Verb Terminology

There is a lot of grammatical terminology associated with verbs. Below are explanations of the most
commom terms. (There is a more comprehensive list in our Glossary of Terms.)

INFINITIVE FORM

When a verb is preceded by the word to, it is said to be in its infinitive form (i.e., its most basic form).

 I have to smoke that!

(to smoke - infinitive form of the verb)

PAST TENSE

Verbs that express actions in the past are said to be in the past tense.

 He talked with more claret than clarity. (Susan Ertz)

(talked - past tense of the verb to talk)

 I ran to the lake.

(ran - past tense of the verb to run)

 They were all there.

(were - past tense of the verb to be)

PRESENT TENSE

Verbs that express present actions are said to be in the present tense.

 John jumps out the window.

(jumps - present tense of the verb to jump)

 Who is ill?

(is - present tense of the verb to be)

 He is the kind of a guy who lights up a room just by flicking a switch.

(is - present tense of the verb to be)

(lights up - present tense of the verb to light up)
FUTURE TENSE

Verbs that express actions in the future are said to be in the future tense. These are usually formed by
preceding the verb with the word will.

 I will take the blame.

(will take - future tense of the verb to take)

 They will surrender.

(will surrender - future tense of the verb to surrender)

 Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth. (Archimedes, 287-212 BC)

(will move - future tense of the verb to move)

SUBJECT OF A VERB
The person or thing performing the action of the verb is said to be the subject of the verb or the subject of
the sentence.

 Tony stole the boat.

(Tony - subject of the verb to steal)

 The dog is guilty.

(The dog - subject of the verb to be)

 Who was that?

(Who - subject of the verb to be, i.e., was)

DIRECT OBJECT OF A VERB

Many verbs perform an action on something. This is called the direct object of the verb.

 Terry kissed her hand.

(her hand - direct object of the verb to kiss)

 Beverly can eat a whole chicken.

(a whole chicken - direct object of the verb to eat)

INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Some verbs cannot have a direct object. These verbs are called intransitive verbs.

 The rain fell heavily.

(The rain fell, but it did not perform an action on anything. In this example, the verb to fall is an
intransitive verb.)

 Jack protested in the street.

(Jack protested, but he did not perform an action on anything. In this example, the verb to protest is
an intransitive verb.)

TRANSITIVE VERBS

Verbs that can have a direct object (most of them) are called transitive verbs.

 Barney copied the answer.

(The verb copied is a transitive verb. The direct object of the verb is the answer.)

 Terry saw a black fin cutting through the water.

(The verb saw is a transitive verb. The direct object of the verb is a black fin.)

INDIRECT OBJECT OF A VERB

Some verbs have two objects, a direct object and an indirect object. The indirect object is the person or thing
for whom the action was performed.

 Jamie read the children a story.

(a story - direct object; the children - indirect object)

 I will bake him a cake.

(a cake - direct object; him - indirect object) 

 The postman gives Anne a letter every day.

(a letter - direct object; Anne - indirect object)

PASSIVE SENTENCE

The subject of a sentence does not always do the action of the verb. Sometimes, the action is done to the
subject. Such sentences are called passive sentences because the subjects are being passive, i.e., not doing
anything. 

 Carl was arrested.

(Carl is not doing anything, but he is the subject of the sentence.)

(Note: Carl is the subject of the verb to be, i.e., was.)
Passive verbs always comprise two parts (was arrested in this example). The person doing the action of the
verb in a passive sentence is usually shown with the word by.

 Carl was arrested by PC Adams.

Passive verbs are said to be in the passive voice. Passive sentences can be quite useful:

 The carpet was damaged.

(This is a passive sentence. No one is blamed for damaging the carpet.)

 Mark damaged the carpet.

(A passive sentence contrasts with an active sentence (where the subject performs the verb). This
example is an active sentence. It tells us that Mark damaged the carpet.)

