Verbs are words that describe actions, states, feelings, possession, or events. They are one of the most important parts of a sentence because they tell us what happens. Verbs in English can change form depending on the tense, subject, or structure.
Main Types of Verbs in English
We can separate verbs into these categories. It helps us understand how they work in a sentence
Analyse the sentences below:
We are studying English.
You should sleep more.
They are great people.
I can’t forget that day.
You don’t have to have a printed boarding pass anymore.
‘are‘ is auxiliary; ‘studying‘ is action.
‘should‘ is modal; ‘sleep‘ is action.
‘be‘ is a state verb.
‘can’t‘ is modal; ‘forget‘ is a state verb.
‘don’t‘ is auxiliary; ‘have to‘ is semi-modal; ‘have‘ is a state verb.
Verb Forms
Action and state verbs have different forms. We use them in different verb tenses. Check the table below.
| Verb form | Example with “go” | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Base form | go | infinitives, present simple, after modals |
| Third person singular | goes | he/she/it in present simple |
| Past Simple Past Subjunctive | went | finished past actions; past subjunctive |
| Past Participle | gone | perfect tenses; passive voice |
| Present Participle Gerund (-ing form) | going | continuous tenses; as nouns or adjectives |
Some verb forms are regular, while others are irregular.
Regular and Irregular Verbs
| Type | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Regular verbs | usually add -ed | work → worked |
| Irregular verbs | change differently | go → went → gone |
Here’s a list of irregular verbs. It is organized by patterns.
Verb Patterns
Verb patterns are the grammatical structures that follow verbs. Different verbs are followed by different forms such as infinitives, gerunds, objects, prepositions, or clauses.
Verb + infinitive
Examples:
want to go; need to leave
Verb + gerund
Examples:
enjoy reading; stop eating;
We can see other different verbs patterns in the topics below:
Exercises on Verbs in English
Pasts (simple, continuous, perfect): TestEnglish | Engblocks | Gynome | LiveWorksheets | MyEnglishPath | Wordwall
Mixed Future Tenses: Englisch-Hilfen | Ego4u
All Verb Tenses Mixed: AnglaisFacile-ToBe | UsingEnglish-ShortAnswers | Learn English Today | Ego4u-Course | Ego4u-London | Ego4u-Ireland