Lecture 03: Verbs

I. Objectives 

At the end of this lecture, you should be able to:

 Define and provide examples of verbs

 Identify various verbs (e.g., transitive, intransitive, action verbs, linking verbs)

II. Content
1) Definition
2) Types of verbs
1. Definition

The word ‘verb’ comes from the Latin verbum meaning ‘word’. Verbs are doing, being or
having words.
If a noun was the first word you ever spoke (Mama or cookie), a verb probably followed just
as soon as you learned that "Give cookie" got you better results than "Cookie." In a sentence,
the verb expresses what the subject does (She hopes for the job) or what the subject is (She
is confident). 
2. Types of verbs

All verbs are one of three types:

 Action verbs
 Linking verbs
 Helping verbs

Graph 1.
Types of Verbs
 A) Action verbs

In a sentence, an action verb tells what the subject does. Action verbs express physical or
mental actions: think, eat, collide, realize, and dance. Admittedly, some of these seem more
active than others. Nevertheless, realize is still as much a verb as collide:
I finally realized my mistake.
The outfielder collided with the second-baseman.
She dances every Friday night.
Note: Most action verbs are defined as transitive or intransitive.
a) Transitive Verbs

• Transitive verbs always receive a direct object:

Joe will send the price quote as soon as he can.

b) Intransitive Verbs

• Intransitive verbs do not need a direct object to complete their meaning. Many are
followed by an adjective, adverb, preposition or verb complement (gerund or
infinitive).

The bomb exploded.

B) Linking Verbs

Linking verbs are the couch potatoes of verbs, that is, not very active at all. In a sentence, a
linking verb tells what the subject is rather than what it does; linking verbs express a state of
being. For example, all the forms of the verb to be are linking verbs:
1st person (I; we) 2nd person (you) 3rd person (she, he,
it; they)
Present Am, are Are Is , are
past Was , were Were Was , were
Participle Have been Have been Has been ; had been
Had been Had been
These verbs connect a subject, say, Loren, with more information about that subject: Loren is
an athlete, or Loren was glad.
Another set of linking verbs are those pertaining to our five senses--seeing, tasting, touching,
hearing, and smelling and how we perceive the world: the
verbs appear, seem, look, feel, smell, taste, and sound, for example. When used as linking
verbs, they connect the subject with a word offering more information about that subject:
Loren seems anxious about the test.
The well water tastes wonderful.
My carpet still feels damp.
You sound hoarse.
The curtains smell a little smoky.
As linking verbs, these "sense" verbs have about the same meaning as
is. Loren seems  anxious is roughly equivalent to Loren is anxious; the
curtains smell smoky is about the same as the curtains are  smoky. However, these same
"sense" verbs can sometimes be action verbs instead. The real test of whether one of these
verbs is or is not a linking verb is whether it draws an equivalence with the subject, almost
like a math equation: Loren = anxious; curtains = smoky.

Consider the sentence I can't taste my lunch because I have a cold. Taste here does not draw
an equivalence between I and lunch; rather, here it is an action verb, something the subject
does. In the sentence Can you smell smoke? the smell does not describe what the subject is,
but what the subject does; it is an action verb.
Other common linking verbs include become, remain, and grow when they link the subject to
more information (either a noun or an adjective) about that subject:
You will soon become tired of the monotony.
James has become a very responsible teenager.
I remain hopeful.
Daniel grew more and more confident.
Again, these verbs might be action verbs in other sentences, such as in I grew carrots.
C) Helping Verbs

Verbs often appear with helping verbs that fine-tune their meaning, usually expressing when
something occurred. The complete verb is the main verb plus all its helping verbs.
Verb tense is the name for the characteristic verbs have of expressing time. Simple present
tense verbs express present or habitual action, and simple past tense verbs express actions that
were completed in the past; neither the simple present nor simple past tense verbs require
helping verbs. However, most other verb tenses require one or more helping verbs. Moreover,
some helping verbs express more than just time-possibility, obligation, or permission, for
example.
...have, has, had
Every verb has three basic forms: present or simple form, past form, and participle form. All
participle forms require a helping verb that fine-tunes the time expression:
Comets have collided with earth many times.
Stan had known about the plan for some time.
The table below demonstrates these three forms with their required helping verbs:
present or simple form past form participle form participle + helper
collide collided collided has, have, had collided
is was been has, have, had been
choose chose chosen has, have, had been
know knew known has, have, had been
Participles used as verbs in a sentence must be used with has, have, or had. Participles used
without helpers become adjectives: The early explorers sailed beyond the known world.
...to be: am, are, is, was, were, been
Verbs with -ing endings require a helper from the to be family of verbs. These progressive
verb tenses express ongoing present action, continuous past action or future planned action:
They are still working on the contract.
Phanat was studying all night.
 Holly had been reviewing her notes since the day before.
We are holding student elections next September.

