Verbs

Definition: Verbs are a class of words used to show the performance of an action (do, throw, run), existence (be), possession (have), or state (know, love) of a subject. To put it simply a verb shows what something or someone does.

For example:

• Paul rides a bicycle.
  * Here, the verb rides certainly denotes an action which Paul performs - the action of riding a bicycle.
• We buy some books to learn English verbs.
  * In this example, the action word is "to buy". It tells us that the subject "we", that is the person who performs the action of the verb is "buying some books".

The verb tense shows the time of the action or state. Aspect shows whether the action or state is completed or not. Voice is used to show relationships between the action and the people affected by it. Mood shows the attitude of the speaker about the verb, whether it is a declaration or an order. Verbs can be affected by person and number to show agreement with the subject.

Most statements in speech and writing have a main verb. These verbs are expressed in "tenses" which place everything in a point in time.

Verbs are conjugated (inflected) to reflect how they are used. There are two general areas in which conjugation occurs; for person and for tense.

Conjugation for tense 
Conjugation for tense is carried out on all verbs. All conjugations start with the infinitive form of the verb.
The infinitive is simply the to form of the verb For example, to begin.
The present participle form (the -ing form), is formed by adding ing to the bare infinitive. For example, to begin - beginning. 
There are two other forms that the verb can take, depending on the tense type and time, the simple past form and the past participle.

The form of the verb or its tense can tell when events take place.
For example, the verb kiss:

Present Simple kiss/kisses	Past Simple kissed	Future Simple will kiss
Present Perfect has/have kissed	Past Perfect had kissed	Future Perfect will have kissed
Present Continuous(Progressive) is/am/are kissing	Past Continuous (Progressive) was kissing	Future Continuous (Progressive) will be kissing
Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive) has/have been kissing	Past Perfect Continuous (Progressive) had been kissing	Future Perfect Continuous (Progressive) will have been kissing

Conjugation for person 
Conjugation for person occurs when the verb changes form, depending on whether it is governed by a first, second, or third person subject. This gives three conjugations for any verb depending on who is acting as the subject of the verb. For example: we have I begin, you begin , and he begins. Note that only the third conjunction really shows a difference.

In English, we distinguish between regular and irregular verbs. Regular verbs are those ones which form their past simple and past participle just by adding "-ed" to the base of the verb. The rest are irregular.

Examples:

• Dracula bites his victims on the neck.
• In early October, Giselle will plant twenty tulip bulbs.
• She travels to work by train.
• We walked five miles to a garage.

Auxiliary Verb
Definition: Auxiliary verbs are used together with a main verb to give grammatical information and therefore add extra meaning to a sentence, which is not given by the main verb. 

Be, Do and Have are auxiliary verbs, they are irregular verbs and can be used as main verbs. 

Modal verbs are also auxiliary verbs, but will be treated separately, these are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and would. 


To be: Be is the most common verb in the English language. It can be used as an auxiliary and a main verb. It is used a lot in its other forms. 

Present tense form	Past tense form
am/is/are	was/were

Uses:

Am/Is/Are: 

Question	Positive Statement	Negative Statement
Singular
Am I?	I am (I'm)	I am not (I'm not)
Are you?	You are (You're)	You are not (You're not/You aren't)
Is he/she/it?	He/she/it is (He's/She's/It's)	He/she/it is not (He/she/it isn't// He/she/it's not)
Plural
Are we?	We are (We're)	We are not (We aren't/We're not)
Are you?	You are (You're)	You are not (You aren't/You're not)
Are they?	They are (They're)	They are not (They aren't/They're not)

Examples:

	Am/Are	Is
Question - ?	"Am I disturbing you?"	"Is this your coat"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes you are."	"Yes it is"
Negative Answer - No	"No you're not."	"No it isn't"

Note: The auxiliary verb 'be' can be followed either by the -ed form or by the -ing form. 


To do: The verb do is one of the most common verbs in English. It can be used as an auxiliary and a main verb. It is often used in questions. 

Uses:

Do / Does 

Question	Positive Statement (spoken)	Negative Statement (spoken)
Singular
Do I?	I do	I do not (I don't)
Do you?	You do	You do not (You don't)
Does he/she/it?	He/she/it does	He/she/it does not (He/she/it doesn't)
Plural
Do we?	We do	We do not (We don't)
Do you?	You do	You do not (You don't)
Do they?	They do	They do not (They don't)

Examples: 

	Do	Does
Question - ?	"Do you always take the bus to work?"	"Does she ever do her homework on time?"
Positive Answer - Yes	"Yes I do."	"Yes she does."
Negative Answer - No	"No I don't."	"No she doesn't."

