ENGLISH GRAMMAR · LESSON 6 · BEGINNER
Verbs in English Grammar: Types, Forms and Examples
Read these sentences: “The children play outside.” “Mira is happy.” “We have finished our work.” The highlighted words tell us what happens, describe a state, or help another verb. They are verbs—the words that make sentences express actions, events and states.
1. What is a verb?
A verb is a word that expresses an action, an event or a state. A complete sentence usually needs a verb.
| Use | Examples | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Action | run, write, think | Ravi writes neatly. |
| State or condition | be, seem, belong | The room seems quiet. |
| Event or change | grow, happen, become | The weather became colder. |
2. Main verbs and helping verbs
The main verb carries the central meaning. A helping verb (also called an auxiliary verb) helps the main verb show tense, questions, negatives, voice or possibility.
| Sentence | Helping verb | Main verb |
|---|---|---|
| She is reading. | is | reading |
| They have arrived. | have | arrived |
| We will travel tomorrow. | will | travel |
| He does not eat meat. | does | eat |
The common primary helping verbs are forms of be (am, is, are, was, were, been, being), have (have, has, had) and do (do, does, did). Modal helping verbs include can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would.
3. Action verbs and linking verbs
Action verbs describe something a subject does, either physically or mentally. Linking verbs connect the subject to a description or identity rather than showing an action.
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Action | The dog chased the ball. I remember the story. |
| Linking | The soup tastes salty. Asha is a doctor. The sky became dark. |
Some verbs can work in different ways depending on the sentence. In “She looked tired,” looked links the subject with a description. In “She looked at the picture,” it describes an action.
4. Transitive and intransitive verbs
A transitive verb has a direct object in the sentence. An intransitive verb does not take a direct object.
Transitive: The student solved the problem. (Solved what? The problem.)
Intransitive: The baby slept. (There is no direct object.)
Some verbs can be used both ways: “She reads every evening” and “She reads a novel every evening.”
5. The five common forms of a verb
Many English grammar courses teach these five forms. They are useful for building tenses and recognising verb patterns.
| Form | Meaning or use | Example: write | Example: play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base form (V1) | Dictionary form | write | play |
| Third-person singular | Present simple with he/she/it | writes | plays |
| Past form (V2) | Past simple | wrote | played |
| Past participle (V3) | Used with have/has/had and in passive structures | written | played |
| -ing form | Used in continuous forms and other structures | writing | playing |
Regular verbs usually form the past and past participle with -ed or -d: work–worked–worked. Irregular verbs change in different ways: go–went–gone; see–saw–seen; take–took–taken.
6. Finite and non-finite verbs
A finite verb is linked to the subject and tense of a clause. A non-finite verb form does not independently show tense in the same way. Common non-finite forms are infinitives, -ing forms and participles.
- Finite: She walks to school every day.
- Infinitive: She wants to walk to school.
- -ing form: Walking is good exercise.
- Participle: The broken window was repaired.
The same form can serve different jobs in a sentence, so look at how it is used rather than only at its spelling.
7. Subject–verb agreement
The verb must agree with its subject in number and person. In the present simple, this often means adding -s or -es to the verb with he, she or it.
| Correct sentence | Remember |
|---|---|
| I play cricket. | Use the base form with I. |
| They play cricket. | Use the base form with they. |
| He plays cricket. | Add -s for he/she/it in present simple. |
| The children are ready. | Plural subject: are. |
| The child is ready. | Singular subject: is. |
Common mistakes: “She go to school” should be “She goes to school.” “They is happy” should be “They are happy.”
8. How verbs help us talk about time
Verb forms help express when an action happens. For example, the verb study changes across these sentences:
| Time or form | Example |
|---|---|
| Present simple | I study English every day. |
| Present continuous | I am studying English now. |
| Past simple | I studied English yesterday. |
| Future with will | I will study English tomorrow. |
| Present perfect | I have studied this chapter. |
These are examples of common verb patterns. The right form depends on the meaning and the time relationship you want to express.
9. Practice questions
- Underline the verb: “The birds are singing in the tree.”
- Identify the helping verb and main verb: “Maya has completed her work.”
- Is the verb transitive or intransitive? “The child laughed.”
- Choose the correct form: “My brother (play / plays) chess.”
- Write the past form and past participle of go.
- Find the linking verb: “The flowers smell sweet.”
- Correct the sentence: “They was late for class.”
- Complete the sentence: “We ______ watching a film now.”
Show answers and explanations
- are singing — are is the helping verb and singing is the main verb.
- Helping verb: has; main verb: completed.
- Intransitive — laughed has no direct object here.
- plays — brother is singular, so the present-simple verb takes -s.
- went, gone.
- smell — it links flowers with the description sweet.
- “They were late for class.”
- are — “We are watching a film now.”
Quick revision
| Concept | Key point |
|---|---|
| Verb | Expresses an action, event or state. |
| Main verb | Carries the main meaning. |
| Helping verb | Helps form tense, questions, negatives and other structures. |
| Linking verb | Connects the subject to a description or identity. |
| Transitive verb | Takes a direct object in that use. |
| Verb forms | Base, third-person singular, past, past participle and -ing. |
| Agreement | Match the verb to its subject. |