UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE

FOURAH BAY COLLEDG (F.B.C)

TAXT: GROUP PRESENTATION

MODULE: FOUNDATION STODIES
TOPIC: VERB
LECTURE: MR FODAY
 NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS
1. JOEL B. SANNOH F- 23-56688
2. ASIATU RASHIDATU KARIMATU SANKOH F- 23-55952
3. SAHR WAINDENOR F- 23-57873
4. NANAH SANKOH F- 23…………
5. OSMAN SAMURA F-23 56046
6. HAJA TIDA SANKOH F-23-55989
7. ABUBAKARR WILLIE F-23-57429
8. SHIRLEY MIRANDA STEVENS F- 23-56176
9. THAMAS TRYE F- 23-56376
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 VERB
INTRODUCTION

In many languages, the verb is the only obligatory element in the clause. Verbs
tend to have more inflectional complexity than nouns. Their syntactic function is to
head the clausal predicate. A verb is a word that describes action or a state of
being. Verbs are the second largest category of words in the English language. A
verb shows what someone or something is, does, or has. Words like “testify,”
“write,” “go,” “sell,” “transact,” “negotiate,” “advise,” “obtain,” and “decide” are
verbs. Each sentence has a subject and a verb. The verb in a sentence describes
the status of the subject: what the subject does, is, or has. Verbs can be used
alone to describe something that happens in the past or present, or combined
with other verbs to express more sophisticated differentiations of time, like
something that will happen at some point in the future. A verb is an action word.
It is any word that has past tense.

Note: All verbs have five properties or aspects: tense, person, number, voice, and
mood.
It is importance to note that:
 Verbs are considered “regular” if the word can be made to describe
something that happened in the past by adding –ed, like “testified,”
“transacted,” “negotiated,” “advised,” “obtained,” and “decided.”
 Verbs are considered “irregular” if other changes are required to make the
word refer to something that happened in the past, like “wrote,” “went,”
or “sold.”
 A “transitive” verb requires an object to complete its meaning: The
evidence shows. ... Without an object to provide additional information,
the verb “shows” makes no sense.
 An “intransitive” verb does not require an object to complete its meaning;
although an object can be added, it is not necessary to make the sentence
 complete: The Court of Appeals affirmed. Although additional words could
be added, the verb “affirmed” completes this sentence without them.
 A “linking” verb connects the subject to a word or group of words that
describes or renames the subject: The signature on the deed may be a
forgery. The verb “may be” links the subject to its subject complement,
“forgery.”
 “Helping” verbs like be, can, have, do, or will combine with a verb to alter
its meaning in some subtle way. The helping verb may clarify the time an
action takes, took, or will take place, or it may be used to describe an action
in progress.
 “Compound verb.” The 16-year old defendant can be tried as an adult. In
this sentence, the helping verbs “can” and “be” combine with the verb
“tried” to modify its meaning. Rather than stating that the 16-year old
defendant is tried as an adult, the helping verbs in this sentence combine to
clarify that being tried as an adult is an option.
 An “infinitive” is made by adding “to” to the present tense of any other
verb: To be or not to be, that is the question. The odd thing about an
infinitive is that adding “to” to a present tense verb converts it to a noun,
adjective, or adverb

This group presentation deals with typical categories of verbs and types of
complex predicates, Singular verbs, plural verbs, regular verbs, irregular verbs
and principle of part of verb.