Note: The auxiliary verb 'do' is always followed by the base form (infinitive). 


To have: Have is one of the most common verbs in the English language. Have is used in a variety of ways. 

Uses:

Have/Has

Question	Positive Statement (spoken)	Negative Statement (spoken)
Singular
Have I?	I have (I've)	I have not (I haven't/I've not)
Have you?	You have (You've)	You have not (You haven't/You've not)
Has he/she/it?	He/she/it has (He/she/it 's)	He/she/it has not (He/she/it hasn't)
Plural
Have we?	We have (We've)	We have not (We haven't/We've not)
Have you?	You have (You've)	You have not (You haven't/You've not)
Have they?	They have (They've)	They have not (They haven't/They've not)

Have is often used to indicate possession (I have) or (I have got). 

Examples:

	Have	Have got
Question - ?	"Do you have a car?" or "Have you a car?"	"Have you got a car?"
Positive Answer -Yes	"Yes I have a car."	"Yes I've got a car."
Negative Answer -No	"No I don't have a car."	"No I haven't got a car."

Have is also used to indicate necessity (I have to) or (I have got to).

	Have to	Have got to
Question - ?	"Do you have to leave early?"	"Have you got to leave early?"
Positive Answer -Yes	"Yes I have to." or "Yes I do"	"Yes I've got to."
Negative Answer -No	"No I don't have to."	"No I haven't got to."

Have is used to show an action.

Question - ?	"Have you washed your face?"
Positive Answer - Yes	" Yes I have."
Negative Answer - No	" No I haven't."

Note: When showing an action the auxiliary verb 'have' is always followed by the past participle form. 


Copula Verb

Definition: A copula (or copular) verb is a verb that connects the subject to the complement. They are sometimes called linking verbs. Linking verbs do not describe action.

Formation:
subject + linking verb + information about the subject

For example:

• That food smells nice. ('Smells' connects the subject to the adjective that describes it.)

Some verbs are always linking verbs because they never describe an action. Other verbs can be linking verbs in some sentences and action verbs in other sentences.

Verbs that are ALWAYS LINKING verbs
The following three verbs are always linking verbs:

to be (is, am, are, was, were, has been, have been, had been, is being, are being, was being, will have been, etc.)

to become (become, becomes, became, has become, have become, had become, will become, will have become, etc.)

to seem (seemed, seeming, seems, has seemed, have seemed, had seemed, is seeming, are seeming, was seeming, were seeming, will seem)

For example:

• The dog became thin after his surgery. ('Became' links the subject, the dog, with information about him (that he became thin))

Verbs that can be both ACTION and LINKING verbs
There are verbs that can be linking verbs in SOME sentences, but are action verbs in other sentences. One way to determine if the verb is functioning as an action verb or a linking verb is to substitute the word “is” for the verb in question.If the sentence still makes sense, then it is probably a linking verb. If the sentence would not make sense with the word “is,” then it is probably an action verb in the sentence.

Examples:

look smell appear

prove sound feel

remain taste grow

For expample:

• Jhon appeared uninjured after the accident.
In this example you could substitute the word 'is,' for the word 'appeared' and the sentence would still make sense: "Jane is uninjured after the accident." This lets you know that appeared is a linking verb in this sentence.
• Before I could leave, Jhon appeared.
In this sentence, appeared is not linking anything. It is telling the action that Jhon did. He appeared, or showed up.

Ditransitive Verb
Definition: A ditransitive verb is one that takes two complements, a direct object and an indirect object at the same time.

Examples

• He gave her the letter.
  * "The letter" is the direct object, what he gave, and "her" is the indirect object, the person he gave it to.

Examples

• He gave her the letter.
  * "The letter" is the direct object, what he gave, and "her" is the indirect object, the person he gave it to.
• Robin gave Linda a book.
• The teacher asked James a question.
• That horrid music gave me a headache.

 Dynamic Verb
 Definition: A dynamic verb is one that can be used in the progressive (continuous) aspect, indicating an unfinished action. Dynamic verbs have duration, that is, they occur over time. This time may or may not have a defined endpoint, and may or may not yet have occurred.

