Types of Verbs in English Grammar with Examples

What is verb in English grammar?

A verb is a word that tells or asserts something about a person or things. The word ‘verb’ comes from the Latin ‘Verbum’, a word. It is so called because it is the most important word in the sentence.

Types of Verbs in English Grammar

Verbs are of three types

1)      Transitive

2)      Intransitive

3)      Auxiliaries or helping verb

Transitive Verb:- a verb is transitive if the action does not stop with the agent, but passes from the agent to something else. (Transitive means passing over)

        I.            The boys played a match

      II.            He writes books

    III.            My Father runs  a shop

    IV.            The man killed a snake

      V.            The wolf chases a goat

Note:- in the above sentences the action denoted by the verb passes over from the doer or subject to some object- match, books, shop and snake.

Intransitive Verbs:- Intransitive Verbs are those verb which denote an action which does not pass over to an object or which expresses a state or being; as

        I.            He ran a long distance

      II.            The baby sleeps

    III.            These is a flaw in this diamonds

Note:- Some Verbs, e.g., come, go, fall, die, sleep, lie, denote action which can’t be done to anything; they can, therefore, never be used transitively.

He sleeps                                            He fall

They go                                                                He dies

Auxiliary Verbs: - These verbs are used to form a tense of some principal verb;

        I.            We shall go out for a picnic today

      II.            I am going home today

    III.            I have come from home today

    IV.            The boys are playing

The chief Auxiliary Verbs: - to be, (is, am, are, was, were) ; has, have, had, will, would, shall, should, do, does, did; may, might ;can, could; etc,

Sometime the object and the subject refer to the some person. In such cases the verb is used Reflexively; as,

        I.            We enjoyed ourselves to our heart content

      II.            Ram shot himself

    III.            They ruined themselves

    IV.            He heart himself