summary of verb

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A summary of verbs, this grammar.com article is about a summary of verbs — enjoy your reading.

We’re going to return to verbs in more detail below, but now let’s summarize what you’ve learned. For right now, you need to remember that all verbs break down into five groups. A Summary of Verbs   Verbs break down into five groups: 1. action transitive verbs , which can form a direct relationship with a noun, called a direct object, 2. action intransitive verbs , which cannot stick directly to a noun and need the help of a preposition, 3. the verb to be , which as a main verb links a grammatical subject to an adjective, another noun, or a phrase, and as an auxiliary verb forms the progressive tense and the passive voice, and 4. linking verbs , which link a grammatical subject to an adjective, another noun, or a phrase. The fifth group comprises the: 5. auxiliary verbs , which join with main verbs to form tenses; ask questions; create negatives; and show various conditions, abilities, and obligations. We also explored four forms of the verb: 1. Infinitive Verb. The infinitive form of the verb is the word you would ordinarily look up in the dictionary ( write ). We use the base infinitive, without the word to , to form many of the tenses. The one-word present tense ( I write , you write ) uses the infinitive, the sole exception being third-person singular, which adds an ‑s , ‑ies , or ‑es ( he or she writes ) The past tense has its own form ( wrote ). Then we form the future tense by joining the base infinitive with shall (England, though many Brits now use will for all persons) or will (America) ( you will write , she will write ). The base infinitive also joins with auxiliary verbs to show various conditions, orders, grants of permission, negations, and many other states of verbs ( you should write , you used to write , she ought to write ). Put the word to in front of the infinitive, and you have what we think of as the infinitive form of the verb. The infinitive does not specify any finite time dimension or any specific person performing the action of the verb or any particular number of people performing the action. The infinitive can join with other words and form what’s called an infinitive phrase , which can act as a noun ( He wanted to write a grammar book ), an adjective ( The hardest book to write is a grammar book ), or an adverb ( To write a grammar book , you must practice your skills as a writer and be a little bit crazy ). 2. Finite Verb. The finite form of the verb is the verb appearing in its conjugated states. The finite verb reveals when something happens (tense), who’s doing it (person), how many are doing it (number), and the nature of the statement (mood). We saw that our language provides six major tenses (present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect) and six additional progressive tenses to show an ongoing action (present progressive, past progressive, future progressive, present-perfect progressive, past-perfect progressive, and future-perfect progressive). We also saw how to conjugate those verbs that are regular (they form their past tense and past participle the same way, usually by adding ‑ ed ) and those that are irregular (they use different words for their past tense and past participle). 3. Present Participle. Every verb has a present participle. To form it, add ‑ ing . You might have to drop an ending silent ‑e ( writing ) or double up an ending consonant ( occurring ) (check the dictionary). The ‑ing verb shows up in verb conjugation when it joins with the verb to be to form the six progressive tenses ( We are writing a grammar book ). But the ‑ing verb does far more when it forms a phrase. It acts as a noun ( gerund ) ( Writing a grammar book was fun ), as an adjective ( The guy writing the grammar book is nuts ), or sometimes as an adverb ( He went nuts writing a grammar book ). It also serves as a one-word adjective ( The grammar book won the writing award ). 4. Past Participle. Every verb also has a past participle. For the regular verbs, add ‑ed (or sometimes ‑d or ‑t ). Sometimes you must double up an ending consonant ( occurred ) (check the dictionary). For irregular verbs, complete this sentence and you’ll discover the past participle: I have [insert verb] ( written ) . If you do not know the past participle, check the dictionary, which will list the past tense first, the past participle second, and the present participle third. The past participle also shows up in verb conjugation, but it serves not one role like the present participle, but two roles. It joins the verb to have and forms the perfect tenses ( He has written the grammar book ). It joins the verb to be to form the passive voice ( The grammar book was written by me ). Further, as we saw with the infinitive and the present participle, the past participle forms the past-participial phrase, which can act only as an adjective ( Written in 2001 , the grammar book sold millions of copies ). The past participle also serves as a one-word adjective ( the written agreement ). This section has been no cakewalk. I realize that. So if you remain confused about verbs, I have a suggestion: Read the above material again. To become a member of The Writers’ Club, you must understand verbs. So let’s look a bit more at verbs and see what functions they perform in our language. Hard Copy You may download our entire discussion of the Parts of Speech. Simply download the Grammar eBook Understanding the Parts of Speech .   Previous: Contractions - Use in Formal Writing Next: Verbs - What They Do

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Verbs: Types of Verbs, Definition and Examples

Think of all the actions you can perform. You can walk , run , and dance . You can speak , read , and write .

All of these are verbs —words that tell us what the subject of a sentence is doing.

Verbs are one of the most important parts of speech. In fact, they’re the only word that every complete sentence needs to include.

You can build a grammatically complete sentence without any nouns or adjectives , but no matter what, you need a verb.

If you want your writing to be clear and effective, you need to understand the different types of verbs and how they work.

This article will give you a complete guide to verbs to help you improve your writing.

What Is a Verb: A Simple Explanation

A verb is a word that denotes action or a state of being.

As a part of speech in grammar, a verb is the action in the sentence. Along with a noun, the verb is a critical component of a complete sentence. Somebody (noun) does something (verb).

In grammar, the doer is the subject, and the action is the predicate (the part of the sentence containing the verb and describing the subject).

Those two elements form a complete sentence: “Jim grins .”

You may want more information in your sentence, like an object: “Jim grins at Sally .”

You may add subordinate clauses : “Jim grins at Sally when she fumbles the ball .”

However complex your sentence, the verb is the action. It tells you what the subject is doing, feeling, or being.

How to Use Verbs in Writing

You use verbs every day when you talk and write. Because verbs denote action, they move every story forward.

In writing, your verb choice delivers a punch to your prose.

Using the right verb also increases readability for your audience because you don’t need to lengthen the sentence by describing the action with extra modifiers. The verb does all the work.

Here are our three favorite tips for how to use verbs well in your writing.

Tip #1: Don’t Hide Your Verbs

Many writers unintentionally hide their verbs by turning them into nouns accompanied by a weak verb.

Take these two sentences:

• "We will decide tomorrow.”
• “We will make a decision tomorrow.”

The first sentence is shorter and more direct. In the second sentence, the strong verb decide is changed into the weaker make , which dilutes the meaning.

How can you spot hidden verbs? Look for words ending in -ment , -tion , -sion , and -ance .

Also, if you’ve used weak verbs like give , have , make , reach , and take , this could be a sign of a hidden verb.

Reading through your whole document to find weak verbs takes time. ProWritingAid automatically highlights your hidden verbs so you can change them with a single click.

Tip #2: Avoid Passive Verbs

You could say “The ball was thrown by me” or “I threw the ball,” and both sentences mean the same thing.

However, it’s normally better to convey action and grab your reader’s attention, rather than using passive verbs like is , has , and was .

Rewording your sentences to favor active verbs instead of passive verbs will strengthen your writing.

For example, you can use a verb instead of an adjective:

• Original Sentence: He is asleep under the tree.
• Improved Sentence: He sleeps under the tree.

The verb sleeps is more powerful than the passive version is asleep .

Similarly, you can use a verb instead of a noun:

• Original Sentence: She was a good writer .
• Improved Sentence: She wrote well.

Once again, the verb wrote is more powerful than the passive version was a writer , because it conveys movement and action.

Letting active verbs do the heavy lifting in your sentence will help you convey your point in a strong and concise way.

Tip #3: Choose Specific Verbs Instead of Modifying Weak Verbs

Some verbs in the English language are more descriptive and precise than others.

For example, the word whispered conveys more information than the word said , because it implies adverbs like quietly or furtively .

Similarly, the verb sprint conveys more information than move , because it tells the reader the specific type of movement being described.

There’s nothing wrong with using a generic verb like said , but if you want to provide more information, it’s almost always better to use a specific verb instead of modifying a weak verb.

Sometimes, this rule means replacing a generic verb and its adverb with a stronger, more specific verb. Consider the following example:

Original Sentence: She walked slowly up the stairs.

Improved Sentence: She trudged up the stairs.

Trudged is more concise and evocative than walked slowly .

Other times, this rule can also mean replacing a generic verb and a modifying phrase with a stronger verb.

• Original Sentence: He smiled in a mean way at the new kid in class.
• Improved Sentence: He sneered at the new kid in class.

Sneered is a more interesting way to say smiled in a mean way and will make your writing more powerful.

Keep in mind it's okay to use phrasal verbs, which are verbs that consist of multiple words, such as break down and let go .

There's a difference between using a phrasal verb and modifying a generic verb.

Choosing the right verb can help you say a lot more with fewer words.

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Types of Verbs

There are three main types of verbs. Familiarity with verb types will help you understand when to use each type and when to avoid a verb type.

The three verb types are:

• Action verbs (which can be transitive or intransitive )
• Modal or helping verbs
• Linking verbs

Let’s take a closer look at each of these verb types and how they function in a sentence.

Action Verb: Definition & Examples

When a person or thing is doing something, that’s an action verb.

Action verbs are the best ones to use in your writing to move your story forward and create tension .

Action verbs can also clarify articles and papers by indicating direct action.

Action verbs are split into two categories: transitive verbs and intransitive verbs.

1) Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb is always followed by a noun that receives the action, called the direct object.

Consider the sentence “I patted my dog’s head.”

The transitive verb is “patted,” and the noun that’s receiving this action is “my dog’s head,” which is the direct object of the action verb.

Sometimes an object can be indirect, such as when you’re expressing to whom the action is being done.

Consider the sentence “Mary gave Angelina a kiss on the cheek.”

The verb is “gave,” and the direct object was “a kiss.” To whom it happened was Angelina, the indirect object of the sentence.

Transitive verbs act on direct and indirect objects. Something or someone always gets affected by this type of verb.

2) Intransitive Verbs

When an action verb has no direct object, it’s called an intransitive verb. An adverb or adverb phrase can follow intransitive verbs, but there will not be a direct object.

Consider the sentence “Matthew runs away quickly.”

The verb is runs , and the phrase “away quickly” tells us more about the verb, but there is no object in the sentence to receive the action. Therefore, runs is an intransitive verb.

An easy way to tell the difference between a transitive and an intransitive verb is to ask the question, “Who or what is receiving the action from this verb?”

• If you can name a noun that’s on the receiving end, it’s a transitive verb.
• If you can’t name a noun, whether a direct or indirect object, then the verb is intransitive.

Either way, transitive or intransitive, active verbs lend immediacy to your sentence, drawing in the reader.

Auxiliary Verb: Definition & Examples

An auxiliary verb, also called a helping verb, modifies the action in the main verb.

Auxiliary verbs help readers to understand the main verb. They typically change the mood or tense of the main verb.

Auxiliary verbs provide hints related to the possibility of something happening (can, should, would, etc.) or time (has, did, was, etc.).

When you add auxiliary verbs to your sentence, you create verb phrases.

Auxiliary verb examples:

• Laura is (helping verb) writing (main action verb) her life story.
• Her story might (helping verb) be (main verb) embarrassing for some of her friends.

The following verbs always function as auxiliary verbs or helping verbs:

In addition, you can have auxiliary verbs comprising the forms of to be , to do , and to have .

Keep in mind that the following words can also serve as linking verbs (which we’ll discuss next):

Examples of be, do, have helping verbs in sentences:

• Juliet is changing trains at the station.
• Daniel had eaten everything on his plate.
• Every cyclist does dismount at the crossing.

Linking Verb: Definition & Examples

A linking verb connects the subject of your sentence to a noun or adjective that describes your subject. The noun or adjective is called the “subject complement.”

Here are some examples:

• My daughter is a marketing major.
• We are your new neighbors.

The most common linking verb can be found in the various forms of to be ( am , are , is , was , were , etc.). These are also called stative verbs, because they describe a state of being.

To become and to seem are always linking verbs. The following verbs, however, can sometimes be linking verbs and other times be action verbs:

• To continue

Here is an example of the difference between a linking verb and an action verb.

