Verbs

The point

A verb is an action or a state: run, work, be, have. A basic sentence needs one. The dictionary form is the base: work, not works.

Form and use

A verb can show an action or link the subject to a complement. Action verbs include run, open, and write. Linking verbs do not show an action. In this unit the linking verbs are be, seem, and become. She is tired. The plan seems clear. He became a coach. Tired, clear, and a coach are subject complements. They describe or rename the subject. They are not objects.

A transitive verb needs an object. The action passes to it. She opened the door. Door is the object. An intransitive verb takes no object. The baby slept. The guests arrived. You cannot say The baby slept the bed. Some verbs do both. She runs every day has no object. She runs a cafe has an object.

A regular verb builds the past and the past participle with -ed: work, worked. An irregular verb does not: go, went, gone. You learn irregular past forms one by one. The -s form is still built in the usual way for most of them: works, goes. Do not add -ed to an irregular past.

A main verb has five forms. Here is one regular verb and one irregular verb. work works worked working worked go goes went going gone The five names are the base, the -s form, the past, the -ing form, and the past participle. Use the base after to and after do, and with I, you, we, and they in the present. Use the -s form with he, she, and it. Use the past for a finished time. Use the -ing form after be. The past participle of work matches the past. The past participle of go does not: gone, not went. She has gone is right. She has went is wrong.

Don't translate it like this

The line needs a verb. Is is that verb.

Short examples