Week 2

Lesson 2-
Verbs



1. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
2. Linking Verbs
3. Auxiliary Verbs
4. The Finite Verb and The Infinitive
5. Action Verb/State Verb
6. Regular and Irregular Verbs

A verb is a word or more than one word that is used to express an action or a state
of being. Every sentence cannot be complete without a verb, thus making the verb
the most important word as far as sentence construction is concerned. In a
sentence, a verb has a subject who does the action and an object who receives the
action.
It shows what action has taken place whether the subject performs the
action, called active voice (Example: Somebody stole my wallet) or receives the
action called passive voice (Example: My wallet was stolen.).
Verbs express tense, that is the time the action happens, and also the
continuance or completion of the action at the time of speaking. The verb tenses are
past, present, and future. These tenses have continuous and perfect forms.

A transitive verb needs an object to complete the meaning of the sentence. An intransitive
verb does not require an object to make its meaning clear.

A transitive verb must have an object. Without an object, it does not convey a clear
meaning.
EXAMPLE: He bought.
The question inevitably arises: What did he buy? No one knows the answer to this question
as there is no direct object to receive the action of the verb bought. The meaning becomes
clear when an object is added as follows:
EXAMPLE: He bought a cake.
The subject of the verb He performs the action: bought. The object of the action verb
bought is a cake
A transitive verb may take an indirect object. An indirect object is something or someone
for whom the action is carried out.
EXAMPLE: He bought her a cake.
The indirect object is her as its for her that the cake was bought. The indirect object
usually precedes the direct object.

An intransitive verb does not require an object. Without an object, its meaning is not
affected.
EXAMPLE: She swims.
The intransitive verb swims does not need an object to make the meaning clear.
EXAMPLE: The villagers caught a boar yesterday but it escaped this morning.
The verb caught is transitive as it has the direct object: boar; the other verb escaped is
intransitive since it is not followed by an object.

Linking verbs link a subject to a word or phrase that describes or identifies the subject.
They help to complete the expression about the subject. Linking verbs do not take on a
direct object but are followed by an adjective. Any verb that expresses an action is not a
linking verb.
Week 2

The following are the characteristics of a linking verb:
He looked at me. (It tells us what he did = action verb)
She looked as if she was going to cry. (It doesnt tell us what she did, only how she
appeared to be = linking verb)
He looked tired.
She is a nurse.
He feels fine. (feels is not an action verb; it is followed by an adjective.)
He feels the fine sand of the beach. (feels is an action verb.)
It was he they were looking for. (he = subjective pronoun)
Not: It was him they were looking for. (him = objective pronoun)
Lets use the following two sentences and replace the verb feels with is.
He feels fine. = He is fine. (The verb is a linking verb.)
He feels the fine sand of the beach. = He is the fine sand of the beach. (Not a linking
verb.)

Using adverbs instead of adjectives with linking verbs will result in incorrect
sentences, as shown here:
Example: Some common linking verbs: appear, become, feel, grow, look, seem, smell,
sound, taste.
3. AUXILIARY VERBS
Auxiliary verbs are used to combine with other verbs to form tenses, moods, questions,
negative and passive forms. The most common auxiliary verbs are: be (I am reading),
have (They have arrived.), and do (We dont want to go.)

Singular Plural
I am/have/to We are/have/do
You are/have/do You are/have/do
He is/has/does They are/have/do
She is/has/does They are/have/do
It is/has/does They are/have/do
In most sentences, you will have noticed that each one has two verbs.
EXAMPLE: Jill is riding an elephant.
EXAMPLE: Jack has gone with Jill to the zoo.
In the two examples, there are two verbs in each sentence riding and gone are known
as the MAIN VERBS, and they each has another verb before it. They are is and has, and
these two verbs are known as AUXILIARY VERBS. Auxiliary verbs are also called helping
verbs. The word auxiliary means providing help. They help the main verbs riding and
gone by combining with them to show their tenses.
In the first example, is riding in Jill is riding an elephant tells us that the action is still
going on, that is Jill is still riding the elephant.

