Every complete sentence needs something to express what is happening, what someone does, or what something is like. That job usually belongs to the verb.
If you are learning English grammar, understanding verbs is one of the best places to start. Words such as run, think, is, have, become, and seem can all function as verbs, even though they describe very different things.
A verb is a word that expresses an action, event, experience, or state. It tells us what a subject does, what happens to it, or what condition it is in. For example, runs is the verb in “Maria runs every morning,” while is is the verb in “Maria is tired.”
What Is a Verb in English Grammar?
A verb is one of the major parts of speech in English. Cambridge describes verbs as words or phrases that can describe an action, condition, or experience. Verbs can therefore represent physical actions, mental activities, events, and states—not just obvious movements.
Consider these examples:
| Sentence | Verb | What the verb expresses |
|---|---|---|
| The dog runs. | runs | Physical action |
| Maya thinks carefully. | thinks | Mental action |
| The baby slept. | slept | Action/state |
| He seems nervous. | seems | State/condition |
| They are students. | are | State of being |
| The weather changed. | changed | Event/change |
This is why the common classroom definition “a verb is an action word” is useful but incomplete.
Some verbs describe actions:
Sofia opened the window.
Others describe thoughts or feelings:
Sofia believes him.
And some simply connect a subject with information about that subject:
Sofia is happy.
So when identifying verbs, don’t look only for visible actions.
Why Are Verbs Important in a Sentence?
Verbs form the grammatical center of clauses because they tell readers what the subject is doing, experiencing, or being.
Compare:
The children in the garden.
This group of words gives us people and a location, but it does not tell us what is happening.
Add a verb:
The children played in the garden.
Now the thought is complete.
A verb can sometimes create a complete command without an explicitly stated subject:
Stop!
Listen.
Wait.
The understood subject in these imperative sentences is you.
What is the difference between a subject and a verb?
The subject identifies who or what the sentence is about, while the verb expresses the action or state associated with that subject.
For example:
Daniel writes every evening.
Daniel is the subject. Writes is the verb.
In:
The flowers look beautiful.
The flowers is the subject, while look functions as the verb.
Recognizing this relationship makes more advanced grammar—including subject-verb agreement and sentence structure—much easier to understand.
Types of Verbs and How They Work
Not all verbs perform the same grammatical job. A verb may express an action, describe a state, connect a subject with a complement, or help another verb express tense, mood, or possibility.
Several classifications can overlap. For example, the same verb may behave differently depending on how it is used in a sentence.
Action verbs
An action verb, sometimes called a dynamic verb, expresses something a person, animal, object, or other subject does.
Physical actions include:
- run
- jump
- write
- eat
- throw
- walk
- swim
- build
Example:
Ethan kicked the ball.
But actions do not have to be physical. Mental activities can also be expressed through verbs:
I remember that day.
She considered the proposal.
They believe the story.
This is one reason defining verbs only as physical “doing words” can cause confusion.
Stative verbs
A stative verb generally describes a state, condition, possession, thought, emotion, sense, or relationship rather than a dynamic activity.
Common examples include:
- know
- believe
- understand
- love
- prefer
- own
- need
- belong
For example:
I know the answer.
She owns two bicycles.
We prefer tea.
Some verbs can be stative in one context and dynamic in another, depending on their meaning.
Compare:
I think this answer is correct.
Here, think means “believe.”
But:
I am thinking about the problem.
Here, thinking describes an ongoing mental activity.
Quick takeaway: A verb’s category often depends on how the word functions in its particular sentence.
What Are Linking Verbs?
A linking verb connects the subject to information that describes or identifies it. It is also known as a copular verb or copula.
Instead of showing an action directed toward an object, a linking verb connects the subject with a subject complement. Cambridge identifies be as the most common copula and notes that linking verbs join subjects with their complements.
For example:
The soup smells delicious.
Smells connects soup with the description delicious.
Other common linking verbs include:
- be
- become
- seem
- appear
- remain
- look
- feel
- smell
- taste
- sound
Consider:
Marcus became a doctor.
The room feels cold.
Your plan sounds reasonable.
A verb can have different functions
A word isn’t necessarily a linking verb every time you see it.
Compare:
She looked tired.
Here, looked links she with the adjective tired.
Now consider:
She looked through the window.
Here, looked describes an action.
Context determines the function.
Main Verbs and Helping Verbs
A main verb carries the central meaning of a verb phrase.
For example:
She works here.
Works is the main verb.
English also uses auxiliary verbs, commonly called helping verbs, alongside main verbs. Cambridge identifies be, do, and have as the three primary auxiliary verbs in English.
Consider:
She is studying.
Studying carries the main meaning, while is helps form the construction.
Another example:
They have finished dinner.
Finished is the main verb, while have is an auxiliary verb.
Or:
Do you understand?
Here, do assists the main verb understand in forming the question.
Modal verbs
Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that express ideas such as possibility, ability, permission, necessity, obligation, or prediction.
Common modal verbs include:
- can
- could
- may
- might
- must
- shall
- should
- will
- would
Examples:
You can swim here.
It might rain tonight.
Students should study regularly.
We must leave now.
