KINDS OF VERBS; AND TENSES

Note: I hadn't got a chance to post an article last week, the week of July 6th. Classes were suspended due to bad weather, so there ain't any lessons to post.

This week, we studied all about Verbs -- its kinds; as well as Tenses (though we haven't got enough time to finished the lesson).

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WHAT IS VERB?

Verb is a word that conveys an action or a state of being. The term "verb" comes from the Latin word verbum which means "word".

There are two main categories of verb: the action verb and the linking verb. They are also called the main verb since they are strong enough to be used in sentences all by themselves.

* Aside from the two MAIN VERBS that I've mentioned above, there is another category of Verb which is the "helping verb". I will cover all about it after we tackled it in the class.

I. ACTION VERBS

Action Verbs talk about what the person is doing in the sentence.

For example, Rose is painting the kitchen walls.

(In the example sentence above, the word "painting" is the verb. It describes the action of the subject which is "Rose".

According to what I have learned from the lesson, Action Verbs have four (4) types: the transitive, intransitive, dynamic and stative verbs.

A. TRANSITIVE VERBS

Transitive verbs have definite object on which or for which the action is being performed. That means that something or someone is always being acted upon. It answers the question "what did the subject do?"

Example: Rose paint the kitchen walls.

Transitive verbs have an object to receive that action, called direct object. In the example above, the direct object kitchen walls received the action of the verb paint.

B. INTRANSITIVE VERB

Intransitive verbs show an action but no specific object on which the action is being done. Unlike transitive verbs, they do not have an object receiving the action. 

Example: Rose is painting.

In this example, painting is the intransitive verb because no subject is receiving this action.

Another example: Rose is painting in the kitchen.

Even though there are words coming after the painting, it is NOT a transitive verb. The phrase in the park is a prepositional phrase. There is no object receiving the action of the verb painting so it is intransitive.

C. DYNAMIC VERBS

Dynamic Verbs denote an action or expression or process done by the subject. It usually describe actions we can take, or things that happen and show qualities CAPABLE of change.

Example: She felt her clothes against her skin

D. STATIVE VERBS

Stative verbs refer to the state of the subject or situation. Opposing dynamic verbs, stative verbs show qualities NOT CAPABLE of change.

Example: It felt good.

II. LINKING VERBS

Linking Verbs are verbs that connect the subject and the subject complement (its predicate) without expressing an action. Linking verbs are not action verbs. They are used to re-identify or describe its subject.

For example, Rose is a painter.

(In this example, the word  "is" is the linking verb. It connects the subject Rose to its subject complement a painter. Therefore, Rose = a painter)

Another example, Rose seems expert in painting.

(In the given example above, "seems" is the linking verb. It connects the subject of the sentence "Rose" to its complement "expert in painting". Therefore, Rose = expert in painting.)

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Aside from the types of verbs mentioned above, here are other verbs that we encounter in studying Grammar:

I. FINITE VERBS

Finite Verbs are verbs that have a definite relation with the subject or noun. These verbs are usually the main verb of a clause or sentence and can be changed according to the noun. They show tenses but are used only in present and past tense.

Examples: 

• walk (present tense in all persons except the third person singular)

I walk to school everyday.

• walks (present tense in the third person singular)

Mia walks alone to school.

• walked (past tense)

I walked with my sister to school, yesterday.

II. NON-FINITE VERBS

Non-finite Verbs are verbs that cannot be the main verb of a clause or sentence as they do not talk about the action that is being performed by the subject or noun. They do not indicate any tense, mood or gender.

Example: (Examples not mine)

• go (infinitive)

I can't go with you.
Unfortunately, she had to go.
Do you really go out with her?
I didn't go to work today.
I want to go home. 

• going (gerund)

I like going to the cinema.
Carol suggested going for a walk.
Going faster would have been really dangerous.

• gone (past participle)

Jack has gone away on holiday.
By the time Sue returned, the others had gone back to their cars.
I wish I had gone to university.

• going (present participle)

I'm going to a concert tonight.
I heard my dad going up the stairs.
Going across the bridge last night, I saw someone swimming in the river.

III. REGULAR VERBS

Those verbs that form their past participle with ‘d’ or ‘ed’ are regular verbs. These verbs do not undergo substantial changes while changing forms between tenses.

Verb Conjugation: refers to how a verb changes to show a different person, tense, number or mood.

-es/-s        -     present tense
-d/-ed        -    past tense
-ing           -     future tense

Example:        shares
                       shared 
                       sharing


IV. IRREGULAR VERBS

Those verbs that undergo substantial changes when changing forms between tenses are irregular verbs. The changed forms of these verbs are often unrecognisably different from the originals.

Example:      swim = swam
                      drink = drunk
                   dream = dreamt
                   weave = wove
                          hit = hit
                         put = put
                         cut = cut
                         set = set

Have I mentioned before in my first article that I'm not good in GRAMMAR? Well, it is confirmed! I got 5.0 in our previous quiz. That was my first ever 5.0 grade, for crying out loud!

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WHAT ARE TENSES?

Tenses refer to the absolute location of an event or action in a specific time. In English grammar, there are 3 basic tenses: present, past and future.

Each has a perfect form, indicating completed action; each has a progressive form, indicating ongoing action; and each has a perfect progressive form, indicating ongoing action that will be completed at some definite time.

Let's take for instance the verb share.

Note: I will further discussed all about tenses: the simple forms, progressive forms, the perfect forms and the perfect progressive forms of the present, past and future forms of verb tenses next week, after we finished discussing all about it in the class.

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MY REALIZATION

I know that I still haven't learned enough from my previous years as an ABE student but I think what happened this week's quiz is way beyond my idiocy about grammar. Have I mentioned before in my first article that I'm not good in GRAMMAR? Well, it is confirmed! I got 5.0 in our previous quiz. That was my first ever 5.0 grade, for crying out loud!

I thought the past participle of "lay" is "has laid"; turns out, it is laid, for goodness' sake! Now, I am looking forward for the discussion about helping verbs so that I will not mistaken them to be part of the "past participle form" of action verbs.

P.S.

On second thought, I think I should not wait for the discussions about what I have to know as an English major. I guess, I should read in advance if I don't want to get anymore 5.0 in quizzes. So there!

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Additional Reference:

http://www.grammaring.com/the-difference-between-finite-and-non-finite-verb-forms