Previous: Verbs
2.1 What are Verbs?
2.1.1 The verb is the most important part of a sentence. The shortest sentence contains one verb.
For example: “Go!” (an imperative sentence, giving a command)
You cannot make a one-word sentence with any other part of speech except verbs and interjections.
An interjection like “Ouch!” to express a complete thought of pain is also a sentence.
2.1.2 A verb has 2 functions: it either describes “action” (bring, read, walk, run, kill -- the dynamic verbs),
or it describes “a state of being” (be, exist, like, hear, appear -- the stative verbs).
2.1.3 A verb always has a subject. We can say that verbs are words that tell us what a subject does or is.
For example:
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action
- George plays basketball.
- Mary talks to her sister.
- Karl is running after his dog.
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state
- Peter looks happy.
- John is a businessman.
- Carrie likes chocolate.
2.1.4 Almost all verbs change in form (grammarians call this “conjugate”) based on tense and person.
Most other types of words (adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc.) do not change in form (although
nouns can have singular and plural forms; or for some, with the first letter capitalized or not that are
referred to different things, like China and china).
2.1.4.1 Examples of verbs that change in form according to tenses:
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Simple Present: go
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Simple Past: went
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Present Perfect: have / has gone
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Simple Future: will go
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Present Continuous: am / is / are going
2.1.4.2 The verb takes a form dependent on the person of the subject and whether it is singular
or plural. Subjects and verbs must agree with one another in number (singular or
plural). Thus, if a subject is singular, its verb must also be singular; if a subject is
plural, its verb must also be plural. This is called subject-verb agreement.
Examples of verbs that change in form according to person:
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first-person singular: I go
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second-person singular: you go
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third-person singular: he / she / it goes
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first-person plural: we go
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second-person plural: you go
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third-person plural: they go