Notice that the modal combines with another verb to create a fuller meaning.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Another useful way to classify verbs is according to whether they take an object.
Transitive verbs
A transitive verb takes a direct object—the person or thing receiving the action.
For example:
Ava opened the door.
Ask: Opened what?
Answer: the door.
That makes opened transitive in this sentence.
Another example:
Liam read the book.
The book receives the action of read.
Intransitive verbs
An intransitive verb does not require a direct object.
For example:
The baby cried.
There is no object receiving the action.
Another example:
Everyone laughed.
The sentence is complete without a direct object.
Can the same verb be transitive and intransitive?
Yes. Many English verbs can function both ways.
Compare:
She runs every morning.
Here, runs is intransitive.
Now consider:
She runs a small business.
Here, runs takes the direct object a small business and is transitive.
Similarly:
We ate.
The verb is being used intransitively.
We ate pizza.
Now pizza is the direct object.
The surrounding sentence—not merely the dictionary entry—helps determine a verb’s grammatical role.
Regular and Irregular Verbs
English verbs can also be grouped according to how they form their past tense and past participle.
Regular verbs
Regular verbs generally form the simple past and past participle by adding -ed or -d to the base form, with spelling adjustments when necessary.
| Base Form | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| walk | walked | walked |
| play | played | played |
| clean | cleaned | cleaned |
| jump | jumped | jumped |
| love | loved | loved |
Example:
We walked home yesterday.
Irregular verbs
Irregular verbs do not follow the standard -ed pattern.
| Base Form | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| go | went | gone |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| write | wrote | written |
| see | saw | seen |
| take | took | taken |
| begin | began | begun |
For example:
She wrote a letter yesterday.
She has written three letters today.
There is no single ending that lets you predict every irregular form, so commonly used irregular verbs are generally learned through practice and exposure.
Verb Forms Explained
A single English verb can appear in several forms.
Take the regular verb walk:
- base form: walk
- third-person singular: walks
- past form: walked
- past participle: walked
- present participle: walking
Now compare the irregular verb write:
- base form: write
- third-person singular: writes
- past form: wrote
- past participle: written
- present participle: writing
These forms allow verbs to work in different grammatical constructions.
Base form
The base form is the simplest form of a verb:
I work.
You work.
It also follows modal verbs:
She can work tomorrow.
Third-person singular form
In the simple present tense, most verbs add -s or -es when the subject is third-person singular.
He works.
Maria watches television.
The train passes our house.
For regular verbs ending in certain letters or letter combinations, spelling rules determine whether -s or -es is added.
Present participle
The present participle normally ends in -ing:
run → running
read → reading
write → writing
It is used in progressive constructions:
They are running.
Past participle
Past participles are used in perfect constructions and passive constructions.
For example:
She has finished.
The window was broken.
Regular past participles often end in -ed, whereas irregular forms can vary considerably.
Verb Tenses: Showing When Something Happens
Verb forms work with auxiliaries to express tense and aspect, helping speakers describe when events occur and how they unfold over time.
At the broadest level, English discussions of tense commonly distinguish past, present, and future time, while grammatical aspect adds information about duration, completion, or ongoing activity.
Compare:
I work every day.
I worked yesterday.
I will work tomorrow.
English teaching materials commonly organize tense-aspect combinations into 12 major patterns:
| Time | Simple | Progressive | Perfect | Perfect Progressive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | I work | I am working | I have worked | I have been working |
| Past | I worked | I was working | I had worked | I had been working |
| Future | I will work | I will be working | I will have worked | I will have been working |
You do not need to memorize all of these simply to understand what a verb is. The key idea is that verbs can change form or combine with auxiliaries to communicate time and aspect.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Verbs also interact grammatically with their subjects.
Subject-verb agreement means selecting the appropriate verb form for the subject. In English, this is especially noticeable with singular and plural subjects in the simple present tense.
Compare:
The students write every day.
The first subject is singular, so write becomes writes. The second is plural, so the base form write is used.
The verb be changes more dramatically:
I am ready.
She is ready.
We are ready.
A common mistake is allowing a nearby noun to distract you from the true subject.
Incorrect:
The box of pencils are on the desk.
Correct:
The box of pencils is on the desk.
The subject is box, not pencils.
Verb Phrases: When More Than One Word Does the Job
A verb phrase contains a main verb and may include one or more auxiliary or modal verbs.
For example:
She has finished.
They will arrive soon.
He might have forgotten.
We have been waiting.
Grammarly describes a verb phrase as being centered on a main verb and including words that assist or expand its grammatical meaning.
Look closely at:
Sarah might have been sleeping.
The main lexical verb is sleeping. Might, have, and been contribute information about modality, aspect, and grammatical structure.
Recognizing the whole verb phrase prevents a common mistake: identifying only one helping verb and overlooking the main verb.
What Is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle—often an adverb or preposition—to create a meaning that may differ from the individual words.
Common examples include:
- give up
- find out
- pick up
- turn down
- look after
- get over
- carry on
For example:
Please turn down the music.
Here, turn down means reduce the volume.
Or:
She gave up smoking.
Here, gave up means stopped.
