Verbs: The Definitive Guide

Want to know where all the action is? Verbs! Verbs are words that
represent actions that are external (run, jump, work) and internal
(love, think, consider). Without verbs, you can’t do anything, you
can’t feel anything—you can’t even be anything.  

As the heart of sentences and clauses, verbs show what the subject
is doing or feeling, even if they’re just existing. Verbs are also the
only type of word that’s absolutely necessary to make a sentence.
Not even nouns, which represent things, need to be in every
sentence. 

Because verbs are so important, they have more rules than other
types of words. This can make verbs a little confusing in English, but
read on for our explanation of everything you need to know: the
different types of verbs, the different forms they take, how to
conjugate them in every tense, and some expert tips on how to use
them when speaking or writing. 

Table of contents

What is a verb?

Types of verbs

Verb categories

Verb forms
How to conjugate verbs in English

3 expert tips for putting verbs into action

What is a verb? 

Let’s start with the basics: What is a verb? Verbs are words that

describe actions, whether physical or mental. Verbs also describe a
“state of being,” like the verbs be, become, or exist. 

Salah ran across the field, kicked the ball, and scored a goal. 

“I am the State.” —King Louis XIV

Some verbs also act as “helper verbs” to change the tense of another
verb. Likewise, these helper verbs can change a positive statement
to a negative one with words like “not.” 

She has been jogging for a month and already feels her stamina
increasing. 

“I don’t feel so good.” —Spider-Man

Every sentence needs at least one verb. If there’s no verb, it’s an

incomplete sentence or a sentence fragment. Except for
imperative sentences (commands), a sentence also needs a subject,
the thing doing the action. 

Subjects are important for a verb because they change how it’s
conjugated, which we explain below. This is especially true for the
most common verb: be. 
Types of verbs

Dynamic (action) verbs

Most verbs describe a physical action or activity, something external

that can be seen or heard. These verbs are formally known as
dynamic verbs, but can also be called action or event verbs.  

Examples: walk, laugh, swim, play, eat, drink, sing, dance, talk, say

There are a lot of actions that take place in our minds and feelings,
which are not external. Verbs that describe mental or internal actions
are still dynamic verbs, but they’re not always so obvious. These
include “process verbs,” which describe actions of transition.  

Examples: consider, guess, change, grow, live, endure, succeed, fail

Stative (state-of-being) verbs

The opposite of dynamic verbs of action is stative verbs of being.

Stative verbs describe a subject’s state or feeling, including things
they like and don’t like. 

Examples: want, need, prefer, love, hate, like, dislike, seem,

understand, know, believe, involve, realize

One of the most important parts of stative verbs is that you can’t use
them in the continuous tenses. Stative verbs stick to the simple
tenses, or occasionally use the perfect. 
The trouble is that some verbs can be dynamic or stative, depending
on the specific meaning and how they’re used. This includes the
most popular verb be. Let’s take a deeper look at these.

Verbs that can be dynamic or stative

A lot of verbs have more than one meaning, so they can be used as
dynamic or stative. These include perception
words: see, hear, taste, smell, feel. 

When perception verbs are used as an involuntary action, such as

passive or unintentional actions, they are stative. This applies when
these verbs are used in the general sense, a state of being that’s
always happening. 

I can’t see without my glasses. 

Cake still tastes great even if it’s not your birthday.

When those same verbs are used for a voluntary action—specific,

deliberate, and/or temporary events—they are dynamic. Among other
things, it means they can be used in the continuous tenses. 

I haven’t been seeing well since I lost my glasses. 

We were tasting cakes for the wedding all afternoon. 

Likewise, some perception verbs have alternative meanings,

especially if they’re part of expressions or phrasal verbs. Often, this
means they act as dynamic verbs. 

Romeo and Juliet had been seeing each other for just five days when
they died. 
Other verbs, like think, have, and, above all be, follow the
same voluntary/involuntary rules as perception verbs. Depending
on how they’re used, they can be either dynamic or stative. 

I think toads are better than frogs. 

(stative: expresses an opinion or feeling always there; involuntary)

All morning I was thinking about how toads are better than frogs. 

(dynamic: expresses the temporary action of thinking; voluntary)

I have a ten-year-old dog. 

(stative: expresses permanent ownership; involuntary)

I am having a party for my dog’s eleventh birthday. 

(dynamic: used as part of phrase; voluntary)

He is nice to everyone. 

