The (Vix) Verbs Page:
Most languages, including English, divide the world into nouns and verbs.
Nouns are things.
Verbs are actions.
Except when the thing is an action.
Then you have to pretend that the action is really just a thing.
I like how confusing this all gets.
It's a confusing world.
But let me try to explain at least the verb part of the confusion.
Verbs are the words that tell us either what the nouns are doing, or how the nouns are.
Nouns "doing": Jerry danced. Jerry slipped. Jerry fell.
Nouns "being": Jerry is embarrassed. Jerry is in the punch bowl. Jerry is a fool.
Because "danced, slipped and fell" are actions we call them action verbs.
Because "is" links "embarrassed/punch bowl/fool" to "Jerry" we call "is" a linking verb.
When a linking verb is a form of the verb "to be" it is sometimes called a "state of being" verb.
Those are the two basic kinds of verbs we have to work with.
Of course each of them has a ton of variations.
If you'd like to see some more about verbs, check out:Verbals, verb forms, and/or Verb Agreement.
When you are writing for an audience, a teacher say, you should know that action verbs do a better job of explaining your ideas than do state of being verbs (linking).
One thing you can do when revising is to go through your writing and change all of the state of being verbs to action verbs.
The S.O.B. (for "State of Being" but S.O.B. also reflects my prejudice against state of being) verbs: is, are, were, am, been, be.
If you write
I was ill.
you do not make the thought nearly as vivid as if you wrote
I vomited all over the wall.
There is even a movement called "English Prime" which attempts to avoid any use of any form of the verb "to be." For more about English Prime see the Commentary, "E-Prime."
Transitive/Intransitive Verbs: Some day you may need to know what those words mean. Just in case, here are the meanings:
Transitive verbs are verbs that have a DirectObject.
Archibald threw the cat off the balcony again!
In that sentence, "threw" is a transitive verb because the sentence includes what Archibald threw, the cat.
Cat is the direct object. (Archibald needs to be examined!)
Intransitive verbs are verbs that have no direct objects.
Archibald vomited off the balcony again!
In that sentence, "vomited" is an intransitive verb because, happily, the sentence does not say what Archibald vomited.
Try a sentence or two using action verbs:
Now try a couple of linking verbs:
You should also ask your MOP to create a few examples.
To return to Step Two, please click : StepTwo.