Verbs fall into several transitivity classes, depending on the number of arguments
they require. Other grammatical subclasses of verbs may include verbs of
perception, stance and motion, and copula verbs. Person, number, and gender of
arguments, spatial setting, and a set of categories under the umbrella of non-spatial
setting are typically associated with the verb. Non-spatial setting includes tense,
aspect, mood, modality, reality status, and evidentiality. Valency-changing
derivations and noun incorporation are also characteristic of verbs.
 DEFINITION OF VERB
A Verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence, and
forming the main part of the predicate of a sentence, such
as hear, become, happen.
A verb is a word that in syntax generally conveys an action, an occurrence,
or a state of being. In the usual description of English, the basic form, with
or without the particle to, is the infinitive. In many languages, verbs are
inflected to encode tense, aspect, mood, and voice.
A verb is customarily defined as a part of speech (or word class) that describes an
action or occurrence or indicates a state of being. Generally, it makes more sense
to define a verb by what it does than by what it is. Just as the same word can
serve as either a noun or a verb—"rain" or "snow," for example—the same verb
can play various roles depending on how it's used. Put simply, verbs move
sentences along in many different ways
 TYPES OF VERBS
The following outlines the types of verbs, each of which will be discussed in turn
and in detail. Please note that (a) these categories have been subdivided into
general, binary, semantic (meaning based) and syntactic (structure-based)
categories, and (b) some verbs may be acceptable in more than one category.
General Categories both lexical and auxiliary verbs are considered to be general
verb types as these are the broadest of verb classifications. In truth, every one of
the remaining eleven types explored in this GROUP PRRSENTATION could also be
considered as being either lexical or auxiliary in nature, making these two
classifications primary and most important.
 Auxiliary and Lexical Verbs: An auxiliary verb (also known as a helping
verb) determines the mood or tense of another verb in a phrase. In the
sentence, "It will rain tonight," for example, the verb "will" helps the verb
"rain" by explaining that the action will take place in the future. The
primary auxiliaries are the various forms of be, have, and do. The modal
auxiliaries include can, could, may, must, should, will, and would. A lexical
verb (also known as a full or main verb) is any verb in English that isn't an
auxiliary verb: It conveys a real meaning and doesn't depend on another
verb, such as, - It rained all night.
 Dynamic Verbs and Stative Verbs: A dynamic verb indicates an action,
process, or sensation: "I bought a new guitar." A Stative verb (such as be,
have, know, like, own, and seem) describes a state, situation, or condition:
"Now I own a J.B Explorer." These types of verbs are the primary way that
main verbs can be distinguished. Action verbs (also known as dynamic
verbs) express something the subject does. In contrast to this, state verbs
(also known as stative verbs) express a state of mind or mental process.
 The main differences are set out below:

1) Main action verbs express what the subject can do, and so are dynamic.
They can be used in any tense. Eg, they jumped over the gate - He
started the car. - She is digging a hole.
2) 2) State verbs express a state of mind, such as an opinion, emotion,
sense or preference. They cannot be used in the continuous tenses. Eg, I
see the problem -Her perfume smells nice - I doubt he'll pass etc.
3) Finite and Nonfinite Verbs A finite verb expresses tense and can occur
on its own in a main clause. Eg. "She walked to school” A nonfinite verb
(an infinitive or participle) doesn't show a distinction in tense and can
occur on its own only in a dependent phrase or clause. Eg. While walking
to school, she spotted a bluejay.
4) Regular and Irregular Verbs: A regular verb (also known as a weak
verb) forms its past tense and past participle by adding -d or ed (or in
some cases -t) to the base form. Eg, We finished the project. An
irregular verb (also known as a strong verb) does not form the past
tense by adding -d or –ed. Eg, Joel ate the wrapper on his candy bar.

 Transitive and Intransitive Verbs: Transitive and intransitive verbs are

types of action verbs, though linking verbs are also intransitive verbs. It is
not possible to tell whether a verb is transitive or intransitive just by
looking at the verb. It would need to be worked out from the context of
the sentence. A transitive verb is followed by a direct object. Eg, She sells
seashells. By contrast, an intransitive verb does not take a direct object.
Eg, She sat there quietly. This distinction is especially tricky because many
verbs have both transitive and intransitive functions.
 Linking (Copular) verbs Linking (Copular) verbs are also intransitive, and
these need a noun or adjective complement. Eg, They boy is happy, I am
John, They seem confused.
 Main verbs Main verbs can also be copular verbs, also commonly known as
linking or complementary verbs. These types of verbs are a subset of state
verbs as they are ways in which to express a state of being. The main
purpose of them is to identify the subject, in which case they are followed
by a noun or noun phrase. Eg, she is my friend, John and Sarah are
solicitors Or to describe the subject, in which case they are followed by an
adjective or adjective phrase. Eg, He seems concerned, Peter was happy
about it Copular verbs cannot be used alone and need a subject
complement (i.e. we can't say 'He seems' or Peter was').
 Auxiliary Verbs: The second types of verbs are auxiliary verbs. They are
used to add functional or grammatical meaning to other verbs. So rather
than being main verbs, they may be used with a main verb in order to
change its function or meaning. They are also known as helping verbs.
The two main types of auxiliary verb are be, do, have and will Modals
(could, should, must, will etc) 'be' 'do' 'have' 'will' Auxiliary Verbs Be, do,
have and will are three auxiliary verbs that have a variety of functions. The
first of these is to make the various tenses. The key ones used are be - am /
is / was / were / been etc. have - have / had / having etc.
Here are some examples -They have left (present perfect tense) -She has
been working (present perfect continuous tense) -I am swimming (present
continuous tense) - She will eat it (future tense) - He will have arrived by
6pm (future perfect continuous tense) these auxiliaries are then moved
around to make Questions and Negative Forms. We make questions by
moving the first auxiliary verb to the start of the clause. Statement: - He
has been cycling Question: - Has he been cycling? Statement: -The boy is
dreaming Question: - Is the boy dreaming? Negative forms of sentences
are made by adding not or 'nt to the first auxiliary: Negative: - Hasn't he
been cycling? Negative: - Isn't the boy dreaming? Since the affirmative
forms of the present simple and past simple don't have auxiliaries, we use
the following auxiliary verbs to make questions and negative forms (Al-
Sheikh, 2006a: 88): Present simple: do / does / don't / doesn't Past Simple:
 did / didn't Here are some examples: - Does she have a car? (Present
simple question) - He doesn't like fish (present simple negative) - Did they
steal the money? (Past simple question) - I didn't receive the book you sent
(past simple negative) - We also use these types of verbs to make the
Passive Voice. Eg - I was arrested - The tanks are driven by the soldiers. - I
have been treated for pneumonia.
 Modal Verbs
A modal verb is a kind of an auxiliary verb. It assists the main verb to
indicate possibility, potentiality, ability, permission, expectation, and
obligation. The modal verbs are can, could, must, may, might, ought to,
shall, should, will, would. Example: - I may want to talk to you again. -
They must play their best game to win. - She should call him. - I will go
there. As modal verbs are auxiliary verbs, they again have to be used along
with a main verb, not on their own. Modal verbs are followed by the main
verb in the infinitive form (see below for infinitive verbs). Here are the
main modal verbs with an example and their function: - He can read.
(Ability) -You ought to be more approachable. (Obligation/advice) - You
must / have to work harder. (Necessity) -The car could break down.
(Possibility) - He might / may come later. (Possibility) - I think they should
be back by midnight. (Logical deduction) These types of verbs can also
make questions. In this case they come before the subject: - Would you
pass the salt?
(Request) - Would you like to come to dinner on Friday? (Invitation) -
Could / can I borrow your umbrella? (Asking permission) - May I help you?
(Offer) As noted above, modal verbs are used with the infinitive for of the
verb which is discussed next. Infinitives The third types of verbs are
infinitives. It was explained above that main verbs are finite, which means
they have a subject and a tense form. However, infinitives are non-finite as
unlike main verbs they do not have a subject and they do not take a tense
form. These are the base form of a verb and their form is the same as the
base form of the present simple that follows I, you, we and they. This
illustrates this difference. Main Verb (present simple): - I like my Doctor.
Main Verb + Infinitive: - I like to see my Doctor regularly 'See' is the same
as the base form of the present simple (i.e. I see, you see etc) but it is not
being used as part of the present simple tense ('like' is the verb with the
tense i.e. the main verb).

There are two types of infinitive: Infinitive followed by 'to' (e.g. to go) as in
the above example Bare Infinitive (e.g. go) with no 'to' Infinitive (with 'to')
they have a variety of uses, but these are some of the common uses with
examples: After certain main verbs: - I wanted to find it. -They decided to
go. -We need to help them. After certain adjectives. -It's necessary to read
it. -I'm sorry to trouble you. -He's excited to see me. After certain nouns: -I
have a wish to travel. -There's a need to get food. -He has the ability to
help. To give reasons or purpose, see the following: -He read the book to
improve his English. -I bought this desk to work at. After 'too' + adjective: -
I'm too scared to look. -They are too young to get in. -He's too happy to
care. After 'too' + 'much/many' + noun -There's too many people to fit on
the bus. - I've too much money to worry about the future. With 'enough' (+
noun) - I've studied enough to pass the test. -They've got enough (food) to
survive. As a subject + clause: -To go with you would be wonderful. -To see
USA one day is my dream. Bare Infinitive: One way we use the bare
infinitive (no 'to') is after the auxiliaries (do, does, did) in questions and
negatives when making the present or past simple tenses (Fromkin, et al.
2003: 132): -Do you want it? (Present simple question) -Please don't come
tonight. (Present simple negative) -He didn't find his wallet. (Past simple
question) -Did they get their wages last month? (Past simple negative) We
also use them after some verb + object combinations, such as 'make' and
'let' and perception verbs: -They made the students stay late. -Why don't
we let them eat unhealthy food? -I think I heard him say something. -Did
you notice them come in? -I saw her take the tablet. We can though also
use the -ing form after these verbs of perception (e.g. ...coming in). -We
 also use the bare infinitive after why...? And why not...? -Why let her know
her actual score as it will upset her? -Why not plan the next trip a bit
better? And we use it after try and, come and, and go and: -Please try and
finish the book. -Why don't you come and see the house? -Let's go and find
John. -ing Another grammatical class are -ing forms of verbs. They are
verbs that end in -ing. For example: eating, drinking, and sleeping.

