Parts of Speech:
Complete ELL Guide on Verbs: Action, Stative, Irregular & Modals
What is a verb?
In English sentences subjects and predicates are the two most basic parts of a complete sentence. Nouns and pronouns in a subject tell “who” or “what” a sentence is about. Verbs tell what is happening, what has happened, and what will happen. Verbs can express an action or a state of being.
What is an action verb?
An action verb (sometimes called a dynamic verb) is verb that expresses a physical or mental action. Action verbs tell us what the subject of the sentences is doing, either physically or mentally.
Action Verbs
walk / run / ride / fight / laugh / read / play / listen / cry / think / sing / dance / win / write / open / close / sleep / cut / fly / jump / eat / drink / cook / wash / talk / push / pull / climb / taste / see
Example Sentences
- I walk to school every day.
- Harriet plays the guitar.
- We talked about the weather.
- They climbed Mount Everest.
- Albert tasted the ice cream.
What is a stative verb?
A stative verb describes a happening, a condition, occurrence or state of being. Stative verbs show the state of their subjects. Some verbs can be used as action or stative verbs.
Stative Verbs
have / hear / love / know / seem / own / smell / like / believe / depend / possess / see / hate / think / cost / involve / look / prefer / forget / weigh / include / feel / need / remember / matter / contain / taste / want / wait / understand / be
Example Sentences
- I am excited about today. [state of being]
- Savannah became angry. [occurrence]
- The ice cream tastes great. [condition]
- I understand the problem. [state of being]
- The vegetables look rotten. [condition]
What is a regular verb?
A regular verb is a verb that follows the typical or “regular” rules for forming its simple past tense and past participle forms. Here are the spelling rules for regular verbs:
1. For most regular verbs ending in a consonant, simply add ed to the base form.
Regular Verb
- learn
- need
- play
- walk
- talk
Past Tense
- learned
- needed
- played
- walked
- talked
Past Participle
- learned
- needed
- played
- walked
- talked
2. For regular verbs ending in a silent e, remove the e and add ed.
Regular Verb
- close
- date
- place
- smile
- dance
Past Tense
- closed
- dated
- placed
- smiled
- danced
Past Participle
- closed
- dated
- placed
- smiled
- danced
Regular Verb
- cry
- fry
- reply
- worry
- try
Past Tense
- cried
- fried
- replied
- worried
- tried
Past Participle
- cried
- fried
- replied
- worried
- tried
Regular Verb
- stir
- chop
- plan
- stop
Past Tense
- stirred
- chopped
- planned
- stopped
Past Participle
- stirred
- chopped
- planned
- stopped
What is an irregular verb?
An irregular verb is a verb that does not follow the typical or “regular” rules or patterns for forming its simple past tense and past participle forms. These simple past tense and past participle verb forms must me learned individually. For the complete irregular verb list click HERE.
Irregular Verb
- be
- come
- give
- choose
- hit
- see
- take
- write
Past Tense
- was/were
- came
- gave
- chose
- hit
- saw
- took
- wrote
Past Participle
- been
- come
- given
- chosen
- hit
- seen
- taken
- written
What is a modal verb?
A modal verb, sometime called an auxiliary or helping verb, is a verb that helps the main verb in a sentence. Modal verbs help to express different ideas (or modalities), including things like: ability, advice, expectation, obligation, permission, and possibility. In statements modals appear before the base form of the verb.
Note the difference in meaning in the statements below, with and without modals.
Statement – No Modal
- Sid rides his bike in the park.
- Natalie grows vegetables.
Statement w/ Modal Should (Recommendation)
- Sid should ride his bike in the park.
- Natalie should grow vegetables.
Statement – No Modal
- Wash your hands before dinner.
- We are leaving now.
Statement w/ Modal Must (Necessity)
- You must wash your hands before dinner.
- We must leave now.
Statement – No Modal
- Dogs are difficult to train.
- Donna buys the tickets.
Statement w/ Modal Can (Possibility)
- Dogs can be difficult to train.
- Donna can buy the tickets.
For more information on modals visit Language Use.
