1.

Action Verb
A. Difinition of Action Verb

Action verbs are verbs that specifically describe what the subject of the
sentence is doing. These types of verbs carry a great deal of information in a
sentence and serve to make the sentence complete (remember that all sentences
need a subject and a verb). In English, there are thousands of verbs that convey
subtle changes in meaning, so it's important to choose the right one. For example,
the verb "to go" imparts a relatively vague sense of motion, while "to run" is more
specific to add speed while "to stroll" is slower and more leisurely. Understanding
action verbs will make students better writers and communicators.

Below is a list of commonly used action verbs

Act Give Read

Agree Go Ride
Arrive Grab Run
Ask Help Send
Bake Hit Shout
Bring Hop Sing
Build Insult Sit
Buy Joke Smile
Call Jump Spend
Climb Kick Stand
Close Laugh Talk
Come Leave Think
Cry Lift Throw
Dance Listen Touch
Dream Make Turn
Drink March Visit
Eat Move Vote
Enter Nod Wait
Exit Open Walk
Fall Play Write
Fix Push Yell
 B. Examples of Action Verbs in Sentences

The following are examples of how action verbs are used in sentences, keep
in mind that you can use more than one action verb in a sentence. The action verb
is underlined in each sentence. Remember that action verbs don't have to describe
movement; the action can be mental.

 Anthony is throwing the football.

 She accepted the job offer.
 He thought about his stupid mistake in the test.
 John visited his friend for a while and then went home.
 The dog ran across the yard.
2. Physical Verb

Physical verbs are action verbs. They describe specific physical actions. If you
can create a motion with your body or use a tool to complete an action, the word
you use to describe it is most likely a physical verb.

Physical Verb Examples

The physical verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy
identification.

 Let’s run to the corner and back.

 I hear the train coming.
 Call me when you’re finished with class

3. Mental Verbs
Literally, mental refers to anything related to mind or intellectual process
and Verbs are words which show actions. Therefore, Mental Verbs refer to
cognitive (that deals with logic) state in which actions are mostly abstract.
These Verbs give meaning which is mostly unsuitable for outside
evaluation as they are not so concrete actions. However, we can evaluate these
types of verbs through our knowledge. Mental Verbs provide meanings which
 are connected with our sensory capabilities, deciding, understanding and
planning.
Mental/Static verbs are can be understood more clearly with the following
examples:

Feel Understand Taste Promise

Like Impress Hear Prefer
Love Astonish Smell Own
Hate Remember See Mind
Realize Forget Look Doubt
Mind Surprise Feel Want
Know Concern Please Dislike
Hope Recognize Learn Decide
Wish Know Notice Perceive

A. Always Remember

The words like see, think, feel, taste, smell etc. do not mean literally. They all
refer to opinions.

Examples:
 I can see the future. (No one can actually see)
I can smell. Something is fishy. (Situations cannot be smelt literally but
understood)
Hope you got the taste of failure. (Who can taste failure with tongue?)
I think I like you. (Think here means the subject believes)
Instead of ignoring what I say, hear me out this time. (Hear in the sentence
means to value what subject has been saying)
B. Mental Verbs are real verbs

We should not be confused thinking whether these are real verbs or not. Mental
Verbs also refer to actions even if they are Invisible.

Examples:
 I decided to go to Africa this fall. (We cannot see it but only know it when
somebody tells us)
He expects you to understand. (Expects here means the subject hopes)
Can you promise to work harder? (Promise in the sentence means assurance
which is only an understanding that the action will take place)
Did I surprise you? (Surprise means taken aback)
You seem to be impressed by her. (Seem and impressed both can’t be seen
until shown in expression or told)

In this way, we can say that Mental Verbs are Interpretive as they tend to explain
what seems obscure (difficult to understand).
C. Points to Remember
Mental Verbs are mostly used with Present Perfect Tense as this tense
states the completion of a work. This tense is used as Mental Verbs are not
regarded as progressive. Mental verbs are also called Copular Verbs.