Linking: The seafood smelled off. (The linking verb smelled links seafood to off )

Action: I smelled the seafood before eating. (The action verb refers to the action of smelling)

Why Are Verbs Important?

Verbs are action words that engage your reader and help them picture what's happening in your writing.

Choosing the right verb can elicit an emotional response, whether you're writing academic essays or narrative fiction .

Verbs in Academic Writing

Academic writing tends to stick to more formal writing styles than fiction writing, but you still want to keep your reader’s interest and communicate your points clearly.

Whether you’re a student writing essays for class, or a professional researcher trying to publish a paper, using strong action verbs will improve your academic writing.

Look for weak verbs in your writing and try to replace them with precise and dynamic verbs.

Consider the following examples of verb choices in academic writing.

• Original Sentence: “A recent psychological study makes it clear that children are more likely to respond to positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement.”

Improved Sentence: “A recent psychological study demonstrates that children are more likely to respond to positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement.”

Original Sentence: “This result is an example of how a single night of sleep loss can have long-term impacts on the brain.”

Improved Sentence: “This result illustrates how a single night of sleep loss can have long-term impacts on the brain.”

Original Sentence: “Her findings are in agreement with the conclusions I’ve presented in this paper.”

• Improved Sentence: “Her findings support the conclusions I’ve presented in this paper.”

If you are new to thinking about verb use, here’s a list of 100 strong English verbs you can use to improve your essays, papers, and articles:

• Contemplate
• Corroborate
• Demonstrate
• Hypothesize
• Misconstrue
• Substantiate

Verbs in Fiction Writing

Fiction writers use verbs with exactitude to prompt reader engagement, thereby sparking emotions and a desire to keep reading.

Dull verbs make for lackluster reading. Finding the right verb for your character’s action brings your story to life.

You might have heard the classic writing advice “Show, don’t tell.” Using strong verbs is a great way to show the reader what’s happening clearly and concisely.

Consider the following examples of verb choice in fiction writing.

• Original Sentence: “Her long skirt was blown outward as she fell through the air.”
• Improved Sentence: “Her long skirt ballooned outward as she fell through the air.”
• Original Sentence: “The sound of his father’s last words was still running through his mind.”
• Improved Sentence: “The sound of his father’s last words reverberated through his mind.”
• Original Sentence: “The man in the black hat walked into the room.”
• Improved Sentence: “The man in the black hat charged into the room.”

If you want a good starting point for stronger verbs to use, here’s a list of 100 strong verbs in English that you can use for fiction writing:

• Reverberate

Using ProWritingAid to Strengthen Your Verbs

It’s easy to skip over weak verbs in your writing when you’re self-editing.

But, taking time to focus directly on your verbs helps ensure you’re always using the best word for your sentence.

ProWritingAid’s Thesaurus Report highlights all the verbs in your writing so you can get an overview of the strength and specificity of your word choices throughout your document.

Hover over a verb to see synonyms and click to replace weak verbs in your text with more powerful alternatives.

Conclusion on Verbs

There you have it: our complete guide to verbs.

Here’s a quick recap of everything we’ve discussed.

Increase the power of your writing by following these three tips:

• Don’t hide your verbs
• Avoid passive verbs
• Choose specific verbs instead of modifying weak verbs

Action verbs (such as run, jump, and dance)

Modal or helping verbs (such as can, was, and has)

Linking verbs (such as to look, to feel, and to taste)

Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, specific verbs spark emotions in your readers and keep them engrossed in your writing.

We hope this article helps you choose strong verbs to create powerful, professional prose.

Take your writing to the next level:

20 Editing Tips From Professional Writers

Whether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas., this guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers., common questions about verbs: types of verbs, definition and examples, can i use a gerund after "allows", which version of the verb should be used with "every", what verb form should you use after "consider" and "imagine" infinitive or gerund, do you need to include "started to" in a sentence, should you use "going to" or "will", why should you not overuse words like "believe" and "think", why is "do + verb" not a great construct, what is a split infinitive and when should you avoid using one, why should you not overuse "knew", why should you not overuse "feel", why should you not overuse "could", why shouldn't i write "start to" or "begin to", what are modal verbs how do you use them, why should i use "went" instead of "decided to go", when can you omit "in order" in a sentence, what is correct subject–verb agreement, do we need "manage to" in a sentence, "was/were able to" vs "could", "(am/are/is/was/were) not going to" vs "will not", "indicate" vs "show", what form of verb should be used after "been" or "was", should i use "conduct an interrogation of" or "interrogate" in my work, "participate" vs "take part", when should you use "choose/decide" before an infinitive, should i use "demonstrate" or "show" in my work, subject–verb agreement, what form of verb should you use after modal verbs, what forms should you use after "have", incorrect verb form, watch out for hidden verbs in your writing—set them free (video available), obtain vs get, learn more about grammar:, your personal writing coach.

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Table of Verb Tenses in English Grammar

Overview of all english tenses.

English has a grand total of 12 different verb tenses.

Check out the table below for a full summary of all the different tenses complete with examples and signal words.

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Maybe later

English verb tenses

Why do we need tenses.

Imagine the verb doesn't have a tense and only has the infinitive form (to walk, to speak, to read). What kind of information can you get from the infinitive? You can only learn what the action is. Did it happen in the past, is it happening now, or maybe it will happen in the future? Is the action complete or not?

Can we specify all that without any additional words, but with the help of verbs themselves? Yes, and the verb tenses make it possible. "I learn", "I learnt", "I will learn" are three different verb tenses, but of course, there are many more.

How do we get 12 tenses?

In English, all tenses have two characteristics:

• Where on a time scale is the tense? So, we get the  present, the past, and the  future
• Do we want to stress the regularity, the process or the result of the action? Depending on that, we choose between  simple, continuous, perfect and  perfect continuous

As 3 * 4 = 12, we have 12 tenses. Some of them are widely used and some, like future perfect continuous, are used relatively rarely because of their complexity.

Simple tense is often called "indefinite", and continuous can also be called "progressive".

Table of verb tenses

Click on the tense in the table to view its basic characteristics.

Present Simple (Present Indefinite)

Present continuous (present progressive), present perfect, present perfect continuous, past simple (past indefinite), past continuous (past progressive), past perfect, past perfect continuous (past perfect progressive), future simple (future indefinite), future continuous (future progressive), future perfect, future perfect continuous (future perfect progressive).

You can read more on how to form and how to use each tense in the related topics.

• English Grammar

Read clear grammar explanations and example sentences to help you understand how verbs are used. Then, put your grammar knowledge into practice by doing the exercises.  

Choose a topic and start improving your English grammar today.

Hi, can someone explain why in this example is used word ''is'' but not ''was'' as I understand it's a 2nd conditional.

Example If someone is forced, to purchase one of these more costly alternatives, it would leave people feeling exacerbated.

• Log in or register to post comments

Hi urbonait_e,

This is called a mixed conditional (it has the condition clause of a first conditional, and the main clause of a second conditional). 

Although English learning materials (including our website) usually present first and second conditionals separately, in real life speakers sometimes mix them, like your example. This mixing may be considered incorrect from a strict grammatical point of view, but it is nevertheless common. 

Regarding the meaning, the first/second mix makes it somewhat unclear whether the speaker means that this situation is relatively realistic or likely to happen (as with a first conditional), or unrealistic or unlikely to happen (as with a second conditional).

I hope that helps.

LearnEnglish team

Is this correct English: I hear you are travelling to Spain soon.

Hi benleng,

Yes! It's grammatically correct.

1} That incident has been a turning point in my life

2]  That incident was a turning  point in my life.

Could you please explain what is the difference between these two sentences ?

Hello p_t_balagopal,

The difference between the present perfect and past simple is explained in some detail on our Talking about the past page (which by the way would be a good place to ask a question like this).

1 is a bit unnatural. The word 'that' implies some distance between the incident and the rest of your life, whereas the use of the present perfect suggests proximity. This discrepancy is what makes the sentence unnatural.

2 is much more natural because 'that' and the past simple go well together. Even though these two forms suggest that the incident happened some time ago, the fact that it was a turning point means it's still present in your life in some way.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Thanks  for your guidance, sir.

Hello, Is the following sentence correct? If I must take a few ,I would say everything that my mother used to give to me as Christmas presents Thanks in advance

Hello Nagie23,

Grammatically the sentence has no errors but I don't understand what 'take a few' refers to. Perhaps the context would clarify it, but it's not clear from the sentence.

The LearnEnglish Team

I would like to ask if the following is correct

I paint my hair

Thank you in advance 

Hi Nagie23,

If you mean to change the colour of your hair, the verb is dye : I dye my hair (black, blonde ...) .

Hope that helps.

Hello, I would like to ask which of the following is correct Resting helps to renew our batteries or Rest helps to renew our batteries Thank you in advance

Hello again Nagie23,

Both are fine, but I think the best verb is not 'renew' but 'recharge'.

Hello, I would like to ask which of the following are correct 1.Feel yourself at home or make yourself at home? 2.Shall I bring you or shall I bring to you? 3 It smells like daisy.

Thanks in advance

1. You can say 'feel at home' or 'make yourself at home'.

2. You can say 'Shall I bring you the book' or 'Shall I bring the book to you'.

3. This is fine.

Hello, I would like to ask if the following sentence is correct What president is Bosh the father in succession?

Hello, I would like to ask if the following is correct I am taking flute lessons (I am the student). I am a beginner Thank you in advance

Yes, those sentences are fine. Well done!

By the way, in English a flute player is called a  flautist .

Hello, I would like to ask if the following is correct:In specifically the part :To work at your firm and provide.Is it to work and provide or to work and providing?

-I would love to work at your firm and provide my services as a math teacher. Thank you in advance

Yes, that is correct, i.e. 'provide' is correct and 'providing' is not. 

If you're applying for a job, best of luck!

Hello, I would like to ask if the following is correct: She wants to know if the bus she took will stop at Oxford Street Thank you in advance

Yes, it's fine!

In this situation, presumably she is on the bus at the moment of saying this sentence (since "will stop" refers to something that has not yet happened). So, I might say something like  She wants to know if the bus she's on will stop at Oxford Street  instead. Saying "took" (past simple) may give the idea that the bus journey is already over, which is not the case here.

Hello,I would like to ask if the following sentence is correct. -In specifically the part: Instead of signing page by page I would prefer to read all pages and then sign instead of signing page by page until the last page of contract. Thank you in advance

Yes, that looks great -- well done!

Hello, I would like to ask if the following are correct 1.How was your week? 2.How has your week been? Is there any difference? Thank you in advance

Hi Nagie23,

Yes, they are both correct, and there is a difference. Sentence 1 uses the past simple, so the week is over and finished. Perhaps today is Saturday and the speaker is referring to the person's week at work from Monday to Friday, for example. Sentence 2 uses the present simple, so the week extends into the present and is not yet finished. Perhaps today is Wednesday the the working week is not yet finished, for example. The speaker could add "so far" to emphasise this meaning.

Hello, I would like to ask the following. Is it correct to say? Does it make sense?(For example if we start with an adjective in a sentence it is better to continue with an adjective) Is it correct the following? -Please try to use the same part of speech in a sentence Thank you in advance

Both of these sentences are correct and sound natural to me.

We usually put a comma after the phrase 'for example', and I would also recommend putting a comma before 'it is better to ...', but these are punctuation issues.

Hello, I would like to ask if the following are correct and what is the difference I love having time to myself I love having time for myself Thank you in advance

Both of these are correct. To my mind, there is a subtle difference, though in many cases these could mean the same thing. 1 means one loves to be alone and 2 focuses more on having time to pursue what you want (which doesn't necessarily mean being alone).

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

hello, I would like to ask can I use "she might be working right now" for present when I'm not really sure what is she doing?

Hello Xiaotii_,

Yes, that is correct. Well done!

Dear team hello, Passengers must fasten their seat-belts. We use "must" in formal situation. Is it possible to see this sentence with "have to" on the plane? If I say to my son: you must eat your food. You have to eat your food. Any differences in meaning? Thank you

Hello Hosseinpour,

When giving instructions, 'must' generally has more rhetorical power than 'have to'. This is the reason it tends to be used in things like moral dictates (religious laws/rules, for example), legal regulations and warning notices.

