and shows tense.
This kind of verbs are the sentence root that’s why they can
be used as the only verb in the sentence.
They don’t require an additional helping verb and usually
follow their subject.
• Examples:
We rob banks.
Do you know her name?
Yesterday they played together.
Transitive verbs
This kind of verbs express an action.
They’re followed by a direct object (thing or person that
receives the action).
• Examples:
• Alex sent a postcard from Argentina
• (postcard=direct object)
• Annie gives her mom a cute present
• ( mom=direct object)
What is an object?
The aim, purpose, destination or target of a verb's action.
They answer the questions what or who?
Examples:
He met her yesterday (Who did he meet?)
She wrote a story last year (What did she write?)
Rust destroys iron (What does rust destroy?)
Intransitive verbs
They do not take a direct object.
There’s no a word in the sentence that tells who or what
receive the action.
• Examples:
• It rains across the state.
• We walk to the railway station.
Some exceptions
• Transitive Verbs Used Intransitively:
• You will often find transitive verbs used intransitively without an
object.
They are eating.
I understand.
• Intransitive Verbs Used Transitively
• At rare times intransitive verbs are used transitively.
How did you cover all that distance? We walked it (‘Walked’
has the object ‘it’ in this sentences.
Linking verbs
They show a relationship between the subject and some
extra information.
They are followed by a noun or and adjective.
Most common are: Be Become Appear Seem Get Smell Feel
Look Remain Sound Go Grow Taste
• Examples:
• She seemed an intelligent woman.
• He got hungry in the evening.
• He looks like a good player.
Non finite verbs
This type of verbs don’t show a distinction in tense and
normally they cannot stand alone as the main verb in a
sentence.
Except for modal auxiliaries, all verbs have a non finite
form.
Also they don’t show person, number and gender.
Gerunds:
It is made from a verb by adding –ing.
You cans use it as a subject, object or complement of the
sentence.
It could be a participle or a gerund, but they’re not the
same.
They can be negative by adding not
• Examples:
• Reading helps you learn English (subject).
• I enjoy reading (object).
• Her favorite hobby is reading (complement).
• The best thing for your health is not smoking.
Infinitives:
“To” form of the verb
They act as a noun and as a verb.
Occasionally, it acts as an adjective or adverb, despite
being a verb in meaning.
They don’t convey a tense.
They also can be negative by adding not.
• Examples:
• The most important thing is to learn.
• To learn values is important for you.
• I decided not to go to the party.
Helping verbs
They help the main verb in a sentence.
They have no meaning in their own.
But they are necessary for the grammatical structure.
• We have:
Primary auxiliaries
Modal verbs
How do they help?
• Syntactically: They perform some grammatical function, as:
In forming the passive
In expressing the continuity (progressive) aspect
In expressing the perfect (completed) aspect
These are called Primary Auxiliaries
• Semantically:
They add meaning to the meaning of the main verb. What
they add are meanings like: ability, possibility, permission,
command, habitual action, etc.
These are called Modal Auxiliaries
• To be: Continuous tenses or passive
Primary voice
• To have: Perfect tenses
auxiliaries • To do: Negative sentences, to ask
questions or show emphasis
• They modify the meaning of the main
verb
Modal • They convey: probability, abilities,
necessities, offers, to make requests
verbs or ask for permission
• Can, could, may, might, will, would,
shall, should, must, ought to.
• Examples:
To be:
He is watching TV (continuous tense)
To have:
I have finished my homework (perfect tense)
To do:
I do not like you (negative)
Do you want some coffee? (ask a question)
I do want you to pass the exam (show emphasize)
Modal verbs:
I can not speak Chinese, She could do it for you, Would you
like a cup of coffee?, You should go to the doctor…
Morphologically
• Regular verbs
In English grammar, a regular verb is a verb that forms
its past tense and past participle by adding at the end -
d or -ed to the base form.
The majority of English verbs are regular.
Special cases of the -ed forms
• If there is a consonant after a stressed vowel at the end of
the word, double the consonant
• stop – stopped
ban - banned
swap – swapped
• If the vowel is not stressed, we do not double it:
open - opened (Here the stress is on'o', not the 'e'.)
offer - offered ( Here the stress is on 'o', not the 'e')
Irregular verbs LOREM IPSUM
. There is no formula to Break-broke-broken
predict how an irregular Cut-cut-cut
verb will form its past
tense and past participle Run-ran-run
forms. Meet-met-met
There are over 250 Come-came-come
irregular verbs in English. Swim-swam-swum
Although they do not follow
Be-was/were-been
a formula, there are some
fairly common irregular
forms
Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases
consisting of a verb + adverb or verb + preposition.
Compound verbs
• In English grammar, a The compound verb can
compound verb is made include:
up of two or
more words that function A prepositional verb
as a single verb. A phrasal verb
Action verbs
They describe what the subject of a sentence is doing.
This type of verbs carry a great deal of information.
We have two types of action verbs
Regular verbs: Irregular verbs:
She played videogames I made my homework last
with me yesterday. week.
Verb “to have”
As a main verb: Possession
As a main verb “to have” implies the meaning of possession.
For example:
“I have a job.” “I have a car.“ "I don't have any time."
When it is used to indicate possession you can say "I have..." or
you might see/hear "I have got...".
For example:
I have a shower in my bathroom, I don't have a bath. = I have
got a shower in my bathroom. I haven't got a bath.
As a main verb: Action
• Actions
When you are talking about actions, you only use "have".
Example:
I have a shower every day. - I'm having a shower now.
Note: It does not take the continuous form "I having" for that you
have to use the auxiliary verb be.
Different forms: Singular
Different forms: Plural
• Examples:
Do we have a car?
Have you got a car?
How many pets do you have?
Does she have a baby?
He has a big house
