Types of Verbs, Definition and Examples

In this article, you will learn types of verbs, verb forms, uses, and functions. Also, check out the examples given for every type of verb.

A verb is a word that describes an action, occurrence, or state of being. Verbs are often called the “doing” words of a sentence because they express actions or states of being.

For example, in the sentence “She walks to the store,” the verb “walks” describes the action that she is performing. In the sentence “He is happy,” the verb “is” describes the state of being that he is currently in.

Verbs can also be used to show tense, mood, and voice. Tense refers to when an action takes place (past, present, or future), mood refers to the attitude or intention of the speaker (indicative, imperative, subjunctive), and voice refers to the relationship between the subject and the action (active or passive).

Verbs are an essential part of a sentence, and they are often the main component of a sentence’s predicate.

There are several types of verbs in English, including:

Table of Contents

Types of Verbs and Their Examples

Action Verb

An action verb is a verb that describes a physical or mental action performed by the subject of the sentence. It is a type of verb that indicates that the subject is doing something or taking some action. Examples of action verbs include “run,” “walk,” “jump,” “eat,” “think,” “laugh,” “write,” and “play.”

Action verbs can be used in different tenses, such as present, past, or future, to indicate the timing of the action. For example, “I run every day,” “I ran yesterday,” and “I will run tomorrow” are all sentences that use the action verb “run” in different tenses to describe when the action takes place.

Action verbs can also be transitive or intransitive. Transitive action verbs are followed by a direct object, which receives the action of the verb. For example, in the sentence “I ate an apple,” the action verb “ate” is transitive, and “an apple” is the direct object. Intransitive action verbs do not require a direct object. For example, in the sentence “He laughed,” the action verb “laughed” is intransitive and does not have a direct object.

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs are verbs that connect the subject of a sentence to a predicate or a subject complement. They do not show action, but instead express a state of being, condition, or identity. Examples of linking verbs include “be,” “appear,” “seem,” “become,” “feel,” “look,” “sound,” and “taste.”

For example:

She looks happy. (“looks” is the linking verb that connects “she” to the predicate adjective “happy”)

The cake smells delicious. (“Smells” is the linking verb that connects “the cake” to the predicate adjective “delicious”)

He became a doctor. (“Became” is the linking verb that connects “he” to the subject complement “a doctor”)

Here is a list of 50 common linking verbs:

am
is
are
was
were
be
being
been
become
seem
appear
look
feel
taste
smell
sound
remain
grow
turn
stay
prove
get
go
come
run
keep
appear
sound
feel
become
look
stay
smell
taste
prove
get
go
remain
grow
turn
stand
lie
sit
keep
run
keep
prove
feel
sound
appear

These verbs function as linking verbs when they connect the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, describing or identifying the subject.

Helping Verbs

Helping verbs, also known as auxiliary verbs, are verbs that are used together with a main verb to indicate tense, voice, mood, or aspect. The most common helping verbs in English include “be,” “do,” and “have.” Other helping verbs include “will,” “would,” “shall,” “should,” “can,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “must,” and “ought to.”

Here are some examples of helping verbs in action:

She is singing a song. (The helping verb “is” indicates the present continuous tense.)

They have finished their homework. (The helping verb “have” indicates the present perfect tense.)

He will be going to the party tonight. (The helping verb “will” indicates the future tense.)

I should have studied more for the exam. (The helping verbs “should” and “have” indicate the past tense and the modal mood, respectively.)

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary verbs that express modality, which refers to the speaker’s attitude towards the action or state expressed by the main verb. They are used to indicate ability, possibility, necessity, permission, advice, and other modalities.

Here are some examples of modal verbs:

Can: expresses ability or possibility, e.g., “I can swim” or “It can rain today.”

Could: expresses past ability or possibility, e.g., “I could swim when I was younger” or “It could have been worse.”

May: expresses possibility or permission, e.g., “It may rain tomorrow” or “May I borrow your pencil?”

Might: expresses possibility or uncertainty, e.g., “He might come to the party” or “I might take a nap later.”

Must: expresses necessity or obligation, e.g., “I must finish my homework” or “You must follow the rules.”

Should: expresses advice or recommendation, e.g., “You should study for the exam” or “We should go to bed early.”

Would: expresses willingness or preference, e.g., “I would like some tea” or “Would you mind helping me?”

Modal verbs are important in English because they allow speakers to convey a wide range of meanings and attitudes toward the actions or events they are describing.

Transitive verbs

Transitive verbs are verbs that require an object to complete their meaning in a sentence. In other words, they are action verbs that require a direct object to receive the action.