In your first example I think 'must' is really the natural choice. While 'have to' is not grammatically or semantically incorrect, it would not sound natural in this context.

In your second example I think both forms are possible, but I think 'have to' is more likely because of the less formal familial context.

Thank you sir for the help and time. Thank you

Hello, I would like to ask about the following 1.I have many things to take care OR 2.I have many things to take care of? (I would like to say,that I have a very busy schedule concerning family,health,job etc) Thank you in advance

Number 2 is correct! The preposition is needed.

Hello,I would like to ask when we use the following 1.When you are speaking English and 2.When you speak English Thank you in advance

They are similar but the first one gives a stronger sense of an ongoing activity, something like  When you are in the middle of speaking English  ... .

I have a question regarding finite and non-finite verbs. I am having trouble identifying whether verbs are the latter or former when placed in sentences. I hope you can help me out with this!

1. Example of a finite verb (source: Collins Dictionary) - Coming home last night, I SAW a deer run across the road.

2. Example of a non-finite verb (source: Collins Dictionary) - Our guests DEPARTED, we felt a little depressed.

The 2nd example from the dictionary has caused me to feel confused. I am unsure why the dictionary labels DEPARTED as a non-finite verb in the sentence since DEPARTED has a subject (GUESTS) and also has a tense (PAST)? I do not see how DEPARTED and SAW from the 1st example is any different as SAW has a subject (I) and a tense (PAST).

Through conducting my own research online, I figured that the answer to this may have to do with regular and irregular verbs. SAW is an irregular verb unlike DEPARTED which is a regular verb and so the verb conjugated in this form is the past participle which is non-finite. Still, I do not understand the reasoning behind why DEPARTED in the sentence in the 2nd example is non-finite according to the dictionary!

I feel stuck which is why I decided to write a comment! Thank you for taking the time to read my question.

Thanks for your question and I'll try to help. You are right that "departed" is a past participle here, and that is why it is non-finite. It's similar in structure to these examples:

• Our guests gone (away), we felt a little depressed.
• The food all eaten, we went for a walk.

In example 2, "departed" as a past participle functions as an adjective and it has the meaning of "gone away" (see the Collins Dictionary page for "departed" ) or "having already left here". This usage of "departed" is uncommon and somewhat old-fashioned in style.

I can see why "departed" looks like a finite verb in that example. However, if "Our guests" is the subject and "departed" is a finite verb, then together they make an independent clause, and to make the sentence grammatical a conjunction would need to be added between the two clauses. It's not grammatical without the conjunction. 

• Our guests departed, and  we felt a little depressed.

Does that make sense?

Hello, I would like to ask if the following is correct -I would like to ask if you are interested in continuing the math lessons in October (After summer break) Thank you in advance

Yes, it is correct!

Hello, I would like to ask what is the difference between the following.When we use Nice to meet you and when Nice to meeting you Thank you in advance

'Nice to meet you' is correct, but 'Nice to meeting you' is not correct. 'Nice meeting you' is correct (perhaps that's what you meant).

You can say 'Nice to meet you' anytime during your conversation with a new person, e.g. at the beginning after learning their name, or when you are saying goodbye.

As far as I know 'Nice meeting you' is only used at the end of a first conversation with a new person. In other words, you wouldn't say it just after learning their name, but after awhile when it's time for you or the other person to leave.

This is purely a question of usage.

Hello, dear teachers and team!

Could you please help me with the following:

Which option (if any) is correct:

1. I have had my nails done. I did it one week ago.

2.I have had my nails done. I had it done one week ago.

Thank you so much for your constant help with confusing issues and I'm very grateful for the answer to this comment beforehand!

Hello howtosay_,

You're welcome!

1 sounds strange because of the incongruence between someone else doing your nails and you doing them. 2 is what I'd recommend, but the pronoun 'them' should be used instead of 'it' since 'nails' is plural. With that small change, it will be correct.

Hello, I would like to ask which of the following is correct 1.I have helped many students make Italian their second language 2.I have helped many students to make Italian their second language Thank you in advance

Both are possible and I don't think there is any difference in meaning or style.

You can read a discussion on this topic and see some information on dialectical variation here:

https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/47221/help-to-do-something-or-help-do-something

Please note that comments are pre-moderated on LearnEnglish. This means that one of the team reads every comment before it is published so we can filter out spam and so on. Please post your comments once only; posting the same comment multiple times only slows the process as we have to delete the duplicate posts.

Hello I would like to ask if the following are correct Hello students, Please take your books out of your bag Put your books on the table Put your books back to your bag Thank you in advance

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• Transcription

Verbs: the essentials

This guide covers the essentials that you need to know.  There are links below and at the end to take you to guides which explain the different types of verbs in English in more depth.

For the purposes of this guide, a verb is defined as     a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

So, taking the four pictures above we can construct sentences containing verbs as follows:

• The lake is lovely describing a state
• They have played the sonata describing an occurrence
• She sat bedside her dog describing an action
• She must study for an examination describing a state

In these cases, the verbs are performing slightly different functions, as we shall see.

• Examples: smoke, go, enjoy, imagine, come, decide, think, spin etc.
• Meaning: these verbs carry intrinsic meaning.  Even in isolation, for example, a statement such as     Jump! can be understood and the verb can be defined.
• person     I smoke     she smoke s
• tense     I come     I c a me     I imagine     I imagine d
• aspect     I decide     I am decid ing     I have decide d
• Modal auxiliary verbs, for example: can, may, might, should, must, could etc. occurring in, e.g.:     I can see him     She may be late     They might complain     We should go now     I must get the car fixed     We could understand
• Primary auxiliary verbs, for example: have, get, be, do occurring in, e.g.:     I have spent the money     I got the car fixed     She is writing to him     Do you understand?
• Modal auxiliary verbs express the speaker / writer's viewpoint concerning the main verb so, for example:     She must study expresses the speaker's view of obligation     She might not be at home expresses the speaker / writer's view of likelihood and so on.
• Primary auxiliary verbs express how the main verb should be understood in relation time and to other events so, for example:     John has read the book expresses two things:     a) the reading of the book is a finished past event and     b) the reading of the book has changed the present in some way so now we can follow it with something like     ... and he can tell you what he thinks about it. Other primary auxiliary verbs can express ongoing actions or states as in     She is still running the company These verbs also signal question forms as in     Do you want anything else? passive ideas as in     She was taken to hospital     She got hurt in the accident     Peter had his house decorated and imperatives as in     Do n't take that!
• Many modal auxiliary verbs do not show changes for person, tense and aspect but some do so we can change, e.g.:     She can swim well to     She could swim well We cannot, however, change must to musted etc. We can also change form to show person with some modal auxiliary verbs, for example, changing     I have to go to     He has to go and we can show some aspects as in, e.g.     She should have finished by now etc.
• Primary auxiliary verbs change form much like lexical or main verbs although they are all irregular, e.g.:     She had the car fixed     I have got the house painted     They were arrested     Did you get the money?
• Meaning These verbs act to link noun subjects to some kind of attribute or make it equivalent to another noun.  The archetypal copular verb is be but there are a number of other verbs that act in the same way.  For example:     He is a doctor     That seems interesting     They appear tired     That smelt terrible
• Form: these verbs alter to show number, tense and aspect just like main or lexical verbs so we have, e.g.,     She became the Chief Executive     He was getting angry     They seemed a little tired etc.

We can categorise lexical or main verbs in a number of ways.  The first two categories are the really crucial ones.

• Intransitive verbs Some verbs never take an object and can stand alone.  We can say, for example,     They came     I responded etc., and the meaning is clear. However, for example, we cannot say     *She arrived the hotel or     *It occurred the rain because neither of these verbs can refer to a noun directly, i.e., they cannot take an object.  We can, and frequently do, insert a preposition to get, e.g.,     She arrived at the hotel or     It occurred to me but the verb is still not taking an object in these cases. Other examples of generally intransitive verbs include agree, appear, belong, collapse, die, disappear, exist, fall, go, happen, inquire, laugh, live, look, remain, respond, rise, sit, sleep, stand, stay, vanish, wait. Most of these can be followed by a prepositional phrase such as about the weather, at six o'clock, of hunger and so on but these are not objects of the verb.  Technically, they are referred to as complements .
• Those transitive verbs which can take only one object.  These are called monotransitive verbs.  For example, we can say     She drank the coffee but not     *She drank me the coffee . Other examples of verbs which only take one object when they are transitive include eat, say, play, expect, remember, suspect .
• Those transitive verbs that can take two objects.  These are verbs which are ditransitive .  For example, we can say     He bought the drinks and that's a verb with a single object ( the drinks ) but we can also say     He bought us the drinks and here we have two objects, the drinks (the direct object ) and us (the indirect object ). Another example is     They sold me the car which has a direct object ( the car ) and an indirect object ( me ). We can also change the order and put the indirect object at the end but then we have to insert a preposition:     He bought the drinks for us     They sold the car to me Other examples of verbs which can or even must be ditransitive include allow, appoint, ask, assure, award, bake, bet, bring, buy, call, cause, charge, cook, cost, cut, deal, do, draw, feed, find, get, give, hand, lend, make, offer, order, owe, pass, pay, promise, read, save, sell, send, show, teach, tell, throw, wish, write A fuller list with examples, is available as a PDF document via the link at the end in the list of related guides. In English, the indirect object comes before the direct object but that is not always the case in other languages.
• Verbs which can be both transitive and intransitive These verbs, and there are lots of them, can be both. For example, we can say     She eats (intransitive) and     She eats fish ( transitive). Other examples in this category include drink, explain, help, decide, fly, smoke, swim, play, continue.

There are a few verbs in English which derive from the same root but have transitive and intransitive variants.  For example, both rise and raise derive from the same source (the Old English ræran , rear ) but the first is intransitive and the second transitive.  The others are lie / lay and sit / set so we get, for example:

• He rose early (intransitive) and He raised the question (transitive)
• They are lying on the beach (intransitive) and They are laying the foundations (transitive)
• He sat near the table (intransitive) and He set it near the table (transitive)

Other pairs of verbs which are unrelated in terms of origin also form intransitive-transitive couples.  In English, for example:

• fall is intransitive but drop is usually transitive:     The ball fell vs.     She dropped the ball
• speak is usually intransitive but tell is transitive (often ditransitive):     He spoke at the meeting vs.     He told me the truth
• die is intransitive but kill is transitive     He died in 1940 vs.     She killed him in 1940

Some other verbs take on slightly (or radically) different meaning when used transitively or intransitively.  For example

• He ran across the garden (intransitive) and He ran a good business (transitive)
• I can manage alone (intransitive) and He managed the school (transitive)
• The plane flew (intransitive) vs. He flew the plane (transitive)
• She called at 6 (intransitive) and She called her friends (monotransitive) or She called me an idiot (ditransitive)

You may well have heard of the term infinitive to describe the highlighted verbs in these sentences:     I want to help     She must not go

They are called, respectively the to- infinitive and the bare infinitive (or infinitive without to , somewhat clumsily).  The reason is that they are not finite.  In other words, they have no mark on them for tense or person. Non-finite verb forms are not marked for time (tense) or for the nature of the subject (person).  There are three main sorts of non-finite verb forms:

• gerunds (i.e., verbs which behave grammatically in a noun-like way).  For example:     I enjoy walking They are not actually just simple nouns in most cases because they cannot take plurals and are treated as singular forms.  Some are really very noun-like however as in:     The furnishings were lovely (and we refer to these as verbal nouns).
• bare infinitives as in, e.g.:     Let her come     She might object
• to- infinitives as in, e.g.:     I want to help     She used to be so happy
• present participles as in, e.g.:     On arriving , I saw the party had nearly finished     Smiling , she welcomed him in
• past participles as in, e.g.:     Broken , the hammer was no use     The aria was beautifully sung

Finite verb forms, on the other hand, are marked for tense and person so we get, for example:      Mary left early where we can tell from the form of the verb that it is past tense and     Peter enjoys opera where we can tell from the form of the verb that it is third-person singular (the -s inflexion at the end of the verb).

