What are Verbs?

Let’s start by defining verbs. If you look up verb in the dictionary, it says: a word used to describe an action, state or occurrence. There are three main types of verbs: action verbs, helping verbs and linking verbs.

Verb Examples

Check out these examples of each type of verb to help your students (and you) gain a better understanding of the verb types.

a) Action Verbs

The action verb is the type students are mostly likely familiar with. Action verbs describe what someone or something does. Here are some examples:

• jump
• sit
• run
• walk
• think
• read
• sleep

b) Helping Verbs

Helping verbs help the main verb describe the action. Examples:

• am
• could
• have
• are
• was
• had
• would
• were

c) Linking Verbs

Linking verbs describe a condition. You could say they link a subject to a noun or adjective in a sentence. Here are some examples:

• is
• am
• are
• was
• being
• been
• were

d) Irregular Verbs

These are verbs that don’t follow the “-ed” pattern when in the past tense. Examples:

• wear-wore
• feel-felt
• draw-drew
• fly-flew
• speak-spoke
• catch-caught
• do-did