Verbs — English Grammar Rules, Examples & Practice (Free)
Learn Verbs in English grammar with simple rules, clear examples, common mistakes and free practice questions for students.
TL;DR: Learn Verbs in English grammar with simple rules, clear examples, common mistakes and free practice questions for students.
Written & reviewed by the Syllab.in Academic Team (CBSE/NCERT subject experts) · Updated
Verbs are action or state-of-being words that form the core of any sentence. Every sentence needs a verb to express what is happening or what is true.
Verbs — The Rules
- Action verbs: show what the subject does (run, eat, write, jump, sing)
- Linking verbs: show state of being, not action (be, seem, look, taste, feel)
- Transitive verbs: take a direct object (read a book, build a house)
- Intransitive verbs: do not take an object (sleep, laugh, arrive)
- Auxiliary (helping) verbs: support main verbs (have, do, will, can, should)
Examples
- Action: "The athlete ran quickly to the finish line."
- Linking: "She feels happy." (happy is not the action, but her state)
- Transitive: "She wrote a letter." (letter is the object)
- Intransitive: "The child laughed loudly."
- Auxiliary: "I have finished my homework." (have helps finished)
Common Mistakes
These are the errors that cost marks most often. Each line gives the mistake and the correction.
- Subject-verb disagreement: "The students is studying" — use "are" with plural "students"
- Wrong verb form: "I have went to school" — use "gone" with "have": "I have gone to school"
- Using action verb after linking verb: "The soup smells badly" is wrong; use adjective: "The soup smells bad"
Practice Questions
Attempt each one before reading the answer beneath it — checking first teaches nothing.
Identify if the verb is action or linking: "The flower bloomed in spring."
bloomed — action verb; the flower is doing something
Correct: "She don't like ice cream."
"doesn't" — third person singular takes "does", not "do"
Is the verb transitive or intransitive? "The teacher explained the concept."
transitive — "explained" takes an object "the concept"
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a phrasal verb?
A verb combined with a preposition or adverb (look up, run away, turn off). Example: "I look up words in the dictionary."
What is the difference between "can" and "could"?
"Can" is present ability ("I can swim"). "Could" is past ability ("I could swim as a child") or polite request ("Could you help?").
What are irregular verbs?
Verbs that don't follow the standard "-ed" pattern for past tense (go→went, eat→ate, see→saw). They must be memorized.
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