Verbs Overview

Verbs are words that tell us that about actions, and the states things. They come in three main categories: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.

Action verbs are words that tell us about actions for example to fight or to speak

They also tell us about possessions in which no action takes place. For example:  to have or to own

Action verbs can be either transitive or intransitive.

Linking verbs (or copular verbs) are verbs that are not followed by objects. They are only followed by phrases that provide extra information about the subjects of the sentences

Examples of linking verbs are appear, get, seem, taste

Helping verbs or as sometimes called auxiliary verbs, are verbs that help the main verbs in sentences by giving extra meanings to the verbs.They are used to form continuous and perfect tense sentences.

The three main types of helping or auxiliary verbs are : Do, be and have

Verbs need to be part of sentences for them to be complete. We name different types of sentences according to the time(s) they represent – Verb Tenses.

There are three main types of verbs used in verb tense sentences:

Present tense verbs or verb 1 (v1) = verbs in their simplest form and without ing or ed. e.g. play, go, eat, think

Past tense verbs or verb 2 ( v2 ) = verb 1 + ing e.g.  go + ing = going / play + ing = playing

Perfect tense verbs or verb 3 ( v3 ) = gone, beaten, become, begun