Action Verbs
Most verbs in the English language are Action Verbs. An Actions Verbs is a verb that expresses an action, we use action verbs whenever we want to discuss something being done by someone.
For example:
- She runs everyday.
- They laughed during the comedy.
- I will talk to my friend tomorrow.
- We are going to travel to Morocco.
As you can see from the examples above, each verb is expressing an action; run, laugh, talk, travel.
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Linking Verbs
If we compare Action Verbs to Linking Verbs, we will see a very big difference. Unlike Actions Verbs that express an action, Linking Verbs are used to connect a subject to a piece of information about the subject. Linking Verbs are inactive as there is no action being done in the sentence. Instead, Linking Verbs describe the quality of something.
For example:
- The dinner is cold.
- The girl seemed tired.
- The group became angry.
- The flowers smell lovely.
To be, to seem and to become are the most common Linking Verbs but many action verbs can also function as linking verbs as we saw in the last example above.
The verb to smell in the last example is describing the condition or quality of the flowers therefore it is a Linking Verb. However, if we said “the girl smelled the flowers” the verb to smell is an Action Verb as it is describing the action of the girl smelling the flowers.
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More for you:
All State Verbs List in English with Examples!
List of Verbs Followed by ING Form or Infinitive!
Phrasal Verbs List with Meanings and Examples
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What about Helping Verbs?
Helping Verbs are also known as Auxiliary Verbs and are a very important aspect in English grammar. The most often used Auxiliary Verbs are to be, to do and to have.
Helping Verbs can have three different functions:
- Form a negative
- Form a question
- Help the main verb in a sentence show the verb’s tense.
Let’s see how we can form a negative using Helping Verbs:
- I don’t like Monday mornings.
- They haven’t completed the exam yet.
- She isn’t happy about feedback she received from work.
Helping Verbs used to form questions:
- Is the presentation ready for today’s meeting?
- Do they know who the new manager is going to be?
- Have you seen the new Marvel movie?
Helping Verbs used to show tense in a sentence:
- They are going to the conference in May.
- “I have found the perfect destination!” the travel agent boasted.
- We have been discussing the issue all day.
- He was planning to go to the cinema but he had to stay in work late.
As you can see from the examples above, Helping Verbs are used to help express a certain tense, negative sentences or questions.
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Irregular Verbs
There are many Irregular Verbs in English which can cause confusion for learners when trying to conjugate an irregular verb. Irregular verbs can be challenging for learners as they don’t follow the regular pattern if the past simple or the past participle.
Below is a list of Irregular Verbs most commonly used in every day situations:
- Buy
- Become
- Make
- Think
- Say
- Go
- Write
- Get
- Know
- See
- Come
- Take
Common Irregular Verbs conjugated into the Past Simple Tense:
- Buy – bought
- Become – became
- Make – made
- Think – thought
- Say – said
- Go – went
- Write – wrote
- Get – got
- Know – knew
- See – saw
- Come – came
- Take – took
Common Irregular Verbs conjugated into the Past Participle:
- Buy – bought
- Become – become
- Make – made
- Think – thought
- Say – said
- Go – gone
- Write – written
- Get – got, gotten
- Know – known
- See – seen
- Come – come
- Take – taken
Irregular Verbs are very important in English grammar and learners should memorise these verb conjugations if they want to become proficient speakers.
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More for you:
Adverbs Of Frequency
Can Could with Many Examples
What is the difference between a regular verb and an irregular verb
202 Most Common Irregular Verbs + Gerund
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Modified Verbs:
Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. We need adverbs if we want to know when, how, where or to what extent something happened.
For example:
- The boy ran quickly.
- The meeting was held this morning.
- They nearly missed the bus.
- The dog is in the house.
In each example above, the adverb modifies the verb in some way:
- The boy ran quickly. How fast did the boy run? Quickly.
- The meeting was held this morning. When was the meeting held? This morning.
- They nearly missed the bus. Did they miss the bus? Nearly.
- The dog is in the house. Where is the dog? In the house.
