1. What is a Verb?

A verb is a word that shows action or a state of being. Verbs are essential in every sentence — they tell what the subject does or what the subject is.

2. Action Verbs vs. Linking Verbs

Action Verbs:

These verbs show physical or mental action.

Examples:

• She runs every morning.

• They believe in honesty.

• I wrote a letter.

Tip: If you can do it (run, jump, think, eat), it’s probably an action verb.

Linking Verbs:

These verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a word that describes or identifies it. They do not show action.

Common Linking Verbs:

• be (is, am, are, was, were, etc.)

• seem, appear, become, feel, look, sound

Examples:

• She is a doctor.

• The soup smells delicious.

• He became tired.

Check: If the verb can be replaced by an equal sign (=), it might be a linking verb.
Example: He is tired → He = tired ✔️

3. Main Verbs and Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs

Main Verb:

The verb that shows the main action or state in a sentence.
Example: She writes daily.

Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs:

These verbs help the main verb to form tenses, voices, or moods.

Common Auxiliary Verbs:

• be (is, am, are, was, were)

• have (has, have, had)

• do (do, does, did)

• will, shall, would, should, can, could, may, might, must

Examples:

• She is writing a book.

• They have eaten already.

• I did go to the store.

Structure Tip: Helping Verb + Main Verb
Example: She has (helping) finished (main) her work.

4. Introduction to Basic Verb Tenses

Verb tenses show when something happens.

Present Tense

Action happening now.
Example: I walk to school.

Past Tense

Action that already happened.
Example: I walked to school.

Future Tense

Action that will happen.
Example: I will walk to school.

More Examples (with “to eat”):

• Present: She eats breakfast.

• Past: She ate breakfast.

• Future: She will eat breakfast.