All About Verbs

A verb is the part of speech that relates a state of being or an action. Less formally, it is also called, as an action word. A verb is often the nucleus of any statement, all sentences need to include at least one verb. Distinguishing what the verb is in a sentence is essential in comprehending the intended meaning of a statement.

Take this sentence, for example: The straitjacket restricts most upper body movement. "Restricts" is the word that indicates action in the sentence. Even when the action does not indicate much in terms of activity, "restricts" is the sentence's action word or verb. Following is another example: They were in a state of shock. In this last example, the action does not exist, although the verb expresses a state of being. Additionally, the word "be" is different from other typical verbs by definition, it is still a verb however.

Verbs differ from most parts of speech in that these words change form. Endings are sometimes attached to the verb, wherein the word "yearn" becomes "yearned" to reflect the past tense, while "catch" becomes "caught" for the same purpose. Different verb types have different meanings, when related to concepts such as past, present, and future tenses; first, second, and third-person points of view; singular and plural forms for number; and active and passive voices. Modals such as would, could, may, and might; and auxiliaries like have, will and do can accompany verbs for different meanings!

As declared above with verb tenses, a verb's bond to time is extremely significant. Verbs can state whether an event occurred earlier, is currently occurring, or will occur in the future. Currently unfolding events will use a verb's present tense. Events that have already happened will use a verb's past tense. Events that will unfold in the future will use a verb's future tense!

Verbs that have been changed to create the verb's past tense form with "d" or "ed" are regular verbs. Irregular verbs are ones that don't follow the formula for regular verbs when changing onto the past tense. The spelling of the various irregular verbs can be difficult for people not well-versed in the language. In these instances, Exposure to the written English language in order to gain familiarity is recommended.

The simple tenses of verbs are normally used to teach those who are just learning English. However, many know that there are a number of more complex verb tenses, such as present progressive tense, past perfect tense, and etcetera. Progressive verb forms, for example, show the subject's action over a duration of time. The perfect tense, another type of verb form, states the action's completion.

In addition, when relating to the subject, verbs and subjects have to agree. A singular verb has to accompany a singular subject, and a plural subject has to have a plural verb. This is called subject-verb agreement.

By: Julie Thomas

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