Types of Verbs, Their Uses, and Examples

 Types of Verbs, Their Uses, and Examples

1. Action Verbs

Definition: Show physical or mental action.

Use: Tell what the subject is doing.

Examples:

·         He writes a letter.

·         They play football.

·         She thinks deeply.

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2. Linking Verbs

Definition: Connect the subject to a subject complement (a word that describes or renames it).

Common Linking Verbs: be, become, seem, appear, look, feel, remain

Use: Show a state of being.

Examples:

·         She is a teacher.

·         The food smells delicious.

·         They seem happy.

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3. Helping (Auxiliary) Verbs

Definition: Help the main verb to show tense, mood, voice, etc.

Common Helping Verbs: is, am, are, was, were, has, have, had, will, shall, can, may, etc.

Use: Form questions, negatives, and compound tenses.

Examples:

·         She is reading a book.

·         They have gone home.

·         He will come tomorrow.

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4. Transitive Verbs

Definition: Action verbs that take a direct object (something that receives the action).

Use: Need an object to complete the meaning.

Examples:

·         He kicked the ball.

·         She wrote a letter.

·         They built a house.

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5. Intransitive Verbs

Definition: Action verbs that do not take a direct object.

Use: Stand alone; the action doesn’t transfer to an object.

Examples:

·         She sleeps peacefully.

·         He arrived late.

·         They laughed loudly.

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6. Regular Verbs

Definition: Verbs that form their past tense by adding -ed or -d.

Examples:

·         Walk → walked

·         Play → played

·         Clean → cleaned

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7. Irregular Verbs

Definition: Verbs that form their past tense in different ways (not just by adding -ed).

Examples:

·         Go → went

·         Eat → ate

·         Take → took

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8. Modal Verbs

Definition: Helping verbs that express possibility, ability, permission, or necessity.

Common Modals: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to

Examples:

·         She can sing.

·         You must obey.

·         We should help others.

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Summary Chart

Verb Type	Function	Example
Action Verb	Shows action	She writes a poem.
Linking Verb	Links subject to complement	He is tired.
Helping Verb	Helps main verb	They are playing chess.
Transitive Verb	Needs a direct object	I read a book.
Intransitive Verb	Doesn’t need an object	He runs fast.
Regular Verb	Forms past with -ed	Call → called
Irregular Verb	Has special past form	Go → went
Modal Verb	Shows mood/necessity/possibility	We might leave soon.