There are, however, two problems:

English is a language which has very few inflexions compared with heavily inflected languages like German, French, Spanish and Greek.  So, for example, we have:      John left     I left     We left     They left     You left etc. and the form of the verb, while marked for tense, remains unchanged for person. Some verbs do not even do that so the past forms of, e.g., put, set, burst, cost, cut etc. look exactly the same as the present tense and the base forms.

We also have:      I like opera     You like opera     He likes opera     We like opera     They like opera in which only the third person singular form is marked for person and all the other verb forms look the same.

We get around this problem by suggesting that there is marking for tense and person but in many cases it is zero marking and we represent it like this: Ø-marked.

Finite and non-finite forms can combine to make finite forms in English. Because the language relies heavily on auxiliary verbs, this is a very frequent occurrence in English.  All the following are finite forms but they contain non-finite forms.  The non-finite forms are highlighted in black and the finite forms in red .      She has left     They are leaving     We have left     She had left     She will leave     They are going to leave     Mary ought to leave     Mary can leave

It is important, therefore to distinguish between a finite verb phrase (all of the above) and a finite verb form (only the parts in red). 

While the essential distinction between transitive and intransitive verb use is common across languages, the actual verbs in question will vary.  A verb that is intransitive in English may well be transitive in another language and vice versa . In English, the verbs wash and meet can be used intransitively as well as transitively:

• They washed the car (transitive) vs. They washed and then went out (intransitive)
• We met the manager (transitive) vs. We met on Thursday (intransitive)

In other languages, these two verbs can only be transitive so the reflexive pronoun is inserted giving a translation like     The washed themselves     We met us This can, of course, lead to error.

Some languages, such as Japanese, have large sets of pairs of verbs with slightly different forms, the one transitive, the other intransitive. It is, therefore, very important that we teach the verb's grammar along with its meaning.  If we don't, we invite error such as     *She died him     *He killed in 1940     *I laughed the film     *She smiled him     *I assured     *He explained me it     *I complained the manager etc. and all of these are possible in some languages.

If you would like to see if you have understood this section, try this test .

For more about this section, go to the guide to lexical or main verbs, linked below.

Auxiliary verbs cannot stand alone and retain their meaning unless the lexical or main verb they refer to is understood.  For example     I might means nothing on its own but     I might go carries real meaning.  The auxiliary verb might expresses the speaker's sense of likelihood.  It is possible to say     I might in response to     Are you going to the meeting? but here the lexical or main verb go is understood by both speaker and hearer.

There are, fundamentally, two sorts of auxiliary verb.

• We can alter the tense (and sense) of I work by using the auxiliary have in, e.g.,     I have worked hard .
• We can change how the speaker wants to communicate his or her view of an event by changing the aspect of I work by using the auxiliary be in     I am working.
• We can change the emphasis of what we say also by using the auxiliary be , changing, e.g.     I broke the window to     The window was broken by me .
• We can change the sense of who did what by using the auxiliary get in     I got John to repair the car. or the auxiliary have as in     I had the car repaired at the garage
• We can form negatives and questions by using the verb do as in     Do you want to come? or     I don't see the problem .
• We can express obligation by using the modal auxiliary have to , changing     I think to     I have to think or     I left to     I had to leave .
• We can express our view of likelihood by inserting a modal auxiliary into     They arrive and making     They might / should / must arrive soon .
• We can give or withhold permission by using a range of modal auxiliary verbs by changing     You go to     You may go or     You can't go .

The most common list of modal auxiliary verbs is: can, may, shall, will, could, might, should, would, must, ought to, used, need and dare .

Modal auxiliary verbs are traditionally divided into pure or central modal auxiliary verbs, semi-modal auxiliary verbs and marginal modal auxiliary verbs.  Central modal auxiliary verbs include can, must, will etc., semi-modal auxiliary verbs include need to, dare to and used to and marginal modal auxiliary verbs are forms such as going to, be about to, tend to, be likely to etc.

The central modal auxiliary verbs are sometimes described as defective because they don't exhibit the full range of forms in the way that lexical or main verbs do.  For example, must has no past tense (we can't say *musted ), we don't form questions with do (so we can't say *Do you can? ) and we don't add an -s in the third person (so we don't get *She mights ).

Modal auxiliary verbs perform a large range of functions in English.  If you want to know more, a good place to start is the essential guide to modality, linked below.

These verbs serve to link the subject of a sentence directly to its function or its characteristics.  There is a list in the guide to copular verbs on this site, linked below.  Briefly, however, copular verbs perform two functions:

• They link a subject to another noun or noun phrase and tell us that they refer to the same thing. For example: in Mary is a teacher or     Mary became a teacher or     Mary looks like a teacher we know that Mary and a teacher refer to the same person.
• They link the subject to its characteristic. For example: in Mary appears angry Mary became angry and     Mary is angry we know that we are dealing with an angry Mary.

Verbs like be, become and end up often function in both categories:     He became angry vs.     He became a teacher     She was unhappy vs.     She was an engineer .

Verbs of perception usually only function in the second category and are followed by an adjective:     It looks awful     It smells sweet     It sounds horrible     They appeared drunk     She seemed unwell etc.

Many copular verbs also function as lexical or main verbs in other circumstances:     She appears happy (copula use) vs.     She appeared at the door (intransitive lexical use with a prepositional phrase). A copular verb can, therefore, only be defined by what it does, not what it looks like.

Summary of verb types

This excludes a lot of detail.

Try a last test on all of this .

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Verbs in English

Are you just starting to learn English ? Or maybe you're an advanced learner looking to improve? By mastering verbs, you can easily give your English more action, as well as make your sentences more interesting. In this article, you'll find verb definition and many useful references to get started!

What is a verb?

Verbs are among the most important parts of any language, and English verbs are no exception. The definition of a verb is “a word that we use to talk about actions, events, or states”. This can include physical actions (such as “run” or “swim”), mental activities (such as “think” or “believe”), or even emotional responses (such as “laugh” or “cry”).

There are many different types of verbs , each with their own unique characteristics and uses. For instance, action verbs are typically used to describe physical actions. In contrast, linking verbs help connect the subject of a sentence to other information, such as an adjective or noun. Modal verbs are used to express possibility, necessity, and obligation.

Verb meaning can be tricky to navigate, so let's start from the types you'll find in sentences!

3 types of verbs in English

There are 3 different kinds of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping (auxiliary) verbs. See all these types of verbs with examples below:

Action verbs

Action verbs are a common type of verbs and they always describe an action that someone or something is doing. Action verbs are verbs that show us what someone is doing, have done, will do, or can do. Main verb examples include “run”, “jump”, “walk”, and “play”.

Action verbs are a great way to inject life into your sentences. Not only can they be used to describe physical activities, but they can also be used to talk about mental and emotional states. For instance, verbs like “wonder”, “imagine”, or “fear” can be used to describe a person's mental state, while verbs like “enjoy” or “admire” can be used describe emotional responses.

Action verbs are a great way to add life and energy to your writing. They can be used in any tense, from the present simple (“I walk”) to the future perfect continuous (“I will have been walking”). You can also use them with adverbs or adjectives for added impact. For example, “He ran quickly across the field,” or “She smiled sadly at him.”

10 examples of action verbs:

Linking verbs

Linking verbs are verbs that connect the subject of a sentence to other information, such as an adjective or noun. This type of verb is also known as a “state-of-being verb” because it does not describe any action, but rather expresses a state of being. It can be used to express physical attributes (such as “be” or “look”), mental states (such as “seem”), or emotions (such as “sound”).

One common mistake that learners of English often make is using verbs like those above to describe actions. For example, it would be wrong to say “I look the phone” or “I seem at my friend.” Instead, verbs like “look” and “seem” should be used to talk about states of being rather than actions.

Other examples of linking verbs include verbs like “become”, which is often used to describe change over time, verbs like “remain” and “stay”, which are often used when talking about a location or place, and verbs like “seem” and “appear”, which are often used to talk about one's emotional state.

10 examples of linking verbs:

Helping verbs

Helping verbs are an important part of the English language, and they can be used to express possibility, necessity, and obligation. They modify other verbs in a sentence by expressing how likely something is to happen or how necessary it is for something to occur. Examples of these verbs include “can”, “could”, “will”, “would”, “shall” and “should”. By using these verbs correctly you can make your sentences more precise and accurate.

Unlike verbs like “run” or “jump,” which describe actions that are rooted in reality, helping verbs often express possibilities or probabilities. For instance, verbs like “may” and “might” can be used to talk about things that may happen in the future, verbs like “could” and “would” can be used to describe things that are possibly true in the present or past, verbs like “must” and “shall” can be used in formal writing to express obligation, and verbs like “should” can be used to talk about desirable behavior.

Using helping verbs correctly can help you to communicate more effectively, allowing you to say exactly what you mean. For example, if you want to say that something is possible or likely to happen, you could use verbs like “may” and “might”; if you wanted to express obligation or desirability, verbs like “must” or “should” would be more appropriate.

10 examples of helping verbs:

• Will/would/shall/should

Using Verbs in Sentences

When using verbs in sentences, it is important to pay attention to verb tense and verb form. Verb tense refers to when an action occurred (past, present, future) while verb form refers to the verb itself (action verb, linking verb, helping verb).

• I ran quickly away from the scary situation
• She smiles at me and nods to the beat with the music.
• We have been walking for hours, our feet growing increasingly sore with each step.
• He must have seen the look on my face, because he nodded back.
• I tried to come to school yesterday, but things got in the way.

As you can see, verbs can also tell you when that action happened, like in the past, present or future. This is verb tense. When using verbs in sentences, it's important to pay attention to verb tense and verb form. Examples of verb tenses above are "ran" (past), "smiles" (present), "have been walking" (present perfect) and "tried" (past).

Let's get into verb grammar in more detail now!

Verbs in the Present

Present simple.

The present simple verb tense is among the most commonly used verb tenses in English and it is used to express actions that happen regularly, habits or general truths. It consists of a verb in its base form (e.g. “I jump”) or with an auxiliary verb such as “do” (e.g. “I do jump”). The present simple can be used for both affirmative statements ("He jumps") and negative statements ("He does not jump").

For example, "She speaks Spanish" indicates a habitual action while "The sun rises every morning" expresses a universal truth about nature. Other common uses for the present simple include giving instructions, making predictions and expressing wishes or desires.

Present Continuous

The present continuous verb tense helps talk about things that are happening right now. It includes verbs ending in "-ing" like "jumping". For example, "I am jumping" means you are jumping now. You can also use it for things that have been happening for a while, like "I have been jumping for hours".

Other common uses of the present continuous verb tense include describing ongoing plans or actions ("We are jumping because it's fun"), expressing your feelings in the moment ("I am feeling nervous") and indicating a change in state or status ("He is becoming more confident").

Present Perfect

The present perfect verb tense helps us talk about things that occurred in the past but are still connected to the present. It usually includes a verb ending with "-ed" or an auxiliary verb like "have". For example, "She has spoken Spanish for years" shows something that started in the past and continues in the present.

Other common uses of the present perfect verb tense include talking about finished actions ("I have jumped"), ongoing past experiences ("I have been jumping for hours") and past events that still affect us in the present ("I have been jumpy all day").

Verbs in the Past

Past simple.

The past simple verb tense helps us talk about things that happened in the past. To use it, we add "-ed" to the verb (like "jumped") or use an auxiliary verb like "had". For example, "I jumped over the fence" means you did this action in the past. You can also use it for finished actions like "I had jumped over a million fences".

Other common uses of the past simple verb tense include talking about major events in our lives ("I jumped over a fence when I was 5 years old") and expressing what we did in the past, even if it's not relevant to the present ("I have jumped over many different fences, but I don't do it anymore").

