Cohesive Devices - Exercise

Verbs: The Action Heroes of English

Verbs are the action heroes of the English language. They bring life to our sentences by describing what we do or what happens. In this article, we'll dive into the world of verbs, exploring their different types and how they make our words come alive.

Lexical Verbs

They are the words that express physical or mental actions. Here are some examples:

1. run - She likes to run in the morning.
2. think - I think this movie is great.
3. dance - They love to dance at parties.

Helping Verbs (Auxiliary Verbs)

Helping verbs are like sidekicks to action verbs. They help convey tense, mood, or voice in a sentence. Common helping verbs include:

1. be - I am happy. (Present tense)
2. have - She has completed her homework. (Present perfect tense)
3. will - They will visit next week. (Future tense)

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to its complement, which can be a noun or an adjective. They don't show action but rather a state of being. Examples include:

1. is - She is a doctor. (Linking "is" connects "she" to "doctor.")
2. feel - He feels tired. (Linking "feels" connects "he" to "tired.")
3. become - They become friends. (Linking "become" connects "they" to "friends.")

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs express possibility, necessity, or permission. They include:

1. can - She can swim well.
2. must - You must finish your homework.
3. may - He may come to the party.

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs don't follow the usual pattern when forming past tense. They have unique forms. Here are some examples:

1. go - I went to the store yesterday.
2. eat - She ate a delicious cake.
3. come - They came to visit us.

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs follow a simple pattern when forming past tense by adding "-ed" to the base form. Examples include:

1. walk - She walked to school yesterday.
2. talk - He talked to his friend.
3. jump - They jumped over the puddle.

Transitive Verbs

Transitive verbs are action verbs that need an object to complete their meaning. In other words, they require something or someone to receive the action. Here are some examples:

1. eat - She ate a sandwich. (The verb "ate" is transitive, and "a sandwich" is the object that receives the action.)
2. read - He read a book. (The verb "read" is transitive, and "a book" is the object.)
3. kick - They kicked the ball. (The verb "kicked" is transitive, and "the ball" is the object.)

In transitive verb sentences, you can ask "what" or "whom" after the verb to identify the object. For example, in "She ate what?" the answer is "a sandwich."

Intransitive Verbs

Intransitive verbs, on the other hand, don't require an object to complete their meaning. They express action or describe a situation without transferring that action to something or someone else. Here are some examples:

1. sleep - She slept soundly. (The verb "slept" is intransitive; there is no direct object.)
2. laugh - He laughed heartily. (The verb "laughed" is intransitive; there is no direct object.)
3. arrive - They arrived early. (The verb "arrived" is intransitive; there is no direct object.)

In intransitive verb sentences, you can't ask "what" or "whom" after the verb because there is no direct object.

It's important to note that some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive, depending on how they are used in a sentence. For example:

• run can be transitive: She ran a marathon (transitive, with "a marathon" as the object).
• run can also be intransitive: She ran quickly (intransitive, no direct object).

Understanding verbs and their different roles is essential for constructing meaningful sentences. Verbs tell us what's happening and how it's happening, allowing us to share our thoughts and actions with others effectively. So, as you explore the world of verbs, remember that they are the action heroes that make your English conversations come to life!