Five Kinds of Verbs

F. Scott Fitzgerald is quoted as saying, All fine prose is based on the verbs carrying the sentence.
Lets look back and make certain we all understand the five kinds of verbs. Broadly, we have two groups
of main verbs, action and no-action, which further break down into four types of main verbs.
Action Verbs
1. Transitive verbs are those action verbs that can have a noun attached
directly to them, as in write book, hit ball, or answer questions.
2. Intransitive verbs are those action verbs that cannot attach directly to a noun; they need the help of a
preposition, as inwalk to the store, comply with the regulations, proceed with the inquiry.
No-Action Verbs
3. The verb to be can serve either as a main verb or as an auxiliary verb. When it acts as a main verb, it
typically couples a grammatical subject with an adjective (predicate adjective), as in John is big or The
sunset is beautiful. Or it couples a grammatical subject with another noun (predicate noun), as in Mary
is president or War is hell.
Or it might couple a grammatical subject with a phrase, as in
The book is on the table

or

He is from the South.

When it acts as an auxiliary verb, the verb to be forms the progressive tense, as in We are
studying grammar, or the passive voice, as in The ball was hit by John.
4. Linking verbs are non-be verbs that link a grammatical subject to an adjective (Watermelon
tastes good), to a noun (She seems an honest woman), or to a phrase (He looks out of sorts).
Those are the four types of main verbs: (1) action transitive, (2) action intransitive, (3) no-action to be,
and (4) no-action linking.
5. The fifth kind of verb is not a main verb, but an (5) auxiliary verb, also called a helping verb. It does
not form a sentence all by itself. Instead, it hooks up with a main verb and helps it show various tenses or
conditions or states, as in By the time I arrived, he had completed the assignment.
Now its time to take a look at the various forms of a verb, particularly its infinitive, finite, and two
participial forms.
DEFINITIN: Verb is the word which is used to tell about the action or movement of person, thing and
animal. There are many kinds of verb as follow:
1) Transitive Verb
4) Auxiliary Verb
2) Intransitive Verb
5) Modal Verb
3) Linking Verb

1) TRANSITIVE VERB
Transitive Verb is the verb that needs object and usually followed by noun.
These transitive verbs include arrest, avoid, do, enjoy, find, force, get, give, grab, hit, like, pull , report,
shock, take, tell, touch, want, warn
Formula:
Sub + T.V + Obj
Example:
- She takes a book.
- I need a chair.
- They speak English.

2) INTRANSITIVE VERB
Intransitive Verb is the verb which does not need object, but it needs adverbial modifier. These
intransitive verbs include appear, come, fall, go, happen, matter, sleep, swim, wait
Formula:
Sub + I.V + (Adv)
Example:
- He cries.
- They dance well.
- She sings beautifully.
3) LINKING VERB
Linking Verb refers to verb that needs subjective complement rather than object and that subjective
complement describes the subject.
These Linking Verbs include:
be, smell, feel, taste, prove, look, become, appear, stay, remain,
get, sound, seem, grow, turn, go
a) Subjective Complement can be Adjective
Example:
- Your face grows red.
- He looks tired.
- Her voice sounds pretty.
b) Subjective Complement can be Noun or Pronoun
Example:
- He becomes a district governor.
- The robber is you.
4) AUXILIARY VERB
Auxiliary Verbs are used to form question and negative sentence, and they are usually used with main
verb to form many different kinds of tenses.
Be is used to form Continuous Tense and Passive Voice.
Example:
- The dog is biting a child.
- A child is bitten by the dog.
Have/Has is used to form Perfect Tense.
Example:
- They have known me for 3 years.
- She has had dinner already.
Do/Does is used to form Question and Negative Sentence in the Present Simple when the sentence
doesnt have a special verb. Moreover, we can also use them to show the emphasis sentence.
Example:
- He doesnt eat meat.
- Do you love her?
- I do live here. (emphasis form)
Will is used to form Future Tense.
Example:
- People will be difficult to live because of the climate change.
- The environment will become terrible in the a few decades.
5) MODAL VERB
Modal Verbs are the verbs that are used to talk about ability, permission, obligation and necessity,
obligation and advice, possibility, probability, request, offer, suggestion, habit and promise. Most Modal
Verbs can form question and negative sentence by themselves. There are many Modal Verbs as following.
a) Ability
We use can, could and be able to to talk about the ability.
Can: is used in the present.
Example: He can play the guitar.
Could: is used in the past.

