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Verbs: Action, Linking, and Helping Words

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On this page 9 sections
  1. In 30 seconds
  2. Why this matters
  3. The college version
  4. Eli explains
  5. Worked example
  6. Key takeaway
  7. Quick check
  8. Study tools
  9. Sources & references

In 30 seconds

Verbs are the words that carry a sentence forward: they express actions, events, and states of being. Action verbs tell what the subject does, as in "Priya locked the door," while linking verbs such as be, seem, and become connect the subject to a description, as in "The room seems quiet." Helping verbs, including be, have, do, will, can, and must, join a main verb to form a . Verbs also come in several building-block forms, and some take a while others do not.

Why this matters

Verbs are the center of every clause, so finding the verb is the first step to understanding a long or complicated sentence. Knowing whether a verb is action or linking, whether it needs a direct object, and which words are helping verbs lets you build and revise sentences deliberately. The verb forms, base, -s, -ing, past, and , are the building blocks that combine with helping verbs, so naming them clearly makes later work on tenses much easier. In writing, precise verbs do real work: "The committee approved the budget" is stronger than "The committee was in agreement about the budget." These patterns describe English across its varieties; they are tools for clarity, not judgments about any speaker's English.

The college version

Verbs at the center of the clause

A verb is a word that expresses an action, an occurrence, or a state of being. A clause needs a verb; a string of words without one cannot stand as a sentence on its own. Action verbs describe what the subject does, physically or mentally: in "The night train crossed the bridge slowly," crossed is a physical action, and in "Priya considered the offer for a week," considered is a mental one. Linking verbs do different work. Instead of naming an action, they connect the subject to a word or phrase that renames or describes it. Common linking verbs include forms of be (is, am, are, was, were), along with seem and become. In "The auditorium seems empty after the concert," seems links the auditorium to the description empty. Some verbs can do either job: "Marta looked at the receipt" uses looked as an , while "Marta looked tired" uses it as a that describes Marta.

Transitive and intransitive verbs: the direct object question

Some verbs carry their action across to a person or thing. The word or phrase on the receiving end of the verb is the direct object; it answers "what?" or "whom?" after the verb. In "Priya locked the lab door at six," locked is a and the lab door is its direct object, because the door receives the locking. A transitive verb is one that takes a direct object. An is one that does not: "The kettle whistled on the stove" has no direct object, because nothing receives the whistling. Being transitive or intransitive is a property of the verb in use, not a permanent label on the word. Many verbs work either way: "Amina bakes bread on Saturdays" is transitive, with bread as the direct object, while "Amina bakes every Saturday" is intransitive, with no object at all.

Main verbs, auxiliary verbs, and the verb phrase

The central word of a clause is its main verb. Auxiliary verbs, also called helping verbs, attach to the main verb to carry extra information about time, possibility, ability, or obligation. The common auxiliaries are forms of be, have, and do, plus the modal auxiliaries: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, and would. The main verb together with its auxiliaries is the verb phrase. In "Riley will compare the spreadsheets tonight," will is the auxiliary, compare is the main verb, and will compare is the verb phrase. Modals add shades of meaning: can shows ability ("Nina can read three languages"), must shows obligation ("The team must verify every entry"), and will points to a future certainty ("The ferry will leave at noon"). Modals are followed by the base form of the main verb and do not change to agree with the subject. English verbs have five principal forms that work as building blocks: the base form (walk), the third-person -s form (walks), the -ing form (walking), the past form (walked), and the past participle (walked; irregular verbs use their own participle spellings, as in sing, sang, sung). How these forms combine to show time belongs to the verb-tenses lesson; here the goal is simply to name the forms so you can recognize them.

Phrasal verbs and choosing precise verbs

English also builds multi-word verbs. A combines a main verb with a particle, a short word such as off, up, or out, and the combination often has its own meaning that differs from the verb alone. In "The technicians turned off the backup generator," turn off means "switch off," not simply "turn." Phrasal verbs are common in everyday English, and their meanings are best learned as vocabulary items rather than guessed from the parts. When you revise, notice where be and other general words are doing heavy lifting. A sentence like "The report was in agreement with the data" becomes "The report matched the data" with a precise verb, and "The supervisor was in charge of the review" becomes "The supervisor led the review." Precise verbs carry information that readers would otherwise have to dig for, so revising for stronger verbs is one of the quickest ways to tighten a draft.

Eli, the EliExplains learning guide

Eli explains

The same idea, in plain words

Explain it like I’m 10

Verbs are the words that make a sentence happen. Some verbs show action, like "The ferry crosses the bay" or "Priya considers the offer." Others, like be, seem, and become, show a state or a connection: "The soup tastes salty." Verbs can work alone or with helpers; in "Nina will call tomorrow," will is the helper and call is the main verb, and together they form the verb phrase. Some verbs carry their action to an object, as in "Marta proofreads the email," and some do not, as in "The audience applauded." Verbs also change shape, walk, walks, walking, walked, and those forms are the pieces that later lessons on tenses will put together. Start by finding the verb in every sentence you read; everything else in the clause organizes around it.

Picture it like this

Think of the verb as the engine of the sentence. Nouns and pronouns are the passengers, and adjectives and adverbs are the paint, but without the engine turning over, the sentence does not move. An action verb is the engine pulling a load; a linking verb is the engine idling, holding the passengers in place while someone describes them.

Where the picture stops working

Engines work the same in every car, but verbs are flexible: one verb can be action or linking depending on the sentence, and a verb phrase stacks helper verbs that no single engine part matches. The analogy also suggests one moving part, when a clause can contain several verbs working at different levels.

