What are Verbs?
Verbs are words that show action (like run, jump, eat) or state of being (like is, am, were). Verbs are an essential part of a sentence as they describe what the subject is doing or what is happening. They can also indicate the time of an action, such as past, present, or future. Verbs are often described as the "action words" in a sentence and are crucial for forming grammatically correct sentences in English.
The Two Kinds of Verbs: Finite and Nonfinite
Finite verbs
Finite verbs are verbs that show tense, number, and person in a sentence. They are the main verbs in a sentence and are typically the words that convey the main action or state of being. Finite verbs change form based on the subject of the sentence and the tense of the sentence. They can indicate whether the action is happening in the past, present, or future, and whether the subject is singular or plural. In contrast, non-finite verbs do not change form based on the subject and do not show tense, number, or person.Finite verbs are essential for creating grammatically correct and meaningful sentences.
To recognize finite verbs, you can look for the following characteristics:
- They change form depending on the subject and tense: For example, in the sentence "She eats lunch," the verb "eats" changes to "eat" when referring to a different subject, such as "They eat lunch."
- They can stand alone as the main verb in a sentence: For example, in the sentence "I am happy," the verb "am" is a finite verb that expresses the state of being of the subject "I."
- They can be modified by helping verbs (auxiliary verbs) to form different tenses: For example, in the sentence "She will go to the store," the finite verb "go" is modified by the helping verb "will" to form the future tense.
- They are essential for the grammatical structure of a sentence: Without a finite verb, a sentence may be incomplete or grammatically incorrect.
Overall, finite verbs play a crucial role in conveying the action or state of being in a sentence, and they are recognizable by their conjugation and function in the sentence.
The forms of finite verbs:
In English, finite verbs have different forms depending on the subject, tense, aspect, mood, and voice. Here are the main forms:
- Present Simple: Used for habitual actions, general truths, and states.
- Example: "She walks to school every day."
- Present Continuous (Progressive): Used for actions happening now, ongoing actions, or temporary situations.
- Example: "They are playing football in the park."
- Past Simple: Used for actions completed in the past.
- Example: "He studied for his exam last night."
- Past Continuous (Progressive): Used for actions that were ongoing in the past at a specific time.
- Example: "She was reading a book when I called her."
- Present Perfect: Used for actions that happened at an indefinite time in the past or have relevance to the present.
- Example: "I have finished my homework."
- Past Perfect: Used for actions completed before a certain point in the past.
- Example: "She had already eaten dinner when I arrived."
- Future Simple: Used for actions that will happen in the future.
- Example: "They will go to the beach tomorrow."
- Future Continuous (Progressive): Used for actions that will be ongoing at a certain future time.
- Example: "This time next week, I will be sunbathing in Spain."
These are the basic forms, but there are also other verb forms like the present perfect continuous, past perfect continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous, each conveying a specific nuance of time, aspect, or mood.
Nonfinite verbs
Nonfinite verbs are verbs that are not limited by tense, person, or number. They do not change form based on who is performing the action or when the action is taking place. Nonfinite verbs include infinitives, gerunds, and participles.
To further clarify, examples of each type of nonfinite verb:
- Infinitives: "to walk," "to study," "to eat"
- Gerunds: "walking," "studying," "eating"
- Participles: "walking," "studying," "eating"
Nonfinite verbs are often used in conjunction with auxiliary verbs or as complements in sentences. They do not serve as the main verb in a sentence, but rather add information or detail to the main action.
Mood
Different moods are used to convey different meanings and intentions in language. Here's a breakdown:
- Indicative Mood: This is the most common mood and is used to express statements, facts, or questions. It simply indicates reality or factual information. For example:
- Statement: "She sings beautifully."
- Question: "Do you like chocolate?"
- Imperative Mood: This mood is used to give commands, orders, or suggestions. It often lacks a subject because it's understood to be the person being spoken to. For example:
- Command: "Close the door."
- Suggestion: "Please pass the salt."
- Subjunctive Mood: This mood is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, recommendations, or suggestions. It often appears in clauses introduced by words like "if," "wish," "recommend," etc. It's important to note that in English, the subjunctive mood is less prevalent than in some other languages. For example:
- Hypothetical situation: "If I were a millionaire, I would travel the world."
- Wish: "I wish I were taller."
- Recommendation: "It is recommended that she study more."
- Conditional Mood: This mood is used to express actions that are dependent on a certain condition. It often appears in "if...then" constructions. For example:
- "If it rains, we will stay indoors."
- "I would buy a house if I had enough money."