D. Mental and Performative Meanings

"[T]he meanings of mental verbs are propositional: when a speaker uses the
verb recognize as a mental verb, e.g. in the sentence Of course I recognize your
handwriting, the speaker refers only to his or her role as the experiencer of a
mental process. In contrast, the performative meaning of recognize, as in the
sentence I hereby recognize Mr. Smith, presupposes interpersonal elements
inherent to the speech act situation, such as the social relationship between the
speaker and interlocutors."

In traditional grammar and pedagogical grammar, a verb that does not show
action but instead indicates a state of being. In other words, a state-of-being verb
identifies who or what a noun is, was, or will be. Contrast with verb of doing
(dynamic verb).Although in English most being verbs are forms of to be ( am, are,
is, was, were, will be, being, been), other verbs (such as become, seem, appear) can
also function as verbs of being.

Examples:

 Smith is strange. (is shows a state of existence)

 Smith will always be my friend. (will be shows a state of existence)
 Smith has been here for a week. (has been shows a state of
existence)
 Smith was away last week. (was shows a state of existence)

4. Linking Verb

A linking verb is a verb which connects a subject to its predicate without

expressing an action. A linking verb is used to re-identify or describe its subject.
 The word, phrase, or clause which follows a linking verb to re-identify or
describe the subject is called the subject complement.

A. A List of Linking Verbs

The most common linking verb is the verb to be. Other common ones relate to
the five senses (to look, to feel, to smell, to sound, and to taste). Here is a list of
common linking verbs:

 to be (In all its forms, e.g., am, is, are, was, were, will be, was being, has
been.)
 to appear
 to be
 to become
 to feel
 to look

B. Linking Verb Examples

Here are some examples of linking verbs used in sentences with the linking
verbs in bold:

 William is excited about his promotion.

 She appears upset about the announcement.
 The eggs smell rotten.
 He went red after tripping on the rug.
 Your plans for the wedding sound nice.
 You look exhausted after studying all night.
 I am putty in his hands.
 Maria might have been more forthcoming with the news.
 Tom acted nervous when the teacher found the note.
 The audience fell silent when the conductor walked on stage.
 Dreams come true when we believe in them.
 The crowd stayed calm in spite of the imminent threat.

Examples of Linking Verbs Used to Re-identify the Subject

Here are some examples of linking verbs (shaded) re-identifying the subject:

 Alan is a beast.
 His father was the headmaster.
 This project is a disaster.

Examples of Linking Verbs Modifying (Describing) the Subject

Here are some examples of linking verbs (shaded) modifying the subject:
 Alan seems drunk.
The soup smells delicious.

His voice sounds flat.

Linking Verbs Are Not Action Verbs

The verbs to be, to become, and to seem are always linking verbs. They always link
the subject to the predicate to re-identify or describe it. However, the other verbs in
the list above are not always linking verbs. Remember, linking verbs do not
express an action. However, some of the verbs in our list can express an action. For
example:

 He smells the soup.

(In this example, smells is not a linking verb. This time, it is an

action verb. It has taken a direct object. He is doing something to the soup.)

 Tony smells awful.

(In this example, smells is a linking verb. It links the subject Tony to
the adjective awful to modify Tony.)

Linking Verbs in the Passive Voice and Progressive TenseThe verb to be is used to
form the passive voice and the progressive tenses. For example:

 He was painted.
(This is the passive voice.)
 He is frustrating.
(This is the present progressive tense.)

As past participles (here, painted) and present participles (here, frustrating) are
classified as adjectives, the constructions above are no different from these:

 He was happy.
 He is happy.

Therefore, the "to be" part of a passive construction (here, was painted) and a verb
tense (here, is frustrating) can be considered a linking verb.
5. Main Verb vs Auxiliary Verb

The main verb is also called the lexical verb or the principal verb. This term
refers to the important verb in the sentence, the one that typically shows the action
or state of being of the subject. Main verbs can stand alone, or they can be used
with a helping verb, also called an auxiliary verb.

Helping verbs do just what they sound like they do—they help! Different helping
verbs help or support the main verb in different ways. For instance, they can show
tense (which indicates when an action happened), ability, intention, or possibility.
The primary helping verbs are to be, to do, and to have. To better understand how
helping verbs support main verbs, consider the examples below:

 I am driving to the beach.

