[NEW] 1000+ Most Common English Verbs List with Useful Examples • 7ESL | verb 1 – NATAVIGUIDES

Are you looking for a comprehensive list of verbs in the English language? Here you will find 1000+ common verbs list with example sentences and ESL printable worksheets (in alphabetical order, by their grammatical functions, and by activity). One of the most important parts of a sentence when using the English language-or any language for that matter, is the verb. These words are used to tell the listener or reader what action is being performed by the subject of the sentence. There are a lot of verbs to learn and they fall into further subcategories.

Verbs

What Are Verbs in English?

Verbs, in theory, are pretty straightforward. But, not everybody would be able to provide a definition, even if they know how to use them within a sentence. There’s also a tendency amongst people to stick to certain verbs that they know, and pushing themselves to use new ones becomes a bit of a challenge. In the interest of giving you some variety, we’ll take a look at what exactly a verb is, we’ll use some examples for you to see how they function as part of a sentence, and we’ll provide you with some lists of verbs by different categories so you can find some that might help you mix things up a little in your writing.

A verb is a word that shows action, occurrence, or a state of being. When written with the particle ‘to’ the verb is in its infinitive form. This is where you would write it like this:

• To bake
• To clean
• To cook
• To sing

There are many more verbs of course, but the above list shows you what a verb looks like in its infinitive form, making it slightly easier for you to identify whether or not a word in a sentence is a verb. Remember, a verb should show that something is happening, because an action is taking place in some way or another. Many people when first learning about verbs simply refer to them as ‘doing words’, because they always show that something has been done, is being done, or will be done in the future (depending on the tense that you are writing in).

Verb Examples

Let’s look at the examples of the verbs above in a sentence so you can see how they might work. We’ll show them in different tenses too so you can see how they would need to be changed slightly to make sense.

Verb Examples in the Simple Tenses

• I bake everyday – here the sentence works as a simple present tense sentence. Let’s change it to past.
• I baked everyday – changing it to past simple tense means we say ‘baked’ not ‘bake’. This shows that ‘I’ used to bake everyday, but don’t any longer.
• I will bake everyday – again, changing to the future means you need the word ‘will’ between the subject ‘I’ and the verb ‘bake’. There are other tenses that aren’t simple, but we couldn’t possibly explain each one thoroughly here, but take a look at some more examples below and notice the changes that have been made for yourself. We’ll provide a brief explanation to help you slightly.

Examples of Verbs in the Continuous Tenses

Throughout each of these next three sections, the past tense version will be written on top, the middle will be present tense, and the future tense will be at the bottom. So that in this case, the top one is written in the past continuous tense, the middle in the present continuous tense, and the third in the future continuous tense. It will follow the same pattern in the following two sections, but continuous will be replaced with ‘perfect’ and ‘perfect continuous’ respectively.

The easiest way to remember continuous tense, is that it’s referring to a verb that was happening over time, is still happening now, or will be happening in the future. Take a look at the examples below and see how the sentences change to show what is happening and how the verb looks different from its infinitive form:

• I was cleaning when you arrived.
• I am cleaning right now.
• I will be cleaning when you get here.

Verb Examples in the Perfect Tenses

The best way to remember the perfect tense, is that it is referring to something that was completed, has just been completed, or will be completed in the future. Again notice how the verb looks different this time compared to its infinitive form, and how the surrounding words are different to accommodate the tense:

• I had cooked everything when you arrived.
• I have cooked everything.
• I will have cooked everything when you arrive.

Verbs Examples in the Perfect Continuous Tenses

The simplest way to remember the perfect continuous tense is that it’s the previous two combined. So, it refers to something that was happening but has recently been completed, something that is happening now but will soon stop, and something that will happen and then be completed. Take a look below:

• I had been singing for an hour when you arrived.
• I have been singing for an hour.
• I will have been singing for an hour when you arrive.

List of Verbs

Now that we’ve taken a look at verbs, and all the possible tenses that you can write them in for you to think about, we’re going to provide you with some lists of verbs to help you vary your vocabulary a little bit.

In English grammar, verbs are one of the nine parts of speech. A verb is a word or group of words that describes an action, experience or expresses a state of being.

List of Verbs (in Alphabetical Order) / Examples of Verbs in Sentences

The following list of verbs will take you through various different verbs in alphabetical order for you to consider. See if you can spot one you would usually use and try to find one with the same meaning for you to try using in a sentence instead.

Verbs List (A)

List of verbs that start with A with verb examples.

• Accept: I accept your appolozy.
• Accuse: Tom accused me of lying.
• Achieve: She achieved remarkable results
• Acknowledge: She acknowledged receiving assistance.
• Acquire: Meg acquired many new friends.
• Adapt: He adapted himself to his new life.
• Add: I added a room to my house.
• Adjust: You will soon adjust to living in a dormitory.
• Admire: I admire your confidence.
• Admit: He was embarrassed to admit making a mistake.
• Adopt: I liked your idea and adopted it.
• Adore: He adores his grandfather.
• Advise: He advised applying at once.
• Afford: I can’t afford to spend any more money this week.
• Agree: Why did you agree to meet her in the first place?
• Aim: We aim to increase the speed of delivery.
• Allow: Swimming isn’t allowed here.
• Announce: She announced her intention to retire.
• Anticipate: I didn’t anticipate having to do the cooking myself!
• Apologize: You don’t have to apologize.
• Appear: Jack appears to be tired today.
• Apply: Tom applied for a leave of absence.
• Appreciate: I appreciate having a trouble with his supervisor.
• Approach: She approached him with a smile on her face.
• Approve: I don’t think Tom would approve.
• Argue: I don’t want to argue with you.
• Arise: The problem has arisen simply because you didn’t follow my instructions.
• Arrange: Have you arranged to meet Mark this weekend?
• Arrive: We arrived home late.
• Ask: Historians frequently ask to consult the collection.
• Assume: I assume Tom didn’t show up.
• Assure: I assure you Tom will be perfectly safe.
• Astonish: I was astonished by his ignorance.
• Attach: You need to attach your photo to the application form.
• Attempt: Are you going to attempt to pass the exam?
• Attend: She attends school at night.
• Attract: Tom certainly attracted a lot of attention.
• Avoid: She decided to be a nun in order to avoid meeting him.
• Awake: Tom awoke at daybreak.

Verbs List (B)

List of verbs that start with B with verb examples.

• Bake: Tom baked some muffins.
• Bathe: I bathe every day.
• Be: He is immature.
• Bear: I wish she wouldn’t eat so fast. I can’t bear watching her.
• Beat: You can’t beat me.
• Become: John became very sick.
• Beg: I beg to differ with you.
• Begin: The leaves begin to fall when autumn comes.
• Behave: Tom always behaves himself well. However, Mary does not.
• Believe: I believe you’re right.
• Belong: This bicycle belongs to me.
• Bend:  Lie flat and let your knees bend.
• Bet: I bet you know French.
• Bind: Do you bind books?
• Bite: I got bitten by mosquitoes.
• Blow: Tom blew himself up accidentally.
• Boil: Please boil an egg for me.
• Borrow: I need to borrow your car.
• Bounce:  Bounce the ball and try and hit it over the net.
• Bow: Every child bowed to the teacher.
• Break: We broke up.
• Breed: Rabbits breed quickly.
• Bring: I brought some dessert.
• Broadcast: We broadcast news on the hour.
• Build: We need to build a fire.
• Burn: The spy burned the papers.
• Burst: John burst into the room.
• Buy: I’ll buy a lot of candies for you.

Verbs List (C)

List of verbs that start with C with verb examples.

• Calculate: A computer can calculate very rapidly.
• Can/Could: Can you give me a ring at about 10?
• Care: Would you care to join us for dinner?
• Carry: I don’t carry cash anymore.
• Catch: Let’s catch a bite.
• Celebrate: We’re celebrating Tom’s birthday.
• Change: I changed my mind.
• Choose: Every day is beautiful if you choose to see it.
• Chop: Tom chopped down the tree that was in our front yard.
• Claim: This diet claims to eliminate toxins from the body.
• Climb: Carlos climbed the mountain.
• Cling: The mud clung to his shoes.
• Come: I’m coming today.
• Commit: David didn’t commit those crimes.
• Communicate: I can’t communicate with Anna like I used to.
• Compare: They compared the new car with the old one.
• Compete: I competed with him for the first prize.
• Complain: John complained about the weather.
• Complete: He completed drawing his pictures.
• Concern: I’m concerned for Anna’s safety.
• Confirm: The report has yet to be confirmed.
• Consent: We hope you will consent to act in his stead.
• Consider: Investors should consider putting some money into an annuity.
• Consist: A soccer team consists of eleven players.
• Consult: You’d better consult your doctor.
• Contain: This box contains five apples.
• Continue: The finance minister will continue to mastermind Poland’s economic reform.
• Convince: I’m not totally convinced of that.
• Cook:  The pizza will then take about twenty minutes to cook.
• Cost: It’ll cost about 10,000 yen.
• Count: We’re counting on you.
• Crawl: Tom crawled into bed just before midnight.
• Create: I have to create a new website.
• Creep: We crept toward the enemy.
• Criticize: Tom criticized Mary for not doing the job correctly.
• Cry: The baby is crying.
• Cut: John cut his finger.

Verbs List (D)

List of verbs that start with D with verb examples.

• Dance: I want to dance.
• Dare: He didn’t dare to speak to her.
• Deal: I have to dealt with it.
• Decide: He has decided to live in France.
• Defer: She deferred writing my thesis.
• Delay: Big companies often delay paying their bills.
• Deliver: Letters are delivered every day.
• Demand: I demand to know what’s going on.
• Deny: She denied taking the money.
• Depend: I can’t depend on you anymore.
• Describe: John can’t describe how painful it was.
• Deserve: They didn’t deserve to win.
• Desire: We all desire success.
• Destroy: John’s house was destroyed by a hurricane.
• Determine: I am determined to carry out this plan.
• Develop: Swimming develops our muscles.
• Differ: My opinion differs from yours.
• Disagree: It pains me to disagree with your opinion.
• Discover: The miner discovered a valuable pocket of gold.
• Discuss: We briefly discussed buying a second car.
• Dislike: I dislike being the centre of attention.
• Distribute: The teacher distributed the leaflets.
• Dive: John learned to dive when he was five.
• Do: I don’t know.
• Doubt: I doubt if it’ll snow.
• Drag: I had to drag him out of bed.
• Dream: I dreamt about you.
• Drill: They intended to drill for oil.
• Drink:  Can I have something to drink?
• Drive: He drives a truck.
• Drop: I dropped my sandwich.
• Dry: Raisins are dried grapes.

Verbs List (E)

List of verbs that start with E with verb examples.

• Earn: He earns three times more than me.
• Eat:  You can’t eat your cake and have it.
• Emphasize: I want to emphasize this point in particular.
• Enable: His wealth enables him to do anything.
• Encourage: John encouraged Mary to learn how to speak French.
• Engage: We used to be engaged.
• Enhance: Can we enhance the image?
• Enjoy: I really enjoy talking to you.
• Ensure: This medicine will ensure you a good night’s sleep.
• Entail: This review procedure entails repeating the test.
• Enter: He entered the room.
• Establish: The school was established in 1650.
• Examine: The doctor examined the patients.
• Exist: I don’t believe such things to exist.
• Expand: The workers are expanding the road.
• Expect: What time do you expect to arrive home?
• Experiment: They’re experimenting with a new car.
• Explain: I can explain everything.
• Explore: He explored the Amazon jungle.
• Extend: We extended a hearty welcome to them.

Verbs List (F)

List of verbs that start with F with verb examples.

• Fail: I fail to comprehend their attitude.
• Fall: I fell in the pool.
• Feed: We just fed the baby.
• Feel: I feel that Mr. Peter is a good teacher.
• Fight: Don’t fight with me.
• Find: I can find them.
• Finish: He finished cleaning the kitchen.
• Fit: This coat doesn’t fit me.
• Fly: Tom wishes he could fly.
• Fold: Tom and Mary folded up the flag.
• Follow: We must follow the rules of the game.
• Forbid: I forbid you to smoke.
• Forget: I’ll never forget visiting them.
• Forgive: We have already forgiven you.
• Freeze: It’s freezing cold in this country.
• Fry: She fried fish in salad oil.

Verbs List (G)

List of verbs that start with G with verb examples.

• Generate: This machine generates electricity.
• Get: We’ve got to get the economy under control or it will literally eat us up.
• Give:  The waiter gives me the menu.
• Go: Let’s go eat.
• Grind: We grind our coffee by hand.
• Grow: Apples grow on trees.

Verbs List (H)

List of verbs that start with H with verbs examples.

• Hang: Don’t you hang up on me.
• Happen: You made it happen.
• Hate: I hate getting to the theatre late.
• Have: I have a car.
• Hear: I will hear me.
• Hesitate: I hesitate to spend so much money on clothes.
• Hide: I’m hiding from Tim.
• Hit: I hit the jackpot.
• Hold:  Hold the knife at an angle.
• Hop:  I tried to hop on my good foot while holding onto Jim…
• Hope: I hope to see you again soon.
• Hug: I really need a hug.
• Hurry: It had to hurry to find a home because I was already on to something else.
• Hurt: I hurt my elbow.

Verbs List (I-J)

List of verbs that start with I & J with verbs examples.

• Identify: She identified him as the murderer.
• Ignore: He ignored her advice.
• Illustrate: The teacher will illustrate how to do it.
• Imagine: I can imagine how you felt.
• Imply: Silence implies consent.
• Impress: We’re not impressed.
• Improve: I need to improve my French.
• Include: Tom’s lunch includes a sandwich and an apple.
• Incorporate: Her business was incorporated.
• Indicate: The arrow indicates the way to go.
• Inform: I’ll inform John about our decision.
• Insist: She insisted on going there.
• Install: The man tried to install his own antenna.
• Intend: I heard they intend to marry.
• Introduce: I’ll introduce you to Tom.
• Invest: He invested his money in stocks.
• Investigate: I came here to investigate Tom’s death.
• Involve: This procedure involves testing each sample twice.
• Iron: I iron my clothes almost every day.
• Jog: I make it a rule to jog every morning.
• Jump:  Can you jump over the river?
• Justify: My results justify taking drastic action.

Verbs List (K)

List of verbs that start with K with verbs examples.

• Keep: I keep thinking about Joe, all alone in that place.
• Kick:  The kids love to kick a ball against my wall.
• Kiss: Did you kiss anybody?
• Kneel:  Do not run, stand, kneel or spin in the slide.
• Knit: She knit him a sweater for his birthday.
• Know: We know him.

Verbs List (L)

List of verbs that start with L with verbs examples.

• Lack: Tom seems to lack energy.
• Laugh: Tom is laughing.
• Lay: He laid on his back.
• Lead: Tom leads a quiet life.
• Lean: He leaned on his elbows.
• Leap: Ken leapt over the wall.
• Learn: Children learn to creep ere they can go.
• Leave: Leave me alone!
• Lend: Tom lent Mary his camera.
• Lie (in bed): Lie back down.
• Lift:  He couldn’t lift the table and no more could I.
• Light:  Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
• Lie (not to tell the truth): He hated lying.
• Like: She likes playing tennis.
• Listen: Why won’t you listen?
• Look: It looks cold outside.
• Lose: She lost a book.
• Love: I love going out to restaurants.

Verbs List (M,N)

List of verbs that start with M & N with verbs examples.

• Maintain: Tom maintained eye contact with Mary.
• Make: I’m making tea.
• Manage: Did you manage to catch the post?
• Matter: It doesn’t matter, Tom.
• May: Each nurse may be responsible for up to twenty patients.
• Mean: I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.
• Measure: The surfboard measures 2 meters by 55 centimeters.
• Meet: We’ve never met.
• Melt: The snow is melted.
• Mention: He mentioned going to that college.
• Might: Donna might be able to come tomorrow, but it’s very unlikely.
• Mind: Would you mind repeating what you just said?
• Miss: He had missed being elected by a single vote.
• Mix: If you mix blue and red, you get violet.
• Mow: I mowed Tom’s lawn.
• Must: I really must get some exercise.
• Need: You need to change your eating habits.
• Neglect: Don’t neglect to lock the door when you leave.
• Negotiate: The two countries negotiated a treaty.

Verbs List (O)

List of verbs that start with O with verbs examples.

• Observe: You must observe those rules.
• Obtain: I obtained the painting at an auction.
• Occur: The accident occurred yesterday morning
• Offer: She offered to help me move my things to my new house.
• Open: Open the windows.
• Operate: I can’t figure out how to operate this machine.
• Order:  What do you suggest I order?
• Organize: They want me to organize the party.
• Ought to: You ought to get your watch repaired.
• Overcome: We have to overcome many difficulties.
• Overtake: Their car overtook ours.
• Owe: Tom owes me money.
• Own: I own a German car.

Verbs List (P)

List of verbs that start with P with verbs examples.

• Paint: She painted the wall pink.
• Participate: He participated in the debate.
• Pay: Can I pay by installment payment?
• Peel: Anna peeled the apple.
• Perform: Tom performs in a jazz club three nights a week.
• Persuade: I persuaded Tom to help me.
• Pinch: He pinched and scraped for many years to save money.
• Plan: Next year I plan to travel around the world.
• Play: I can play tennis.
• Point: Tom pointed to the sky.
• Possess: The old man possesses great wealth.
• Postpone: He postponed returning to Paris.
• Pour: She poured tea for me.
• Practice: Today we’re going to practice parking.
• Prefer: Chantal prefers travelling by train.
• Prepare: The doctor prepared to prescribe a receipt.
• Pretend: She was pretending to cry. I knew she was lying.
• Prevent: The rain prevented me from coming.
• Proceed: They will proceed to build another laboratory building.
• Promise: He promised to collect her from the airport.
• Propose: We propose to deal with this subject in the following chapter.
• Protect: We’re supposed to be protecting John.
• Prove: I’ll prove it to you.
• Pull: John pulled out a pen.
• Punch: You punch like a girl.
• Pursue: The police pursued the murderer.
• Push: We had to push our way through the crowd.
• Put: I put on my shoes.

Verbs List (Q,R)

List of verbs that start with Q & R with verbs examples.

• Qualify: He is qualified as an English teacher.
• Quit: She quits worrying about the problem.
• React: Tom reacted appropriately.
• Read: I read the book.
• Realize: I didn’t realise we were late.
• Recall: I don’t recall seeing any cars parked outside.
• Receive: We received a warm welcome.
• Recollect: I recollect seeing Ryder some years ago in Bonn.
• Recommend: I would never recommend using a sunbed on a regular basis.
• Reduce: I think we should reduce the price.
• Refer: I often refer to the dictionary.
• Reflect: She reflected on what she had done.
• Refuse: She refused to answer questions about her personal finances.
• Regret: I regret leaving school so young.
• Relate: She is related to him by marriage.
• Relax: We’re supposed to relax.
• Relieve: I was relieved to hear that he was alive.
• Rely: You can certainly rely on him.
• Remain: He remained poor all his life.
• Remember: He had remembered to bring a pair of gloves, unlike me.
• Remind: It reminds me of the good old days.
• Repair: He repaired his watch by himself.
• Replace: The car replaced the bicycle.
• Represent: He represented the labor union on the committee.
• Require: This task requires dexterity.
• Resent: Many conscripts resent having to do their military service.
• Resist: She can never resist buying new shoes.
• Retain: We had to retain a lawyer.
• Retire: I have decided to retire.
• Rid: You’ve got to get rid of it
• Ride:  Life is a horse, and either you ride it or it rides you.
• Ring: The phone is ringing.
• Rise: The sun is about to rise.
• Risk: He risked being caught.
• Roast: He is roasting coffee beans.
• Run:  Do not run too fast after gain.

Verbs List (S)

List of verbs that start with S with verbs examples.

• Sanction: They will not sanction copying without permission.
• Satisfy: He satisfied his thirst with a large glass of beer.
• Say: No one says that.
• Scrub: Tom asked Mary to scrub the toilet.
• See: Do you see that bird?
• Seem: I always seem to be unlucky at cards.
• Sell: I can’t sell you that.
• Send: They’re sending help.
• Serve: They serve good nosh in the cafeteria.
• Set: I’m going to set the table.
• Settle: The problem is not settled yet.
• Sew: Mary is sewing baby clothes.
• Shake: They shook hands when they met at the airport.
• Shall: Shall I add your name to the list?
• Shed: She tried not to shed a tear.
• Shine: Susan shined your father’s shoes.
• Shoot: I’ll shoot both of you.
• Should: The university should provide more sports facilities.
• Show: I’ll show you later.
• Shrink: My jeans shrank after I washed them.
• Shut: I shut my eyes again.
• Sing: Tom loves to sing.
• Sink: A ship sank near here yesterday.
• Sit:  Sit on the floor, stretching your legs out in front of you.
• Ski: I like skiing very much.
• Sleep: I slept too much.
• Slice:  It’s best to slice into a rich cake from the middle.
• Slide: He slid the money into my pocket.
• Slip: She slipped into her clothes.
• Smell: Something smells bad. What is this?
• Snore: Tom snored loudly with his mouth open.
• Solve: He solved the difficult problem.
• Sow: Farmers sow seeds in the spring.
• Speak: He speaks English.
• Specify: Tom didn’t specify how many pencils to buy.
• Spell: I don’t know how to spell the word.
• Spend: I spent some time in Boston.
• Spill: I’m afraid I spilled coffee on the tablecloth.
• Spit: I can’t put up with the way he spits.
• Spread:  He spread some strawberry jam on his toast.
• Squat: Tom squatted down next to his dog.
• Stack:  They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.
• Stand: Can you stand up?
• Start: He started tipping the pea pods into a pan.
• Steal: My watch was stolen.
• Stick: He stuck to his job.
• Sting: I was stung by a bee.
• Stink: It stinks in here.
• Stir: She stirred the soup with a spoon.
• Stop: I hoped he would stop asking awkward questions.
• Stretch:  Breathe in through your nose as you stretch up.
• Strike: Tom struck the wall with his fist.
• Struggle: He struggled to keep his footing on the slippery floor.
• Study: She studies hard.
• Submit: I submitted the application myself.
• Succeed: He’ll succeed for sure.
• Suffer: We suffered a pretty big loss.
• Suggest: Tracey suggested meeting for a drink after work.
• Supply: I supplied Tom with everything he needed.
• Suppose: I suppose you’re hungry.
• Surprise: She surprised him when she arrived early.
• Survive: He survived the plane crash.
• Swear: Do you swear to tell the whole truth?
• Sweep: I will sweep out my room.
• Swell: The river swelled rapidly because of the heavy rain.
• Swim: She swims well.
• Swing: The lamp was swinging back and forth.

Verbs List (T)

List of verbs that start with T with verbs examples.

• Take: I took a walk.
• Talk: Tom talked a lot.
• Taste: The soup tastes salty.
• Teach: I’ll teach you how to swim.
• Tear: I tore the picture out of the album.
• Tell: I told him to come.
• Tend: She tends to be late for school.
• Think: I think that Mr. Peter is a good teacher.
• Threaten: They threatened to ban the book.
• Throw: I threw away my shoes.
• Tiptoe: Tom quietly tiptoed out of the room.
• Tolerate: We don’t tolerate smoking in the library.
• Translate: He translated the verse into English.
• Try: We tried to confuse the enemy.

Verbs List (U,V)

List of verbs that start with U & V with verbs examples.

• Understand: I knew you’d understand.
• Vacuum: Tom vacuumed his bedroom.
• Value: We value our customers.
• Vary: The boxes vary in size from small to large.
• Volunteer: They volunteer to teach introductory courses.

Verbs List (W)

List of verbs that start with W with verbs examples.

• Wait: I can’t wait to see you.
• Wake: I have to wake Tom up.
• Walk:  Don’t try to walk before you can crawl.
• Want: I want to watch TV.
• Warn: We’ve got to warn Tom.
• Wash: Tom washed his hands.
• Watch: We watched a movie.
• Wave: She waved her hand to me.
• Wear: Tom wore black pants.
• Weep: She wept over her child’s death.
• Weigh: The suitcase weighs 20 pounds.
• Whip: She whipped out her pistol.
• Will: I don’t think Emma will get the job.
• Win: I can win this time.
• Wish: I wish to insert an advertisement in your newspaper.
• Would: If I lived on an island, I would know how to swim.
• Write:  Write it down on a piece of paper.

List of Verbs (by Grammatical Functions)

Sometimes verbs don’t always behave the same in a sentence, so to make things easier for you to follow along, we’ve split these verbs up into their grammatical functions so you can see how they would be used in a sentence slightly differently.

A useful list of verbs classified by their grammatical functions. In this section, you will be learning about the different verbs in grammar and this will enable you to form much more concise and comprehensive sentences.

Stative Verbs List

List of common stative verbs in English

Mental State

• Know
• Believe
• Understand
• Doubt
• Think (have an opinion)
• Suppose
• Recognise
• Forget
• Remember
• Imagine
• Mean
• Agree
• Disagree
• Deny
• Promise
• Satisfy
• Realise
• Appear
• Astonish
• Please
• Impress
• Surprise
• Concern

Possession

• Have
• Own
• Possess
• Lack
• Consist
• Involve
• Include
• Contain

Emotions

• Love
• Like
• Dislike
• Hate
• Adore
• Prefer
• Care for
• Mind
• Want
• Need
• Desire
• Wish
• Hope
• Appreciate
• Value

Measure, cost, others

• Cost
• Measure
• Weigh
• Owe
• Seem
• Fit
• Depend
• Matter

Stative Verbs Examples in English | Image

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Dynamic Verbs List

In English grammar, a “dynamic verb” means that the verb describes an action rather than a state. In contrast, a “stative verb” means that the verb describes a state rather than an action.

Dynamic verbs are sometimes known as “action verbs.”

List of Verbs Can be Both Stative and Dynamic Verbs

• Look
• Appear
• Think
• Feel
• Have
• See
• Taste
• Smell
• Be
• Weigh
• Measure
• Mind

Stative and Dynamic Verbs Examples | Image

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Modal Verbs List

List of modal verbs in English

• Will
• Shall
• Would
• Should
• Ought to
• Must
• Mustn’t
• May
• Might
• Can
• Could
• Have to/ Has to
• Don’t/ Doesn’t have to

Modal Verbs Examples in English | Image

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Irregular verbs List

Learn a useful list of Irregular Verbs in English

• Arise
• Awake
• Be
• Bear
• Beat
• Become
• Begin
• Bend
• Bet
• Bind
• Bite
• Bleed
• Blow
• Break
• Breed
• Bring
• Broadcast
• Build
• Burn
• Burst
• Buy
• Can
• Catch
• Choose
• Cling
• Come
• Cost
• Creep
• Cut
• Deal
• Dig
• Do
• Draw
• Dream
• Drink
• Drive
• Eat
• Fall
• Feed
• Feel
• Fight
• Find
• Fly
• Forbid
• Forget
• Forgive
• Freeze
• Get
• Give
• Go
• Grind
• Grow
• Hang
• Have
• Hear
• Hide
• Hit
• Hold
• Hurt
• Keep
• Kneel
• Know
• Lay
• Lead
• Lean
• Learn
• Leave
• Lent
• Lie (in bed)
• Lie (not to tell the truth)
• Light
• Lose
• Make
• May
• Mean
• Meet
• Mow
• Must
• Overtake
• Pay
• Put
• Read
• Ride
• Ring
• Rise
• Run
• Saw
• Say
• See
• Sell
• Send
• Set
• Sew
• Shake
• Shed
• Shine
• Shoot
• Show
• Shrink
• Shut
• Sing
• Sink
• Sit
• Sleep
• Slide
• Smell
• Sow
• Speak
• Spell
• Spend
• Spill
• Spit
• Spread
• Stand
• Steal
• Stick
• Sting
• Stink
• Strike
• Swear
• Sweep
• Swell
• Swim
• Swing
• Take
• Teach
• Tear
• Tell
• Think
• Throw
• Understand
• Wake
• Wear
• Weep
• Win
• Wind
• Write

Irregular Verbs Examples in English | Image

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Participles, Gerunds & Infinitives

The three verbals— gerunds, infinitives, and participles—are formed from verbs, but are never used alone as action words in sentences. Instead, verbals function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. These verbals are important in phrases.

Participles

A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed. They function as adjectives, thus participles modify nouns or pronouns.

Learn more how to form Present and Past Participles in English.

Gerunds: List of Verbs Followed by Gerunds

Gerunds are verbals that function as nouns and have an –ing ending.

Useful list of Verbs Followed by Gerunds in English

• Admit
• Advise
• Anticipate
• Acknowledge
• Appreciate
• Avoid
• Bear
• Begin
• Complete
• Consider
• Defer
• Delay
• Deny
• Discuss
• Dislike
• Enjoy
• Entail
• Finish
• Forget
• Hate
• Intend
• Involve
• Justify
• Keep
• Like
• Love
• Mention
• Mind
• Miss
• Postpone
• Practice
• Prefer
• Quit
• Recall
• Recollect
• Recommend
• Regret
• Resent
• Resist
• Risk
• Sanction
• Start
• Stop
• Suggest
• Tolerate
• Try

List of Verbs Followed by Gerunds | Image

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Infinitives: List of Verbs Followed by Infinitives

A to-infinitive is a verbal consisting of to + a verb, and it acts like a subject, direct object, subject complement, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. Infinitives are easy to identify because they’re written with to + a verb.

A useful list of commonly used Verbs Followed by Infinitives

• Afford
• Agree
• Aim
• Appear
• Attempt
• Ask
• Arrange
• Beg
• Begin
• Care
• Choose
• Claim
• Consent
• Continue
• Dare
• Decide
• Demand
• Deserve
• Dislike
• Expect
• Fail
• Forget
• Get
• Hesitate
• Hope
• Hurry
• Intend
• Learn
• Like
• Love
• Manage
• Mean
• Neglect
• Need
• Offer
• Plan
• Prefer
• Prepare
• Pretend
• Proceed
• Promise
• Propose
• Refuse
• Remember
• Seem
• Start
• Stop
• Struggle
• Swear
• Threaten
• Try
• Volunteer
• Wait
• Want
• Wish

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Auxiliary Verbs List

List of Auxiliary Verbs in English

• Do
• Have
• Be
• Will

Causative Verbs List

List of Causative Verbs in English

• Have
• Get
• Make
• Let

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Verbs List (by Activity)

Finally, we’ve put together this list of verbs by activity. Whether it’s verbs associated with a restaurant, verbs associated with a sports event, or even verbs associated with body movements, we’ve categorized them all as best we can. Hopefully, you can look over them and understand different verbs that are more appropriate in some categories than in others.

List of different types of verbs with pictures in English.

Action Verbs List

List of action verbs commonly used in English.

Bathe
Eat
Sleep

Bow
Fight
Smell

Buy
Fly
Snore

Clap
Give
Stack

Climb
Hug
Stand up

Close
Jump
Talk

Cook
Kiss
Turn off

Crawl
Knit
Turn on

Cry
Laugh
Think

Cut
Listen
Throw away

Dance
Open
Wait

Dig
Paint
Wash

Dive
Play
Watch TV

Dream
Read
Win

Drink
Ride
Write

Shake
Sew
Sing

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Cooking Verb Examples with Pictures

Add
Peel

Bake
Pinch

Barbecue
Pour

Boil
Roast

Break
Roll out

Cut
Saute

Chop
Slice

Fry
Spread

Grate
Steam

Layer
Stir

Melt
Taste

Mix
Weigh

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Restaurant Verbs List with Pictures

• Give
• Drink
• Serve
• Pay
• Eat
• Cook
• Hold
• Light
• Order
• Spread
• Lift
• Write
• Slice
• Stack
• Set (the table)

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Sports Verbs List with Pictures

Bend
Pass

Bounce
Ride

Catch
Run

Dribble
Serve

Hit
Shoot

Hop
Sit

Jump
Skip

Kick
Stretch

Kneel
Throw

Lie down
Walk

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Classroom Verb Examples

Ask
Open

Calculate
Paint

Close
Play

Count
Read

Cut
Say

Draw
Show

Experiment
Sing

Explain
Spell

Give
Study

Listen
Teach

Observe
Think

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Body Movement Verbs List

Bend
Push
Dance

Lift
Run
Break

Carry
Lean
Stand

Kneel
Squat
Jog

Hold
Throw
March

Sit
Tiptoe
Wave

Drag
Walk
Talk

Jump
Hit
Open

Leap
Catch
Cartwheel

Pick up
Kick
Put down

Punch
Kiss
Stretch

Pull
Clap
Drop

Dive
Laugh
Point

Look
Trip
Slip

Crawl
Pour
Cry

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English Verbs List | Pictures

Common English Verbs List | Image 1

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English Verbs List | Image 2

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Common English Verbs List | Image 3

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English Verbs List | Image 4

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List of Verbs Videos

Verbs are relatively easy to understand, but the key to using them successfully in sentences is being aware of the tense. The best way to combat this is by reading the sentence aloud. It’s incredibly easy to pick up issues with tenses when you hear it rather than read it. Remember, you can always look back here for more information about how verbs change in tenses to give you an idea about what changes you might need to make to your sentence for it to make sense. And of course, our list of verbs will be here for you to look over for new ideas about which verbs to use in different contexts or for different grammatical functions.

Learn 450+ Most Common English Verbs List with Pronunciation.

Learn 250+ verb examples with pictures and American English pronunciation.

What Are Verbs? (with Examples)

A verb is a word that expresses a physical action (jump), a mental action (guess), or a state of being (exist). Here are some more examples:

• A physical action (e.g., “to swim,” “to write,” “to climb”).
• A mental action (e.g., “to think,” “to guess,” “to consider”).
• A state of being (e.g., “to be,” “to exist,” “to appear”).

You might find it useful to think of verbs as “doing” words.

Verbs Expressing Physical Actions

Here are some sentences with verbs that express physical actions. (In each example, the verb is in bold.)

• She sells pegs and lucky heather.

(In this example, the word “sells” is a verb. It expresses the physical activity “to sell.”)

• The doctor wrote the prescription.

(In this example, the word “wrote” is a verb. It expresses the physical activity “to write.”)

• Alison bought a ticket.

(The word “bought” is a verb. It expresses the physical activity “to buy.”)

Verbs Expressing Mental Actions

While many verbs express physical actions (e.g., “to jump,” “to dance,” “to sing”), verbs can also express mental actions. For example:

• She considers the job done.

(The word “considers” is a verb. It expresses the mental activity “to consider.”)

• Peter guessed the right number.

(The word “guessed” is a verb. It expresses the mental activity “to guess.”)

• I thought the same thing.

(The word “thought” is a verb. It expresses the mental activity “to think.”)

Verbs Expressing a State of Being

A small but extremely important group of verbs do not express any activity at all; they express a state of being. The most important verb in this group (arguably of all) is the verb “to be.”

Here is the verb “to be” in the different

SubjectVerb “to be”

past tense
present tense
future tense

I
was
am
will be

You
were
are
will be

He / She / It
was
is
will be

We
were
are
will be

You
were
are
will be

They
were
are
will be

Here are some real examples with the verb “to be”:

• Edwina is the largest elephant in this area.

(The word “is” is a verb from the verb “to be.”)

• It was a joke.

(The word “was” is a verb from the verb “to be.”)

• I am.

(The word “am” is a verb from the verb “to be.”)

Here are some other verbs that express a state of being.

• Alien life almost certainly exists.

(The word “exists” is a verb from the verb “to exist.”)

• It seemed funny at the time.

(The word “seemed” is a verb from the verb “to seem.”)

Interesting Fact

“I am” is the shortest

“I am” is the shortest sentence in English.

A Video Summary

Here is a video summarizing this lesson about verbs and the key terms associated with verbs.

A verb is a word that expresses a physical action (jump), a mental action (guess), or a state of being (exist). Here are some more examples:You might find it useful to think of verbs as “doing” words.Here are some sentences with verbs that express physical actions. (In each example, the verb is in bold.)While many verbs express physical actions (e.g., “to jump,” “to dance,” “to sing”), verbs can also express mental actions. For example:A small but extremely important group of verbs do not express any activity at all; they express a state of being. The most important verb in this group (arguably of all) is the verb “to be.”Here is the verb “to be” in the different tenses Here are some real examples with the verb “to be”:Here are some other verbs that express a state of being.Here is a video summarizing this lesson about verbs and the key terms associated with verbs.

The Types of Verbs

As we’ve covered, a verb can be categorized as a physical verb (e.g., to run), a mental verb (e.g., to think), or a state-of-being verb (e.g., to be). However, a verb will often be further categorized as one of the following:

Action Verb

An action verb expresses an activity that a person or thing can do. For example:

• Lee eats cake.

(“Eating” is something Lee can do.)

• The bear chased the salmon in the shallow rapids.

(“Chasing” is something the bear can do.)

Compare those verbs with these:

• Lee likes cake.

(“To like” is not an activity. It’s a state.)

• The bear is hungry.

(“To be” is not an activity. It’s a state.)

Stative Verb

A stative verb expresses a state rather than an action. A stative verb typically relates to a state of being, a thought, or an emotion. For example:

• I am at home.
• She believes in fairies.
• He feels elated.

Transitive Verb

A transitive verb is one that acts on something (i.e., it has a

• I saw the dog.

(Here, the direct object is “the dog.”)

• Lee ate the pie.

(Here, the direct object is “the pie.”)

• The postman will give Sarah the letter.

(Here, the direct object is “the letter.”)

Note: The direct object of a transitive verb can be found by finding the verb and asking “what?” For example, “saw what?” (answer: the dog); “ate what?” (answer: the pie); “will give what?” (answer: the letter).

Read more about transitive verbs.

Intransitive Verb

An intransitive verb is one that does not act on something (i.e., there is no direct object). For example:

• The rain fell.
• My throat hurts.
• The cat sneezed.

Read more about intransitive verbs.

Auxiliary Verb

An auxiliary verb (or

• Lee has eaten all the pies.

(Here, the auxiliary verb “has” helps to express tense.)

• The table has been prepared.

(Here, the auxiliary verbs “has been” help to express voice (in this case, the passive voice).)

• If he were to arrive in the next 10 minutes, we would be on schedule.

(Here, the auxiliary verbs “were” and “would” help to express mood (in this case, the subjunctive mood).)

Read more about auxiliary verbs.

Modal Verb

A modal verb is a type of auxiliary verb used to express ideas such as ability, possibility, permission, and obligation. The modal auxiliary verbs are “can,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “must,” “ought to,” “shall,” “should,” “will,” and “would.” For example:

• Lee can eat a lot of pies.

(Here, the modal verb “can” helps to express the idea of ability.)

• Lee might eat that pie before he gets home.

(Here, the modal verb “might” helps to express the idea of possibility.)

• Lee may eat as many pies as he likes.

(Here, the modal verb “may” helps to express the idea of permission.)

• Lee should give you some of that pie given you bought it.

(Here, the modal verb “should” helps to express the idea of obligation.)

Read more about auxiliary modal verbs.

Phrasal Verb

A phrasal verb is a verb made up of more than one word (usually two words). A phrasal verb has a main verb and another word (either a

• A burglar will often break a window to break in.

(Here, the phrasal verb “break in” means “to enter illegally,” which is different to “break.”)

• If you drop the baton the team will drop back to last place.

(Here, the phrasal verb “drop back” means “to fall behind,” which is different to “drop.”)

Read more about phrasal verbs.

Regular and Irregular Verbs

A -ed or -d to the

Regular VerbSimple Past TensePast Participle

lovelovedhas loved
hatehatedhas hated
movemovedhas moved

An irregular verb is one that does not conform to this ruling. For example:

Irregular VerbSimple Past TensePast Participle
telltoldhas told
bleedbledhas bled

Read more about regular and irregular verbs.

Verb Terminology

There is a lot of grammatical terminology associated with verbs. Below are explanations of the most common terms. (There is a more comprehensive list in our

The Infinitive Form

When a verb is preceded by the word “to,” it is said to be in its

• I have to smoke that!

(“To smoke” is the infinitive form of the verb.)

Read more about the infinitive form of a verb.

Past Tense

Verbs that express actions in the past are said to be in the

• He talked with more claret than clarity. (Susan Ertz)

(“Talked” is the past tense of the verb “to talk.”)

• I ran to the lake.

(“Ran” is the past tense of the verb “to run.”)

• They were all there.

(“Were” is the past tense of the verb “to be.”)

Present Tense

Verbs that express actions occurring now are said to be in the

• John jumps out the window.

(“Jumps” is the present tense of the verb “to jump.”)

• Who is ill?

(“Is” is the present tense of the verb “to be.”)

• He is the kind of a guy who lights up a room just by flicking a switch.

(“Is” is the present tense of the verb “to be,” and
“lights up” is the present tense of the verb “to light up.”)

Future Tense

Verbs that express actions in the future are said to be in the

• I will take the blame.

(“Will take” is the future tense of the verb “to take.”)

• They will surrender.

(“Will surrender” is the future tense of the verb “to surrender.”)

• Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth. (Archimedes, 287-212 BC)

(“Will move” is the future tense of the verb “to move.”)

Read more about verb tenses.

Take a test on verb tenses.

Subject of a Verb

The person or thing performing the action of the verb is said to be the

• Tony stole the boat.

(“Tony” is the subject of the verb “to steal.”)

• The dog is guilty.

(“The dog” is the subject of the verb “to be.”)

• Who was that?

(“Who” is the subject of the verb “to be.”)

Read more about the subject of a verb.

Direct Object of a Verb

Many verbs perform an action on something. This is called the

• Terry kissed her hand.

(“Her hand” is the direct object of the verb “to kiss.”)

• Beverly can eat a whole chicken.

(“A whole chicken” is the direct object of the verb “to eat.”)

Some verbs cannot have a direct object. These verbs are called

• The rain fell heavily.

(The rain fell, but it did not perform an action on anything. In this example, the verb “to fall” is an intransitive verb.)

• Jack protested in the street.

(Jack protested, but he did not perform an action on anything. In this example, the verb “to protest” is an intransitive verb.)

Verbs that can have a direct object (most of them) are called

• Barney copied the answer.

(The verb “copied” is a transitive verb. The direct object of the verb is “the answer.”)

• Terry saw a black fin cutting through the water.

(The verb “saw” is a transitive verb. The direct object of the verb is “a black fin.”)

Read more about direct objects.

Indirect Object of a Verb

Some verbs have two objects, a direct object and an

• Jamie read the children a story.

(Here, “a story” is the direct object, and “the children” is the indirect object.)

• I will bake him a cake.

(Here, “a cake” is the direct object, and “him” is the indirect object.)

• The postman gives Anne a letter every day.

(Here, “a letter” is the direct object, and “Anne” is the indirect object.)

Read more about indirect objects.

Passive Sentence

The subject of a sentence does not always do the action of the verb. Sometimes, the action is done to the subject. Such sentences are called

• Carl was arrested.

(“Carl” is not doing anything, but he is the subject of the sentence.)
(Note: “Carl” is the subject of the verb “to be.”)

Passive verbs always comprise two parts (“was arrested” in this example). The person doing the action of the verb in a passive sentence is usually shown with the word “by.”

• Carl was arrested by PC Adams.

Passive verbs are said to be in the

• The carpet was damaged.

(This is a passive sentence. No one is blamed for damaging the carpet.)

• Mark damaged the carpet.

(A passive sentence contrasts with an active sentence (where the subject performs the verb). This is an example of an active sentence. It tells us that Mark damaged the carpet.)

Read more about passive sentences.

Active Sentence

• We damaged the carpet.

(This is an active sentence. “We” is the subject. “We damaged” the carpet.)

• Jamie read a story.

(This is an active sentence. “Jamie” is the subject. “Jamie read” a story.)

Read more about active sentences.

Conjugation of Verbs

A verb will change its form a little depending on the subject. For example:

• I write.
• He writes.
• The jackal laughs.
• The jackals laugh.

When verbs change in this way, it is known as “conjugation.” A verb conjugates according to the subject. The subject of a verb can be in one of six forms:

• I
• You
• He / She / It
• We
• You
• They

The first three are the singular forms (known as

All subjects fit into one of these categories. For example, “jackal” is like “he” (i.e., third person singular) and “jackals” is like “they” (i.e., third person plural). (This subject rarely causes problems for native English speakers, who conjugate verbs correctly without much thought.)

Interestingly, this is the origin of the insurance term “third party” (i.e., it’s insurance covering actions by “them”).

Read more about subject-verb agreement.

Participles

Participles are formed from verbs. There are two types: -ing. Past participles have various endings (e.g., -ed, -en). Below is a table showing some participles:

Verb
Present Participle
Past Participle

to sing
singing
sung

to drive
driving
driven

to go
going
gone

to rise
rising
risen

to watch
watching
watched

to be
being
been

Participles are classified as adjectives. (Note: When a verb form (like a participle) functions as an adjective or a noun, it is known as a

• Our business is badly affected by the soaring price of wool.

(The word “soaring” is a present participle. Here, it is being used as an adjective to describe “price.”)

• He is a forgotten hero.

(The word “forgotten” is a past participle. Here, it is being used as an adjective to describe “hero.”)

Read more about participles.

All the Parts of Speech

Here is a video for beginners that summarizes all the parts of speech.

As we’ve covered, a verb can be categorized as a physical verb (e.g., to run), a mental verb (e.g., to think), or a state-of-being verb (e.g., to be). However, a verb will often be further categorized as one of the following:An action verb expresses an activity that a person or thing can do. For example:Compare those verbs with these:A stative verb expresses a state rather than an action. A stative verb typically relates to a state of being, a thought, or an emotion. For example:A transitive verb is one that acts on something (i.e., it has a direct object ). For example:Note: The direct object of a transitive verb can be found by finding the verb and asking “what?” For example, “saw what?” (answer: the dog); “ate what?” (answer: the pie); “will give what?” (answer: the letter).An intransitive verb is one that does not act on something (i.e., there is no direct object). For example:An auxiliary verb (or helping verb ) accompanies a main verb to help express tense voice or mood . The most common auxiliary verbs are “be,” “do,” and “have” (in their various forms). Here are some examples of auxiliary verbs:A modal verb is a type of auxiliary verb used to express ideas such as ability, possibility, permission, and obligation. The modal auxiliary verbs are “can,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “must,” “ought to,” “shall,” “should,” “will,” and “would.” For example:A phrasal verb is a verb made up of more than one word (usually two words). A phrasal verb has a main verb and another word (either a preposition or a particle). The phrasal verb usually has a meaning different to the main verb. For example: regular verb is one that forms its simple past tense and its past participle by addingorto the base form of the verb. (Note: There are spelling rules to consider too.) For example:An irregular verb is one that does not conform to this ruling. For example:There is a lot of grammatical terminology associated with verbs. Below are explanations of the most common terms. (There is a more comprehensive list in our Glossary of
Terms .)When a verb is preceded by the word “to,” it is said to be in its infinitive form (i.e., its most basic form).Verbs that express actions in the past are said to be in the past tense Verbs that express actions occurring now are said to be in the present tense Verbs that express actions in the future are said to be in the future tense . These are usually formed by preceding the verb with the word “will.”The person or thing performing the action of the verb is said to be the subject of the
verb or the “subject of the sentence.”Many verbs perform an action on something. This is called the direct object of the verb.Some verbs cannot have a direct object. These verbs are called intransitive verbs Verbs that can have a direct object (most of them) are called transitive verbs Some verbs have two objects, a direct object and an indirect
object . The indirect object is the person or thing for whom the action was performed.The subject of a sentence does not always do the action of the verb. Sometimes, the action is done to the subject. Such sentences are called passive sentences because the subjects are being passive, i.e., not doing anything.Passive verbs always comprise two parts (“was arrested” in this example). The person doing the action of the verb in a passive sentence is usually shown with the word “by.”Passive verbs are said to be in the passive voice . Passive sentences can be quite useful: Active sentences contrast with passive sentences. In an active sentence, the subject of the verb performs the action.A verb will change its form a little depending on the subject. For example:When verbs change in this way, it is known as “conjugation.” A verb conjugates according to the subject. The subject of a verb can be in one of six forms:The first three are the singular forms (known as first person singular, second person singular, and third person singular). The second three are the plural forms (known as first person plural, second person plural and third person plural).All subjects fit into one of these categories. For example, “jackal” is like “he” (i.e., third person singular) and “jackals” is like “they” (i.e., third person plural). (This subject rarely causes problems for native English speakers, who conjugate verbs correctly without much thought.)Interestingly, this is the origin of the insurance term “third party” (i.e., it’s insurance covering actions by “them”).Participles are formed from verbs. There are two types: present participles and past participles . Present participles end. Past participles have various endings (e.g.,). Below is a table showing some participles:Participles are classified as adjectives. (Note: When a verb form (like a participle) functions as an adjective or a noun, it is known as a verbal .) Below are some examples of participles being used as adjectives:Here is a video for beginners that summarizes

Why Should I Care about Verbs?

Even though there’s a lot of terminology associated with verbs, native English speakers are really good at using them (e.g., using the right tense, conjugating verbs correctly). We can handle all this stuff without giving the grammar a second thought. Nevertheless, the terms covered on this page will definitely be useful if you decide to learn a foreign language or to teach English because, if you do, you will encounter all of these terms. Knowing what they mean in English is a great starting point for learning how these features are addressed in other languages.

That said, some of the terms covered in this entry do have their own oddities or traps, and these are covered on their individual pages. At the “verb” level, there are five good reasons to think more carefully about verbs.

(Reason 1) Write flowing sentences.

