Verbs in English: Definition, Types, Examples, and Usage

Verb Definition

Verb Definition: Have you ever wondered exactly what a verb is? A verb is a word or group of words that expresses an action, an occurrence, or a state of existence, such as 'happen,' 'be,' or 'do.' In simple terms, verbs are the engines of a sentence. In English Grammar, we use verbs to describe what subjects do (actions) and how they exist (states of being). 

To better understand how verbs function, consider these simple examples:

“I am reading this article.”  In this sentence, the word 'reading' acts as the verb, describing a specific ongoing action. 

“Jacob walks in the morning.” Here, 'walks' is the verb, indicating a habitual action performed by the subject.

“Stephen is going to school.” In this instance, 'is going' serves as the verb, describing the state of an action in progress.

Verb Examples

Verbs are a foundational element of the English language and are classified under the Parts of Speech. Let’s explore additional examples of how these verbs are utilized.

Sentence	Verb Used
He complained to the police.	complained
School offers many opportunities to learn new skills.	offers, learn
Amit is jogging regularly to reduce fat.	jogging, reduce
His friend was trembling with anger when he lost all his books while travelling to Delhi.	trembling, lost, travelling
The radio broadcast last night that it will rain on Monday.	broadcast, rain

Verb Examples List

We have provided a detailed list of common verb examples below. Studying these verb forms will help you expand your vocabulary and improve your overall English fluency.

Verb Examples
Drink	Read
Sing	Sit
Ring	Cut
Choose	Buy
Write	Mark
Gain	Match
Grant	Move
Cool	Enjoy
Believe	Explain
Bring	Open
Admire	Order
Fail	Offer
Break	Draw
Agree	Push
Amaze	Prefer
Amuse	Plan
Appear	Play
Arrive	Throw
Ask	RingRepair
Behave	Become
Borrow	Flee
Blame	Stand
Belong	Pull
Believe	Save
Call	Slow
Cool	Sneeze
Carry	Solve
Cause	Start
Clear	Stop
Climb	Draw
Enjoy	Plan
Explain	Play
Hunt	Become
Ignore	Flee
FightImprove	Save
Impress	Slow
Invite	Sneeze
Jog	Solve
Jump	Start
Join	Stop
Knock	Tumble
Last	Enjoy
Label	Explain
Learn	Open
Live	Order
Look	Offer
Love	Push
Prefer	Provide

Verb Meaning in Hindi

'क्रिया' (Kriya) is the Hindi term for a verb. A verb is an essential part of speech taught in both English and Hindi curricula. In Hindi, the definition is: क्रिया एक शब्द है जिसका प्रयोग कुछ कार्य, भावना या अस्तित्व को व्यक्त करने के लिए किया जाता है. यह हमें एक वाक्य में विषय के बारे में कुछ बताता है | जैसे; सोना, जागना, पढ़ना, घूमना, नाचना, बात करना, समझना, पूछना आदि |

Types of Verb

English grammar categorizes verbs into two primary types, which are detailed in the classification below.

Verbs	1- Auxiliary Verbs
	2- Main Verbs

 Auxiliary verbs, also known as 'helping verbs,' work alongside main verbs. Below is a further breakdown of the differences between Auxiliary and Main verbs.

Auxiliary Verbs	1-Primary
	2-Modal

Main Verbs	1-Intransitive
	2-Transitive

Auxiliary Verb

As their name implies, helping verbs (or auxiliary verbs) support the main verb to clarify tense, mood, or voice. Let’s examine this through a clear example.

“Amit is jogging regularly to reduce fat.”

Here, 'Jogging' is the main verb showing the action, while 'is' is the auxiliary verb. The auxiliary verb helps specify that the action is happening in the present. If we modify the auxiliary verb, the context changes:

“Amit was jogging regularly to reduce fat.”

While the main verb (jogging) remains consistent, changing the auxiliary verb to 'was' shifts the timeframe to the past. This demonstrates how auxiliary verbs (Helping Verbs) provide vital context to the main action.

Main Verb

Every sentence containing an action requires a main verb. This verb expresses the primary activity performed by the subject and serves as the core of the sentence. Let's look at a few examples.

“He was trembling in the cold weather.”

In this example, 'trembling' is the main verb, identifying the specific action being carried out by the subject.

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: The fundamental difference between these two is that transitive verbs require a direct object to complete their meaning, whereas intransitive verbs do not. Consider these examples:

“The principal discussed the indiscipline issue with the teachers.”  (Correct)

“The principal discussed with the teachers.”                                     (Incorrect)

In both sentences, 'discussed' is the main verb. However, because 'discuss' is transitive, it necessitates an object. The second sentence is incomplete because it fails to clarify what was actually discussed.

Verb Forms

Most verbs exist in three primary forms. These verb forms are categorized as follows:

1. Present Form

2. Past Form

3. Past Participle Form

While some verbs share the same form across these categories, others change significantly. Refer to the table below for common variations.

First Form	Second Form	Third Form
Eat	Ate	Eaten
Cut	Cut	Cut
blow	blew	Blown
drink	drank	Drunk
ring	rang	rung
walk	walked	walked
give	gave	given
treat	treated	treated
fall	fell	fallen
ride	rode	ridden
do	did	done

Phrasal Verbs

When an adverb or a preposition is combined with a verb, it creates a new expression known as a phrasal verb. For example:

“Break down – to become upset or stop working”

In this case, the verb 'break' paired with the preposition 'down' shifts the meaning entirely from the original individual definitions.

List of Important Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Sentence Use
Call Around	Call different people	They called around but nobody helped them.
Break into	Enter forcibly	The thief entered into the house.
Check out	Investigate	The officer checks out the crime scene.
Get back	Return	When are you getting back from the picnic?
Get up	Get out of bed	We should get up early in the morning.
Give up	Stop trying	The problem was too difficult so I gave up.
Keep on	continuing	Keep on working until you succeed.
Log in	Sign in	Please log in to your email account.
Look after	Taking care of	He looks after his parents.
Run out	Get consumed all	The ration ran out before the war.
Run away	escape	His brother ran away when he saw your dog.
Stick to something	Continue doing something	Stick to your goal if you want to succeed.
Take off	Remove	Take off your shoes before entering the hall.
Turn up	Appear suddenly	The lion turned up in our way.
Warm-up	Prepare for work-out	It is advisable to warm up before any exercise
Run into	Meet accidentally	I ran into her mother in the market.
Pick out	Choose	I picked out the white dog for my home.
Look Out	Be watchful	Look out for the enemy in the dark.
Look Over	Examine	Look over the car before buying it.

Verb Forms in English – Click to Read More

Parts of Speech in English Grammar
Pronoun	Adjective
Preposition	Noun
Adverb	Conjunction