• Jhon plays soccer every Saturday.
  => Jhon is playing soccer right now.
• The snow melts every spring.
  => The snow is melting right now.
• When one boxer hits another, brain damage can result.
  => When one boxer is hitting another, brain damage can result.

Dynamic verbs, can be used in the simple and perfect forms, for example: plays, played, has played, had played, as well as the continuous or progressive forms, for example: is playing, was playing, has been playing, had been playing.

The progressive forms occur only with dynamic verbs, that is, with verbs that show qualities capable of change as opposed to stative verbs, which show qualities not capable of change.

For example:

• He is being tall. (incorrect)
  => He is tall. (correct)
• He is resembling his mother. (incorrect)
  => He resembles his mother. (correct)
• I am wanting spaghetti for dinner. (incorrect)
  => I want spaghetti. (correct)
• It is belonging to me. (incorrect)
  => It belongs to me. (correct)

Sometimes verbs can be used in progressive forms when they have certain meanings. In another meaning it is not possible to use them in progressive forms.
For example:

Verb	Simple Forms	Progressive Forms
feel (to have an opinion)	I feel I should go on holiday.	---
feel (to feel sth.)	How do you feel when you are on holiday?	How are you feeling today?
have (to possess)	I have a new computer.	---
have (to eat)	I always have a cola for lunch.	I am having dinner right now.
see (to understand)	Oh, I see.	---
see (to meet someone)	I often see Mandy at the disco.	I am seeing Peter tonight.
think (to believe)	I think you should see a doctor.	---
think (to think about)	I have to think about it.	I am thinking about my girlfriend now.

Examples:

• She's lying on the bed.c

Infinitive Verb
Definition: Infinitive is the base form of the verb. The infinitive form of a verb is the form which follows "to".

For example:

(to) go, (to) be,(to) ask, (to) fight, (to) understand, (to) walk .

Infinitives may occur with or without the infinitive marker "to". Infinitives without "to" are known as "bare infinitives".

For example:

Help me open the door.

OTHER FORMS
The infinitive can have the following forms:

1. The perfect infinitive
   to have + past participle
   
   For example: to have broken, to have seen, to have saved.
   This form is most commonly found in Type 3 conditional sentences, using the conditional perfect. 
   
   For example:
   • If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake.
   • Someone must have broken the window and climbed in.
   • I would like to have seen the Taj Mahal when I was in India.
   • He pretended to have seen the film.
   • If I'd seen the ball I would have caught it.
2. The continuous infinitive
   to be + present participle
   
   For example: to be swimming, to be joking, to be waiting
   
   Examples:
   
   • I'd really like to be swimming in a nice cool pool right now.
   • You must be joking!
   • I happened to be waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
3. The perfect continuous infinitive
   to have been + present participle
   
   Examples: to have been crying, to have been waiting, to have been painting
   
   Examples:
   
   • The woman seemed to have been crying.
   • You must have been waiting for hours!
   • He pretended to have been painting all day.
4. The passive infinitive
   to be + past participle
   
   For example: to be given, to be shut, to be opened
   
   Examples:
   
   • I am expecting to be given a pay-rise next month.
   • These doors should be shut.
   • This window ought to be opened.

NOTE: As with the present infinitive, there are situations where the "to" is omitted.

Examples

• He claimed to be an expert.
• I managed to reach the top of the hill.
• Don't pretend that you know the answer.
• She failed to explain the problem clearly.
• The customs man demanded to search our luggage.

Irregular Verb
Definition: A verb in which the past tense is not formed by adding the usual -ed ending for the Past Simple and Past Participle forms. Some irregular verbs (like put) do not change; while others change completely (like buy). Irregular verbs have no rules for conjugation. These can only be learnt in context.

