How to identify verbs

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Verbs are the most important words in sentences. A verb is an action word. That means it refers to some sort of activity. Identifying verbs is easy. Here are a few tips.

Verbs typically exhibit the following properties:

1. They can be used with modal auxiliary verbs like will, can, would, could, may, might, must, should etc.

2. A typical verb has three forms: the base form, simple past and past participle.

3. They have -ing forms.

4. They can be preceded by the infinitive marker to.

5. They can take the marker -s in the simple present tense.

Note that some of these properties can only be exhibited by verbs in the present tense. If you encounter simple past or past participle forms, you should be able to change them into their base form. For example, if you find a word like broke, you must be able to immediately recognize that it is the simple past tense form of the word break.

Now that you have learned about the basic properties of verbs, you should be able to identify them.

Let's consider the word speak. Is it a verb? Yes, it is.

We can use the word speak with modal auxiliaries.

The word speak also has a past tense (spoke) and a past participle (spoken) form. What's more, it can be preceded by the marker to.

Speak also has an -ing form: speaking

Exercise

Identify the verbs in the following sentences.

1. Vimala can knit beautiful sweaters.

2. She works hard to support her family.

3. Devika wants to become a doctor.

4. Nurses look after sick people.

5. My mother made a beautiful cake on my birthday.

Answers

Knit, works, wants, look and made

Sections in this article

Transformation of sentences - I
Transformation of sentences - II
Transformation of a Simple sentence into a compound sentence
Transformation of a compound sentence into a simple sentence
Transformation of a simple sentence into a complex sentence
Transformation of a complex sentence into a simple sentence
Transformation of sentences containing too
Interchange of degrees of comparison
Combining two sentences using too...to and so...that
How to combine two sentences using too...to

See Also

Exclamations
Exclamations exercise
Exclamations: common errors
Common mistakes with pronouns - Part 2
Common errors with adjectives - part 1
Common errors with adjectives - part 2

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