Here, the auxiliary verb “am” (a form of to be) lets the reader or listener know
that the main verb in the sentence—in this case, “driving”—is happening
continuously in the present. Different forms of to be could be used as a helping
verb to explain when the driving is occurring (e.g., was driving, will drive, or had
been driving).

 I did empty the trash.

In this sentence, the helping verb “did” (a form of to do) emphasizes the main
verb, which is “empty.” For instance, if your mother instructed you to take out the
trash and you already did it, you wouldn’t likely say, “I emptied the trash.” Instead,
you would say, “I did empty the trash!”

 I had seen the movie before.

Here, the auxiliary verb “had” (a form of to have) is used to express the past
perfect tense, which indicates that the action of the sentence occurred at an earlier
time in the past. For example, if someone told you they “saw” a movie, you may
think they just finished watching it. If they say they “had seen” it, however, you
would know that they went to the movies at some earlier time.
Auxiliary (or Helping) Verbs

Auxiliary (or Helping) verbs are used together with a main verb to show the
verb’s tense or to form a negative or question. The most common auxiliary verbs
are have, be, and do.

 Does Sam write all his own reports?

 The secretaries haven’t written all the letters yet.
 Terry is writing an e-mail to a client at the moment.

Auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs, add functional or grammatical

meaning to the clauses in which they appear. They perform their functions in
several different ways:

 By expressing tense ( providing a time reference, i.e. past, present, or

future)
 Grammatical aspect (expresses how verb relates to the flow of time)
 Modality (quantifies verbs)
 Voice (describes the relationship between the action expressed by the
verb and the participants identified by the verb’s subject, object, etc.)
 Adds emphasis to a sentence

Auxiliary verbs almost always appear together with a main verb, and though
there are only a few of them, they are among the most frequently occurring verbs
in the English language.

How to Identify an Auxiliary Verb

You probably know that every sentence has at least one verb in it. There are
two main types of verbs. Action verbs are used to depict activities that are doable,
and linking verbs are used to describe conditions. Both action verbs and linking
verbs can accompany auxiliary verbs including the three main ones: do, be, and
have.
 Sometimes actions or conditions occur only one time and then they’re over. It’s
at times like these that some of the same verbs that are used as auxiliary verbs are
instead used as action or linking verbs. In this example, we see the word “is”. This
is one of the most common auxiliary verbs, but because it stands alone here, it is
not functioning as an auxiliary verb.

Three Common Auxiliary Verbs

There are just three common auxiliary verbs:

 Have
 Do
 Be

In this section, we’ll take a closer look at how these common verbs work, plus
you’ll see some examples.

Have

“Have” is a very important verb that can stand alone in all its tenses, including
has, have, having, had, and hadn’t or had not. It is usually used to denote
ownership, and it can also be used to discuss ability or describe appearance.
“Have” is also a very popular substitute for the verbs “eat” and “drink.” For
example: “Let’s have dinner.”

do

“Do” can be used as an action verb that stands alone in all its tenses, including
to do, do, does, done, did and didn’t, doesn’t or did not .

Be

“Be” or “to be” is an important verb that has a multitude of uses in English. It
can be used as an action verb that stands alone in all its tenses including be, to be,
been, am, are, is, was, were, wasn’t, was not aren’t, are not, weren’t and were not.
6. Transitive and Intransitive

A transitive verb is one that is used with an object: a noun, phrase, or pronoun that
refers to the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb. In the
following sentences, admire, maintain, face, and love are transitive verbs:

 I admire your courage.

 We need to maintain product quality.
 I couldn’t face him today.
 She loves animals..

Here is a short list of some common verbs that can take a direct and indirect object:

Verb Example

Give Pat gave me a book for my birthday.

Buy Can I buy you a drink?

Pass Paul passed her a cup of coffee.

Make Shall I make us some lunch?

Sell Jenny was trying to sell me her car.

Take We took Maria some flowers and wine.

Show Show me your holiday photos.

Offer The company has offered me a job.

Leave Leave me a message and I’ll get back to you.

Wish Everyone wished us all the best for the future.

Lend Could you lend me £20?

