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Parts of speech: Verbs

The verb of a sentence usually expresses action (jump, think) or being (is, become). It is composed of a main verb possibly preceded by one or more helping verbs.

Example sentence: The horses exercise every day. Explanation: The main verb is exercise.

Example sentence: The task force report was not completed on schedule. Explanation: The main verb is completed. The helping verb is was. Was completed.

Notice that words can intervene between the helping and the main verb (was not completed).

Main verbs

The main verb of a sentence is always the kind of word that would change form if put into these test sentences:

BASE FORM

Usually I walk.

Usually I ride.

PAST TENSE

Yesterday I walked.

Yesterday I rode.

PAST PARTICIPLE

I have walked many times before.

I have ridden many times before.

PRESENT PARTICIPLE

I am walking right now.

I am riding right now.

-S FORM

Usually he/she/it walks.

Usually he/she/it rides.

If a word doesn’t change form when slipped into these test sentences, you can be certain that it is not a main verb.

When both the past-tense and the past-participle forms of a verb end in -ed, the verb is regular (walked, walked). Otherwise, the verb is irregular (rode, ridden).

The verb be is highly irregular, having eight forms instead of the usual five: the base form be; the present-tense forms am, is, and are; the past-tense forms was and were; the present participle being; and the past participle been.

Basic verb forms

NOTE:Some verbs are followed by words that look like prepositions but are so closely associated with the verb that they are a part of its meaning. These words are known as particles. Common verb-particle combinations include bring up, call off, drop off, give in, look up, run into, and take off.

A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them off to camp.

—Raymond Duncan

Helping verbs

There are twenty-three helping verbs (also called auxiliary verbs) in English: forms of have, do, and be, which may also function as main verbs; and nine modals, which function only as helping verbs. The forms of have, do, and be change form to indicate tense; the nine modals do not.

FORMS OF HAVE, DO, AND BE

have, has, had, do, does, did, be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been

MODALS

can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would

The verb phrase ought to is often classified as a modal as well.

Exercises:

Parts of speech: verbs 1

Parts of speech: verbs 2

All parts of speech 1

All parts of speech 2