We fill our speech with verbs. For that reason, speech is great. It’s clear and structured naturally. Writing, on the other hand, can be boring, corporate, predictable, and structured abnormally. These bad traits are most often caused by an overuse of nouns.

So, a good trick to ensure your writing leans towards verbs and not nouns is to say your sentence aloud and make that the start point of your sentence structure. This is a good way to get some verbs into your writing and to limit yourself to just enough nouns to get the job done.

Unnatural (Overusing Nouns)Natural (Deploying a Good Verb)
I was under the mistaken assumption you had made the payment.I mistakenly assumed you had paid.
They are in agreement that he was in violation of several regulations.They agree he violated several regulations.
She will be in attendance to present a demonstration of how the weather will have an effect on our process.She will attend to demonstrate how the weather will affect our process.

Opting for verbs over nouns will not only make your sentences flow better but also reduce your word count because you will avoid the articles (e.g., “an,” “the”) and prepositions (e.g., “in,” “on”) required to make nouns work.

There’s another refinement. To optimize your sentence flow and to reduce your word count even further, opt for action verbs over
Stuffy (Using Linking Verbs)Natural (Using Action Verbs)
This rule is applicable to both teams.This rule applies to both teams.
The treaty is binding for all parties.The treaty binds all parties.

Top Tip
“If your writing reads like writing, then re-write it.”

(Reason 2) Ensure your subject and verb agree in number.

Here is an excellent reason to care about verbs:

“Subject-verb agreement” means using the right version of the verb to agree with the subject. It just means saying “The cat was hungry” and not “The cat were hungry.” In other words, it’s about changing a verb to match its subject (called “verb conjugation”).

Verb conjugation is a simple concept, but there are many traps that cause writers to match a no subject-verb agreement. A subject and its verb must agree.

Here are three examples of sentences with no subject-verb agreement. (The verbs are shown in bold.)

• Either of the buttons work.

(“Works” would be correct because “either” is singular.)

• The agenda are pinned on the wall.

(“Agenda” is now accepted as a singular word, despite deriving from the plural of “agendum.”)

• Jack as well as Jill fall down the hill.

(“Falls” would be correct because “as well as” does not create a compound subject like “and” does.)

Read more about the traps that cause no subject-verb agreement.

(Reason 3) Avoid common spelling errors related to verbs.

Here are some common spelling errors caused by failing to spot a verb:

(Reason 4) Spot when you’ve written a sentence and end it appropriately.

Verbs are important. You can’t write a

• I don’t know how to act my age, I’ve never been this old before.
• Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation.
• It was me, I let the dogs out.
• My house was clean yesterday, I’m sorry you missed it.

Having written a sentence, writers are drawn to a comma because they’ve more to say and feel a period (full stop) is too abrupt a halt. It isn’t. A period is fine. There are other options of course (e.g., a

What’s this got to do with verbs? Well, spotting

(Reason 5) Spot when to use a comma after a conjunction (e.g., “and”).

Of course, it is common for a sentence to consist of more than one

• Actors are con men, and con men are actors. (Actor Edward Burns)

(This sentence comprises two “standalone sentences” (i.e., independent clauses). The comma before “and” is correct.)

When a conjunction does not join two independent clauses, it is normal not to use a comma.

• My grandmother was gruff and looked very fierce. She was quite small, but she was very wide. (Author Salman Rushdie)

(Here, the words “looked very fierce” is not an independent clause because there’s no subject. However, the words “she was very wide” is an independent clause. That’s why there’s no comma before “and” but one before “but.”)

What’s this got to do with verbs? Well, spotting finite verbs and their subjects is a good start point for dividing your work into independent clauses, and that’s key for determining whether to use commas before conjunctions.

Key Point

• Nouns are clunky and eat up your word count. Use more verbs. They’re flowy and efficient.

(You can read about all the other issues related to verbs by following the links to those specific pages.)

Ready for the Test?

Here is a confirmatory test for this lesson.

This test can also be:

• Edited (i.e., you can delete questions and play with the order of the questions).
• Printed to create a handout.
• Sent electronically to friends or students.

Here is afor this lesson.This test can also be:

Here’s another test on verbs.

Even though there’s a lot of terminology associated with verbs, native English speakers are really good at using them (e.g., using the right tense, conjugating verbs correctly). We can handle all this stuff without giving the grammar a second thought. Nevertheless, the terms covered on this page will definitely be useful if you decide to learn a foreign language or to teach English because, if you do, you will encounter all of these terms. Knowing what they mean in English is a great starting point for learning how these features are addressed in other languages.That said, some of the terms covered in this entry do have their own oddities or traps, and these are covered on their individual pages. At the “verb” level, there are five good reasons to think more carefully about verbs.We fill our speech with verbs. For that reason, speech is great. It’s clear and structured naturally. Writing, on the other hand, can be boring, corporate, predictable, and structured abnormally. These bad traits are most often caused by an overuse of nouns.So, a good trick to ensure your writing leans towards verbs and not nouns is toand make that the start point of your sentence structure. This is a good way to get some verbs into your writing and to limit yourself to just enough nouns to get the job done.Opting for verbs over nouns will not only make your sentences flow better but also reduce your word count because you will avoid the articles (e.g., “an,” “the”) and prepositions (e.g., “in,” “on”) required to make nouns work.There’s another refinement. To optimize your sentence flow and to reduce your word count even further, opt for action verbs over linking verbs , which – like nouns – can sound a little stuffy.Here is an excellent reason to care about verbs: subject-verb agreement “Subject-verb agreement” means using the right version of the verb to agree with the subject. It just means saying “The cathungry” and not “The cathungry.” In other words, it’s about changing a verb to match its subject (called “verb conjugation”).Verb conjugation is a simple concept, but there are many traps that cause writers to match a singular subject with a plural verb or vice versa. When this mistake occurs, we say there is. A subject and its verb must agree.Here are three examples of sentences with no subject-verb agreement. (The verbs are shown in bold.)Here are some common spelling errors caused by failing to spot a verb:Verbs are important. You can’t write a sentence without one. Remember that a sentence expresses a complete thought and includes a subject that governs at least one finite verb. It may sound basic, but lots of writers fail to spot when they’ve written a sentence. Consequently, they commit the most common mistake made by otherwise excellent writers: the run-on error . The most common type of run-on error is writing a sentence, putting a comma, and then writing another sentence.Having written a sentence, writers are drawn to a comma because they’ve more to say and feel a period (full stop) is too abrupt a halt. It isn’t. A period is fine. There are other options of course (e.g., a dash , a semicolon , an ellipsis (three dots), a subordinating conjunction like “because”) – you just can’t use a comma.What’s this got to do with verbs? Well, spotting finite verbs and their subjects is a good start point for dividing your work into proper sentences. If you look at the wrong examples above, you will find a subject, a finite verb, and a complete thought either side of the comma, which means you’re looking at two sentences.Of course, it is common for a sentence to consist of more than one independent clause . (An independent clause is one that can stand alone as a sentence.) When these “standalone sentences” are joined with a conjunction (e.g., “and,” “but,” “or”), it is normal to put a comma before the conjunction.When a conjunction does not join two independent clauses, it is normal not to use a comma.What’s this got to do with verbs? Well, spotting finite verbs and their subjects is a good start point for dividing your work into independent clauses, and that’s key for determining whether to use commas before conjunctions.