Here are some examples of transitive verbs:

He threw the ball. (“threw” is the transitive verb and “ball” is the direct object)

She ate the sandwich. (“ate” is the transitive verb and “sandwich” is the direct object)

They built a house. (“Built” is the transitive verb and “house” is the direct object)

I wrote a letter. (“wrote” is the transitive verb and “letter” is the direct object)

The dog chased the cat. (“Chased” is the transitive verb and “cat” is the direct object)

Transitive verbs are important because they allow us to describe actions that are being performed on specific objects. In a sentence, the direct object usually follows the transitive verb and helps to clarify the action being performed. Without a direct object, the meaning of a transitive verb is incomplete.

Here are examples of transitive verbs:

Write
Read
Eat
Drink
Cook
Clean
Paint
Draw
Sing
Dance
Play
Kick
Throw
Catch
Open
Close
Break
Fix
Build
Destroy
Use
Wear
Buy
Sell
Cut
Sew
Measure
Weigh
Lift
Carry
Push

Intransitive verbs

Intransitive verbs are verbs that do not take an object. In other words, they are action verbs that do not transfer their action to a direct object. Instead, the action is complete on its own without requiring an object.

Examples of intransitive verbs:

She laughed.
The flowers bloomed.
He ran quickly.
The baby slept peacefully.
The bird flew away.
The sunset.
The car stopped suddenly.
The children played in the park.
The music played softly.
The leaves rustled in the wind.

Note that intransitive verbs can still have adverbs or prepositional phrases that modify the action. For example, “He ran quickly” has the adverb “quickly” modifying the action of “ran”. Similarly, “The bird flew away” has the prepositional phrase “away” modifying the action of “flew”.

Here are examples of intransitive verbs:

Run
Jump
Sleep
Laugh
Cry
Sing
Dance
Swim
Fly
Walk
Talk
Listen
Think
Dream
Relax
Appear
Disappear
Arrive
Depart
Fall
Rise
Shine
Rain
Snow
Melt
Evaporate
Condense
Freeze
Boil
Cool
Heat
Expand
Contract
Burst
Explode
Erupt
Crumble
Collapse

Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are verbs that consist of a main verb and one or more particles (such as prepositions, adverbs, or both) that function as a unit and often have a meaning that is different from the individual words. They are commonly used in English and can often be idiomatic, meaning that their meaning may not be immediately apparent from the individual words.

Here are some examples of phrasal verbs:

Turn up: to appear unexpectedly

Example: I didn’t expect to see you here. How did you turn up?

Give up: to stop doing something

Example: I’m never going to give up trying to learn a new language.

Take off: to remove clothing or to leave a place quickly

Example: I need to take off this sweater. It’s too hot in here.

Run into: to meet someone unexpectedly

Example: I ran into an old friend from college at the supermarket yesterday.

Look after: to take care of someone or something

Example: Can you look after my dog while I’m out of town?

Get away with doing something wrong without being punished

Example: He always gets away with being late to work because his boss likes him.

Put off: to postpone or delay something

Example: I had to put off my vacation until next month because of work.

Call off: to cancel something

Example: The outdoor concert was called off due to the rain.

Bring up: to raise a topic for discussion

Example: I didn’t want to bring up the subject of politics at dinner, but my friend did.

Look for: to search for something

Example: I’m looking for my keys. Have you seen them anywhere?

Regular Verb

A regular verb is a verb that forms its past tense and past participle by adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb. For example, the verb “walk” is a regular verb. Its past tense and past participle are formed by adding “-ed” to the base form, resulting in “walked.” Other examples of regular verbs include “talk,” “play,” “smile,” “laugh,” “work,” and “clean.”

Irregular Verb

An irregular verb is a verb that does not follow the regular pattern of adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb to form its past tense and past participle. Instead, the past tense and past participle of an irregular verb is formed through a variety of ways, such as changing the vowel sound, adding a different ending, or having the same form as the base verb. Examples of irregular verbs include “go” (went, gone), “eat” (ate, eaten), “come” (came, come), “see” (saw, seen), “run” (ran, run), and “take” (took, taken). It’s important to memorize irregular verb forms since they don’t follow the standard “-ed” rule.

Stative Verb

A stative verb is a verb that describes a state or condition rather than an action. Stative verbs usually refer to mental or emotional states, physical sensations, or characteristics or qualities of a person or thing that are not typically used in continuous or progressive tenses. Examples of stative verbs include “love,” “hate,” “believe,” “know,” “own,” “seem,” “appear,” “weigh,” “contain,” “resemble,” and “feel.” It’s important to note that stative verbs are not usually used in the continuous or progressive tenses, and are often used with non-action verbs such as “be” or “have.”

State Verbs — state verbs, types of verbs

Finite Verb

A finite verb is a verb that has a specific tense, mood, and subject-verb agreement to show when an action takes place and who or what is performing the action. In other words, a finite verb is a verb that is conjugated to agree with its subject in terms of person, number, and tense.

For example, in the sentence “She walks to school,” the verb “walks” is a finite verb because it is in the present tense, agrees with the subject “she,” and shows when the action takes place.

On the other hand, non-finite verbs are not conjugated to show tense or agreement with the subject, and they do not function as the main verb in a sentence. Examples of non-finite verbs include infinitives (to walk), gerunds (walking), and participles (walked).

Infinite Verb

An infinite verb is a non-finite verb form that is not bound by tense, mood, or agreement with a subject. In other words, an infinite verb is a verb that is not conjugated and does not show when an action takes place or who or what is performing the action.

There are three types of infinite verbs in English:

Infinitive: This is the base form of a verb that is typically preceded by the word “to.” For example, “to walk,” “to talk,” and “to eat” are infinitives. Infinitives are often used as the subject or object of a sentence, or after certain verbs such as “want,” “need,” or “like.”

Gerund: This is a verb form that ends in “-ing” and functions as a noun. For example, “walking,” “talking,” and “eating” are gerunds. Gerunds can be used as the subject or object of a sentence, or as the object of a preposition.

Participle: This is a verb form that can function as an adjective or part of a verb tense. There are two types of participles: present participles (ending in “-ing”) and past participles (ending in “-ed”). For example, “walking” is a present participle and “walked” is a past participle. Participles are often used to form verb tenses, such as the present continuous tense (“She is walking”) or the past perfect tense (“He had walked”

Common Verb List

Walk	Illustrate	Acquire
Doubt	Advise	Criticize
Start	Steal	Invest
Restore	Paint	Assure
Sleep	Stop	Deduct
Retain	Belong	Prefer
Integrate	Retain	Postpone
Communicate	Integrate	Achieve
Pursue	Communicate	Climb
Chop	Drill	Drink
Hurry	Must	Behave
Cling	Decide	Feel
Mind	Might	Recall
Hate	Push	Whip
Comprehend	Enhance	Attribute
Lay	Derive	Reflect
Allocate	Occupy	Open
Survey	Point	Risk
Prepare	Perceive	Wake
Arise	Appreciate	Claim
Apply	Indicate	Come
Plan	Involve	Eat
Arrive	Consult	Imply
Seem	Spend	Struggle
Enjoy	Stack	Contradict
Locate	Slice	Regret
Compensate	Owe	Bring
Sting	Reverse	Stir
Demand	Spill	Delay
Should	Sink	Intervene
Fit	Win	Drive
Fry	Consume	Include
Learn	Retire	Breed
Shed	Contain	Explore
Determine	Expand	Generate
Fall	Spit	Forget
Modify	Replace	Legislate
Propose	Warn	Slide
Dare	React	Rely
Wash	Astonish	Blow
Inhibit	Submit	Emphasize
Avoid	Like	Specify
Wait	Argue	Realize
Bow	Analyze	Pull
Hear	Assume	Adjust
Leap	Shine	Function
Restrict	Translate	Begin
Announce	Receive	Volunteer
Compound	Feed	Participate
Slip	Mention	Wish
Investigate	Set	Grow
Expect	Squat	Scrub
Pay	Depend	Interact
Observe	Monitor	Refer
Reinforce	Identify	Tiptoe
Matter	Beg	Alternate
Evaluate	Spell	Recommend
Require	Hug	Prioritize
Measure	Order	Relieve
Desire	Remember	Justify
Pinch	Give	Facilitate
Compete	Dance	Conduct
Promote	Affect	Bet
Calculate	Concern	Channel
Ring	Hit	Stink
Link	Comprise	Mean
Add	Attract	Care
Create	Relax	Exist
Imagine	Get	Refuse
Miss	Light	Inform
Manage	Write	Buy
Lie (not to tell the truth)	Prevent	Drink
Deliver	Get	Fail
Process	Throw	Sit
Bend	Break	Validate
Transfer	Experiment	Kiss
Overtake	Spread	Prove
Ride	Practice	Insist
Aid	Recollect	Possess
Follow	Bind	Incorporate
Consider	Install	Ask
Would	Discover	Guide
Wave	Confine	Obtain
Demonstrate	Rid	Deviate
Consent	Attempt	Attain
Convince	Can/could	Attach
Swing	Repair	Build
Impose	Read	Ski
State	Vary	Supply
Promise	Maintain	Tell
Proceed	Improve	Deal

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