In the continuous / progressive tenses, -I am leaving tomorrow. To add

more information to certain verbs e.g. I deny taking the money. When we
want to use a verb after a preposition e.g. - I'm interested in studying
French. As subjects and complements e.g. -Gambling is addictive. To list
activities e.g. -Her favourite sports are skiing, running, and hiking Although
-ing forms of verbs can be considered as one grammatical class, they are
also often considered as two separate classes: Gerunds (present
participles) The -ing form of the verb can function as a noun, and when it
does this is called a gerund. Here are the ways that gerunds are used

 As subjects: - Swimming is my favorite activity. - Driving can be dangerous.

- Washing up is boring. After prepositions: - Apply for your license by filling
in the form. - You can't survive without drinking water. - He's good at
drawing. After certain verbs: - I won't risk leaving them alone. - I enjoy
listening to music. - He avoids taking responsibility. In compound nouns: -
Let's go to the swimming pool -I need driving lessons. -Put them in the
washing machine Present Participles: Present participles have various
functions but there are two main ones. One is as adjectives and the other is
to form the continuous or progressive tenses. Adjectives can be spotted as
they come before the noun. Forms of -ing in the continuous tenses are
evident as they are used with an auxiliary verb such as 'be'.
 As adjectives: - The failing business has been sold for a loss. -The improving
grades of the students is encouraging. Forming continuous tenses: - I am
trying to get promoted. They were eating while watching TV.

Multiword Verbs:
 Multiwords verbs are types of verbs that are created by combining a verb
(e.g. come, go, give, look, take) with an adverb and/or a preposition (e.g.
back, off, away, out, on), give up, take out, look away, look up to. They are
also known as phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, or phrasal prepositional
verbs, depending on how they are constructed. They can be a main verb
(i.e. have a subject and verb that takes a tense) but they can also be
infinitive: - He gave up smoking. (main verb) - He wants to give up smoking.
 (infinitive) They are treated as a unique grammatical class because when
combined they function as inseparable parts of a single unit. In other
words, the words have to be placed together to give their particular
meaning.
 Phrasal Verbs Phrasal verbs are formed by combining a main verb and an
adverb particle. Some of the most common adverb particles used to form
phrasal verbs are: at, around, down, away, off, in, on, over, out, round,
over, up. - The film came out in 2024. - The class went on for 3 hours. - The
plane took off late. - I can't make out what she is saying. -We can sort the
problems out / sort out the problems. -They had little time to put the
scaffolding up / put up the scaffolding. Prepositional Verbs Prepositional
verbs consist of a verb and a preposition (Betti, 2021n: 1): - The house was
broken into. - I can't do without him. - I look after my sister's children
sometimes. - I get on his nerves if I play loud music.

Phrasal-prepositional Verbs Phrasal-prepositional verbs are formed with a verb, a

particle and a preposition. These types of verbs consist of a verb, a particle and a
preposition. Eg - We are going to come up against many issues. - I will look in on
my neighbor and check he is ok. - He couldn't face up to the reality of it. - John
hoped to get away with it.
A linking verb adds details about the subject of a sentence. In its simplest form, it
connects the subject and the complement — that is, the words that follow the
linking verb. It creates a link between them instead of showing action. Often,
what is on each side of a linking verb is equivalent; the complement redefines or
restates the subject (Al-Sheikh, 2006b: 61). More Verb Functions.
 Causative verbs, for example, show that some person or thing helps to
make something happen. Catenative verbs join with other verbs to form a
chain or series. Copular verbs link the subject of a sentence to its
complement. Then there are performative, mentalstate, prepositional,
iterative, and reporting verbs. Additionally, there are passive versus
subjunctive moods. Though they can show tense and mood, verbs are hard-
working parts of speech that you can use in your writing and speaking to
make things happen in many different ways.
 Perception/Sensation Verbs: The verbs which show our five senses are
called perception/ sensation verbs. - I smell the flowers. - He is listening to
the radio. - I feel great today.
 Hypothesis Verbs: These verbs are usually followed by subjunctives. Here,
we wish against the present facts in the present, and the formulas are
given.

1. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + the past indefinite tense

2. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + were + object
3. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + had + object - I wish that he helped me.
(Means he does not help me) - I wish that he were a good teacher. (Means
he is not a good teacher) - She wishes that I had the latest car. (Means I
have not the latest car)
Here, we wish against the past facts in the present, and the formulas are
given like
1. Sub + wish + (that) + sub + the past perfect tense
 2. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + had been the + object
3. Sub + wish + (that) + sub. + had had + object - I wish that he had taken
admission. (Means he did not take admission) - I wish that I had been in
London. (Means I was not in London) She wishes that I had had a bus.
(Means I had not a bus)
 Causative Verbs: In causative verbs, we do not perform an action directly,
but we get it done indirectly by someone else means by the second person.
The formula will be changed according to the absence or presence of the
second person.

Note: English has three true causative verbs:

let, have, make, but there are other verbs such as to cause, allow, help,
enable, keep, hold, force, require and persuade indeed which are not
causative verbs but similarly used as causative verbs.

He gets Ali to wash his car. He has Nadir help him. Other grammarians do
the following classification.
Type 1: Lexical Verbs As mentioned above. Type 2: Auxiliary Verbs 2.1
Primary Auxiliary Verbs There are three primary auxiliary verbs in the
English language, and each has their own forms and functions. These three
verbs are ‘be’, ‘do’ and ‘have’

Modal Auxiliary Verbs In addition to these three primary auxiliary verbs, there
are nine pure modal and six semi-modal auxiliary verbs that academic students
should learn to use and recognize, particularly when expressing modality in speech
or when writing assignments Modality is a very helpful linguistic feature that
communicates a speaker’s attitudes about the world around them, either through
judgments, assessments or interpretations of the believability, reality, obligation or
desirability of a proposition.
Modal Verb (can, could, might, would. Shall, should, must, ought)

Function
CAN: Used to denote the ability of the subject to perform an action or to request
permission to perform an action
COULD: Use to denote the ability of the subject to perform an action or an offer
made by the subject to perform an action
MAY: Used to denote the probability of an action taking place or to request
permission to perform an action
MIGHT: Used to denote the probability of an action taking place or to make
suggestions
WILL: Used to denote the surety of an action taking place or the assurance of the
subject to perform a particular action
WOULD: Used to show politeness when requesting or asking if an action can be
done by the subject.
SHALL: Used to denote the surety of an action taking place or the assurance of
the subject to perform a particular action
SHOULD: Used to denote the necessity of an action to be done by the subject
MUST: Used to denote the strong obligation or necessity for the subject to do or
not do an action
OUGHT: Used to denote the obligation of the subject to perform a particular
action
 Principal part of verb

The principal parts of a verb are the four basic forms that every verb has, which are
essential for forming all the tenses of the verb. These principal parts include the present
tense, present participle, past tense, and past participle.

1. First Principal Part (Infinitive Form): The first principal part is the base or infinitive
form of the verb. It is used to express present time, something true at all times, and
future time. For regular verbs, this form is used for all persons except third-person
singular, where an -s is added (e.g., repair, repairs). Irregular verbs may have unique
forms in this part.

2. Second Principal Part (Present Participle): The second principal part is the -ing form
of the verb. It is used to form progressive tenses and functions as the present participle
in sentences (e.g., talking parrots). It also serves as a gerund in certain contexts.

3. Third Principal Part (Past Tense): The third principal part forms the simple past tense
of the verb. Regular verbs add -d, -ed, or -t to form past tense (e.g., talked), while
irregular verbs change their vowel sounds or undergo other transformations to indicate
past actions (e.g., sang, went).

4. Fourth Principal Part (Past Participle): The fourth principal part is used to form
perfect tenses and follows a form of the auxiliary verb “have” or “has.” For regular verbs,
the past and past participle forms are usually identical (e.g., talked, have talked), while
irregular verbs may have distinct forms for these parts (e.g., ate, have eaten).

Understanding these four principal parts of a verb is crucial for constructing

grammatically correct sentences and conveying actions accurately across different
tenses.