(stative: expresses an ongoing state or personality trait; involuntary)

He was just being nice to everyone to get a promotion. 

(dynamic: expresses a temporary/intentional state; voluntary)

Auxiliary (helping) verbs

Auxiliary verbs, or “helping verbs,” are used in English to change

another verb’s tense, voice, or mood. When auxiliary verbs are used,
there’s always a main verb that represents the main action. However,
the auxiliary verb must still be conjugated correctly. 
The main auxiliary verbs are be, have, and do. We explain how
they’re used specifically for conjugating below, but here are a few
quick examples: 

I have eaten sushi many times before. (tense)

That piece of sushi was eaten by me. (voice)

Did you eat my sushi? (mood)

Modal auxiliary verbs

Some auxiliary verbs are added to another verb to show necessity,

possibility, or capability. Like other auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliary
verbs are not the main verb, but they do change its meaning slightly.
Some common examples
are can, may, could, should, would, must, ought, and might.  

I could swim across the English Channel, but should I do it? 

She must be the strongest person on the team, and might be the
strongest person in the region. 

Phrasal verbs 

Phrasal verbs are phrases that act as individual verbs, often

combining two or more words and changing their meaning. The
verb get, for example, becomes many different phrasal verbs when
combined with different prepositions. 

When the bus stops, passengers get out on the sidewalk. 

After losing his job, he’s getting by on savings. 

The important thing to remember about phrasal verbs is that they act
as a single verb, so you can still use them with other verbs and
prepositions. However, when you conjugate a phrasal verb, you only
conjugate the part of the phrase that’s actually a verb, like get. 

Verb categories

Aside from the different types, verbs also come in different

categories. Dynamic, stative, and auxiliary verbs all make up the
categories below. 

Transitive, intransitive, and ditransitive

Transitive, intransitive, and ditransitive refer to how a verb acts

with direct and indirect objects. A direct object is the person or thing
that the action happens to, while an indirect object is the person or
thing that receives the direct object. 

Lindor threw the ball to deGram. 

In this example, the subject is Lindor and the verb is threw. The direct
object is the ball because that is what was thrown—Lindor did the
action to the ball. The indirect object is deGram because he received
the direct object, the ball. 

Verbs that don’t use either a direct or indirect object are

called intransitive. These verbs are complete actions by
themselves. 

Examples: go, walk, run, talk, sit, sleep, work

Verbs that use a direct object, but not an indirect object, are
called transitive. They don’t always need a direct object, but they
have the option. 

Examples: clean, like, love, dislike, hate, want, learn, deserve, say

Verbs that use both direct and indirect objects are

called ditransitive. They don’t always need an indirect object, but
they have the option. 

Examples: throw, make, buy, sell, read, give, lend, bring

Just as a verb can be either dynamic or stative depending on the

meaning, a verb can sometimes act transitive while at other times act
intransitive. These are known as ambitransitive. For example, if you
ask someone if they’re hungry, they might respond:

No, I already ate. (intransitive)

No, I already ate a sandwich. (transitive)

Active vs. passive voice

In English, the standard format where the subject performs the action
is known as the active voice. However, you can switch around your
words to make the direct or indirect objects the subject of the
sentence, known as the passive voice. As explained in our guide to
the passive voice, you can make a verb passive by adding a
conjugated form of be in front of its past participle. 

Stricklen threw the ball to Williams. (active)

The ball was thrown to Williams by Stricklen. (passive)

Williams was thrown the ball by Stricklen. (passive)

Linking (copular) verbs

A linking verb is any verb, dynamic or stative, that directly connects

or “links” the sentence’s subject to other words in the sentence. For
example:

Garfield is a cat.  

Here, “Garfield” and “a cat” are the same thing, so “is” acts as a
linking verb. 

A linking verb—also known as a copula or copular verb in formal

linguistics—connects the subject not just to other nouns and
adjectives, but also to prepositional phrases and other verbs in the
infinitive form. Although the verb be is the most-used linking verb in
English, other linking verbs like seem and become are also
common. 

Garfield is in the kitchen. 

Garfield became fat by eating lasagnas. 

Garfield seems to hate Mondays. 

Likewise, perception verbs are often linking verbs as well, but only
when they describe what is being perceived. 

The mild sauce also tastes spicy. 

Birds look happy when the sun comes out. 

The student felt pride when they used perfect grammar. 