List of irregular verbs:

Base Form	Simple Past Tense	Past Participle
awake	awoke	awoken
be	was, were	been
bear	bore	born
beat	beat	beat
become	became	become
begin	began	begun
bend	bent	bent
beset	beset	beset
bet	bet	bet
bid	bid/bade	bid/bidden
bind	bound	bound
bite	bit	bitten
bleed	bled	bled
blow	blew	blown
break	broke	broken
breed	bred	bred
bring	brought	brought
broadcast	broadcast	broadcast
build	built	built
burn	burned/burnt	burned/burnt
burst	burst	burst
buy	bought	bought
cast	cast	cast
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
cling	clung	clung
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
creep	crept	crept
cut	cut	cut
deal	dealt	dealt
dig	dug	dug
dive	dived/dove	dived
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
dream	dreamed/dreamt	dreamed/dreamt
drive	drove	driven
drink	drank	drunk
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feed	fed	fed
feel	felt	felt
fight	fought	fought
find	found	found
fit	fit	fit
flee	fled	fled
fling	flung	flung
fly	flew	flown
forbid	forbade	forbidden
forget	forgot	forgotten
forego (forgo)	forewent	foregone
forgive	forgave	forgiven
forsake	forsook	forsaken
freeze	froze	frozen
get	got	gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grind	ground	ground
grow	grew	grown
hang	hung	hung
hear	heard	heard
hide	hid	hidden
hit	hit	hit
hold	held	held
hurt	hurt	hurt
keep	kept	kept
kneel	knelt	knelt
knit	knit	knit
know	knew	know
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
leap	leaped/lept	leaped/lept
learn	learned/learnt	learned/learnt
leave	left	left
lend	lent	lent
let	let	let
lie	lay	lain
light	lighted/lit	lighted
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
mean	meant	meant
meet	met	met
misspell	misspelled/misspelt	misspelled/misspelt
mistake	mistook	mistaken
mow	mowed	mowed/mown
overcome	overcame	overcome
overdo	overdid	overdone
overtake	overtook	overtaken
overthrow	overthrew	overthrown
pay	paid	paid
plead	pled	pled
prove	proved	proved/proven
put	put	put
quit	quit	quit
read	read	read
rid	rid	rid
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
saw	sawed	sawed/sawn
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
seek	sought	sought
sell	sold	sold
send	sent	sent
set	set	set
sew	sewed	sewed/sewn
shake	shook	shaken
shave	shaved	shaved/shaven
shear	shore	shorn
shed	shed	shed
shine	shone	shone
shoe	shoed	shoed/shod
shoot	shot	shot
show	showed	showed/shown
shrink	shrank	shrunk
shut	shut	shut
sing	sang	sung
sink	sank	sunk
sit	sat	sat
sleep	slept	slept
slay	slew	slain
slide	slid	slid
sling	slung	slung
slit	slit	slit
smite	smote	smitten
sow	sowed	sowed/sown
speak	spoke	spoken
speed	sped	sped
spend	spent	spent
spill	spilled/spilt	spilled/spilt
spin	spun	spun
spit	spit/spat	spit
split	split	split
spread	spread	spread
spring	sprang/sprung	sprung
stand	stood	stood
steal	stole	stolen
stick	stuck	stuck
sting	stung	stung
stink	stank	stunk
stride	strod	stridden
strike	struck	struck
string	strung	strung
strive	strove	striven
swear	swore	sworn
sweep	swept	swept
swell	swelled	swelled/swollen
swim	swam	swum
swing	swung	swung
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tear	tore	torn
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
thrive	thrived/throve	thrived
throw	threw	thrown
thrust	thrust	thrust
tread	trod	trodden
understand	understood	understood
uphold	upheld	upheld
upset	upset	upset
wake	woke	woken
wear	wore	worn
weave	weaved/wove	weaved/woven
wed	wed	wed
weep	wept	wept
wind	wound	wound
win	won	won
withhold	withheld	withheld
withstand	withstood	withstood
wring	wrung	wrung
write	wrote	written

Examples:

• Mary became a star tennis player.
• She gave her old car to her younger brother.
• We have seen the secret maps.
• The author wrote several books and many more short stories.

Finite Verb
Definition: Finite verbs (sometimes called main verbs) are verb forms suitable for use in predicates in that they carry inflections or other formal characteristics limiting their number(singular / plural), person, and tense(past / present etc). Finite verbs can function on their own as the core of an independent sentence.

For example

• I walked, they walk, and she walks are finite verbs
  * (to) walk is an infinitive.
• I lived in Germay.
  * "I" is the subject. "Lived" describes what the subject did. "Lived" is a finite verb.

Examples

• The truck demolished the restaurant.
• The leaves were yellow and sickly.

____________________________________________
This source is from http://www.englishlanguageguide.com