Cost Ben’s mistake cost him his job.

Intransitive verbs
An intransitive verb does not have an object. In the following sentences,
cry, work, laugh, and talk are intransitive verbs:

 The baby was crying.

 I work for a large firm in Paris.
 They laughed uncontrollably.
 We talked for hours.
 Many verbs can be transitive or intransitive. For example:
 The choir sang carols. [transitive]
 Pete always sings in the bath. [intransitive]
 She left London on June 6. [transitive]
 I want to leave early. [intransitive]

Here is a short list of some common verbs that can be transitive or intransitive:

Verb Transitive Intransitive

move Could you move your car The trees were moving in the breeze.
please?

start Taylor was found guilty of The match starts at 3 p.m.

starting the fire.

change Marriage hasn’t changed her. The area’s changed greatly in the
last decade.

close Close your eyes; I’ve got a Most shops here close at 5.30 p.m.
surprise for you.

open Open the window; it’s too hot The museum opens at 10 a.m.
in here!

stop Greg tried to stop her from When the rain stopped, we went for a
leaving. walk.

do Have you done your Joe’s doing well in his new job.
coursework?

set Kate set a chair next to the bed. The sun was setting and a red glow
 filled the sky.

run Michelle used to run a The path ran over the hill.
restaurant.

live Our cat lived till he was 10. He was living a life of luxury abroad.

wash Have you washed your hands? I washed, dressed, and went out.

write Write your name here. Kevin couldn’t read or write.

7. Verbs – mood and tense

Indicative mood

 Read the sentences given below.

 The sun rises in the east.
 My sister lives in Paris.
 She works for an insurance company.
 Bernard Shaw was a great writer.
 As you can see, these are all simple statements of fact.
 Now look at these sentences.
 What are you doing there?
 When does the train leave for Manchester?
 What is the price of this radio?
 As you can see, these are all plain questions.
 When a verb is used to state a fact or to ask a question, it is said to be in the
indicative mood.

Imperative mood

A sentence which contains a command, a piece of advice or a request is

said to be in the imperative mood. Sentences beginning with let are also in the
imperative mood.

Examples are given below.

Shut the door. (Order)

Keep quiet. (Order)
Please take this file with you. (Request)
Let him go.

Subjunctive mood
 The subjunctive mood is not very common in modern English. It is a kind
of present simple tense. It doesn’t take the marker –s in the third person singular.It
is important that every child get an opportunity to learn.

8. Inflection

In grammar, inflection or inflexion – sometimes called accidence – is the

modification of a word to express different grammatical categories such as tense,
case, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, and mood. The inflection of verbs is
also called conjugation, and one can refer to the inflection of nouns, adjectives,
adverbs, pronouns, determiners, participles, prepositions, postpositions, numerals,
articles etc, as declension.An inflection expresses one or more grammatical
categories with a prefix, suffix or infix, or another internal modification such as a
vowel change.[1] For example, the Latin verb ducam, meaning "I will lead",
includes the suffix -am, expressing person (first), number (singular), and tense
(future). The use of this suffix is an inflection. In contrast, in the English clause "I
will lead", the word lead is not inflected for any of person, number, or tense; it is
simply the bare form of a verb.

The inflected form of a word often contains both one or more free morphemes
(a unit of meaning which can stand by itself as a word), and one or more bound
morphemes (a unit of meaning which cannot stand alone as a word). For example,
the English word cars is a noun that is inflected for number, specifically to express
the plural; the content morpheme car is unbound because it could stand alone as a
word, while the suffix -s is bound because it cannot stand alone as a word. These
two morphemes together form the inflected word cars.Words that are never subject
to inflection are said to be invariant; for example, the English verb must is an
invariant item: it never takes a suffix or changes form to signify a different
grammatical category. Its categories can be determined only from its context.

Inflectional paradigm

A class of words with similar inflection rules is called an inflectional paradigm.

Typically, the similar rules amount to a unique set of affixes. Nominal inflectional
paradigms are also called declensions, and verbal inflectional paradigms are also
called conjugations. For example, Old English nouns could be divided into two
major declensions, strong and weak, inflected as shown below: