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verb

A2
noun

Pronunciation

UK

  • /vˈɜːb/

US

  • /ˈvɜrb/

Description

Imagine the world as a movie. Nouns are who and what the movie is about—the characters, the places, the things. But what do those nouns do? That's where verbs come in! A verb is a word that describes an action, occurrence, or state of being. Think of it as the engine that drives the story forward.

You run, you eat, and you sleep. Those are all actions. However, verbs can also describe what is—like "She is happy" or "The sky remains blue." Verbs are essential for forming sentences and telling us what is happening (or not happening). Without verbs, everything would just… be.

Examples

  1. 1

    Sentence structure

    Every complete sentence needs a verb.

  2. 2

    Grammar example

    In “She laughed,” “laughed” is the verb.

  3. 3

    Word order

    In English, the verb usually comes before the object.

  4. 4

    Irregular form

    “Go” is an irregular verb, so the past form is “went.”

  5. 5

    Verb form

    After “can,” use the base form of the verb.

    • Grammar

      the base form

      the simplest form, like “go” or “eat”

  6. 6

    Verb patterns

    Some verbs are followed by “-ing,” and others are followed by “to” plus another verb.

    • Pattern

      verb + -ing / verb + to + verb, for example “enjoy reading” but “want to leave”

Forms and spellings

2 forms open this card.

Main spelling

  • verbnoun

Forms

  • verbspluralnoun