Verbs

What is a verb?

Verbs represent the action that is taking place in the sentence. Verbs are the center of a sentence because they are the only part that is required to form a sentence.

The different kinds of verbs are:

• Transitive and intransitive verbs

• Action verbs

• Being verbs

• Linking verbs

Transitive vs intransitive verbs

Transitive verbs are verbs that have a direct objectA direct object is a word or phrase that receives the action of a verb. For example: “I fed the cat.” In this sentence “the cat” is the direct object receives the action of “fed.” but do not have an indirect object. Intransitive verbs use neither a direct object nor an indirect objectAn indirect object is a word or phrase the receives the direct object. For example: “I made my friends dinner.” The indirect object is “my friends” because they are receiving the direct object “dinner.”. They are action verbs that are complete on their own.

Examples:

• Transitive verb: “I already cleaned the kitchen.”

• Intransitive: “I went for a run.”

Action verbs

Action verbs, also called dynamic verbs, are one of the most common verbs because they describe a physical action or activity that is taking place. These verbs are normally something external that is happening, but it can also include mental or internal actions. Let’s take a look at some examples:

Some examples include: walk, run, swim, jump, play, laugh, dance, hug.

• “I am dancing in the recital.”

• “I swam at the beach today.”

• “I considered the possibility of moving.”

Being verbs

Being verbs or “state of being” verbs are the opposite of action verbs in that they describe how the state of the subject or how the subject is feeling.

Some examples include: love, hate, like, dislike, prefer, believe, want.

• “Alex hates seafood.”

• “I want to travel the world!”

• “I prefer to live in the city rather than the suburbs.”

Linking verbs

A linking verb can be any type of verb that links the subject to the rest of the sentence.

Here are some examples:

• “Muhammad is in the dining room.”

• “The player was excited when they scored.”

Note that in each of these examples, the verb connects the subject to the rest of the sentence.

Irregular verbs

The trickiest part about learning a new language are irregular verbs. Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow a regular pattern, but instead have unique rules.

While most regular verbs just add -d or -ed to the end of the word for past tense, irregular verbs have unusual past tense and past participles. Let’s take a look at the chart below to review some common irregular verbs.