Past Continuous

The past continuous verb tense is used to talk about actions that were happening in the past. It usually has a verb ending with "-ing" like "jumping". For example, "I was jumping" means you were jumping at some point in the past. You can also use it for things that had been happening for a while, like "I had been jumping for hours".

Other common uses of the past continuous verb tense include describing ongoing plans or actions that happened in the past, expressing your feelings during a certain time and indicating a change in state or status from something that happened before.

Past Perfect

The past perfect verb tense is used to talk about events that happened before a particular point in the past. It usually includes a verb ending with "-ed" or an auxiliary verb like "had". For example, "She had spoken Spanish for years" shows something that started and ended in the past.

The past perfect verb tense can be used for talking about finished actions ("I had jumped"), ongoing experiences that ended at some point in the past ("I had been jumping for hours") as well as expressing what we did in the past, even if it's not relevant to the present anymore ("I have jumped over many different fences, but I don't do it anymore"). Additionally, you can use it to indicate a change in state or status from something that happened before ("He had become more confident").

Verbs in the Future

Future simple.

The future simple verb tense is used to talk about things that will happen in the future. It includes verbs like "jump" or "speak". For example, you can say "I will jump" to mean that you are going to jump in the future. You can also use it for things that will be happening for a while, like "I will have been jumping for hours".

Other common uses of the future verb tense include talking about things we plan to do ("I will jump tomorrow"), expressing our feelings about something that will happen in the future ("I am excited to run tomorrow") and indicating a change in state or status from something that will happen before ("He will become more confident").

Future Continuous

The future continuous verb tense helps us talk about things that will be happening in the future. For example, you can say "I will be jumping" to mean that you are going to be jumping in the future. You can also use it for things that will go on for a while, like "I will have been jumping for hours".

Other common uses of the future verb tense include talking about what we expect to happen in the future ("I am expecting to jump tomorrow"), expressing our feelings about something that will happen in the future ("I am looking forward to jumping tomorrow") and indicating a change in state or status from something that will happen before ("He is expected to become more confident").

Future Perfect

The future perfect verb tense helps us talk about events that will have happened before a particular point in the future. It usually includes a verb ending with “-ed” or an auxiliary verb like “will have”. For example, "She will have spoken Spanish for years" shows something that will start and end in the future.

The future perfect verb tense can be used for talking about finished actions ("I will have jumped"), ongoing experiences that will end at some point in the future ("I will have been jumping for hours") as well as expressing what we expect to happen before a particular point in the future ("I think she will have become more confident").

Verbs are essential for expressing yourself in English and can be used to talk about the past, present and future. We discussed verbs examples from each verb tense including the past simple, past continuous, past perfect, future simple, future continuous and future perfect verb tenses.

From talking about finished actions ("I had jumped") to ongoing experiences that will end at some point in the future ("I will have been jumping for hours"), verbs are versatile tools that allow us to communicate our thoughts more effectively. With practice and a better understanding of verb usage, you’ll be able to express your ideas with confidence!

More helpful articles:

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Introduction to Verb Tenses

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This handout explains and describes the sequence of verb tenses in English.

Only two tenses are conveyed through the verb alone: present (“sing") and past (“sang"). Most English tenses, as many as thirty of them, are marked by other words called auxiliaries. Understanding the six basic tenses allows writers to re-create much of the reality of time in their writing.

Simple Present: They walk.

Present Perfect: They have walk ed .

Simple Past: They walk ed .

Past Perfect: They had walk ed .

Future: They will walk.

Future Perfect: They will have walk ed .

Usually, the perfect tenses are the hardest to remember. Here’s a useful tip: all of the perfect tenses are formed by adding an auxiliary or auxiliaries to the past participle, the third principal part.

1 st principal part (simple present): ring, walk

2 nd principal part (simple past): rang, walked

3 rd principal part (past participle): rung, walked

In the above examples, will or will have are the auxiliaries. The following are the most common auxiliaries: be, being, been, can, do, may, must, might, could, should, ought, shall, will, would, has, have, had.

Present Perfect

The present perfect consists of a past participle (the third principal part) with "has" or "have." It designates action which began in the past but which continues into the present or the effect of which still continues.

1. Simple Past : “Betty taught for ten years.” This means that Betty taught in the past; she is no longer teaching.

2. Present Perfect : “Betty has taught for ten years.” This means that Betty taught for ten years, and she still teaches today.

1. Simple Past : “John did his homework so he can go to the movies.” In this example, John has already completed his homework.

2. Present Perfect : “If John has done his homework, he can go to the movies.” In this case, John has not yet completed his homework, but he will most likely do so soon.

Present Perfect Infinitives

Infinitives also have perfect tense forms. These occur when the infinitive is combined with the word “have.” Sometimes, problems arise when infinitives are used with verbs of the future, such as “hope,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” or “want.”

I wanted to go to the movies.

Janet meant to see the doctor.

In both of these cases, the action happened in the past. Thus, these would both be simple past verb forms.

Present perfect infinitives, such as the examples below, set up a sequence of events. Usually the action that is represented by the present perfect tense was completed before the action of the main verb.

1. I am happy to have participated in this campaign! The current state of happiness is in the present: “I am happy.” Yet, this happiness comes from having participated in this campaign that most likely happened in the near past. Therefore, the person is saying that he or she is currently happy due to an event that happened in the near past.

2. John had hoped to have won the trophy. The past perfect verbal phrase, “had hoped,” indicates that John hoped in the past, and no longer does. “To have won the trophy” indicates a moment in the near past when the trophy was still able to be won. Thus, John, at the time of possibly winning the trophy, had hoped to do so, but never did.

Thus the action of the main verb points back in time; the action of the perfect infinitive has been completed.

Past Perfect

The past perfect tense designates action in the past just as simple past does, but the past perfect’s action has been completed before another action.

1. Simple Past : “John raised vegetables.” Here, John raised vegetables at an indeterminate time in the past.

2. Past Perfect : “John sold the vegetables that he had raised .” In this sentence, John raised the vegetables before he sold them.

1. Simple Past : “Renee washed the car when George arrived.” In this sentence, Renee waited to wash the car until after George arrived.

2. Past Perfect : “Renee had washed the car when George arrived.” Here, Renee had already finished washing the car by the time George arrived.

In sentences expressing condition and result, the past perfect tense is used in the part that states the condition.

1. If I had done my exercises, I would have passed the test.

2. I think Sven would have been elected if he hadn't sounded so pompous.

Further, in both cases, the word if starts the conditional part of the sentence. Usually, results are marked by an implied then . For example:

If I had done my exercises, then I would have passed the test.

If Sven hadn’t sounded so pompous, then he would have been elected.

Again, the word then is not required, but it is implied.

Future Perfect

The future perfect tense is used for an action that will be completed at a specific time in the future.

1. Simple Future : “On Saturday, I will finish my housework.” In this sentence, the person will finish his or her housework sometime on Saturday.

2. Future Perfect : “By noon on Saturday, I will have finished my housework.” By noon on Saturday, this person will have the housework already done even though right now it is in the future.

1. Simple Future : “You will work fifty hours.” In this example, you will work fifty hours in the future. The implication here is that you will not work more than fifty hours.

2. Future Perfect : “You will have worked fifty hours by the end of this pay period.” By the end of this pay period, you would have already worked fifty hours. However, as of right now, this situation is in the future. The implication here is that you could work more hours.

1. Judy saved thirty dollars. (past—the saving is completed)

2. Judy will save thirty dollars. (future—the saving has not happened yet)

3. Judy has saved thirty dollars. (present perfect—the saving has happened recently)

4. Judy had saved thirty dollars by the end of last month. (past perfect—the saving occurred in the recent past)

5. Judy will have saved thirty dollars by the end of this month. (future perfect—the saving will occur in the near future, by the end of this month)

OASIS: Writing Center

Grammar: verb tenses, most common verb tenses in academic writing.

According to corpus research, in academic writing, the three tenses used the most often are the simple present , the simple past , and the present perfect (Biber et al., 1999; Caplan, 2012). The next most common tense for capstone writers is the future ; the doctoral study/dissertation proposal at Walden is written in this tense for a study that will be conducted in the future.

Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman grammar of written and spoken English . Pearson. https://doi.org/10.1162/089120101300346831

Caplan, N. A. (2012). Grammar choices for graduate and professional writers . University of Michigan Press.

Simple present: Use the simple present to describe a general truth or a habitual action. This tense indicates that the statement is generally true in the past, present, and future.

• Example: The hospital admits patients whether or not they have proof of insurance.

Simple past : Use the simple past tense to describe a completed action that took place at a specific point in the past (e.g., last year, 1 hour ago, last Sunday). In the example below, the specific point of time in the past is 1998.

• Example: Zimbardo (1998) researched many aspects of social psychology.

Present perfect: Use the present perfect to indicate an action that occurred at a nonspecific time in the past. This action has relevance in the present. The present perfect is also sometimes used to introduce background information in a paragraph. After the first sentence, the tense shifts to the simple past.

• Example: Numerous researchers have used this method.
• Example: Many researchers have studied how small business owners can be successful beyond the initial few years in business. They found common themes among the small business owners.

Future: Use the future to describe an action that will take place at a particular point in the future (at Walden, this is used especially when writing a proposal for a doctoral capstone study).

• Example: I will conduct semistructured interviews.

Keep in mind that verb tenses should be adjusted after the proposal after the research has been completed. See this blog post about Revising the Proposal for the Final Capstone Document for more information.

APA Style Guidelines on Verb Tense

APA calls for consistency and accuracy in verb tense usage (see APA 7, Section 4.12 and Table 4.1). In other words, avoid unnecessary shifts in verb tense within a paragraph or in adjacent paragraphs to help ensure smooth expression.

• Use the past tense (e.g., researchers presented ) or the present perfect (e.g., researchers have presented ) for the literature review and the description of the procedure if discussing past events.
• Use the past tense to describe the results (e.g., test scores improved significantly).
• Use the present tense to discuss implications of the results and present conclusions (e.g., the results of the study show …).

When explaining what an author or researcher wrote or did, use the past tense.

• Patterson (2012) presented, found, stated, discovered…

However, there can be a shift to the present tense if the research findings still hold true:

• King (2010) found  that revising a document three times improves the final grade.
• Smith (2016) discovered that the treatment is effective.

Verb Tense Guidelines When Referring to the Document Itself

To preview what is coming in the document or to explain what is happening at that moment in the document, use the present or future tense:

• In this study, I will describe …
• In this study, I describe …
• In the next chapter, I will discuss …
• In the next chapter, I discuss …

To refer back to information already covered, such as summaries of discussions that have already taken place or conclusions to chapters/sections, use the past tense:

• Chapter 1 contained my original discussion of the research questions.
• In summary, in this section, I presented information on…

Simple Past Versus the Present Perfect

Rules for the use of the present perfect differ slightly in British and American English. Researchers have also found that among American English writers, sometimes individual preferences dictate whether the simple past or the present perfect is used. In other words, one American English writer may choose the simple past in a place where another American English writer may choose the present perfect.

Keep in mind, however, that the simple past is used for a completed action.  It often is used with signal words or phrases such as "yesterday," "last week," "1 year ago," or "in 2015" to indicate the specific time in the past when the action took place.

• I went to China in 2010 .
• He completed the employee performance reviews last month .

The present perfect focuses more on an action that occurred without focusing on the specific time it happened. Note that the specific time is not given, just that the action has occurred.

• I have travelled to China.

The present perfect focuses more on the result of the action.

• He has completed the employee performance reviews.

The present perfect is often used with signal words such as "since," "already," "just," "until now," "(not) yet," "so far," "ever," "lately," or "recently."

• I have already travelled to China.
• He has recently completed the employee performance reviews.
• Researchers have used this method since it was developed.

Summary of English Verb Tenses

The 12 main tenses:

• Simple present : She writes every day.
• Present progressive: She is writing right now.
• Simple past : She wrote last night.
• Past progressive: She was writing when he called.
• Simple future : She will write tomorrow.
• Future progressive: She will be writing when you arrive.
• Present perfect : She has written Chapter 1.
• Present perfect progressive: She has been writing for 2 hours.
• Past perfect: She had written Chapter 3 before she started Chapter 4.
• Past perfect progressive: She had been writing for 2 hours before her friends arrived.
• Future perfect: She will have written Chapter 4 before she writes Chapter 5.
• Future perfect progressive: She will have been writing for 2 hours by the time her friends come over.