Example: My sister could speak when she was 15 years old.

Be able to: can be used both in present and past.
Example: Last year I wasnt able to speak at all, but now I am able to speak smoothly.
b) Permission
We use can, could, may and might to ask to a permission.
Example:
- Can I use your pen for a moment?
-Could I ask you a personal question?
- May I make a suggestion?
c) Obligation and necessity
We use must and have to/ have got to to express obligation or necessity.
Example:
- I have got a trouble pain in my back, so I must go to the doctor now.
- We have to drive on the left in Britain.
d) Obligation and Advice
We use should, ought to, had better, and shall to talk about the obligation and advice.
Should and Ought to is used talk about the obligation and duty, to ask for and give advice and in
general, to say what is right or good.
Example:
- You ought to learn to swim.
- I shouldnt tell a lie.
Had better: is used to express a strong recommendation in a particular situation.
Example: Its going to be cold tonight, so I had better turn on the heating.
Shall is used when we want to know someones opinion, or when we want advice or instruction.
Example:
- I have missed my last bus. What shall I do?
- Im not sure what to do. Shall I apply for a job or not?
- How long shall I cook this rice?
e) Possibility
We use may, might and could to talk about present or future possibility.
Example:
- There is someone at the door. It may be Sara.
- We arent sure what we are going to do tomorrow. We might go to the beach.
f) Probability
We use should and ought to to say that something is probable at the moment of speaking or in the
future.
Example:
- Sally should be at work by now. Shes normally there at this time.
- She ought to pass his driving easily. She hasnt got much to do.
g) Request
We use can, could, may, will and would to ask for something, to ask for permission or to ask someone
to do something.
Example:
- Can I ask you a pen?
- Could I ask you some questions?
- May I have some more coffee?
h) Offer
We use will, shall, could and would when we are willing to do something for someone.
Example:
- I will lend you some money.
- Shall I open the door for you?
- I can write this letter for you.
- I could help you to lift this box.
- Would you like me to help you?

i) Suggestion
We use shall, can and could to ask for and make a suggestion.
Example:
- Shall we stay at home?
- We can watch TV if you like.
- We could go to the cinema.
j) Habit
+ We use used to to talk about past habit which are now finished.
Example: Robert used to play football when he was young.
+ We use will and would to talk about the actions which are repeated again and again, and we use
will for present habits and would for past habits.
Example:
- Every day Jane will come home from school and ring up the friends shes just been talking to.
- In those days people would make their own entertainment.
k) Promise
We use will to express strong intention in promises and threats.
Example:
- I will be careful with the car, I promise.
- Stop making that noise or I will scream!
Kinds Of Verb

Auxiliary Verbs and Lexical Verbs

An auxiliary verb (also known as a helping verb) determines the mood or tense of another verb in a
phrase. In the sentence "It will rain tonight," for example, the verb will "helps" the verbrain by pointing to
the future. The primary auxiliaries are be, have, and do. The modalauxiliaries include can, could, may,
must, should, will, and would.
A lexical verb (also known as a full or main verb) is any verb in English that isn't an auxiliary verb: it
conveys a real meaning and doesn't depend on another verb: "It rained all night."

Dynamic Verbs and Stative Verbs

A dynamic verb indicates an action, process, or sensation: "I bought a new guitar."
A stative verb (such as be, have, know, like, own, and seem) describes a state, situation, or condition:
"Now I own a Gibson Explorer."

Finite Verbs and Nonfinite Verbs

A finite verb expresses tense and can occur on its own in a main clause: "She walked to school."
A nonfinite verb (an infinitive or participle) doesn't show a distinction in tense and can occur on its own
only in a dependent phrase or clause: "While walking to school, she spotted a bluejay."

Regular Verbs and Irregular Verbs

A regular verb (also known as a weak verb) forms its past tense and past participle by adding -d or ed (or in some cases -t) to the base form: "We finished the project." (SeeForming the Past Tense of
Regular Verbs.)

An irregular verb (also known as a strong verb) doesn't form the past tense by adding -d or -ed:
"Gus ate the wrapper on his candy bar." (See Introduction to Irregular Verbs in English.)

Transitive Verbs and Intransitive Verbs

A transitive verb is followed by a direct object: "She sells seashells."
An intransitive verb doesn't take a direct object: "He sat there quietly." (This distinction is especially
tricky because many verbs have both transitive and intransitive functions.)
Tenses of Verb
The Twelve Tenses of English

He is studying English.

