What Is a Verb?

A verb expresses an action and can show a change in time by a change in the word itself. This change in time is known as tense. A verb can also express a state of being and is vital to the construction of a proper sentence.

The most important word or group of words in a predicate (which makes an assertion about the subject of a sentence) is a verb. A verb can serve one of several purposes and it can also assume a particular form, depending on the context of the sentence it appears in. The same verb can serve a different purpose and therefore, fall into a different category based on its current sentence structure.

Action Verb

An action verb expresses physical or mental action that is conducted by a person or a thing.

Physical Example: Mike plays a new song on his guitar.

Mental Example: Mike hears a new song on the radio.

Transitive Verb

A transitive verb is followed by an object (in the form of a word or phrase) that answers the question of what or who.

Example: She read the mystery book.

In the example above, she (the subject) read the mystery book ( the object). In the example, the object (the mystery book) follows the verb (read). This makes read a transitive verb, but only in the context of this sentence.

Intransitive Verb

The verb read can just as easily become an intransitive verb in the context of a different sentence. A clever way to recognize a transitive verb in a sentence is when the verb is not followed by an object.

Example: She read swiftly.

In the example, the word that follows read is not an object that answers the question of what or who, it is instead an adverb. Therefore, in the context of the sentence above, the verb read is an intransitive one.

Linking Verbs

Verbs are often associated with action, but this is not always the case. Some verbs express a state of being and these are known as linking verbs. A linking verb links (or joins) the subject of a sentence with a noun, pronoun, or adjective that identifies (or describes) the subject.

Example: Stacy is a dancer.

In the example above the linking verb (is), identifies Stacy ( the subject) as a dancer (the noun)

Example: Our ride was late.

In the example above the verb (was), is followed by an adjective (late) that describes the state of the subject (our ride).

Verb Phrases

A verb is sometimes accompanied by another verb that clarifies its meaning. The verbs that accompany the main verb in a sentence are known as auxiliary (or helping) verbs. And together the main and auxiliary verbs form a verb phrase.

Example: School has been a little difficult.

Example: People should be more open to the idea of having a community.

Auxiliary verbs also help to create verb phrases that show a difference in tense, in addition to the distinction between present and past tense.

Future Tense Example: I will travel to Rome one day.

Perfect Tense Example: Mr. Richards has always supported the brown family.

Past Perfect Tense: The syllabus should have been revised.