English 430
Verbs
Verbs are the only part of speech in English which are inflected to show person, number and tense.
Verbs are also the only part of speech which are absolutely essential to sentences. It is possible to construct
sentences which contain only a verb: Stop! Run! There are three major types of verbs: full, primary and
auxiliary. Full verbs may function as the main verb of a verb phrase; auxiliary verbs can only function as
helping verbs. However, primary verbs overlap the other two categories. They may function as either main
verbs or auxiliaries.
Full
Go
Run
Think
Believe
Recognize
Primary
Be
Do
Have
(Get)
Auxiliary
Can/Could
Shall/Should
Will/Would
May/Might
Must
Ought to
Also, there are two types of full verbs: action verbs and linking verbs. Full verbs are also often categorized
according to whether they will take direct objects (transitive verbs) or not (intransitive verbs). Many but not all
action verbs take direct objects; linking verbs never do. Clauses with linking verbs as the main verb must be
completed by complements or adverbs. The following chart does not list all the main verbs or all the linking
verbs.
Action Verbs
Run
Throw
Hit
Think
Give
Linking Verbs
Be
Seem
Remain
Look
Sound
Taste
Smell
Feel
In addition, there are two types of auxiliary verbs: primary verbs and modals. Primary verbs can do anything
full verbs can in addition to being helping verbs, but the modals (can/could/, shall/should, will/would,
may/might, must, ought to) are always helping verbs, they are always marked for tense, but never for person or
number, and they have no present participle or past participle forms.
Examples:
Full verb
I recognize the girl from my class.
Transitive action verb
I gave her a book.
Intransitive action verb
I arrived early for my class.
Intransitive linking verb
She looks happy.
Modal auxiliary
I will recognize the girl from my class.
Primary verb functioning as main verb
That is the girl from my class.
Primary verb functioning as helping verb
I didn’t recognize the girl from my class.