VERBS

Action Verbs:
Action verbs are verbs that show the performance of an action.
They are dynamic verbs that show something happening.

There are regular and irregular action verbs.

For example:

 To walk is a regular action verb - see example.

 To run is an irregular action verb - see example.

Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs:

Auxiliary means functioning in a supporting capacity, and that is
exactly what these auxiliary verbs do, which is why they are also
known as helping verbs. They are used together with a main verb to
give grammatical information and therefore add extra meaning to a
sentence; information that is not given by the main verb.

They are used to form the passive voice.

They are used to form the continuous tense.

They are used to form the perfect tense.
Be, Do and Have are auxiliary verbs, they are irregular verbs and
can be used as main verbs. The verbs 'to be' and 'to have' are the
most commonly used auxiliary verbs and work alongside the main
verbs in any statement.

Modal verbs are also auxiliary verbs, but will be treated separately,
these are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and
would, they differ from the others in that they can never function as
a main verb.

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.

Base form = be

Present form = am/is/are

Past form = was/were

Present Participle / Gerund = being

Past Participle = been

MORE ON THE VERB TO BE

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.

Base form = do

Present form = do/does

Past form = did

Present Participle / Gerund = doing

Past Participle = done

MORE ON THE VERB TO DO
!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.
Base form = have

Present form = have / has

Past form = had

Present Participle / Gerund = having

Past Participle = had

The Main Verb:
Sometimes there is more than one kind of verb in a sentence. There
are auxiliary verbs , modal verbs, and main verbs (sometimes
called full or non-auxiliary verbs).
The main verb expresses the main action or state of being of the
subject in the sentence and changes form according to the subject
(singular, plural, 1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person).
Most statements in speech and writing have a main verb.

The main verb changes its form according to the verb form (perfect
tense, past tense, simple tense etc).

For example:

 Dogs usually chase cats.

 But my cat chases my dog.
 My cat is chasing my dog.
 My dog has sometimes chased my cat.
 But, only because my cat ate my dog's dinner.
 My cat has been eating my dog's dinner a lot.

MODAL VERBS:

All the auxiliary verbs except be, do and have are called modals.
Unlike other auxiliary verbs modals only exist in their helping form;
they cannot act alone as the main verb in a sentence.

Be, do, and have also differ from the other auxiliaries in that they
can also serve as ordinary verbs in a given sentence.

The modal verbs are:-

CAN / COULD / MAY / MIGHT / MUST / OUGHT

TO / SHALL / SHOULD / WILL / WOULD

Contextual classes

Modal
Verb Example Uses

Can They can control their own Ability / Possibility

budgets.
Modal
Verb Example Uses

Inability /
We can’t fix it. Impossibility

Can I smoke here? Asking for

permission
Can you help me?
Request
Could Could I borrow your Asking for
dictionary? permission.

Could you say that again Request

more slowly?
Suggestion
We could try to fix it
ourselves. Future possibility

I think we could go to war Ability in the past

again.

He gave up his old job so he

could work for us.
May May I have another cup of Asking for
coffee? permission

China may become a major Future possibility

economic power.
Might We'd better phone tomorrow, Present possibility
they might be eating their
dinner now. Future possibility

You never know, they might

give us a 10% discount.
Must We must say good-bye now. Necessity /
Obligation
They mustn’t disrupt the
work more than necessary. Prohibition
Modal
Verb Example Uses

Ought to We ought to employ a Saying what’s right

professional writer. or correct.
Shall Shall I help you with your Offer
luggage?
(More Suggestion
common Shall we say 2.30 then?
in the UK Asking what to do
than the Shall I do that or will you?
US)
Should We should sort out this Saying what’s right
problem at once. or correct

I think we should check Recommending

everything again. action

You should check your Giving advice

posture when using the
computer. Uncertain
prediction
Profits should increase next
year.
Will I can’t see any taxis so I’ll Instant decisions
walk.
Offer
I'll do that for you if you like.
Promise
I’ll get back to you first thing
on Monday. Certain prediction

Profits will increase next

year.
Would Would you mind if I brought Asking for
a colleague with me? permission

Would you pass the salt Making a Request

please?
Making a Request
Modal
Verb Example Uses

Would you mind waiting a

moment? Making
arrangements
"Would three o`clock suit
you?" - "That’d be fine." Invitation

Would you like to play golf Stating Preferences

this Friday?

"Would you prefer tea or

coffee?" - "I’d like tea
please."
! Be careful when using the modal verb "must" when giving advice.
You could use "If I were you I would..." instead.

PHRASAL VERBS

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are very common in English but they also cause a
few problems.

There are very, very many phrasal verbs and it can be hard to know
where to start.

Phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning. 'Take off' can
mean both 'leave the ground' and 'become successful'.

1: GO ON = happen

 What's going on?

 There's a class going on at the moment.
 What went on last night?

2: PICK UP = get something or someone from a place

 I picked up my brother from the airport.

 Please pick up some bread.
  Would you come and pick me up from work tonight?

3: COME BACK = return to a place (the speaker is in that place)

 She came back around 10pm last night.

 When will you come back from France?
 Please come back! It's boring here without you.

4: COME UP WITH = produce an idea

 Julie came up with a great idea.

 He came up with an answer to the question very quickly.
 Can you come up with a better solution?

5: GO BACK = return to a place (the speaker isn't in that place)

 He finished his work and went back to his flat.

 When is she planning to go back to Japan?
 I'll go back to the library later.

STATIVE VERBS:
Stative verbs are verbs that show a state and not an action.

You can group verbs that show a state in the following ways:-
Verbs that show thought - believe, doubt, know, understand etc.
Verbs that show possession - have, own, want, contain etc.
Verbs that show senses - hear, see, smell etc.
Verbs that show emotion - love, hate, want, need etc.

There are regular and irregular stative verbs. But when they are
used to show a particular state they do not take the -ing form.

For Example:

 I like ice cream. (Never "I am liking...")

 I know a lot of English words. (Never "I am knowing...")

However, some verbs can be used to show an action or a state.

For Example:

 I think English is easy. = It is my opinion.

 I'm thinking of joining a new course. = I am considering it.