VERBS

What is a Verb?

A verb can be considered as one of the most important parts of a sentence. You probably already know that a sentence must be composed of a subject and a predicate, so what makes a verb so important? Well, the verb is the main component of a predicate. Without it, there won’t be a sentence, just a bunch of words with an incomplete thought. Simply defined, the verb is a part of speech which is used to demonstrate an action or a state of being.

What are the Different Kinds of Verbs?

The Main verb or the action verb. Your primary school teachers must have defined verb as an “action word.” That is right, however, verbs are more than just words that express an action done physically like:

run, jump, dance, write, kick, etc.

In reality, verbs may also refer to an action done mentally such as:

think, ponder, guess, imagine, wonder, etc.

Helping verbs / Auxilliary verbs have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the grammatical structure of a sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We usually use helping verbs with main verbs. They "help" the main verb (which has the real meaning). 

                                                       
                                                         

There are just three common auxiliary verbs:

• Have
• Do
• Be

In this section, we’ll take a closer look at how these common verbs work, plus you’ll see some examples.

Have

“Have” is a very important verb that can stand alone in all its tenses, including has, have, having, had, and hadn’t or had not. It is usually used to denote ownership, and it can also be used to discuss ability or describe appearance. “Have” is also a very popular substitute for the verbs “eat” and “drink.” For example: “Let’s have dinner.”

Have / has denote the verb in the present while had denotes the past tense.

When used as an auxiliary verb, have is always teamed up with another verb to create a complete verb phrase, making it easy to differentiate between uses. You can see the difference in the sentences below:

Eg,

• I have a very cute pup.
• I have my lunch at 1 O'clock always.     
• I have read this book twice.
• I have been wanting to meet you.

Do

The bold highlighted words in the images are examples of verbs.

THE MONKEY CLIMBED UP THE TREE.

HE CUT THE TREE USING A SAW.

THE APPLE DROPPED FROM THE TREE.

DID YOU KNOCK AT THE DOOR?

“Do” can be used as an action verb that stands alone in all its tenses, including to do, do, does, done, did and didn’t, doesn’t or did not .

When used as an auxiliary verb, do is always paired up with another verb to create a complete verb phrase. In some cases, it is used to add emphasis: “I did call him myself! 

• He does more work than the others. ( used as an action verb)
• He doesn't remember hr name. (used as a helping verb)

      "Do" is more often used to ask questions.
Eg,
     * Do you want to come along with me ?
     * Doesn't he have classes today ?
     * Did you see the mail i sent ?

Be






“Be” or “to be” is an important verb that has a multitude of uses in English. It can be used as an action verb that stands alone in all its tenses including be, to be, been, am, are, is, was, were, wasn’t, was not aren’t, are not, weren’t and were not.

When used as an auxiliary verb, be is always paired with another verb to create a complete verb phrase. It can be singular or plural, present or past. Negative sentences are formed by adding the word “not”.

Is, am and are are the present forms of the Be verb.

Eg,

    * He is a famous musician. (Singular)
    * I am a fan of Shahrukh Khan. ( Am is only used with I) 
    * We/They are colleagues. (used with plurals we,they and you)
    * You are an amazing singer.

Was and were are the past forms.

Eg,

   * He was  late. ( use was with singulars and I)
   * You were late. ( use were with plurals like we/they)

Modal Auxiliary Verbs

In addition to the three main auxiliary verbs, have, do, and be, there are additional auxiliary verbs. These are called modal auxiliary verbs, and they never change form. A complete list of modal auxiliary verbs follows:

• Can
• Could
• May
• Might
• Must
• Ought to 
• Shall
• Should
• Will
• Would

Eg,

    Can expresses ability or capacity.

   * I can swim across the river.

   * Can you move that rock ?

   

    May expresses possibility in affirmative sentences.

   * I may go to Dubai on a visit these holidays.

   May expresses permission. In spoken English may often replaces can.

  * May I leave ? Can I leave ? ( both convey the same message but the former conveys respect )

  In formal English, may is used to express a wish as in,

 * May you live a happy married life !

 * May God bless you !

Could and might are used in the past tense for can and may.

Eg,

   * I could walk long distances and not feel tired when i was in my twenties. 

   * I went to her house yesterday hoping she might be at home. 

Note :

In the present-time contexts could and might are used as less positive versions of can and may; as,

  * I could have come.

  * It might rain tomorrow.

Must expresses ;

1. Necessity or obligation; as,

    * We must obey the rules.

2. Fixed determination; as,

   * I must finish the assignment by evening.

Ought to expresses moral obligation as in,

   * We ought to help them out.

It also expresses strong probability as in,

   * She ought to win the contest.

Shall is used to ask for opinion; as in,

  * Shall I take this book ?

Shall is also used to express a command, a promise or threat, as in,

  * He shall not enter this house again.

  * You shall be punished for this.

Will expresses probability or assumption, as in,

 * Will you have coffee ?

 * That will not be possible.

Should and would are the past forms of shall and will.

Should expresses duty or obligation, as in, 

 * You should see a doctor.

 * She said she would help me. 

Would is also a more polite word than will , as in,

 * Would you please get me a chair from the other room ?

I guess this surmises basic verbs. I am hoping that this post on verbs might be a great help to you. Would you like to add to this by contributing to it ? If you do have any queries I will be most glad to help you.

I shall have to sign off !

Have a nice day !!!