PRESENT (main verb)

I study English.
He studies English.

PAST PROGRESSIVE (past tense of form "be"

verb + "ing" form of main verb)
I was studying English.
He was studying English.

PAST (past tense of main verb)

I studied English.
He studied English.
FUTURE (will or shall + main verb)
I will study English.
He will study English.
PRESENT PERFECT (have or has + past
participle of verb)
I have studied English.
He has studied English.
PAST PERFECT (had + past participle of verb)
I had studied English.
He had studied English.
FUTURE PERFECT (will or shall + have + past
participle of verb)
I will have studied English.
He will have studied English.

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE (will or shall +be +

"ing" form of main verb)
I will be studying English.
He will be studying English.
PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (have or
has + been + "ing" form of main verb)
I have been studying English.
He has been studying English.
PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (had + been +
"ing" form of main verb)
I had been studying English.
He had been studying English.
FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (will or
shall + have + been + "ing" form of main verb)
I will have been studying English.
He will have been studying English.

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE (form of "be" verb

+ "ing" form of main verb)
I am studying English.
Simple Forms(Verb Tenses)
Present Tense
Present tense expresses an unchanging, repeated, or reoccurring action or situation that exists only now. It
can also represent a widespread truth.

Example

Meaning

The mountains are tall and white.

Unchanging
action

Every year, the school

council elects new members.

Recurring
action

Pb is the chemical symbol for lead.

Widespread
truth

Past Tense
Past tense expresses an action or situation that was started and finished in the past. Most past tense verbs
end in -ed. The irregular verbs have special past tense forms which must be memorized.
Future Tense
Future tense expresses an action or situation that will occur in the future. This tense is formed by
using will/shall with the simple form of the verb.
The speaker of the House will finish her term in May of 1998.
The future tense can also be expressed by using am, is, or are with going to.
The surgeon is going to perform the first bypass in Minnesota.
We can also use the present tense form with an adverb or adverbial phrase to show future time.
The president speaks tomorrow. (Tomorrow is a future time adverb.)
Progressive Forms
Present Progressive Tense
Present progressive tense describes an ongoing action that is happening at the same time the statement is
written. This tense is formed by using am/is/are with the verb form ending in -ing.
The sociologist is examining the effects that racial discrimination has on society.
Past Progressive Tense
Past progressive tense describes a past action which was happening when another action occurred. This
tense is formed by using was/were with the verb form ending in -ing.
The explorer was explaining the lastest discovery in Egypt when protests began on the streets.
Future Progressive Tense
Future progressive tense describes an ongoing or continuous action that will take place in the future. This
tense is formed by using will be or shall be with the verb form ending in -ing.
Dr. Jones will be presenting ongoing research on sexist language next week.
Perfect Forms
Present Perfect Tense
Present perfect tense describes an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past or that began in
the past and continues in the present.This tense is formed by using has/have with the past participle of
the verb. Most past participles end in -ed. Irregular verbs have special past participles that must be
memorized.

Example

Meaning

The researchers have traveled to many countries in

order to collect more significant data.

At an indefinite
time

Women have voted in presidential elections since

1921.

Continues in the
present

Past Perfect Tense

Past perfect tense describes an action that took place in the past before another past action. This tense is
formed by using had with the past participle of the verb.
By the time the troops arrived, the war had ended.
Future Perfect Tense
Future perfect tense describes an action that will occur in the future before some other action. This tense
is formed by using will have with the past participle of the verb.
By the time the troops arrive, the combat group will have spent several weeks waiting.
Perfect Progressive Forms
Present Perfect Progressive
Present perfect progressive tense describes an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and
may continue into the future. This tense is formed by using has/have been and the present participle of
the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).
The CEO has been considering a transfer to the state of Texas where profits would be larger.
Past Perfect Progressive
Past perfect progressive tense describes a past, ongoing action that was completed before some other past
action. This tense is formed by using had been and the present perfect of the verb (the verb form ending
in -ing).
Before the budget cuts, the students had been participating in many extracurricular activities.
Future Perfect Progressive
Future perfect progressive tense describes a future, ongoing action that will occur before some specified
future time. This tense is formed by using will have been and the present participle of the verb (the verb
form ending in -ing).
By the year 2020, linguists will have been studying and defining the Indo-European language
family for more than 200 years.