The meaning of a phrasal verb often cannot be reliably understood by interpreting each component separately.
This can make phrasal verbs particularly challenging for English learners.
Infinitives, Gerunds, and Participles
Verbs can take forms that perform jobs normally associated with other parts of a sentence.
Infinitives
An infinitive commonly consists of to plus the base form:
to run
to study
to understand
Cambridge notes that to can appear before a verb to mark an infinitive.
Example:
I want to study.
However, infinitives can also appear without to after modal verbs:
She can swim.
Gerunds
A gerund is an -ing form functioning like a noun.
Swimming is good exercise.
The word originates from the verb swim, but the gerund swimming functions as the subject of this sentence.
Another example:
I enjoy reading.
Participles
Participles are verb forms that can participate in verb constructions or function adjectivally.
Present participle:
The children are playing.
Past participle:
They have played before.
Adjectival use:
The broken window needs repair.
Understanding these forms explains why simply looking for certain endings is not enough to identify a word’s function.
How to Identify a Verb in a Sentence
When you’re unsure which word is the verb, use a simple process.
- Find the subject. Ask who or what the sentence is about.
- Ask what the subject does, experiences, or is.
- Look for helping verbs. Words such as is, have, do, can, and will may form part of a larger verb phrase.
- Check for linking verbs. The sentence may describe the subject instead of showing an obvious action.
- Test the word in another tense. Words that can change from walk to walked, for example, clearly show verbal behavior.
Consider:
The old dog has been sleeping beside the fireplace.
Subject: dog
Verb phrase: has been sleeping
Main verb: sleeping
Helping verbs: has and been
Now try:
The old dog seems tired.
There is no obvious physical action, but seems is still a verb. It functions as a linking verb connecting dog with tired.
A practical identification test
Ask:
What is happening, or what is being said about the subject?
In:
The cake tastes wonderful.
The sentence tells us something about the cake through tastes.
In:
Jack tasted the cake.
The same basic word now describes Jack’s action.
This illustrates an essential grammar principle: identify words by what they are doing in the sentence, not simply by memorizing lists.
Verb vs. Noun: What’s the Difference?
A noun typically names a person, place, thing, or concept. A verb expresses an action, event, experience, or state.
Compare:
I went for a walk.
Here, walk is a noun.
I walk every evening.
Here, walk is a verb.
Another example:
That was a difficult answer.
Answer is a noun.
Please answer the question.
Now it is a verb.
English frequently allows the same spelling to belong to different word classes. Sentence function tells you which role the word is performing.
Verb vs. Adjective
Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns, while verbs express actions or states and form the grammatical center of a clause.
Consider:
The flowers are beautiful.
Are is the verb. Beautiful is an adjective describing flowers.
Similarly:
The water feels cold.
Feels is a linking verb. Cold is an adjective functioning as a complement.
A useful clue is that adjectives often appear after linking verbs such as be, seem, become, feel, and look.
Common Verb Mistakes
Knowing what is a verb is only the beginning. Correct usage also requires recognizing tense, agreement, and verb forms.
Using the wrong past form
Incorrect:
She goed home.
Correct:
She went home.
Go is irregular, so its past form is went.
Mixing past tense and past participles
Incorrect:
He has wrote the report.
Correct:
He has written the report.
Wrote is the simple past form; written is the past participle.
Incorrect subject-verb agreement
Incorrect:
She walk to school.
Correct:
She walks to school.
Forgetting the verb
Incorrect:
My brother very tired.
Correct:
My brother is very tired.
The linking verb is is necessary in standard English here.
Assuming every verb expresses an obvious action
In:
She knows the answer.
Knows is a verb even though no physical movement occurs.
In:
He is a teacher.
Is is also a verb.
This is one of the most useful corrections for anyone learning basic grammar.
20 Common Verb Examples
Here are everyday verbs used in context:
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| be | They are ready. |
| have | We have enough food. |
| do | I do my homework. |
| go | They go to school. |
| come | Please come inside. |
| make | She makes bread. |
| take | He takes the bus. |
| see | I see the problem. |
| know | We know the answer. |
| think | I think carefully. |
| say | She said hello. |
| write | He writes stories. |
| read | We read every night. |
| eat | They eat together. |
| run | The children run outside. |
| sleep | The baby sleeps peacefully. |
| become | She became confident. |
| seem | You seem happy. |
| feel | I feel better. |
| understand | They understand the lesson. |
Notice how diverse these words are. Some show physical movement, some express mental processes, and others describe states or relationships.
A Simple Way to Remember What Is a Verb
The easiest starting point is:
A verb tells you what someone or something does, experiences, or is.
Then remember that verbs are broader than “action words.”
In:
The bird flies.
The verb expresses an action.
In:
I remember her.
The verb expresses a mental state or experience.
In:
The sky is blue.
The verb helps express a state.
In:
The food smells wonderful.
The linking verb connects the subject with a description.
So, what is a verb? It is the part of a sentence that expresses an action, event, experience, or state and forms the core of a clause. Once you can recognize main verbs, helping verbs, linking verbs, verb phrases, and common verb forms, understanding English sentence structure becomes much easier.