Verb Terminology
There is a lot of grammatical terminology associated with verbs. Below are explanations of the most common terms.
The Infinitive Form
When a verb is preceded by the word to, it is said to be in its infinitive form (i.e., its most basic form).
- I have to smoke that!
- (To smoke is the infinitive form of the verb.)
Past Tense
Verbs that express actions in the past are said to be in the past tense.
- He talked with more claret than clarity. (Susan Ertz)
- (Talked is the past tense of the verb to talk.)
- I ran to the lake.
- (Ran is the past tense of the verb to run.)
- They were all there.
- (Were is the past tense of the verb to be.)
Present Tense
Verbs that express actions occurring now are said to be in the present tense.
- John jumps out the window.
- (Jumps is the present tense of the verb to jump.)
- Who is ill?
- (Is is the present tense of the verb to be.)
- He is the kind of a guy who lights up a room just by flicking a switch.
- (Is is the present tense of the verb to be, and lights up is the present tense of the verb to light up.)
Future Tense
Verbs that express actions in the future are said to be in the future tense. These are usually formed by preceding the verb with the word will.
- I will take the blame.
- (Will take is the future tense of the verb to take.)
- They will surrender.
- (Will surrender is the future tense of the verb to surrender.)
- Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth. (Archimedes, 287-212 BC)
- (Will move is the future tense of the verb to move.)
Subject of a Verb
The person or thing performing the action of the verb is said to be the subject of the verb or the subject of the sentence.
- Tony stole the boat.
(Tony is the subject of the verb to steal.)
- The dog is guilty.
(The dog is the subject of the verb to be.)
- Who was that?
(Who is the subject of the verb to be.)
Direct Object of a Verb
Many verbs perform an action on something. This is called the direct object of the verb.
- Terry kissed her hand.
(Her hand is the direct object of the verb to kiss.)
- Beverly can eat a whole chicken.
(A whole chicken is the direct object of the verb to eat.)
Some verbs cannot have a direct object. These verbs are called intransitive verbs.
- The rain fell heavily.
(The rain fell, but it did not perform an action on anything. In this example, the verb to fall is an intransitive verb.)
- Jack protested in the street.
(Jack protested, but he did not perform an action on anything. In this example, the verb to protest is an intransitive verb.)
Verbs that can have a direct object (most of them) are called transitive verbs.
- Barney copied the answer.
(The verb copied is a transitive verb. The direct object of the verb is the answer.)
- Terry saw a black fin cutting through the water.
(The verb saw is a transitive verb. The direct object of the verb is a black fin.)
Read more about direct objects.
Indirect Object of a Verb
Some verbs have two objects, a direct object and an indirect object. The indirect object is the person or thing for whom the action was performed.
- Jamie read the children a story.
(Here, a story is the direct object, and the children is the indirect object.)
- I will bake him a cake.
(Here, a cake is the direct object, and him is the indirect object.)
- The postman gives Anne a letter every day.
(Here, a letter is the direct object, and Anne is the indirect object.)
Read more about indirect objects.
Passive Sentence
The subject of a sentence does not always do the action of the verb. Sometimes, the action is done to the subject. Such sentences are called passive sentences because the subjects are being passive, i.e., not doing anything.
- Carl was arrested.
(Carl is not doing anything, but he is the subject of the sentence.)
(Note: Carl is the subject of the verb to be.)
Passive verbs always comprise two parts (was arrested in this example). The person doing the action of the verb in a passive sentence is usually shown with the word by.
- Carl was arrested by PC Adams.
Passive verbs are said to be in the passive voice. Passive sentences can be quite useful:
- The carpet was damaged.
(This is a passive sentence. No one is blamed for damaging the carpet.)
- Mark damaged the carpet.
(A passive sentence contrasts with an active sentence (where the subject performs the verb). This is an example of an active sentence. It tells us that Mark damaged the carpet.)
Read more about passive sentences.
Active Sentence
Active sentences contrast with passive sentences. In an active sentence, the subject of the verb performs the action.
- We damaged the carpet.
(This is an active sentence. We is the subject. We damaged the carpet.)
- Jamie read a story.
(This is an active sentence. Jamie is the subject. Jamie read a story.)
Read more about active sentences.
Conjugation of Verbs
A verb will change its form a little depending on the subject. For example:
- I write.
- He writes.
- The jackal laughs.
- The jackals laugh.
When verbs change in this way, it is known as conjugation. A verb conjugates according to the subject. The subject of a verb can be in one of six forms:
- I
- You
- He / She / It
- We
- You
- They
The first three are the singular forms (known as first person singular, second person singular, and third person singular). The second three are the plural forms (known as first person plural, second person plural and third person plural).
All subjects fit into one of these categories. For example, jackal is like he (i.e., third person singular) and jackals is like they (i.e., third person plural). (This subject rarely causes problems for native English speakers, who conjugate verbs correctly without much thought.)
Interestingly, this is the origin of the insurance term third party (i.e., it’s insurance covering actions by “them”).
Read more about subject-verb agreement.
Participles
Participles are formed from verbs. There are two types: present participles and past participles. Present participles end -ing. Past participles have various endings (e.g., -ed, -en). Below is a table showing some participles:
| Verb | Present Participle | Past Participle | ||
| to sing | singing | sung | ||
| to drive | driving | driven | ||
| to go | going | gone | ||
| to rise | rising | risen | ||
| to watch | watching | watched | ||
| to be | being | been |
Participles are classified as adjectives. (Note: When a verb form (like a participle) functions as an adjective or a noun, it is known as a verbal.) Below are some examples of participles being used as adjectives:
- Our business is badly affected by the soaring price of wool.
(The word soaring is a present participle. Here, it is being used as an adjective to describe price.)
- He is a forgotten hero.
(The word forgotten is a past participle. Here, it is being used as an adjective to describe hero.)
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AGH / Jan 2020