As many people, learn at school, a verb is a doing word. It's used with a subject to form, the basis of a sentence. However, doing doesn't really cover everything; as well as action, verbs can refer to states.
Some action verbs- go, match, play, eat, wall, etc.
Some state verbs- be seem, appear, small, feel, etc.
All verbs are either transitive or intransitive
In order to explain these two terms, we need to remind ourselves about the subject and object of a sentence. In the sentence Ann kissed David, Ann is the subject of the sentence, the one doing the kissing, and David is the object of the sentence, the one who receives the kiss.
Let's take them one at a time:
Transitive verbs
A transitive verb is a verb that is followed directly by an object in the sentence David plays football, David is the subject, and football is the object. As the verb play has an object, it is transitive. The sentence Ann loves David contain another example of a transitive verb as the verb is followed by an object. Invite is another example of a transitive verb. You can't just invite; - you always need to invite someone.
Example of transitive verbs:
a) eat cook read study finish understand
b) cut repeat squash contradict unearth make
Try making simple sentences with these verbs, using subject and objects,
e.g. She is cooking the dinner; He squashed the tomato;
Now try doing the same thing, without the object.
You should find that this is not possible with the verbs in group (b). Some transitive verbs such as those in group (a) do not HAVE to be followed by an object is they simple describe what someone is doing, and not doing is to anyone or anything in particular, e.g. She cook, Jack is studying, etc.
when transitive verbs are used in this, may they are used as if they were intransitive verbs which we will look at next.
Transitive verbs
An intransitive verb is a verb that cannot be followed directly by an object. It does not do anything to anyone or anything. It simply does an action; it stands alone. Verbs of movement like go, arrive, and skate are examples of intransitive verbs.
Further examples of intransitive verbs go, fall, arrive, depart, come, sleep, speak, promise, lings cry (shed tears)
These verbs or action are often related to time, place, frequency etc.
Try making simple sentences with these verbs, using subjects only e.g. He went to school; he slept late this morning.
The subject is not doing anything to anyone or any thing in these sentences. You can't sleep anything!
As we saw earlier, some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on how they're used:
Transitive Intransitive
England lost the game. England lost.
I can't eat this! Let's eat.
We must leave We'd like to leave.
The form here
The carpenter watched the apprentice. The apprentice watched carefully.
Infinitives
All verbs have a base form. The examples of transitive and intransitive verbs above are given in their base forms.
However, we often refer to the infinitive of a verb. This refers to the action as a whole and is formed by preceding the base form with to.
Examples- to go, to cry, to unearth, to eat
Some intransitive verbs are followed by infinitives to denote a consequences of an action.
Examples- He hope to come back
(answering the question What does he hope?)
he promised to behave well.
(answering the question What did he promise?)
verb forms
English verb have four principal forms, which will be explained in more detail in later units:
* base form
* past simple
* past participle
* present participle
The following charts should help:
Regular Verbs: The past simple and past participle end in - ed.
Base form Past simple Past participle Present participle
Hope Hoped Hoped Hoping
Stop Stopped stopped Stopping
Study Studied Studied Studying
etc etc etc etc
Some verbs have irregular forms.
Unfortunately many of the most common verbs are irregular, and have no rules as to their formation.
Here are just a few examples:
Irregular Verbs: The past simple and past participle do not and in - ed
Base Form Past Simple Past Participle Present Participle
be (am/is/are) was/were been being
beat beat beaten beating
become became became becoming
Base Form Past Simple Past Participle Present Participle
begin began began beginning
blow blew blown blowing
break broke broken breaking
bring brought brought bringing
buy bought bought buying
catch caught caught catching
come came came coming
cost cost cost costing
cut cut cut cutting
do did done doing
draw drew drawn drawing
drink drank drunk drinking
drive drove driven driving
eat ate eaten eating
fall fell fallen falling
feel felt felt feeling
find found found finding
fly flew flown flying
forget forgot forgotten forgetting
get got got getting
give gave given giving
go went gone going
grow grew grown growing
hang hung hung hanging
have had had having
hear heard heard hearing
hide hid hidden hiding
Base Form Past Simple Past Participle Present Participle
hit hit hit hitting
hurt hurt hurt hurting
keep kept kept keeping
known knew known knowing
leave left left leaving
let let let letting
lie lay lain lying
light lit lit lighting
lose lost lost losing
make made made making
meet met met meeting
pay paid paid paying
put put put putting
read read read reading
ride rode rung riding
run ran run running
say said said saying
see saw seen seeing
sell sold sold selling
send sent sent sending
show showed shown showing
shut shut shut shutting
sing sang sung singing
sit sat sat sitting
sleep slept slept sleeping
speak spoke spoken speaking
spend spent spent spending
stand stood stood standing
swim swam swum swimming
take took taken taking
teach taught taught teaching
tell told told telling
think thought thought thinking
throw threw thrown throwing
wake woke woken waking
wear wore wore wearing
win won won winning
write wrote written writing
Imagine the difficulties that the students must have, remembering these!
Auxiliary verbs help form a tense or an expression by combining with present or past participles or infinitives of others verbs. An auxiliary verb is not the verb that carries the main meaning it simply helps form a structure.
These are only three auxiliary verbs:
do, have and be.
For example:
* John is having a shower at the moment
* I have been to Italy twice
* Do you smoke?
Auxiliary forms:
Base form Present Past Simple Past Participle
be am, is are, was, were been
do do, does did done
have have, has had had
Auxiliary verbs are often used to help form tenses; we will look into their specific usages in later units.
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