Language Arts This verbs overview defines verbs, and covers action verbs, linking verbs, verb tenses, verbs in active and passive voice, verb moods, and modal auxiliary verbs. Keep reading for more information about verbs and their use.

Verbs are a crucial element of sentences, expressing actions and making links between subjects and material that is predicated on them. Verbs are part of verb phrases which can consist of the verb alone or the verb along with auxiliary verbs. Here are some examples:

•  stomped
•  has been stomping

The verb phrase forms part of the predicate of a sentence. The main verb is referred to as the head of the verb phrase.

Types of Verbs

Main verbs can be divided into categories a number of ways. One common approach is to talk about action verbs and linking verbs.

            Action Verbs

Action verbs may name an action that is outward and physical (as do the verbs put, climb, and rip) or inward and mental (as do the verbs think, love, and plan).

Action verbs are generally divided into two categories: transitive verbs and intransitive verbs. Transitive verbs require an object. For example, you cannot use the words Joshua injured* as a complete sentence because injured requires an object. The sentence could end in a number of possible ways:

Pronoun ending: Joshua injured himself.

Noun ending: Joshua injured Albert.

Noun phrase ending: Joshua injured the large bully.

etc.

Intransitive verbs do not require, and cannot take, an object. For example, nothing is needed to complete the sentence Rhonda sighed.

            Linking Verbs

Linking verbs connect the subject of the sentence with a predicate nominative or predicate adjective that modifies it. You can think of it as making a modifying noun phrase into a sentence.

Predicate adjectives: The big pink balloon --->The balloon is big and pink.

Predicate nominatives: President Abraham Lincoln --->Abraham Lincoln was president.

The common linking verbs are:

appear	feel	remain	sound
be	grow	seem	stay
become	look	smell	taste

Verb Tenses

Tense is how verbs show the time of the action or predication. In English we have past tense verbs, present tense verbs, and future tense verbs. The names of the tenses are as follows:

Present:	Past:	Future:
Simple Present play	Simple Past played	Future will play
Present Progressive is playing	Past Progressive were playing	Present Perfect Progressive has been playing
Present Perfect has played	Past Perfect had played	Future Perfect will have played

Note that though the present perfect progressive tense does not explicitly reference the future, the fact that an action is going on in the moment that the present perfect progressive statement is made suggests that it's very likely to be going on in the following moment, which is future time.

Verbs reflect the tenses in their forms. Verbs that follow a regular pattern for forming the tenses are called regular verbs. Verbs that do not follow the regular pattern are called irregular verbs. The verbs patterns are often captured in a shorthand explanation of the pattern called the verb's principal parts.

The additional verbs that you see in the lists above besides forms of play (is, has, were, had, will, been, have) are examples of auxiliary verbs. Auxiliary verbs, sometimes called helping verbs, is the name for these verbs and another category of verbs called modal verbs. We'll get to them in a moment.

Active and Passive Voice

Another quality of verbs besides tense if voice. The two voices are active voice and passive voice. Active voice verbs (the tenses of which are demonstrated in the lists above) are used when the subject performs the action. Passive voice verbs are used when the subject is acted upon, rather than acting. Here are some examples of active and passive voice for comparison:

Active: Zed played the ace of spades.

Passive: The ace of spades was played by Zed.

Active: You can use the egg beater now.

Passive: The egg beater can be used now.

Verb Moods

Besides voice and tense, verbs have mood. In English the three moods are indicative, imperative, and subjunctive. Indicative verbs are those characteristically used in declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences. Imperative mood is used, unsurprisingly, in imperative sentences. Subjunctive mood is used to express wishes and observations that are contrary to fact. The form of the main verb is identical in most of the constructions. Here is an example:

Indicative (The sentence is simply recording Jody's action): Jody sings.

Imperative (Jody is being asked or ordered to sing): Jody, sing!

Subjunctive (The speaker is supposing she is Jody, which is not the case): If I were Jody, I would sing louder!

Subjunctive (The speaker lobbied for something that was not yet the case): I suggested to the principal that Jody be allowed to sing.

Subjunctive (The speaker is expressing a wish): Would that Jody sang louder!

Modal Auxiliary Verbs

Because the words mood and modal seem related, it is easy to confuse the modal auxiliary verbs with the moods of English verbs, but they are distinct items. The modal auxiliaries - forms of can, may, must, shall, and will - are used to express ability,  permission and prohibition, possibility, probability, necessity, obligation, desirability, and requests. Here are some examples:

No modal: Juanita walks her ferret on a leash.

Can: Juanita can walk her ferret on a leash.

May: Juanita may walk her ferret on a leash.

Must: Juanita must walk her ferret on a leash.

Shall: Juanita shall walk her ferret on a leash.

Will: Juanita will walk her ferret on a leash.