Effective English language communication usually requires that each sentence contain a subject and a verb. The subject is sometimes defined as a person, a place, or a thing. The verb conveys an understanding of the action expressed, or it conveys the state of the subject.

The verb is hit. Tom acted; he hit something. The verb describes the action. Effective communication also requires identification of the thing Tom hit. The object that Tom hit was a ball. The object of the verb hit is the ball.

The verb, is, conveys the state of the subject. The verb does not convey a sense of action. The sky has a blue state. Blue is the color that describes the sky. The word blue is an adjective in the sentence, "The sky is blue."

One set of terms used to describe verbs is transitive and intransitive. Transitive verbs convey a sense of action and the sentence identifies whom or what the subject addresses.

Transitive verbs convey a sense of action and the sentence identifies whom or what the subject addresses.

An action verb can be transitive or it can be intransitive. Consider the following examples.

Some sentences convey a complete thought utilizing only a subject and a verb. Consider the following example.

The verb be is intransitive because the verb does not convey a sense of action. The words is, am, are, was, were, and been are forms of the verb be. The following sentences are composed with intransitive verbs that convey a sense of state, do not convey a sense of action, and do not require an object.

Archaically, some people used the verb be to express present tense. Example: I be going to the circus. We now use the verb am. Example: I am going to the circus.

The following sentence causes some controversy. The sentence is correct. Why is the sentence correct?

The prounoun I is nominative case. The prounoun me is objective case. The verb is, a form of the verb be, does not take an object, and therefore, the pronoun cannot be in the objective case. Casual conversation produces, It's me, but that is not grammatically correct.

Verbs can also convey a sense of time.

Verbs convey a sense of action or they convey the state of an entity. Verbs may also convey a sense of time. They may convey a sense that an event occurred in the past or that the event is presently occurring or that the event will occur in the future. The spelling of the verb may change for some of the expressions of time or auxiliary words may be required with the verb. The organization of verbs according to sense of time is called conjugation. The word tense means time.

We shall first explore the ways to express time utilizing the verb take for the demonstration. The example sentences have been written in first person (singular). First person is something I do. Second person is something you do. Third person is something she does (or he). Below are examples of the present verb tense, the past verb tense, and the future verb tense.

Notice the spelling change for past tense and the inclusion of an auxiliary word for future tense.

An expanded set of verb tenses is presented below. Some new grammar terms are also presented. The new terms are potentially confusing. The terms will be explained. However, the way we write the sentences is more important than the verb tense terminology.

The emphatic form of the verb infers the speaker's degree of determination. The construction of the verb changes when the emphatic form is used. However, the sense of time does not change when the emphatic verb form is used in place of the less emphatic form.

Emphatic tense is used in a popular ceremony.

Question:  Do you take this (person) to be your lawful wedded (spouse)?
Answer:    I do. (Emphatically, I do!)

Historically, there has been a distinction between shall and will.

The verb applications are reversed when employed in second person.

The conventional application of shall and will is not rigorously observed in American English at the beginning of the twenty-first century. There is no jail time if you substitute the word will for the word shall.

NOTE: If a person is angry it is easier to pronounce will than it is to pronounce shall. It is probable that an irritated parent would say: You will clean your room before you go to the beach!

Grammarians have noticed some subtle differences in meaning when the expanded tense expressions are used. Those differences are identifed below.

Present perfect sentences convey a sense that an action started in the past and may have terminated in the past or may be continuing in the present.

Example: I have trained for this job.

Present progressive sentences convey a sense that a present action is continuing.

Example: The butterflies are arriving at the rate of a thousand an hour.

Present perfect progressive sentences convey a sense that an action started in the past and continues in the present.

Example: I have been learning English grammar since I arrived two years ago.

Past perfect sentences convey a sense that an action occurred in the past and was completed before a subsequent past action occurred.

Example: Several attempts to build the Panama Canal had failed before the Americans completed the project.

Past progressive sentences convey a sense that a past action occurred over a span of time.

Example: The guards were sleeping while the attack occurred.

Past perfect progressive sentences convey a sense that a past action started at an indefinite past time and continued until a definite past time.

Example: The peas had been growing on their own until Mendel found them.

Future perfect sentences convey a sense that an action will be completed at or by a future time.

Example: By noon the doctor will have administered the vaccinations.

Future progressive sentences convey a sense of future continuing action.

Example: I will be coaching the soccer team next season.

Future perfect progressive sentences convey a sense that a continuing future action will be completed before another future event occurs.

Example: I will have been teaching three years as of June 7th.

NOTE. Do not dwell on these esoteric definitions. Concentrate on using the verbs correctly.

People once suffered from undulant fever, a debilitating disease caused by bacteria in cow's milk. A French citizen, Louis Pasteur, developed a process to destroy the bacteria without altering the milk. We can now write the following sentence.

A man's name became a verb in the English language.

English verbs are derived from several languages. Consequently, the spelling changes required for the various tense applications are not uniform. Some examples of verb conjugation are given below. Two terms are introduced. Present participle is a verb form that requires the (-ing) suffix. Present participle verb forms express continuing or incomplete action. Past participle verb forms express completed action, but may also infer continuing action. A participle is a verb that can also be used as an adjective.

*Note: Dictionaries list alternative (secondary) spelling of forbade and forbidden.

Example sentences that utilize some of these verbs are presented below. Notice that the present participle form of a verb requires use of the auxiliary word be or a derivation of be. The past participle form of a verb requires use of the auxiliary word have or a derivation of have.

Continued at page 2 (verb).