Verbs with -ing endings must be used with one of the to be helpers; an -ing word without a

helper is ineligible to act as the verb of a sentence. It can, however, be a noun (Hiking is fun)
or an adjective (The hiking trail is closed).
...do, does, did

The helping verbs do, does, and did maybe used optionally to add emphasis: She

certainly does like her morning mocha.
While adding emphasis is optional, these helpers must be used when forming
questions: Does Andrea ski every weekend? They must also accompany the verb in sentences
that combine not with an action verb: Don't you  want  to take the train? Do not wait for me
past 4:30.
When do and does are used, they change form to match the subject while the main verb
remains in simple form: instead of She likes coffee, we would say, She sure does like her
coffee. Similarly, for questions, we change the form of the helper and leave the main verb in
simple form: Does Andrea ski? The negative is Andrea does not ski, even though the
statement would have been Andrea skis. (In the past tense, with did, the verb never changes
form.)
...will and shall
Future tense verbs require a helper, will or shall, and express intention, expectation, or action
that will happen later.
We shall drive to Santa Barbara in August.
Krista will not attend.
We will be holding student elections in September.
...would, could, should, can, may, might...
The verb helpers: would, could, should, can, may, might, must, supposed to, ought to, used to,
and have to are examples of modal helpers. (Will and shall are technically modals as well.)
Modal helpers are a little different from real verbs because they never change form. They are
easy to use because they always are used with the simple form of the verb:
I may want to change my flight.
You can cash your check at the grocery store.
Paul must notify his employer soon.
Instead of expressing time, modals help verbs express a variety of other things:
Expresses For example...
I never used to eat breakfast;
past habit
I  would  never eat breakfast.
He would like us to clean
requests
up; could you clean up? Can you do it?
Yes, you can go. You may change the channel.
permission
He could leave early.
necessity, You  must see that movie! We ought to go  soon;
advisability we will have to call  later.
possibility I might pay with cash; we may write a check.
 That could be true.

Task 01: Decide whether the following verbs are transitive, intransitive or both:
1. The workmen have been painting for hours.
2. When they call from the charity, Mrs Alpert always gives generously.
3. Before you send the proposal, make sure you edit it carefully.
4. She was crying all day long.
5. We showed her the photo album.
6. The doctor advised me to exercise regularly.
7. It was raining at that time.
8. She laughed at the joke.
9. She gave a cookie to the child.
10. They slept in the street.

Task 02: choose the correct answer :

1. What (do you look, are you looking) at? - I am looking at this funny black dog.
2. I (still have, am having) a bag full of these tin soldiers. I collected them when I
was a kid.
3. This girl standing next to your brother (looks, is looking) very pretty.
4. I don't know her but she (seems, is seeming) like such a nice girl.
5. I (am seeing , see) my doctor today at twelve o'clock. I have regular checkups.

Task 03: There are mistakes in the simple/progressive aspect of some of the verbs in
bold. Correct them to get a grammatically correct conversation.
• A: “I didn’t like astronomy, but now I love it. Do you know why?

• B: “No, actually, I don’t.

• A: “Well, it is because now I am understanding that astronomy is important”.

• B: “Sorry, I don’t understand what you are meaning”.

• A: “Well, I mean that astronomy can help us understand the mysteries of the
universe”.

• : “Oh! I am seeing that you have a telescope in your attic. I suppose that you bought it
yourself”.
• : “Actually, I didn’t buy it. You are knowing, it is used to belong to my grandfather,
but now it is belonging to me. I am still remembering the day he gave it to me”…