ACTIVE SENTENCE

Active sentences are the opposite to passive sentences. In an active sentence, the subject of the verb
performs the action.

 We damaged the carpet.

(This is an active sentence. We is the subject. We damaged the carpet.)

 Jamie read a story.

(This is an active sentence. Jamie is the subject. Jamie read a story.)

CONJUGATION OF VERBS

A verb will change its form a little depending on the subject. For example:

 I write.
 He writes.
 The jackal laughs.
 The jackals laugh.

When verbs change in this way, it is known as conjugation. A verb conjugates according to the subject. The
subject of a verb can be in one of six forms:

 I
 You
 He / She / It
 We
 You
 They

The first three are the singular forms (known as first person singular, second person singular, and third
person singular). The second three are the plural forms (known as first person plural, second person plural
and third person plural).

All subjects fit into one of these categories. For example, jackal is like he (i.e., third person singular) and
jackals is like they (i.e., third person plural). (This subject rarely causes problems for native English
speakers, who conjugate verbs correctly without much thought.)

Interestingly, this is the origin of the insurance term third party (i.e., it's insurance covering actions by
"them").

PARTICIPLES
Participles are formed from verbs. There are two types: present participles and past participles. Present
participles end -ing. Past participles have various endings (e.g., -ed, -en). Below is a table showing some
participles:

Verb Present Participle Past Participle

to sing singing sung
to drive driving driven
to go going gone
to rise rising risen
to watch watching watched
to be being been

Participles are classified as adjectives. (Note: When a verb form (like a participle) functions as an adjective
or a noun, it is known as a verbal.) Below are some examples of participles being used as adjectives:

 Our business is badly affected by the soaring price of wool.

(The word soaring is a present participle. Here, it is being used as an adjective to describe price.)

 He is a forgotten hero.
 (The word forgotten is a past participle. Here, it is being used as an adjective to describe hero.)
START A NEW SENTENCE

The verb is the most important part of speech - you cannot form a sentence without one. That said, once you
have formed a sentence (i.e., expressed a complete idea), you should put a full stop (or period ) and end
the sentence. Do not insert a comma and continue writing. This is a very common mistake. It is known as a
run on comma or run on sentence. This is covered in more detail in the lesson run-on errors. For example:

 Pick up a copy of our free brochure, this explains how to contact us and reach our showroom.
 Do not be put off by the road works, we are still here, come and visit us.

(Occasionally, it may be appropriate to use a dash or a semicolon instead of a full stop. See the lesson
Extend a Sentence.)

BEING OR BEEN

Some writers occasionally confuse the words being and been. As a rule, the word been is always used after
have (in any form, e.g., has, had, will have). The word being is never used after have. For example:

 I have been busy.

 Terry has being taking the stores to the shelter.

(being cannot follow has)

(Although a past participle, been is not used as an adjective. Therefore, it must be used with have, which is
its auxiliary verb. The auxiliary verb for being, on the other hand, is to be.)

BEWARE: SPLIT INFINITIVES

Placing another word between to and its verb is called a split infinitive and is considered by some to be a
mistake. For example:

 You have to really try.

(The infinitive verb to try is split by the word really.)

 ...to boldly go where no man has gone before.

(The infinitive verb to go is split by the word boldly.)

WHO OR WHOM?

Who is always the subject of a verb. However, whom is never the subject of a verb. That is the difference
between the two. (Covered more in the lesson Who and Whom.)

PASSIVE OR ACTIVE?

Many businesses encourage their staff to use active sentences in their writing. This is because they consider
the structure of passive sentences to be less flowing and the tone more flowery. For this reason, the
Microsoft Word grammar checker often suggests an active version of a passive sentence. For example:

 The hook-shaped shoreline was eroded by time. (passive sentence)  

 Time eroded the hook-shaped shoreline. (active sentence / This version would be suggested by
Word's grammar checker. However, if you prefer the passive version - stick with it.)