Regular vs. irregular Verbs

Verbs have different forms to show different uses, such as an action

that happened in the past, or an action that happens continuously.
Normally, these forms follow the same patterns of conjugation, so
that you can use the same rules on all verbs. Verbs that use the
normal forms are regular verbs. 

Unfortunately, some verbs don’t want to play by the rules. They have
their own unique forms with no patterns, specifically for the simple
past tense and past participle forms. These are the
notorious irregular verbs, and there are quite a few of them—
including the most common verb be. 

To make matters worse, the only way to learn how to use irregular
verbs is to study them and all their forms. On the bright side, we
explain the best ways to memorize irregular verbs. But first, you’ll
want to learn the standard verb forms of the majority regular verbs
below. 

Verb forms

Before we explain how to conjugate verbs in English, you need to

understand the different forms a verb takes. This helps immeasurably
when you conjugate on your own—you just need to use the right form
at the right time. Keep in mind that these forms work mostly for
regular verbs; irregular verbs each have their own special forms. 

If you want to learn more, we have a more detailed guide on verb

forms here.
 3RD PERSON SIMPLE PRESENT PAST
ROOT
SINGULAR PAST PARTICIPLE PARTICIPLE
Dance
dances danced dancing danced
(regular)
Sing
sings sang singing Sung
(irregular)

Root 

The root form is the basic form of the verb with no changes. It’s also
the simple present tense for everything except the third-person
singular. 

Third-person singular present

Used with subjects like he, she, the singular they, or it, the third-

person singular in the present tense just adds an -s to the end of the
root form most of the time. 

For verbs that end in a consonant and -y (try, carry), you remove the

y and add -ies (tries, carries). If the verb ends in a vowel and -y
(say, buy), you just add an –s like normal (says, buys). 

Verbs that end in -ch, -sh, -x, -z, or -s add -es to the end instead of

just –s. For
example, watch becomes watches and kiss becomes kisses. 
Simple past 

The past tense shows an action that already happened. In most

cases it’s made by adding -ed to the end of the root form, or just -d if
the root form already ends in an e. However, be careful of irregular
verbs—their rules for the past don’t tend to be consistent. 

Present participle

The present participle is used for the continuous tenses to show

ongoing or current action, and in more advanced English can be
used for participial phrases. In most cases you simply add –ing to the
end of the root form, although sometimes you have to remove
an E first. 

Past participle

The past participle is used for the perfect tenses. In regular verbs, it’s
the same as the simple past tense, so there’s nothing extra to learn.
However, irregular verbs often use unique past participles, so you
may have to memorize their forms. 

Infinitives and gerunds

Do you like to swim? Do you enjoy learning? If you want to use a

verb as a noun, you can turn it into an infinitive or gerund, the noun
forms of verbs. 
An infinitive adds the preposition to in front of a verb’s root form.
Although technically two words, an infinitive acts as a single word,
usually a noun, but sometimes also an adjective or adverb. 

To forgive is divine. (noun)

Bring a snack to eat if you get hungry. (adjective describing “snack”)

Alternatively, you can turn the verb into a gerund by adding -ing,

identical to the present participle. A gerund is strictly used as a noun,
and occasionally you can use them to create gerund phrases, which
act as a single unit to modify the gerund.  

Running is too difficult. 

Studying the cosmos is not the same as understanding the cosmos. 

So what’s the difference between infinitives and gerunds? Often, they

are interchangeable—both infinitives and gerunds can act as
subjects and direct objects. 

Living with a dog changes your outlook on life. (correct)

To live with a dog changes your outlook on life. (also correct)

However, only gerunds can be the object of a preposition. 

When I’m not fishing, I’m thinking about fishing. 

Moreover, some transitive verbs only use infinitives as a direct

object—for example, want. 

I want to break free. (correct)

I want breaking free. (incorrect)

 Although there are others, some common verbs use infinitives. They
include the following: choose, decide, hope, plan, prepare, promise,
wish.

In general, use the infinitives for situations that are abstract, unreal,
or haven’t happened yet. Use gerunds for situations that are specific,
real, or have already happened. 

In the mornings, I really like to exercise. (abstract; infinitive)

This morning, I really liked exercising.  (specific; gerund)

How to conjugate verbs in English

Using verbs isn’t as easy as just tossing them in a sentence. They

need to represent the tense you want, as well as match the subject
(subject-verb agreement, explained below). This is called verb
conjugation, or changing the verb to fit the sentence. In English,
there are four main tenses, each divided into three time periods,
totalling twelve tenses. Some other tenses exist, but these are the
most common ones. 

Main tenses:

 simple

 continuous

 perfect

 perfect continuous

Time periods: 
 present

 past

 future

Below, we explain how to conjugate each of the main tenses in the

present, past, and future. Keep in mind that irregular verbs may use
different forms. 

Subject-verb agreement

No matter what tense you use, your verb has to match the number of
the subject. In other words, singular subjects conjugate verbs
differently than plural subjects. 

A lot of the time, you either add –s to the end of the verb or you don’t.
However, more advanced tenses with auxiliary verbs can get tricky—
both be and have are irregular verbs, so you have to pay close
attention to using their right forms even when they’re not the main
verb. 

How to conjugate simple tenses

The simple tenses are the most straightforward—that’s what makes

them simple. They represent individual, one-time actions. 

How to conjugate the present tense

The simple present tense is used for actions that happen regularly or

things that don’t change, such as preferences or opinions. It’s made
with the root form, unless the subject is third-person singular (he,
she, the singular they, it), in which case you use the third-person
singular present form. 

[ROOT] or [THIRD-PERSON SINGULAR PRESENT]

Kim feels lousy today. 

I study every night before bed. 

How to conjugate the past tense

The simple past tense describes a single action that already took

place, or a habitual action that no longer occurs. It uses the simple
past form explained above. 

[SIMPLE PAST]

When I was young, I played in the backyard every day. 

They lost again, and no one was surprised. 

How to conjugate the future tense

The simple future tense describes events that have not happened

yet, as in planning or preparing. It uses the root form, but adds the
word will in front. 

will + [ROOT]

You will study verbs until you understand them. 

Once again, history will repeat itself. 

 How to conjugate continuous tenses

The continuous tense—also known as the progressive tense—is

used for mostly ongoing events that are temporary. 

Remember that stative verbs cannot be used in the continuous

tense. Actions about feelings or states of being that happened in the
past use the simple past tense. 

How to conjugate the present continuous tense

The present continuous tense is used often, and has many different

uses:

 events happening right now

 ongoing events that are temporary

 plans for the near future

It’s often confused with the present simple; situations which might
seem like the simple present—such as actions happening currently—
are actually best represented by the present continuous. 

Form the present continuous by adding the conjugated simple

present form of be before the present participle of your main verb
(the -ing form). 

am / is / are + [PRESENT PARTICIPLE]

Tony is sleeping at the moment. 

Later, we’re seeing the new zombie movie. Everyone is talking about
it! 

How to conjugate the past continuous tense

The past continuous tense shows ongoing events that happened in

the past, specifically ones that have a definitive beginning and end. It
can also be used to show a past event that was interrupted by
another past event. Note that the past continuous is only used for
events that are completed. 

Form the past continuous by adding the conjugated simple past form
of be before the present participle. Yes, the present participle. 

was/were + [PRESENT PARTICIPLE]

They were eating dinner when the phone rang. 

It was raining all day, but we still had fun indoors. 

How to conjugate the future continuous tense

The future continuous tense describes ongoing events that will

happen in the future, specifically if they have a definitive beginning
and end. 

It’s formed by adding the words will be before the present participle. 

will be + [PRESENT PARTICIPLE]

We will be skiing all day Saturday. 

After I quit, you will be begging me to come back to work. 

 How to conjugate the perfect tense

As one of the most confusing tenses in English, the perfect tense

takes some practice. It has very particular usage guidelines—
especially the present perfect—and it’s closely related to the simple
past. 

How to conjugate the present perfect tense

The present perfect tense is used for a few special circumstances,

mostly connected to past events that haven’t yet ended: 

 actions started in the past but continue into the present

 repeated actions in the past without mentioning when 

 past actions, for more emphasis or dramatic effect

To form the present perfect tense, add the present conjugation

of have before the verb’s past participle. 

has/have + [PAST PARTICIPLE]

I’ve worked here since the beginning.   

Macbeth has murdered the king! 

(Macbeth murdered the king! is also correct, but the present perfect
makes it sound more dramatic.)
How to conjugate the past perfect tense

When a sentence has two past events, use the past perfect tense,
also known as the pluperfect, to show which one happened first. It’s
typically used in compound or complex sentences with two clauses to
show the order in which they happened. 

For the past perfect tense by adding had before the past participle. 

had + [PAST PARTICIPLE]

I had forgotten about our date until she reminded me.

When our plane finally landed, they had already left the airport.  

How to conjugate the future perfect tense

The future perfect tense refers to an unfinished event from a future

when it’s already completed. Confused? Say you’re riding your bike
on Saturday. By Sunday, you’ll be finished riding your bike. You can
say, “My bike ride will have finished by Sunday.” That’s why the
future perfect tense is usually used with an expression of time, for
context. 

It’s formed by adding the words will have before the past participle.

You don’t need to conjugate “have,” because it’s the same no matter
what the subject is. 

will have + [PAST PARTICIPLE]

By the time I can vote, I will have graduated already. 

We will have stayed together for twenty-five years in August. 

How to conjugate the perfect continuous
tense

One of the more complicated tenses in English, the perfect

continuous tense combines the perfect and continuous tenses at the
same time. It’s largely used like the perfect tense, but with ongoing or
continuous actions.

How to conjugate the present perfect continuous

tense

The present perfect continuous tense describes an ongoing action

started in the past that continues to the present. If that sounds
familiar, it’s because that’s one of the situations we use the normal
present perfect tense, too. 

So what’s the difference? The present perfect and the present perfect
continuous can often be used interchangeably, but the big difference
is emphasis. The present perfect continuous emphasizes that the
event is ongoing, whereas the present perfect alone emphasizes
completion or achievement. 

To form the present perfect continuous, add the conjugated form

of have, the word been, and the present participle. 

has/have + been + [PRESENT PARTICIPLE]

The town has been mining gold since the 1800s. 

I’ve been locked in my closet for hours! 

How to conjugate the past perfect continuous tense

Like the past perfect, the past perfect continuous tense is used in

complex and compound sentences to show which event happened
first. While the past perfect tense describes an individual action, the
past perfect continuous shows an ongoing action that is already
finished. 

Form the past perfect continuous tense by adding the words had

been before the present participle. 

had been + [PRESENT PARTICIPLE]

Until the moment our picnic began, the sun had been shining all day. 

She had been waiting for a sign before she finally asked him out. 

How to conjugate the future perfect continuous tense

The future perfect continuous tense functions just like the future

perfect tense, except with an ongoing action. The major difference is
that with the future perfect tense, the event will have ended, but with
the future perfect continuous, the event would still be happening by
that time in the future. Both, however, are frequently used with
expressions of time. 

The future perfect continuous tense is formed by adding the

words will have been before the present participle. 

will have been + [PRESENT PARTICIPLE]

In a few weeks, she will have been studying English for a whole
year. 
By 6:00, we will have been stuck in this elevator for four hours. 

3 expert tips on putting verbs into action

1 Use verbs instead of other words for more powerful

writing

Verbs aren’t just necessary for grammar—they’re also the most

helpful words for writing. Whether you’re writing a school essay, work
email, or social media post, try to use verbs over nouns or adjectives
to provide the details. 

This may involve rewording some of your sentences, but your

changes will improve your writing as a whole. Strong writing uses as
few words as possible, so a single verb sounds better than a group of
words that say the same thing. 

He is a proofreader for work. 

He proofreads for work. 

In the end, we were successful. 

In the end, we succeeded. 

2 Use the active voice whenever you can

Although the passive voice is grammatically correct, the active voice

is usually preferred. It follows the same principle mentioned above:
Fewer words mean stronger writing. Not only does the active voice
sound better, but also it’s easier for your reader to understand
because the subject comes first.

Whenever you notice a sentence in the passive voice, see if you can
reword it to say the same thing in the active voice. 

The homecoming game was attended by almost every student. 

Almost every student attended the homecoming game. 

It was there that they found the lost ring. 

They found the lost ring there. 

3 Use specific verbs instead of modifying general

verbs

Our last tip again follows the principle that fewer words are better.
Instead of modifying or describing your verb to get across your
meaning, try using another, more specific verb instead. 

There are thousands of verbs in the English language; instead of

adding words to describe the verb you have, use another more
precise verb to take its place. 

run fast → sprint

talk quietly → whisper

bump into each other → collide

Of course, knowing the right word in every circumstance is not easy,

especially if English isn’t your primary language. Don’t be afraid to
use the Grammarly writing assistant. In addition to catching all
spelling and grammar mistakes while you write, Grammarly can also
suggest better word choice. Grammarly’s writing feedback can
recommend better, stronger verbs with the meaning you’re looking
for, as well as suggest alternatives to words you use over and over
again. Try it and see how your writing improves!