Conditionals:

Zero conditional (general truths/general habits).

• Example: If I have time, I write every day.

First conditional (possible or likely things in the future).

• Example: If I have time, I will write every day.

Second conditional (impossible things in the present/unlikely in the future).

• Example : If I had time, I would write every day.

Third conditional (things that did not happen in the past and their imaginary results)

• Example : If I had had time, I would have written every day.

Subjunctive : This form is sometimes used in that -clauses that are the object of certain verbs or follow certain adjectives. The form of the subjective is the simple form of the verb. It is the same for all persons and number.

• Example : I recommend that he study every day.
• Example: It is important that everyone set a writing schedule.

Verbs Video Playlist

Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

• Grammar for Academic Writers: Common Verb Tenses in Academic Writing (video transcript)
• Grammar for Academic Writers: Verb Tense Consistency (video transcript)
• Grammar for Academic Writers: Advanced Subject–Verb Agreement (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Helping Verbs (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Past Tense (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Present Tense (video transcript)
• Mastering the Mechanics: Future Tense (video transcript)

Related Resources

Knowledge Check: Verb Tenses

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Verb – Definition, Types, Forms and Applications

Table of Contents

Verb  – Introduction

Verb is defined as a part of speech or a  word class   that defines an action performed or a state of being of the noun or pronoun of the sentence. Unlike other parts of speech, a verb is a necessary part of every sentence. Without it, no sentence can have a meaning.

Verbs are the largest class of words of the English language. Since verbs , unlike other parts of speech is present in  every sentence  of speech, we can use it to determine various aspects of the sentence.

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At the end of the article, the reader will be able to :

• Learn the different forms of a verb
• Understand different criteria of classification of a verb , and accordingly apply it to the verbs of a sentence
• Understand the applications of the verb and determine the aspects based on the verb forms

Different forms of Verbs

Every verb has a basic form called the  root form.  It is from this root form that we derive other forms of the same verb to be used in different sentences. The form of a verb generally changes with the voice and tense of the sentence.

The root form of the verb is used directly with first person, second person and third person plural subjects in a sentence in the simple present tense.

• We   represent  the plaintiffs of this class-action lawsuit. (First person plural subject)
• You  take  the east entrance and  meet  me at the lobby. (Second person subject)
• The bikers   stop  by this place every Saturday. (Third person plural subject)

There exists a different root form of the verb for third person singular subjects.

• He   represents  the plaintiffs of this class-action lawsuit. (Third person singular subject)
• Sheetal  shows  up at that gate every day at 8.45 AM. (Third person singular subject)

As the tense and the voice changes, different forms of the same verb are used together with other verbs (also called helping verbs). These other arrangements depend on three major forms of the verb:  simple past, past participle  and  present participle .

• He  represented  the plaintiffs of this class-action lawsuit. (Simple Past form)
• Sheetal  showed  up at the gate on time. (Simple Past form)
• She was  achieving  the targets way before the deadline. (Present Participle form)
• Marcus will be  expecting  a mail by the end of this week. (Present Participle form)
• I have  attached  the supporting documents with the application. (Past Participle form)
• You have  burned  the only piece of evidence we had. (Past Participle form)

Notice how the general past participle forms of verbs end in  ‘–ed’  and present participle forms end in  ‘-ing’.  Do they always follow the generalization?

Valency of the Verb

What is the valency of a verb ?

Objects, unlike verbs are not a compulsory part of speech of a sentence. On most occasions, a verb does not need an object. On some occasions, a verb refers to more than one object.

Valency is basically the  number of objects  that a subject refers to, via the verb of the sentence. Based on the valency of the verb , it is classified as  intransitive, transitive  or  ditransitive . We’ll see a few examples:

• The invigilator  has arrived.  ( ‘has arrived’  addressing no object – Intransitive verb)
• You  might have to wait.  ( ‘might have to wait’  addressing no object – Intransitive verb)
• We  have to attempt   the preliminary test and final examination.  ( ‘have to attempt’  addressing one object – Transitive verb)
• Upon  failing   the dope test , Brad  had to lose   his boxing title . ( ‘failing’  and  ‘had to lose’  addressing one object each – Transitive verbs)
• Would  you  pass   Dean  the pack ? ( ‘Would pass’  addressing two objects – Ditransitive verb)
• Somebody  send   HQ   a situation report!  ( ‘send’  addressing two objects – Ditransitive verb)

Transitive  literally means the  ‘ act of transfer ’ . A transitive verb is the one that makes the subject  refer to  an object, as we have already seen in all the examples we’ve taken up in the previous sections. Thus a transitive verb needs an object, while an intransitive verb doesn’t.

A  ditransitive verb  however addresses two objects, one direct and one indirect. We have already learned direct and indirect objects as nouns.

Thus, the valency of any verb in the English language can be  one  (intransitive verbs, only subject),  two  (transitive verbs, one subject and one object) or  three  (ditransitive verbs, one subject and two objects).

A verb takes four different forms to show the status of completion or progress. Let us discuss them individually.

The Root form of the verb is the original form of the verb used in Simple tenses. Root form by itself gives no indication of the tense of the verb and is used to express the Simple Present Tense (except for the third person singular, which we will learn in the article on Simple Present Tense)

All the other forms of the verb are derived from the root form in expressing various tenses in the active and passive voice.

The root form of the verb is used with  modals  and as an  infinitive.  Modals in every tense bring down the verb to its  root  form. The root form in this case is called as the  partial infinitive.

• I  could   retrieve  the application from the docket.
• We  will   pitch  our idea tomorrow.
• They  might   win  this contest if that strategy is executed.

Another form of the above case with the preposition  to,  is called the  full infinitive.  Some examples include:

• I  have   to reprimand  him for indiscretion.
• The band  is   expected   to be  here in a few minutes.
• This council  moves   to  immediately  resume  the project.

Some cases of the infinitive where it acts as the  noun phrase  of the sentence is called as a  gerund.  Note the examples below:

• To   err  is human,  to   forgive , divine.
• To be  or not  to be,  that is the question to be.
• To win  this contest will be his greatest challenge.

Simple Past form

The Past form is used to express the verb in the simple past tense. The past form is generally expressed by adding the suffix  ‘-ed’  to the root form of the verb.

The Past form is used exclusively for the Simple Past Tense. Note the examples below:

• You  overshot  the daily limit.
• They  overcame  all the difficulties.
• We  performed  the experiments satisfactorily.
• The mayor  took  care of the situation.

Present Participle form

The Present Participle form or the  continuous  form is used to show all forms of  progressive  tenses. The Present participle form is used to indicate that the action indicated by the verbs are  still in progress.  Let us look at a few examples:

• You  are   overshooting  the daily limit.
• They  had   been   overcoming  all the difficulties.
• We  were   performing  the experiments satisfactorily.
• The mayor  will   be   taking  care of the situation.

The Present Participle form is expressed by adding the  ‘-ing’  suffix to the root form of the verb.

Past Participle form

The Past Participle form is used to express the complete execution or occurrence of the verb in any tense. The Past Participle form is used to show all forms of  Perfect  tenses. Let us take a few examples:

• You  have   overshot  the limit.
• They  had   overcome  all the difficulties.
• We  have   performed  all the experiments satisfactorily.
• The mayor  will   have   taken  care of the situation.

The Past Participle form is generally expressed by adding the  ‘-ed’  suffix to the root form of the verb. Do they always follow the generalization?

Regularity of Verbs

In the previous section, we raised a question on the present and past participle forms of verbs. Let us rephrase the question.

Is every verb consistent with the general present and past participle forms of verbs?

The answer is  no . Most verbs aren’t. Which makes the consistency a criteria of classification, based on which we classify verbs as regular or irregular verbs.

Every Simple Past and Past Participle form of Regular verbs obey the general spelling rules.

• I  travelled  to the United Kingdom now. (Simple Past form ends in ‘-ed’)
• I  have   travelled  to 7 nations in the last 12 months alone. (Past Participle ends in ‘–ed’)
• The papacy  expected  you to come sooner. (Simple Past form ends in ‘-ed’)
• The papacy  had   expected  you at the conclave by now. (Past Participle ends in ‘–ed’)
• The board  concluded  that you’re delusional. (Simple Past form ends in ‘-ed’)
• The board  will have  concluded  that you’re delusional. (Past Participle ends in ‘–ed’)

Irregular verbs are those whose at least one of Simple Past and Past Participle forms disobey the general spelling rules.

• I  sent  the cookies to the address specified. (Simple Past form  does not   end  in ‘-ed’)
• I  have   sent  the cookies to the address specified. (Past Participle  does not end  in ‘–ed’)
• I  brought  the groceries home an hour ago. (Simple Past form  does not   end  in ‘-ed’)
• I  had   brought  the groceries home an hour ago. (Past Participle  does not end  in ‘–ed’)
• It  grew  all over the place. (Simple Past form  does not   end  in ‘-ed’)
• It  will have  grown  all over the place. (Past Participle  does not end  in ‘–ed’)

Even if there exists a present/past participle form that does follow the spelling rules and another present/past participle form doesn’t, it would be an irregular verb.

• They  lighted  the place up. (Simple Past form ends in ‘-ed’)
• They  had   lit  the place up. (Past Participle  does not end  in ‘–ed’)
• You  burned  the only piece of evidence we had. (Simple Past form ends in ‘-ed’)
• I  have   burnt  the only piece of evidence we had. (Past Participle  doesn’t end  in ‘–ed’)
• We  mowed  the lawn yesterday. (Simple Past form ends in ‘-ed’)
• We  will   have   mown  the lawn by tomorrow. (Past Participle  does not end  in ‘–ed’)

Thus, in the above case,  light, burn  &  mow  would still be irregular verbs.

Different Variations of Irregular Verbs

Some irregular verbs take the suffix  ‘-t’  to change into the Past and Past Participle form. Like the following examples:

• I  brought  the groceries home an hour ago. (Simple Past)
• I  had   brought  the groceries home an hour ago. (Past Participle)
• You  burnt  the only piece of evidence we had. (Simple Past)
• I  have   burnt  the only piece of evidence we had. (Past Participle)

Some irregular verbs take the suffix  ‘-n’  to change into the Past Participle form. Their Past forms also show a remarkable similarity. Like the following examples:

• The organism  grew  quicker than we expected. (Simple Past)
• The organism  had   grown  quicker than we expected. (Past Participle)
• This performance just  blew  my mind. (Simple Past)
• This performance  has  just  blown  my mind. (Past Participle)

Some irregular verbs don’t change in form. Let us take a few examples:

• I  put  the folder back exactly where I found it. (Simple Past)
• I  had   put  the folder back exactly where I found it. (Past Participle)
• They  cut  a significant portion of his salary as a penalty. (Simple Past)
• They  have   cut  a significant portion of his salary as a penalty. (Past Participle)

List of Irregular Verbs

List of regular verbs, auxiliary verbs.

Also called helping verbs, auxiliary verbs are those that generally are used in secondary status with respect to other verbs in the same sentence.

The three main auxiliary verbs used are  do ,  have  and  be.  The auxiliary verb  be  has various forms depending on the subject and tense, so do the verbs  have  and  do.

There are eight main forms of the auxiliary verb  be.  We use them in the following examples:

• You will  be   facing  the final exams in a week.
• She  is   playing  with the senior team now.
• They  are   coming  to see you tomorrow.
• I  am   leaving  this place in a few minutes.
• Medha  was   running  late for office.
• Our customers have always  been   expecting  this bug to be fixed.
• You  were  working  your way to be the best of the recruits.

There are three forms of the auxiliary verb  do.  We use them in the following examples:

• Do  you  leave  for court early?
• Amy  does  always  get  in trouble.  [1]
• He  did   reach  the hall on time.  [1]

There are three forms of the auxiliary verb  have.  We use them in the following examples:

• Ashish  has  a better solution to this problem.
• The previous batch  had  performed better than the current one.
• We  have  to maintain calm and think this through.

