What Is a Verb? Definition, Types, and Clear Examples for English Learners

Introduction

 A lot of people start learning English grammar with a similar question: “What is a verb?”

You can think of a verb as the engine of a sentence. If you have a sentence without a verb, it feels incomplete:

❌ My friend from Canada

✅ My friend from Canada lives in Toronto.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

●  The basic definition of a verb

●  The main types of verbs in English

●  How verbs work in sentence structure

●  When and how to use verbs correctly

●  Common verb mistakes and how to fix them

●  Practice questions and FAQs to check your understanding

What Is a Verb? (Definition)

 A verb is a word that shows action, state, or being.

Action verbs: show what someone or something does

run, eat, write, study, sing

State / being verbs: show what something is or feels like

be, seem, feel, appear, belong

Basic examples:

 She runs every morning. (action)

They are tired. (state)

The soup smells delicious. (state)

If you ask “What is happening?” or “What is the state?” in a sentence, the answer will point you to the verb.

Core Types of Verbs in English

1. Action vs. Stative Verbs

Action: play, write, jump, decide, read

Stative: know, believe, love, hate, seem, own, prefer

⚠️ Many stative verbs are not usually used in continuous form:

❌ I am knowing the answer.

✅ I know the answer.

2. Main Verbs vs. Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs

 Main verb: carries the main meaning

Auxiliary verb: helps form tense, voice, or questions

Auxiliaries: be, have, do and modal verbs (can, could, may, might, must, will, would, shall, should).

Examples:

 She is studying now.

●  is = auxiliary verb

●  studying = main verb

They have finished their homework.

●  have = auxiliary

●  finished = main verb

Do you like coffee?

●  Do = auxiliary (forms a question)

●  like = main verb

3. Linking Verbs

 A linking verb connects the subject to more information about it (a complement).

Common linking verbs:

be, seem, become, feel, look, appear, taste, sound, remain

Examples:

 She is a doctor.

The soup smells good.

4. Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs

Some verbs can be both:

She opened the door. (transitive)

The door opened slowly. (intransitive)

Verb Forms and Structure

 Most English verbs have five basic forms:

 ●  Base form: work, play, eat

●  -s form: works, plays, eats

●  -ing form: working, playing, eating

●  Past form: worked, played, ate

●  Past participle: worked, played, eaten

Regular verbs:

work → worked → worked

play → played → played

Irregular verbs:

go → went → gone

see → saw → seen

take → took → taken

Be is especially irregular:

How to Use Verbs in Sentences (Rules + Examples)

1. Every Complete Sentence Needs a Verb

 My brother works in a bank.

The weather is cold today.

If your sentence has no verb, it is incomplete.

2. Subject–Verb Agreement

 He/She/It → verb + -s

I/You/We/They → base verb

Examples:

 ✅ She plays the piano.

❌ She play the piano.

✅ They play football every weekend.

❌ They plays football every weekend.

3. Choosing the Right Tense

 Present simple: I work from home.

Past simple: She visited Paris last year.

Present continuous: They are watching a movie.

Present perfect: He has lived here for three years.

4. Line-by-Line Example Breakdown

 Sentence:

Sara always drinks coffee before work.

Breakdown:

●  Sara → subject

●  drinks → verb

●  coffee → object

●  always / before work → adverbs

Sentence:

The children are playing in the park.

Breakdown:

●  are → auxiliary verb

●  playing → main verb

Common Mistakes with Verbs

 Wrong subject–verb agreement

❌ People likes music.

✅ People like music.

Using continuous with stative verbs

❌ I am knowing the answer.

✅ I know the answer.

Missing auxiliary verbs in questions

❌ You like coffee?

✅ Do you like coffee?

Using past form after an auxiliary

❌ She did went home early.

✅ She did go home early.

✅ She went home early.

Confusing main and linking verbs

❌ She looks happily.

✅ She looks happy.

Verb vs. Other Word Types (Quick Comparison)

Example sentence:

The happy child runs quickly to school.

child → noun

happy → adjective

runs → verb

quickly → adverb

Practice: Mini Quiz on Verbs

 1. Identify the verb(s):

a) My parents live in a small town.

b) We are studying English now.

c) The soup smells wonderful.

2. Choose the correct verb form:

a) She ___ (work/works) in a hospital.

b) They ___ (was/were) late yesterday.

c) I ___ (know/am knowing) the answer.

3. Transitive or intransitive?

a) He opened the window.

b) The baby cried loudly.

4. Correct the mistakes:

a) She goes always to bed late.

b) He don’t like vegetables.

Answers

 a) live

b) are studying

c) smells

a) works

b) were

c) know

a) Transitive

b) Intransitive

a) She always goes to bed late.

b) He doesn’t like vegetables.

FAQ: Common Questions About Verbs

 1. What is a verb in simple words?

A verb is the word that shows what happens or what something is.

2. How do I find the verb in a sentence?

Ask: “What is the subject doing?”

3. Can a verb be more than one word?

Yes. Example: She has been studying.

4. Is “is” a verb?

Yes, it’s a form of “be”.

5. Verb vs. adjective?

Verb = action/state, adjective = describes noun.

6. When to use -s?

Use with he/she/it in present simple.

Summary

 A verb is the heart of a sentence—it shows action, state, or being. You’ve seen:

●  The basic definition of a verb

●  The main types of verbs

●  Verb forms and tenses

●  Subject–verb agreement

●  Common mistakes

Mastering verbs makes your grammar clearer and your writing stronger.