Moving writing forward with verbs

What is a verb?

Verbs are used to express an action, occurrence, or form of being.¹ To put it simply, verbs are action words. If something is happening in your sentence, a verb is making it happen. Here are some examples of verbs in a sentence:

• She drove home after work.
• The dog ran around the backyard for hours.
• My mom always calls me on Sunday.
• He is thinking about cutting his hair shorter.
• I am feeling better today.

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There are three main types of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs.

What are action verbs?

Action verbs, also known as action words, are verbs that express action or possession. Some examples of action verbs include the following:

• Eat
• Walk
• Have
• Own
• Give
• Drink
• Run
• Cry

A single action verb can be used as a sentence. For example, “Run!” Since action verbs can be used alone, they are classified as main verbs.

Here are some examples of action verbs used in a sentence:

• He cried all day.
• I gave her my favorite pen.
• They own the house with the red door.
• I walk my dog twice a day.

What are linking verbs?

Linking verbs, also known as state-of-being verbs or copular verbs, are another type of main verb. Linking verbs don’t explicitly show an action. Instead, they link the subject of a sentence with an adjective, noun, or pronoun.² Here are some examples of linking verbs:

• Be
• Feel
• Look
• Am
• Are
• Is
• Seem
• Become
• Were
• Sound

Here are some examples of linking verbs used in a sentence:

• Sarah was tired after the 5K.

In the above sentence, the verb (was) links the subject (Sarah) to the adjective (tired).

• The food looks good!

In this case, the verb (looks) links the subject (the food) to the adjective (good).

• Juan became a teacher.

Here, the verb (became) links the subject (Juan) to the noun (teacher).

What are helping verbs?

Helping verbs come before a main action or linking verb to create a verbal phrase (such as, “can help” or “were listening”). Helping verbs provide additional information to the main verb. Here’s a list of helping verbs:

• Am
• Are
• Can
• Is
• Had
• Has
• Will
• Do
• Should

Here are some examples of helping verbs used in a sentence:

• I can bake the bread tomorrow.

In the above sentence, the helping verb (can) comes before the action verb (bake).

• You should drive faster.

The helping verb (should) comes before the action verb (drive).

• Lexi is going to school tomorrow.

In this example, “is” serves as the helping verb, and “going” is the action verb.

How to use verbs correctly

To use verbs correctly, first identify the type of verb that’s being used (action, linking, or helping).

If the sentence contains an action verb, use the verb after the subject of the sentence, which can be a noun or pronoun. For example:

• David rode his bike home.

In the above sentence, David is the subject of the sentence, so the action verb (rode) comes after his name.

To use linking verbs correctly in a sentence, the verb must link the subject of the sentence to an adjective or noun. For example:

• The milk smells weird.

In this case, “milk” is the subject of the sentence. The linking verb “smells” connects the noun (milk) to the adjective (weird).

To use a helping verb correctly, it must come before the action or linking verb. For example:

• The dog should eat less.

In this example, the helping verb “should” adds to the verb “eat.”

Writing with verbs is essential—you can’t create a sentence without them. Now that you have a greater understanding of how to use verbs, you can find countless ways to make your writing move.

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