However, the above mentioned verbs can also act as standalone verbs. Observe the following examples:

• They  are  the first of the visitors to this island.
• She  will be  here in a few minutes.
• You  were  the best of the recruits.
• The previous batch  was  better than the current one.

Depending on the application, any one of these forms of the auxiliary verbs may be used.

Also Read : Auxiliary Verbs

Applications of the Verb

The rest of the study of English Grammar is based on the verb. Since they’re present in every sentence of the verb, they can be consistently used to determine various aspects of the sentence.

Speech of the Sentence

Though it is the punctuation that reveals us the nature of speech of a sentence, verbs are equally important.

• He  said  to the newcomer,  “ Will you be joining us? ”  (Direct Speech)
• He  asked  the newcomer if he was joining them. (Indirect Speech)
• She  said,  “Oh dear! The deadline has passed.” (Direct Speech)
• She  expressed  her disappointment over the passage of the deadline. (Indirect Speech)

Subject and Object of a Verb

The verb of a sentence determines which of the other words or parts of speech of any sentence is the subject and the object. In any sentence, the part that performs  the action  (of the verb) or whose  state of being is explained  by the verb is the  subject.  In most of the sentences, the subject is mentioned and can be easily identified. The object of the sentence is the part that the  verb refers to.  The object is the recipient of the verb, and is the one the subject is mentioning about.

• Madness  is  like gravity; all it needs is a little push. (Subject of the verb ‘is’)
• Jensen  has to be  patient while addressing the board. (Subject of the verb ‘has to be’)
• Finish   your supper , kids. (Object of the verb ‘your supper’)
• The team  has to assess   the situation  before the World Cup begins. (Object of the verb phrase  ‘has to assess ’ )

Subjects and objects are generally nouns or noun phrases. We have already learnt about them as nouns.

Tense of the Sentence

The verb(s) of the sentence can help us in determining the tense of the sentence. The verb forms are altered to adjust to the tense of the speech.

• He  achieved  the targets way before the deadline. (Simple Past tense)
• He  was achieving  the targets way before the deadline. (Past Continuous tense)
• He  had achieved  all the targets way before the deadline. (Past Perfect tense)
• He  had been achieving  the targets way before the deadline. (Past Perfect Continuous tense)

There are three major tenses according to the verb of the sentence. If the verb refers to the same time as the statement is made (an activity or occurrence has happened/is happening now) (now, today, generally, as we speak, etc.) then the verb is in the  present tense.  If the verb refers to a time before (an activity or occurrence happened/was happening before) the statement is made (yesterday, many years ago, long back, before) then the verb is in the  past tense.  If the verb refers to a time after (an activity or occurrence will happen/will be happening soon/later) the statement is made (tomorrow, thereafter, upcoming, etc.) then the verb is in the  future tense.

Based on the form of the verb, the tense of a sentence can be in the Past, Present or Future tense, each having four subtypes like the example above.

Phrases and Clauses

The presence of a verb can help us distinguish between a phrase and a clause. Phrases are those which do not have a subject and don’t carry a verb (unless it is a verb phrase). A clause will have a subject and a verb and can act like a standalone sentence, or may need another standalone clause.

• He performed brilliantly.  (Independent clause)
• He performed  so  brilliantly  that the audience was left dumbstruck . (Dependent clause)
• He performed  at the south side auditorium.  (Preposition phrase)

Voice of the Sentence

The verb(s) of a sentence determines the voice of a sentence. Here, active voice is where the subject is the  executioner  of the verb, while passive voice is where the subject is the  recipient  of the verb.

• They  considered  him to be an incorruptible officer. (Active Voice)
• He  was considered  to be an incorruptible officer. (Passive Voice)
• She  has been interviewing  candidates all day long (Active Voice)
• The candidates  are being interviewed  all day long (Passive Voice)

The voice of a sentence is altered for smooth reading of formal conversations.

Identification of a Verb

 If a word is a verb :

1.  It can be stated in the third person singular verb form:

 2.  It can be formed with an – ing ending .

 3.  It can be used with a modal verb .   Example: Is the word dance a verb?

1.  It can be used in the third person singular : He dances so well.

2.  It can be formed with an – ing ending : The couple was dancing perfectly in the competition.

3.  It can be used with a modal : They could dance all night if they didn’t have work in the morning.

 The answer to all of these is ‘ yes ‘. The word ‘dance’ is a verb .

This completes the basic idea of verbs of a sentence, its different forms, types and applications. The idea of a verb can also be extended to phrases and subordinate clauses which we will study with the other subordinate clauses.

[1]  Different forms of the auxiliary verb do are either omitted or combined with the main verb during writing. For example:

• Amy  does  always get in trouble.

It is generally written as:

• Amy always  gets  in trouble.

Also, note the following sentence:

• He  did  reach the hall on time.
• He  reached  the hall on time.

While both the forms are grammatically correct, the general forms are more popularly used now.

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Definition of summarize verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

• contain, give, offer, present, provide
• brief, concise, succinct
• descriptive, detailed
• ~ of findings
• briefly, concisely, succinctly
• data, finding, result
• recommendation
• In conclusion , the study has provided useful insights into the issues relating to people's perception of crime.
• Based on this study, it can be concluded that the introduction of new street lighting did not reduce reported crime.
• To sum up , no evidence can be found to support the view that improved street lighting reduces reported crime.
• The available evidence clearly leads to the conclusion that the media do have an influence on the public perception of crime.
• The main conclusion to be drawn from this study is that the public perception of crime is significantly influenced by crime news reporting.
• This study has shown that people's fear of crime is out of all proportion to crime itself.
• Fear of crime is out of all proportion to the actual level of crime, and the reasons for this can be summarized as follows . First…
• Overall / In general , women are more likely than men to feel insecure walking alone after dark.

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

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Subject-Verb Agreement: Definition, Examples, & Exercises

• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: April 10, 2023

Nobody likes conflict, and that includes sentences! We know that every sentence requires a subject and a predicate , but we also have to make sure that these two agree with one another. In the grammar world, this is called subject-verb agreement . 

The two places where subjects and verbs most often disagree are in number and tense. If the subject is plural, then the verb also has to be plural. Likewise, if the subject is singular, then the verb must also be singular. This seems like a no-brainer, but things can get complicated when you are talking about money, time, collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and interrupting phrases. 

When you’re ready, test yourself with a quiz   and practice with our high-quality, standards-aligned questions .

What We Review

The Basics of Subject-Verb Agreement

What is Subject-Verb Agreement?

Subject-verb agreement refers to the relationship between the subject and predicate of the sentence. Subjects and verbs must always agree in two ways: tense and number. For this post, we are focusing on number, or whether the subject and verb are singular or plural.

For example:

• The light in the lamppost flickers each night.

In this sentence, the subject light is singular ; therefore, the verb that describes the action of the subject must also be singular : flickers. 

If the subject was plural , the verbs would have to change form to agree with the subject.

For example: 

• The lights in the lampposts flicker each night.

In this sentence, since the subject is now plural, the -s has to be removed from the verb in order to have subject-verb agreement .

Subject-Verb Agreement and Money

Money is tricky when it comes to subject-verb agreement because there are specific rules for referring to an amount of money versus dollars or cents themselves. 

For example; since this sentence refers to an amount of money, a singular verb is used: 

• Five thousand dollars was deposited at the bank this morning.

On the flip side, this second sentence refers to dollars themselves , so a plural verb is needed instead: 

• Five thousand dollar bills were deposited at the bank this morning.

Do you see how the interpretation of the sentence changes when the writer refers to physical dollar bills instead of a lump sum of money? 

In reading the first sentence, I imagined a check written out for five thousand dollars being handed to a bank teller. In the second sentence however, I imagined someone lugging several bags into the bag, each filled with one-dollar bills.

Return to the Table of Contents

Subject-Verb Agreement and Time

The rules for time are very similar to the rules for money when it comes to subject-verb agreement . 

Just as a singular verb is used with an amount of money, a singular verb is also used with a period of time. 

• The 1920’s is the backdrop for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby.

However, even though a plural verb is used when referring to individual dollar bills or coins, we normally do not refer to individual units of time since time is abstract. Therefore, singular verbs are always used instead of plural verbs whenever a writer refers to a period of time or a unit of measurement. 

• 225 pounds is the maximum weight that I can deadlift right now.

Subject-Verb Agreement and Collective Nouns

Collective nouns, or nouns that name groups composed of members, use either singular or plural verbs based on the context of the sentence. 

When collective nouns like family, squad, or committee act in unison in a sentence, a singular verb is used. 

• The committee votes to build a new park downtown.

When collective nouns act individually or separately from the group, a plural verb is used. 

• The herd of cows are running sporadically in every direction.

Subject-Verb Agreement and Indefinite Pronouns

Even though indefinite pronouns are nonspecific, most of these pronouns can still be divided into singular and plural categories. 

However, for indefinite pronouns that can be either singular or plural depending on the sentence, writers must reference a different noun in the sentence to find out whether a singular or plural verb is needed. 

Always singular example: 

• Does anybody want to take Precalculus with me this semester?

Always plural example: 

• Several kittens need to be adopted this weekend.

When an indefinite pronoun like some, more, none, or all is used, writers must refer to the noun or noun phrase immediately following this pronoun to know whether the verb is singular or plural. 

• None of my clothes are clean. (the verb is plural because clothes is plural) 
• None of the pizza is left. (the verb is singular because pizza is singular)

Subject-Verb Agreement and Interrupting Phrases

Sometimes it can be difficult to know whether a verb should be singular or plural because it is so far away from the subject of the sentence. It is easy to be confused by appositive phrases, prepositional phrases, or direct objects and think that these indicate the number of the verb. This is not the case! The subject is the only noun that decides if the verb is singular or plural. 

• Chris Hemsworth , one of many successful actors in Hollywood, has an intense workout regimen.

In this sentence, even though the appositive phrase uses the plural noun actors , the subject, Chris Hemsworth , is still singular, which means that the verb “ has” must also be singular. 

Here is another example: 

• The knot-hole in the tree, typically full of treasures for Scout and Jem, was instead filled with cement.

In this sentence, it can be tricky to find the true subject since there are several prepositional phrases that interrupt the subject and verb. Even though there are many nouns, both singular and plural, the true subject, knot-hole , is singular, so the singular verb was is needed.

3 Tips for Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement 

Here are some important tips to help you understand Subject-verb agreement :

Tip #1. Objects and appositives can never be the subject of the sentence

• Jacob , one of my next door neighbors, is a werewolf.

In this sentence, Jacob , not “ neighbors” , is the subject of the sentence, because “ neighbors ” is part of the appositive phrase.

Tip #2. When referring to sums of money or collective nouns acting in unison, a singular verb is used

• The herd of bison is grazing in the field. 

In this sentence, because the bison are acting as a unified group, the verb is singular.

Tip #3. Regardless of where it is in the sentence, the subject always determines whether a verb is singular or plural

• Her palms sweaty and mind racing, she begins her descent down the mountain. 

In this sentence, the subject does not appear until the middle of the sentence. Do not get tricked by modifiers like this participial phrase!

Applying the Basics: Subject-Verb Agreement Review & Practice

Now that you understand how subject-verb agreement functions in sentences, review the anchor chart below and complete the review to fully understand how to reach subject-verb agreement in your own writing.

The Ultimate List of Subject-Verb Agreement

Refer to the graphic below to learn the different types of Subject-Verb Agreement :

Note: subjects are underlined, and verbs are italicized.

This list, obviously, does not include all possible scenarios of subject-verb agreement; however, it is meant to be used as a guide to help writers navigate subject-verb agreement.

Subject and Verb Agreement Exercises and Review 

Now that you know how to make subjects and verbs agree, test your ability to find the subjects and verbs that agree in number. 

Select the subject and verb in the sentences below. Remember, subjects and verbs must agree in number; meaning, if the subject is singular, then the verb must also be singular.