Worked example

Consider this short report: "Riley reviewed the report before the meeting. The data seemed inconsistent with last quarter's figures, so Riley will compare the two spreadsheets tonight. The finance team must verify every entry before the audit begins." Find the verbs. Reviewed is an action verb with a direct object, the report, so it is transitive. Seemed is a linking verb connecting the data to the description inconsistent. Will compare is a verb phrase: the modal auxiliary will plus the main verb compare. Must verify is another modal-plus-main phrase. A first draft might have said "The data was not consistent with the figures," but the revision keeps the link while using a more precise verb, and the sentence now names the data's condition directly.

Key takeaway

Verbs carry the action, state, or connection at the heart of every clause. Learn to spot the main verb, its helpers, its object, and the forms it takes, and you can build and untangle sentences with confidence.

Quick check

3 questions here, of 5 in this lesson’s practice set. Answers stay hidden until you check.

Question 1 of 3foundational

Which sentence contains a linking verb?

Choose an answer, then check it.
Question 2 of 3intermediate

In the sentence "The seedlings became sturdy within a month," what job does the word became perform?

Choose an answer, then check it.
Question 3 of 3intermediate

Which sentence uses a transitive verb with a direct object?

Choose an answer, then check it.
Practice all 5

Keep learning

Ready to build on this? Continue to the next lesson.

Practice this lesson
Study tools & related lessonsYou’ll learn to · Common mistakes · Easily confused · Key vocabulary · Related

You’ll learn to

  • Define a verb and distinguish action verbs from linking verbs such as be, seem, and become.
  • Distinguish transitive verbs, which take a direct object, from intransitive verbs, which do not.
  • Explain how auxiliary (helping) verbs, including the modal auxiliaries will, can, and must, combine with a main verb to form a verb phrase.
  • Name the main verb forms, base, third-person -s, -ing, past, and past participle, and identify them in example sentences.
  • Recognize phrasal verbs as verb-plus-particle combinations whose meanings can differ from the verb alone.
  • Apply verb knowledge to revise vague writing by choosing more precise verbs.

Common mistakes

  • Calling every verb an action verb because it follows the subject.

    Test the job: if the word connects the subject to a description or a new name, it is a linking verb, as in "The proposal seems reasonable."

  • Adding a direct object to an intransitive verb, as in "She arrived the station."

    Arrived takes no object; add a preposition instead: "She arrived at the station."

  • Stacking modals or using a modal with an inflected main verb, as in "You must can finish" or "She can goes."

    Use one modal per phrase and follow it with the base form: "She can go."

  • Mixing up the past form and the past participle, as in "I have wrote the email."

    After have or had, use the past participle: "I have written the email."

  • Letting be carry sentences that a precise verb could carry, as in "The supervisor was in charge of the review."

    A precise verb says more in fewer words: "The supervisor led the review."

Easily confused

Action verb vs. Linking verb

An action verb tells what the subject does; a linking verb connects the subject to a word that renames or describes it. Some verbs can do either job in different sentences.

Transitive verb vs. Intransitive verb

A transitive verb takes a direct object that receives the action; an intransitive verb takes no direct object.

Main verb vs. Auxiliary verb

The main verb carries the core meaning of the verb phrase; the auxiliary (helping) verb adds information about time, possibility, ability, or obligation.

Key vocabulary

Action verb
A verb that tells what the subject does, physically or mentally, as in "The ferry crosses the bay."
Linking verb
A verb such as be, seem, or become that connects the subject to a word or phrase which renames or describes it.
Direct object
The noun phrase that receives the action of a transitive verb and answers "what?" or "whom?" after the verb.
Transitive verb
A verb that takes a direct object, as review does in "Riley reviewed the report."
Intransitive verb
A verb that does not take a direct object, as slept does in "The cat slept on the chair."
Auxiliary verb
A helping verb such as be, have, or do that combines with a main verb to form a verb phrase.
Modal auxiliary
An auxiliary such as can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, or would that adds meanings like ability, permission, possibility, or obligation.
Verb phrase
A main verb together with any auxiliary verbs that accompany it, such as "must verify" in "The team must verify every entry."
Phrasal verb
A multi-word verb made of a main verb plus a particle, such as "turn off," whose combined meaning can differ from the verb alone.
Past participle
The verb form used after auxiliaries such as have or be, as walked is in "has walked," and listed separately from the past form for irregular verbs.

Sources & references

  1. 17.6 Editing Focus: Descriptive Diction — Writing Guide with Handbook — OpenStax, Rice University
  2. Parts of Speech: Part 2 — Building on Foundations — Language Foundations Handbook — eCampusOntario Pressbooks
  3. Verbs with Helpers — Purdue OWL, General Writing, Grammar, Verb Tenses — Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University
  4. 2.4 Verbs — Business Grammar — Spokane Community College / Open Washington
  5. 7.1 Types of Verbs — Business Grammar — Spokane Community College / Open Washington
  6. 7.3 Verb Participles — Business Grammar — Spokane Community College / Open Washington
  7. Verb Forms: The Basics — About Writing: A Guide — Open Oregon Educational Resources (Robin Jeffrey)
  8. The Meaning of Modals — About Writing: A Guide — Open Oregon Educational Resources (Robin Jeffrey)
  9. 2.1 Sentence Writing — Writing for Success — Saylor Academy / University of Minnesota Libraries
  10. 8.3 Word Choice — Writing for Success — Saylor Academy / University of Minnesota Libraries
  11. Transitive Verbs — Grammar Monster — Grammar Monster (Craig Shrives)
  12. Phrasal Verbs — Grammar Monster — Grammar Monster (Craig Shrives)

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Researched 2026-08-21

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