{"id":121,"date":"2024-01-30T15:10:28","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T20:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/grammarbasics\/?post_type=chapter&p=121"},"modified":"2026-01-26T12:54:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:54:39","slug":"verbs-2","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/grammarbasics\/chapter\/verbs-2\/","title":{"raw":"Verbs","rendered":"Verbs"},"content":{"raw":"The discussion of verbs will be fully fleshed out in Chapter 2. For now, I'll offer a brief introduction. It only scratches the surface, but it will be enough to help you navigate sentences.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTo begin, verbs are one of the three required components of a sentence. If a group of words doesn't include a verb, there's no sentence.\r\n\r\nYou probably already know that verbs express actions, and that's true, but verbs do more than that. We're going to discuss three major types of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.\r\n\r\n \r\n

Action Verbs<\/h3>\r\nLike the name implies, action verbs express an action, something that someone does<\/em>.\r\n\r\nMany action verbs express physical actions that you can picture in your mind:\u00a0run, jump, drive, throw, <\/em>etc.\r\n\r\nOther action verbs are not quite as easy to picture, but they're still actions:\u00a0 purchase, love, ponder, compare,<\/em> etc.\r\n\r\n \r\n

Teresa challenges<\/span> her father to a chess match every afternoon. During the game, she captures<\/span> his bishop as soon as possible.<\/em><\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\nThe words underlined in the sentence are both action verbs. They express two things that Teresa does: challenge<\/em> and capture.<\/em>\r\n

Linking Verbs<\/h3>\r\nSometimes sentences don't really express an action; instead, the writer just wants to provide information about something. English grammar doesn't allow us to write sentences without a verb, though, so we use a linking verb<\/em> to make the sentence complete.\r\n\r\nYou can't picture linking verbs in your head; they're not expressing an action. Instead, linking verbs bridge the gap between the subject of a sentence (ie., the focus) and the information about the subject. Let's look at an example:\r\n

Diet Coke is delicious and refreshing.<\/em><\/p>\r\nIn this sentence, nothing is happening; we don't have an action. Instead we have a subject (Diet Coke<\/em>) and a group of words giving us information about the subject (delicious and refreshing<\/em>). The word between those two parts -- is<\/em> -- is a linking verb. It connects those two parts of the sentence like a bridge.\r\n

Helping Verbs (aka Auxiliary Verbs)<\/h3>\r\nIf you ever want to change the tense of a verb, or express it in passive voice (more on that in a later chapter<\/a>), you will likely need to use helping verbs. Helping verbs are never the main verb in a sentence. Instead, they are placed in front of the main verb, like this:\r\n

Cillian Murphy will be<\/span> playing Oppenheimer.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em>(the action playing<\/em> will be occurring in the future)<\/p>\r\n

Jing will have<\/span> run three marathons by June.\u00a0 <\/em>(the action run<\/em> will be complete by a point in the future)<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\nThe main helping verbs are\u00a0to be, to have, <\/em>and to do.<\/em>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n

\r\n

PRACTICE: Select the verbs<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

\r\n\r\nIn each of the following sentences, select all the verbs. Some sentences may contain multiple verbs, so select them all!\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"26\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n ","rendered":"

The discussion of verbs will be fully fleshed out in Chapter 2. For now, I’ll offer a brief introduction. It only scratches the surface, but it will be enough to help you navigate sentences.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To begin, verbs are one of the three required components of a sentence. If a group of words doesn’t include a verb, there’s no sentence.<\/p>\n

You probably already know that verbs express actions, and that’s true, but verbs do more than that. We’re going to discuss three major types of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Action Verbs<\/h3>\n

Like the name implies, action verbs express an action, something that someone does<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Many action verbs express physical actions that you can picture in your mind:\u00a0run, jump, drive, throw, <\/em>etc.<\/p>\n

Other action verbs are not quite as easy to picture, but they’re still actions:\u00a0 purchase, love, ponder, compare,<\/em> etc.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Teresa challenges<\/span> her father to a chess match every afternoon. During the game, she captures<\/span> his bishop as soon as possible.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The words underlined in the sentence are both action verbs. They express two things that Teresa does: challenge<\/em> and capture.<\/em><\/p>\n

Linking Verbs<\/h3>\n

Sometimes sentences don’t really express an action; instead, the writer just wants to provide information about something. English grammar doesn’t allow us to write sentences without a verb, though, so we use a linking verb<\/em> to make the sentence complete.<\/p>\n

You can’t picture linking verbs in your head; they’re not expressing an action. Instead, linking verbs bridge the gap between the subject of a sentence (ie., the focus) and the information about the subject. Let’s look at an example:<\/p>\n

Diet Coke is delicious and refreshing.<\/em><\/p>\n

In this sentence, nothing is happening; we don’t have an action. Instead we have a subject (Diet Coke<\/em>) and a group of words giving us information about the subject (delicious and refreshing<\/em>). The word between those two parts — is<\/em> — is a linking verb. It connects those two parts of the sentence like a bridge.<\/p>\n

Helping Verbs (aka Auxiliary Verbs)<\/h3>\n

If you ever want to change the tense of a verb, or express it in passive voice (more on that in a later chapter<\/a>), you will likely need to use helping verbs. Helping verbs are never the main verb in a sentence. Instead, they are placed in front of the main verb, like this:<\/p>\n

Cillian Murphy will be<\/span> playing Oppenheimer.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em>(the action playing<\/em> will be occurring in the future)<\/p>\n

Jing will have<\/span> run three marathons by June.\u00a0 <\/em>(the action run<\/em> will be complete by a point in the future)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The main helping verbs are\u00a0to be, to have, <\/em>and to do.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

PRACTICE: Select the verbs<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

\n

In each of the following sentences, select all the verbs. Some sentences may contain multiple verbs, so select them all!<\/p>\n

\n