1. Mouse Finbar’s main weakness was cake. 

In this sentence, weakness is the singular subject of the sentence, which means that the verb, was , must also be singular.

2. Ruby Roundhouse knew that the only way to save her friends was to win a dance fight. 

In this sentence, there are two clauses, each with its own subject and verb. The subject and verb of the first clause are singular: Ruby Roundhouse knew . The subject and verb of the second clause are also singular: way and was . However, since there are two clauses with two separate verbs, we have to make sure that there is also agreement in tense. Since the verb “ knew” is in past tense, the verb “ was” must also be in past tense.

3. Spencer , Fridge , and Martha were separated from the group during the attack.

In this sentence, the subject ( Spencer, Fridge, and Martha ) is plural because three different people are included. Therefore, the verb phrase ( were separated ) must also be plural.

4. In Jumanji: The Next Level, a new character , Ming, is introduced. 

In this sentence, character is the singular subject. It is difficult to find the true subject because there is both a prepositional phrase and an appositive; however, since character is the true singular subject, the verb “ is” must also be singular.

5. In order to win the game, Jumanji , the characters were instructed to return the Jaguar’s Eye to its home.  

In this sentence, characters is the plural subject, and were instructed is the plural verb. 

Pro tip : Subjects and verbs within the same clauses must agree with one another in number, while verbs in separate clauses within the same sentence must agree with one another in tense. 

For additional practice, check out Subject-Verb Agreement content on Albert.

Try for Yourself: Subject-Verb Agreement Quiz

Feeling confident in your understanding of Subject-Verb Agreement ? 

Take this short six-question quiz to see what you’ve learned:

1. True or False: subjects and verbs must always agree in both number and tense

• Answer: False 
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! While subjects and verbs must always agree in number, tense is reserved for verbs only as nouns in the English language cannot denote tense. 
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right! Remember, subjects and verbs must always agree in number, tense is reserved for verbs only as nouns in the English language cannot denote tense.

2. Can noun objects be the subject of a sentence? 

• Answer: No  
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! Direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions can never be the subject of a sentence! 
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right! Remember, direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions can never be the subject of a sentence.

3. In this sentence, should the verb be a singular “is” or a plural “are”? 

They is/are attempting to bake bread from scratch. 

• Answer: Plural “are” 
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! Since the subject, “they”, is plural, the verb must be the plural “ are ”. 
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right! Remember, if the subject is plural, then the verb must also be plural.

4. In this sentence, are the noun and verb singular or plural? 

Racoons are sometimes called “trash pandas” due to their habit of going through people’s garbage. 

• Answer: Plural 
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! The subject “ racoons ” and the verb phrase “ are called ” are both plural. 
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right! The subject “ racoons ” and the verb phrase “ are called ” are both plural, not singular.

5. In this sentence, are the noun and verb singular or plural? 

Mark , one of my best friends, was cast in our upcoming drama. 

• Answer: Singular  
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! In this sentence, Mark is the subject, not friends . Therefore, the verb was cast is also singular. 
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right! In this sentence, Mark is the subject, not friends . Remember that nouns in appositive phrases cannot be the subject of the sentence. Therefore, the verb was cast is also singular.

6. In this sentence, is the singular verb “was” or the plural verb “were” needed? 

Ten thousand dollars was/were demanded by the thieves for the return of the jewel. 

• Answer: Singular verb “was” 
• Correct Explanation: That’s right! This is a tricky one. Remember, when referring to a sum of money, a singular verb is used. When referring to actual dollar bills, a plural verb is used. 
• Incorrect Explanation: Sorry, that’s not right! Remember, when referring to a sum of money, a singular verb is used. When referring to actual dollar bills, a plural verb is used. 

For additional practice with subject-verb agreement, check out our practice on Albert: Subject-Verb Agreement .

Teacher’s Corner for Subject-Verb Agreement

Even though subjects and verbs are the foundation of every complete sentence, students can still struggle to locate subjects and verbs in sentences as well as understand why and how they should agree with one another. Once you have a clear understanding of where your students stand, the Common Core English Language Progressive Skills Chart is a helpful tool for building on your students’ knowledge, regardless of where they may be. 

For specific standards on subject-verb agreement , check out the Common Core State Standards website. 

Albert’s Subject-Verb Agreement Practice provides several activities that each focus on a different type of subject-verb agreement, from Simple Subject-Verb Agreement to more advanced Indefinite Pronouns . Once students have practiced each type of subject-verb agreement , assessments are also provided to check student retention.

Summary for Subject Verb Agreement

It can be tricky to find both the main subject and the main verb of a sentence, especially if there are distracting objects, modifiers, or verbs acting like other parts of speech. Once you have determined the action or state of being that is described in the sentence, then you have to find out who or what is performing the action or experience the state of being. Finally, you must make sure that both the subject and the verb agree in number because if they do not, it can be very difficult to understand what is being communicated. 

Be sure to check out our grammar course for more subject-verb agreement practice. 

You can also access over 3,400 high-quality questions that address nearly every grammatical concept.

Need help preparing for your Grammar exam?

Albert has hundreds of grammar practice questions with detailed explanations to help you master concepts.

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Tenses In English: A Summary Of 12 English Tenses

In English, tenses are divided into 12 basic tenses based on three timelines: Present , Past , and Future . In this article, Learn English Fun Way will share with you the formulas, usage, and signs of these tenses. Let’s discover together!

Table of Contents

1. Present simple

Form with verbs:

• Positive sentence: S + V (s / es) + O
• Negative sentence: S + do / does not + V_inf + O
• Question: Do / Does + S + V_inf + O?

Form with “To be”:

• Positive sentence: S + am/is/are + O
• Negative sentence: S + am/is/are  not + O
• Question: Am/is/are + S + O?

The present simple tense is used to:

• Describe a truth
• Describe a habit, hobby, or action that repeatedly happens in the present
• Describe a schedule, a program, or a timetable

Signs for present simple tense:

In the sentence there are frequency words, such as: Everyday / night / week, often, usually, always, sometimes, etc.

2. Present continuous tense

• Positive sentence: S + am/is/are + V_ing + …
• Negative sentence: S + am/is/are not + V_ing + …
• Question: Am/Is/Are + S + V_ing + …?

The present continuous tense is used to:

• Describe the action that is happening at the time of speaking
• Describe a planned action in the future
• Express a complaint about something, accompanied with “Always”
• Warn about something, suggest or order something

Signs for present continuous tense:

In the sentence there are adverbs of time, such as: Now , at the moment, at present , right now, etc. Or verbs at the beginning of the sentence to warn about something, suggest or order something, such as: look!, listen!, be quiet!, etc.

3. Present perfect tense

• Positive sentence: S + has/have + V3/ed + O
• Negative sentence: S + has/have not + V3/ed + O
• Question: Have/has + S + V3/ed + O?

The present perfect tense is used to:

• Describe an action that started in the past and still continues in the present and future
• Describe an action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by ‘just.’
• Describe an action that happened in the past but causes the consequence at present
• Describe experience

In the sentence there are words, such as: Since, for, Already, just, ever, never, yet, recently, before, etc.

4. Present perfect continuous tense

• Positive sentence: S + has/have been + V_ing
• Negative sentence:  S + has/have not been + V-ing
• Question: Have/Has + S + been + V-ing?

The present perfect continuous tense is used to:

• Emphasize an action that started in the past and still continues in the present and future; especially, the action happening in a long period of time
• Emphasize an action that happened in the past but causes the consequence at present

In the sentence there are words, such as:  All day/week, since, for, for a long time, recently, lately, up until now, etc.

5. Past simple tense

• Positive sentence: S + V2/ed + O
• Negative sentence: S + did not + V_inf + O
• Question: Did + S + V_inf + O ?
• Positive sentence: S + was/were + O
• Negative sentence: S + were/was not + O
• Question: Was/were + S + O?

The past simple tense is used to:

• Describe an action that happened and ended at a time in the past
• Describe actions that happened consecutively in the past
• Describe a short action happened when another long action was taking place at a time in the past

Signs for past simple tense:

In the sentence there are words, such as, such as:  Yesterday, last night/ last week/ last month/year, ago, etc.

There are three different ways to pronounce the ‘ed’ ending of regular verbs in the simple past tense: / Id / , / t / or / d /

• Verbs ending in voiceless sounds [p, k, θ, f, s, ʃ, tʃ] cause the “-ed” ending to be pronounced as the voiceless [t] (with no vocal chord vibration).
• Verbs ending in the voiced sounds [b, g, ð, v, z, ʒ, dʒ, m, n, ŋ, r, l] cause the “-ed” ending to be pronounced as a voiced [d].
• Verbs ending in the sounds [t] or [d] will cause the “-ed” ending of a verb to be pronounced as the syllable [əd] or [ɪd].

6. Past continuous tense

• Positive sentence: S  + were/ was + V_ing + O
• Negative sentence: S + were/was+ not + V_ing + O
• Question: Were/was+S+ V_ing + O?

The past continuous tense is used to:

• Describe an action that was happening at a time in the past
• Describe an action was happening in the past then interrupted by another short action
• Describe actions that were happening together at the same time in the past

Signs for past continuous tense:

There are adverbs of past time to mention a definite time in the sentence, such as: At/At this time + adverbs of past time (yesterday, last week, etc.); a specific time in the past (at 7 o’clock yesterday.)

7. Past perfect tense

• Positive sentence: S + had + V3/ed + O
• Negative sentence: S + had + not + V3/ed + O
• Question: Had + S + V3/ed + O?

The past perfect tense is used to:

• Describe an action that was completed before some point in the past
• Describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. The action that happened first uses the past perfect tense, the action that happened later uses the past simple tense

Signs for past perfect tense:

In the sentence there are words, such as: By the time, prior to that time, before, after, as soon as, until then, etc.

8. Past perfect continuous tense 

• Positive sentence: S + had been + V_ing + O
• Negative sentence: S + had + not + been + V_ing + O
• Question: Had + S + been + V_ing + O? ​

The past perfect continuous tense is used to:

• Describe an action that happened continuously before some point in the past
• Describe an action that happened continuously before another action in the past

In the sentence there are words, such as: Until then, by the time, prior to that time, before, after, etc.

9. Simple future tense

• Positive sentence: S + shall/will + V(infinitive) + O
• Negative sentence: S + shall/will + not + V(infinitive) + O
• Question: Shall/will+S + V(infinitive) + O?

The simple future tense is used to:

• Describe a baseless prediction
• Describe a decision made spontaneously at the time of speaking
• Describe suggestions, promises, offers, threats

Signs for simple future tense:

In the sentence there are words, such as:  tomorrow, next day/week/month/year, in 2025, etc.

10. Future continuous tense

• Positive sentence: S + will/shall + be + V-ing
• Negative sentence: S + will/shall + not + be + V-ing
• Question: Will/shall + S + be + V-ing?

The future continuous tense is used to:

• Describe an action happening at a specific time in the future
• Describe an action happening then being interrupted by another short action in the future

In the sentence there are words, such as:  next time/year/week, in the future, and soon, etc.

11. Future perfect tense

• Positive sentence: S + shall/will + have + V3/ed
• Negative sentence: S + shall/will not + have + V3/ed
• Question: Shall/Will+ S + have + V3/ed?

The future perfect tense is used to:

• Describe an action that will happen before a specific time in the future
• Describe an action that will happen before another action in the future

Signs for future perfect tense:

In the sentence there are words, such as: by/by the time/by the end of + adverbs of future time (tomorrow, next week, next month, etc.)

12. Future perfect continuous tense

• Positive sentence: S + shall/will + have been + V-ing + O
• Negative sentence: S + shall/will not+ have + been + V-ing
• Question: Shall/Will + S+ have been + V-ing + O?

The future perfect continuous tense is used to:

• Describe an action that started in the past and continues to a specific time in the future

Signs for future perfect continuous tense:

In the sentence there are words, such as: for+ (a period of time) + by/by the time/by the end of + adverbs of future time (tomorrow, next week, next month, etc.)

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