Auxiliary verbs do not normally exist alone in a sentence without the main verb.
CORRECT: I would like to be rich. / INCORRECT: I would to be rich. (Without auxiliary
verb)
CORRECT: He should talk to her. / INCORRECT: He should to her. (Without auxiliary verb)
CORRECT: You must be joking. / INCORRECT: You must joking. (Without auxiliary verb)
However, auxiliary verbs without the main verbs are commonly used when the meaning
is understood. This is often found in replies or responses.
Will he help me? Yes, he will. / Can you do this? Yes, I can. / Does she know you? Yes,
she does.
Here, the auxiliary verbs (will, can, does) are used without the main verbs (help, do,
Week 2
know)

The following are types of auxiliary verbs:
Passive: This is used to show the passive form.
EXAMPLE: The elephant was given a quick bath.
Progressive: This shows the action is in progress.
EXAMPLE: The old lady is smiling at the elephant.
Perfective: This expresses an action completed in the past.
EXAMPLE: The monkey has eaten a banana.
Modal: Modals are used to express ability, permission or prediction.
EXAMPLE: You can use the car if you want.
EXAMPLE: She may feed the monkeys.
EXAMPLE: He will be a zoo-keeper some day.
EXAMPLE: We really should come here again.
Question: This is used to form questions.
EXAMPLE: Do you like those chimpanzees?
Negative statement: This is used to form negative statements.
EXAMPLE: I do not like those noisy monkeys.

Auxiliary verbs are often used in contracted forms. For instance, have is shortened to ve;
is/has to s; and had/would/should/could to d. In the latter case, care must be
exercised to distinguish them correctly.
Im quite sure Ive lost my way. (= I am / = I have)
Its the biggest dog in the neighbourhood. (=It is)
Shes naturally curly hair. (= She has)
Theyd already gone home. (=They had)
Wed like to go now. (= We would)
Hed stop thinking every girl dislikes him. (= He should)
Id speak seven languages. (= I could)
We can use auxiliary verb for emphasis.
EXAMPLE: I do like you.

The finite verb is the verb that changes with the person and number of the subject. It also
has tenses. Note the following:

Person Present Tense

Singular Plural
First Person I play We play
Second Person You play You play
Third Person He plays They play

She plays They play

It plays They play

The verb play changes with the subject (person). When the subject is in the third person
singular, that is he, she, or it, the verb changes into plays. It does not change when the
subject is in the first and second person, that is I or you and in the plural subject, that is, we,
you, or they. The verb play is a finite verb.
Example of finite verb:
We go to the library.
He goes to the library.
They go to the library.
She goes to the library.
Week 2
I go to the library.
(The finite verb is go)

Example: to eat, to run, to see, to take:
My fat sister likes to eat spaghetti.
I have decided to run away from home.
We love to see your face.
She wants to take all my candy.
Example:Let him eat the bigger piece.
I think you had better go alone.
We see each other only on weekends.
Please take this along with you.
Example: He can drive me to the airport.
We should eat our dinner earlier tonight.
He may come over later this evening.
We must visit him at the hospital.

Where more than one infinitive is used in a sentence, consistency in using the infinitives is
essential. The first infinitive is always used with to. If the next infinite is preceded by to, the
following infinitives must likewise have to preceding them, or if it is used without to, the rest
must be without to as well. See the following examples.
A verb can be an action verb or a state verb
He cycled to the shopping mall.
He is cycling to the shopping mall.
He cycles to work.
John read the newspaper. / John was reading the newspaper.
The Queen will meet the President. / The Queen will be meeting the President.
My father owns that building. (NOT: My father is owning that building.)
That book belongs to me. (NOT: That book is belonging to me.)
A state verb, also known as non-action verbs, refers to the condition of someone or the
state they are in, and is not normally used in the continuous tense.
The two neighbours hate the sight of each other. (NOT: The two neighbours are hating
the sight of each other.)
She believes everything that is told to her. (NOT: She is believing everything that is told
to her.)
Were liking what we are doing.
Im regretting now what I did just now.
Were wishing the rain stops suddenly
As usual, hes being provocative.
I see youre very happy with your new glasses. (state)
The doctor is not seeing any more patients. (action)
I have two dogs, one cat and a goldfish. (state)
What are we having for dinner tonight? (action)
She thinks you are getting the wrong idea about her. (state)
Were thinking of going with you. (action)
She looks gorgeous in this new dress. (state)
She is looking at a dress on sale. (action)

There are two groups of verbs, termed regular or irregular, and are identified by
how their simple past tense and past participle are formed.

EXAMPLE: simple present tense touch; kill; pass; stop; rub.
simple past tense touched; killed; passed; stopped; rubbed.
past participle touched; killed; passed; stopped; rubbed.
Week 2

EXAMPLE: simple present tense cost; hurt; put; read; shut.
simple past tense cost; hurt; put; read; shut.
past participle cost; hurt; put; read; shut.
EXAMPLE: simple present tense carry; die; fit; jump; try.
simple past tense carried; died; fitted; jumped; tried.
past participle carried; died; fitted; jumped; tried.
Example: simple present tense begin; choose; do; go; see
simple past tense began; chose; did; went; saw.
past participle begun; chosen; done; gone; seen.

There are verbs which can be regular or irregular as follow: