Difinition Of Action Verb.docx

1. Action Verb A. Difinition of Action Verb Action verbs are verbs that specifically describe what the subject of the sentence is doing. These types of verbs carry a great deal of information in a sentence and serve to make the sentence complete (remember that all sentences need a subject and a verb). In English, there are thousands of verbs that convey subtle changes in meaning, so it's important to choose the right one. For example, the verb "to go" imparts a relatively vague sense of motion, while "to run" is more specific to add speed while "to stroll" is slower and more leisurely. Understanding action verbs will make students better writers and communicators. Below is a list of commonly used action verbs

Act Agree Arrive Ask Bake Bring Build Buy Call Climb Close Come Cry Dance Dream Drink Eat Enter Exit Fall Fix

Give Go Grab Help Hit Hop Insult Joke Jump Kick Laugh Leave Lift Listen Make March Move Nod Open Play Push

Read Ride Run Send Shout Sing Sit Smile Spend Stand Talk Think Throw Touch Turn Visit Vote Wait Walk Write Yell

B. Examples of Action Verbs in Sentences The following are examples of how action verbs are used in sentences, keep in mind that you can use more than one action verb in a sentence. The action verb is underlined in each sentence. Remember that action verbs don't have to describe movement; the action can be mental. 

Anthony is throwing the football.



She accepted the job offer.



He thought about his stupid mistake in the test.



John visited his friend for a while and then went home.



The dog ran across the yard.

2. Physical Verb Physical verbs are action verbs. They describe specific physical actions. If you can create a motion with your body or use a tool to complete an action, the word you use to describe it is most likely a physical verb. Physical Verb Examples The physical verb examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification. 

Let’s run to the corner and back.



I hear the train coming.



Call me when you’re finished with class

3. Mental Verbs Literally, mental refers to anything related to mind or intellectual process and Verbs are words which show actions. Therefore, Mental Verbs refer to cognitive (that deals with logic) state in which actions are mostly abstract. These Verbs give meaning which is mostly unsuitable for outside evaluation as they are not so concrete actions. However, we can evaluate these types of verbs through our knowledge. Mental Verbs provide meanings which

are connected with our sensory capabilities, deciding, understanding and planning. Mental/Static verbs are can be understood more clearly with the following examples: Feel Like Love Hate Realize Mind Know Hope Wish

Understand Impress Astonish Remember Forget Surprise Concern Recognize Know

Taste Hear Smell See Look Feel Please Learn Notice

Promise Prefer Own Mind Doubt Want Dislike Decide Perceive

A. Always Remember The words like see, think, feel, taste, smell etc. do not mean literally. They all refer to opinions. Examples:  I can see the future. (No one can actually see) I can smell. Something is fishy. (Situations cannot be smelt literally but understood) Hope you got the taste of failure. (Who can taste failure with tongue?) I think I like you. (Think here means the subject believes) Instead of ignoring what I say, hear me out this time. (Hear in the sentence means to value what subject has been saying) B. Mental Verbs are real verbs We should not be confused thinking whether these are real verbs or not. Mental Verbs also refer to actions even if they are Invisible. Examples:  I decided to go to Africa this fall. (We cannot see it but only know it when somebody tells us) He expects you to understand. (Expects here means the subject hopes) Can you promise to work harder? (Promise in the sentence means assurance which is only an understanding that the action will take place) Did I surprise you? (Surprise means taken aback) You seem to be impressed by her. (Seem and impressed both can’t be seen until shown in expression or told) In this way, we can say that Mental Verbs are Interpretive as they tend to explain what seems obscure (difficult to understand).

C. Points to Remember Mental Verbs are mostly used with Present Perfect Tense as this tense states the completion of a work. This tense is used as Mental Verbs are not regarded as progressive. Mental verbs are also called Copular Verbs. D. Mental and Performative Meanings "[T]he meanings of mental verbs are propositional: when a speaker uses the verb recognize as a mental verb, e.g. in the sentence Of course I recognize your handwriting, the speaker refers only to his or her role as the experiencer of a mental process. In contrast, the performative meaning of recognize, as in the sentence I hereby recognize Mr. Smith, presupposes interpersonal elements inherent to the speech act situation, such as the social relationship between the speaker and interlocutors." In traditional grammar and pedagogical grammar, a verb that does not show action but instead indicates a state of being. In other words, a state-of-being verb identifies who or what a noun is, was, or will be. Contrast with verb of doing (dynamic verb).Although in English most being verbs are forms of to be ( am, are, is, was, were, will be, being, been), other verbs (such as become, seem, appear) can also function as verbs of being. Examples: 

Smith is strange. (is shows a state of existence)



Smith will always be my friend. (will be shows a state of existence)



Smith has been here for a week. (has been shows a state of existence)



Smith was away last week. (was shows a state of existence)

4. Linking Verb A linking verb is a verb which connects a subject to its predicate without expressing an action. A linking verb is used to re-identify or describe its subject.

The word, phrase, or clause which follows a linking verb to re-identify or describe the subject is called the subject complement. A. A List of Linking Verbs The most common linking verb is the verb to be. Other common ones relate to the five senses (to look, to feel, to smell, to sound, and to taste). Here is a list of common linking verbs:      

to be (In all its forms, e.g., am, is, are, was, were, will be, was being, has been.) to appear to be to become to feel to look

B. Linking Verb Examples Here are some examples of linking verbs used in sentences with the linking verbs in bold:            

William is excited about his promotion. She appears upset about the announcement. The eggs smell rotten. He went red after tripping on the rug. Your plans for the wedding sound nice. You look exhausted after studying all night. I am putty in his hands. Maria might have been more forthcoming with the news. Tom acted nervous when the teacher found the note. The audience fell silent when the conductor walked on stage. Dreams come true when we believe in them. The crowd stayed calm in spite of the imminent threat.

Examples of Linking Verbs Used to Re-identify the Subject Here are some examples of linking verbs (shaded) re-identifying the subject:   

Alan is a beast. His father was the headmaster. This project is a disaster.

Examples of Linking Verbs Modifying (Describing) the Subject Here are some examples of linking verbs (shaded) modifying the subject:

Alan seems drunk. The soup smells delicious. His voice sounds flat. Linking Verbs Are Not Action Verbs The verbs to be, to become, and to seem are always linking verbs. They always link the subject to the predicate to re-identify or describe it. However, the other verbs in the list above are not always linking verbs. Remember, linking verbs do not express an action. However, some of the verbs in our list can express an action. For example: 

He smells the soup. (In this example, smells is not a linking verb. This time, it is an action verb. It has taken a direct object. He is doing something to the soup.)



Tony smells awful. (In this example, smells is a linking verb. It links the subject Tony to the adjective awful to modify Tony.)

Linking Verbs in the Passive Voice and Progressive TenseThe verb to be is used to form the passive voice and the progressive tenses. For example: 

He was painted. (This is the passive voice.)



He is frustrating. (This is the present progressive tense.)

As past participles (here, painted) and present participles (here, frustrating) are classified as adjectives, the constructions above are no different from these: 

He was happy.



He is happy.

Therefore, the "to be" part of a passive construction (here, was painted) and a verb tense (here, is frustrating) can be considered a linking verb.

5. Main Verb vs Auxiliary Verb The main verb is also called the lexical verb or the principal verb. This term refers to the important verb in the sentence, the one that typically shows the action or state of being of the subject. Main verbs can stand alone, or they can be used with a helping verb, also called an auxiliary verb. Helping verbs do just what they sound like they do—they help! Different helping verbs help or support the main verb in different ways. For instance, they can show tense (which indicates when an action happened), ability, intention, or possibility. The primary helping verbs are to be, to do, and to have. To better understand how helping verbs support main verbs, consider the examples below: 

I am driving to the beach. Here, the auxiliary verb “am” (a form of to be) lets the reader or listener know

that the main verb in the sentence—in this case, “driving”—is happening continuously in the present. Different forms of to be could be used as a helping verb to explain when the driving is occurring (e.g., was driving, will drive, or had been driving). 

I did empty the trash. In this sentence, the helping verb “did” (a form of to do) emphasizes the main

verb, which is “empty.” For instance, if your mother instructed you to take out the trash and you already did it, you wouldn’t likely say, “I emptied the trash.” Instead, you would say, “I did empty the trash!” 

I had seen the movie before. Here, the auxiliary verb “had” (a form of to have) is used to express the past

perfect tense, which indicates that the action of the sentence occurred at an earlier time in the past. For example, if someone told you they “saw” a movie, you may think they just finished watching it. If they say they “had seen” it, however, you would know that they went to the movies at some earlier time.

Auxiliary (or Helping) Verbs Auxiliary (or Helping) verbs are used together with a main verb to show the verb’s tense or to form a negative or question. The most common auxiliary verbs are have, be, and do. 

Does Sam write all his own reports?



The secretaries haven’t written all the letters yet.



Terry is writing an e-mail to a client at the moment. Auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs, add functional or grammatical

meaning to the clauses in which they appear. They perform their functions in several different ways: 

By expressing tense ( providing a time reference, i.e. past, present, or future)



Grammatical aspect (expresses how verb relates to the flow of time)



Modality (quantifies verbs)



Voice (describes the relationship between the action expressed by the verb and the participants identified by the verb’s subject, object, etc.)



Adds emphasis to a sentence

Auxiliary verbs almost always appear together with a main verb, and though there are only a few of them, they are among the most frequently occurring verbs in the English language. How to Identify an Auxiliary Verb You probably know that every sentence has at least one verb in it. There are two main types of verbs. Action verbs are used to depict activities that are doable, and linking verbs are used to describe conditions. Both action verbs and linking verbs can accompany auxiliary verbs including the three main ones: do, be, and have.

Sometimes actions or conditions occur only one time and then they’re over. It’s at times like these that some of the same verbs that are used as auxiliary verbs are instead used as action or linking verbs. In this example, we see the word “is”. This is one of the most common auxiliary verbs, but because it stands alone here, it is not functioning as an auxiliary verb. Three Common Auxiliary Verbs There are just three common auxiliary verbs: 

Have



Do



Be

In this section, we’ll take a closer look at how these common verbs work, plus you’ll see some examples. Have “Have” is a very important verb that can stand alone in all its tenses, including has, have, having, had, and hadn’t or had not. It is usually used to denote ownership, and it can also be used to discuss ability or describe appearance. “Have” is also a very popular substitute for the verbs “eat” and “drink.” For example: “Let’s have dinner.” do “Do” can be used as an action verb that stands alone in all its tenses, including to do, do, does, done, did and didn’t, doesn’t or did not . Be “Be” or “to be” is an important verb that has a multitude of uses in English. It can be used as an action verb that stands alone in all its tenses including be, to be, been, am, are, is, was, were, wasn’t, was not aren’t, are not, weren’t and were not.

6. Transitive and Intransitive A transitive verb is one that is used with an object: a noun, phrase, or pronoun that refers to the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb. In the following sentences, admire, maintain, face, and love are transitive verbs:    

I admire your courage. We need to maintain product quality. I couldn’t face him today. She loves animals..

Here is a short list of some common verbs that can take a direct and indirect object: Verb

Example

Give

Pat gave me a book for my birthday.

Buy

Can I buy you a drink?

Pass

Paul passed her a cup of coffee.

Make

Shall I make us some lunch?

Sell

Jenny was trying to sell me her car.

Take

We took Maria some flowers and wine.

Show

Show me your holiday photos.

Offer

The company has offered me a job.

Leave

Leave me a message and I’ll get back to you.

Wish

Everyone wished us all the best for the future.

Lend

Could you lend me £20?

Cost

Ben’s mistake cost him his job.

Intransitive verbs

An intransitive verb does not have an object. In the following sentences, cry, work, laugh, and talk are intransitive verbs:         

The baby was crying. I work for a large firm in Paris. They laughed uncontrollably. We talked for hours. Many verbs can be transitive or intransitive. For example: The choir sang carols. [transitive] Pete always sings in the bath. [intransitive] She left London on June 6. [transitive] I want to leave early. [intransitive]

Here is a short list of some common verbs that can be transitive or intransitive: Verb

Transitive

Intransitive

move

Could you move your car The trees were moving in the breeze. please?

start

Taylor was found guilty of The match starts at 3 p.m. starting the fire.

change

Marriage hasn’t changed her. The area’s changed greatly in the last decade.

close

Close your eyes; I’ve got a Most shops here close at 5.30 p.m. surprise for you.

open

Open the window; it’s too hot The museum opens at 10 a.m. in here!

stop

Greg tried to stop her from When the rain stopped, we went for a leaving.

do

Have

walk. you

done

your Joe’s doing well in his new job.

coursework? set

Kate set a chair next to the bed. The sun was setting and a red glow

filled the sky. run

Michelle

used

to

run

a The path ran over the hill.

restaurant. live

Our cat lived till he was 10.

He was living a life of luxury abroad.

wash

Have you washed your hands? I washed, dressed, and went out.

write

Write your name here.

Kevin couldn’t read or write.

7. Verbs – mood and tense Indicative mood            

Read the sentences given below. The sun rises in the east. My sister lives in Paris. She works for an insurance company. Bernard Shaw was a great writer. As you can see, these are all simple statements of fact. Now look at these sentences. What are you doing there? When does the train leave for Manchester? What is the price of this radio? As you can see, these are all plain questions. When a verb is used to state a fact or to ask a question, it is said to be in the indicative mood.

Imperative mood A sentence which contains a command, a piece of advice or a request is said to be in the imperative mood. Sentences beginning with let are also in the imperative mood. Examples are given below. Shut Keep Please Let him go.

the take

Subjunctive mood

this

door. quiet. file

with

you.

(Order) (Order) (Request)

The subjunctive mood is not very common in modern English. It is a kind of present simple tense. It doesn’t take the marker –s in the third person singular.It is important that every child get an opportunity to learn.

8. Inflection In grammar, inflection or inflexion – sometimes called accidence – is the modification of a word to express different grammatical categories such as tense, case, voice, aspect, person, number, gender, and mood. The inflection of verbs is also called conjugation, and one can refer to the inflection of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, determiners, participles, prepositions, postpositions, numerals, articles etc, as declension.An inflection expresses one or more grammatical categories with a prefix, suffix or infix, or another internal modification such as a vowel change.[1] For example, the Latin verb ducam, meaning "I will lead", includes the suffix -am, expressing person (first), number (singular), and tense (future). The use of this suffix is an inflection. In contrast, in the English clause "I will lead", the word lead is not inflected for any of person, number, or tense; it is simply the bare form of a verb. The inflected form of a word often contains both one or more free morphemes (a unit of meaning which can stand by itself as a word), and one or more bound morphemes (a unit of meaning which cannot stand alone as a word). For example, the English word cars is a noun that is inflected for number, specifically to express the plural; the content morpheme car is unbound because it could stand alone as a word, while the suffix -s is bound because it cannot stand alone as a word. These two morphemes together form the inflected word cars.Words that are never subject to inflection are said to be invariant; for example, the English verb must is an invariant item: it never takes a suffix or changes form to signify a different grammatical category. Its categories can be determined only from its context. Inflectional paradigm A class of words with similar inflection rules is called an inflectional paradigm. Typically, the similar rules amount to a unique set of affixes. Nominal inflectional paradigms are also called declensions, and verbal inflectional paradigms are also called conjugations. For example, Old English nouns could be divided into two major declensions, strong and weak, inflected as shown below: