The Verb And Forms
THE VERB
- Sub Topics
- What are verbs?
- Forms of Verbs
- Regular verbs
- Irregular verbs
- Auxiliary verbs
- The Passive And
- Active Voices
- Linking Verbs
- Modal verbs
Forms of verbs
The Verb and Forms
Helpful books
The Verb And Forms
Verbs are an essential component of the English language. They are words used to describe an action, occurrence or state of being. Verbs are the backbone of sentences, allowing us to convey meaning and express ourselves clearly. In this article, we will explore the different types of verbs and verb tenses in the English language.
There are three main types of verbs in the English language: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs. Action Verbs Action verbs are used to describe an action or movement, such as running, jumping, or singing. They can be used in different tenses to indicate when the action took place, is taking place or will take place. Examples of action verbs include: eat, write, read, swim, talk, and dance.
Linking verbs are used to connect the subject of a sentence with a noun, pronoun or adjective that describes it. They do not describe an action or movement. Examples of linking verbs include: am, is, are, was, were, appear, become, seem, and feel.
Helping verbs, also known as auxiliary verbs, are used to help the main verb in a sentence. They can be used to indicate time, tense, or to form questions or negatives. Examples of helping verbs include: will, shall, can, could, may, might, should, and would.
Verb tenses are used to indicate the time in which an action occurred. There are three main verb tenses in the English language: past, present, and future. Past Tense The past tense is used to describe an action that has already happened. It is formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb. For example, the past tense of the verb “walk” is “walked”. However, irregular verbs do not follow this pattern, and their past tense forms are unique. Examples of irregular verbs include: go (went), eat (ate), and swim (swam).
The present tense is used to describe an action that is happening now or is generally true. It is formed by using the base form of the verb. For example, the present tense of the verb “read” is “read”. However, some verbs have irregular present tense forms, such as “be” (am, is, are).
The future tense is used to describe an action that will happen in the future. It is formed by using the helping verb “will” or “shall” followed by the base form of the verb. For example, the future tense of the verb “play” is “will play” or “shall play”. In addition to the three main verb tenses, there are also four additional tenses in English: present perfect, past perfect, future perfect, and present continuous.
The present perfect tense is used to describe an action that began in the past and continues up to the present. It is formed by using the helping verb “have” or “has” followed by the past participle of the verb. For example, the present perfect tense of the verb “study” is “have studied” or “has studied”.
The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed by using the helping verb “had” followed by the past participle of the verb. For example, the past perfect tense of the verb “eat” is “had eaten”.
The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
The illustration below says more about verbs and verb Tenses.
THE PASSIVE AND ACTIVE VOICES
Voice in English is that grammatical category that makes it possible to see an action in a sentence in two ways without a change in the facts reported. In the active voice, the subject is the doer of the action while the object is the receiver of the action for example:
John took the birds to the market.
With the passive voice more emphasis is laid on what is done or the action than on who does it (subject) for example:
The birds were taken to the market by John.
In this sentence, we are really not interested in who took the birds to the market but in the fact that the birds were taken to the market.
