Definition · Plain-language
Verb
A verb is a word that expresses an action, an occurrence or a state of being — such as run, happen or is. Every complete sentence needs one.
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What a verb expresses
A verb is the engine of a sentence. It can express a physical or mental action (jump, think), an occurrence or event (rain, become), or a state of being or possession (be, seem, own). Because the verb carries the central idea of what the subject does or is, every grammatically complete sentence must contain at least one. Action verbs describe something done — "she designed the study"; linking verbs connect the subject to a description rather than show action — "the result is significant", where is links result to significant. Identifying the verb is usually the quickest way to find the core of a clause.
Main verbs, auxiliaries and transitivity
Verbs work alone or in groups. A main (lexical) verb carries the core meaning, while auxiliary or helping verbs — be, have, do — combine with it to build tenses and questions: "has finished", "is running", "did not go". Modal auxiliaries such as can, will, should and must add shades of possibility, obligation or futurity. Verbs are also transitive or intransitive: a transitive verb needs a direct object ("she read the book"), whereas an intransitive verb does not ("the baby slept"). Many verbs can be either, depending on use. Recognising these patterns helps explain why some sentences feel incomplete without an object.
Tense, agreement and form
Verbs change form to locate an action in time and to match their subject. Tense places the action in the past, present or future (walked, walk, will walk), and aspect adds detail about whether it is ongoing or completed (is walking, has walked). Verbs must also agree with their subject in person and number: "she runs" but "they run". Most verbs are regular, forming the past tense with -ed (work–worked), but many common ones are irregular (go–went, take–took). The base form, the -ing participle and the past participle are the building blocks from which all these tenses are assembled.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: a word expressing an action, occurrence or state of being
- Essential: every complete sentence needs at least one verb
- Types: action, linking, auxiliary (helping) and modal verbs
- Transitivity: transitive (takes an object) vs intransitive
- Changes for: tense, aspect, person and number
- Regular vs irregular: walk–walked vs go–went
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: A verb is always an action word you can physically see.
Actually: Verbs also express states of being and occurrences. Linking verbs such as be, seem and become show a state rather than a visible action, as in "the answer is correct".
Often heard: A sentence can be complete without a verb.
Actually: A grammatically complete sentence needs at least one verb. A group of words with no verb, such as "the tall building near the river", is a phrase, not a sentence.
Often heard: All verbs form their past tense by adding -ed.
Actually: Only regular verbs do (walk–walked). Many common verbs are irregular and change differently — go–went, take–took, be–was/were — and must be learned individually.
Going deeper
