Verbs: - The word that indicate action or position is called verb.

* A physical action (e.g., "to swim," "to write," "to climb").

* A mental action (e.g., "to think," "to guess," "to consider").

* A state of being (e.g., "to be," "to exist," "to appear").

Verbs Expressing Physical Actions

* The doctor wrote the prescription.

(In this example, the word "wrote" is a verb. It expresses the physical activity "to write.")

* Alison bought a ticket.

(The word "bought" is a verb. It expresses the physical activity "to buy.")

Verbs Expressing Mental Actions

* She considers the job done.

(The word "considers" is a verb. It expresses the mental activity "to consider.")

* Peter guessed the right number.

(The word "guessed" is a verb. It expresses the mental activity "to guess.")

* I thought the same thing.

(The word "thought" is a verb. It expresses the mental activity "to think.")

Verbs Expressing a State of Being

A small but extremely important group of verbs do not express any activity at all; they express a state of being. The most important verb in this group is the verb "to be."

Here is the verb "to be" in the different tenses:

Subject	Verb “to be”
	Past tense	Present tense	Future tense
I	Was	Am	will be
You	Were	Are	will be
He / She / It	Was	Is	will be
We	Were	Are	will be
You	Were	Are	will be
They	Were	Are	will be

Here are some real examples with the verb "to be":

* Edwina is the largest elephant in this area.

(The word "is" is a verb from the verb "to be.")

* It was a joke.

(The word "was" is a verb from the verb "to be.")

* I am.

(The word "am" is a verb from the verb "to be.")

Here are some other verbs that express a state of being.

* Alien life almost certainly exists.

(The word "exists" is a verb from the verb "to exist.")

* It seemed funny at the time.

(The word "seemed" is a verb from the verb "to seem.")

Interesting Fact

"I am" is the shortest sentence in English.

Transitive Verb

A verb that acts on something (i.e., it has an object) is called transitive verb.

Ex-I saw the dog.

(Here, the direct object is "the dog.")

* Lee ate the pie.

(Here, the direct object is "the pie.")

Note: The direct object of a transitive verb can be found by finding the verb and asking "what?" For example, "saw what?" (Answer- the dog); "ate what?" (Answer- the pie).
Intransitive Verb

A verb that does not act on something (i.e., it has no object) is called intransitive verb.

Ex- The rain fell.

My throat hurts.

The cat sneezed.

Auxiliary Verb

The verb that helps the main verb is called auxiliary verb.

The most common auxiliary verbs are "be," "do," and "have" (in their various forms).

Ex- is, am, are, was, were – be verb

Do, does, did – do verb 

has, have, had – have verb

Modal Verb: - A modal verb is a type of auxiliary verb used to express ideas such as ability, possibility, permission, and obligation.

The modal auxiliary verbs are "can," "could," "may," "might," "must," "ought to," "shall," "should," "will," and "would." For example:

* Lee can eat a lot of pies.

(Here, the modal verb "can" helps to express the idea of ability.)

* Lee might eat that pie before he gets home.

(Here, the modal verb "might" helps to express the idea of possibility.)

* Lee may eat as many pies as he likes.

(Here, the modal verb "may" helps to express the idea of permission.)

* Lee should give you some of that pie given you bought it.

(Here, the modal verb "should" helps to express the idea of obligation.)

Phrasal Verb

A phrasal verb is a verb made up of more than one word (usually two words).

* A phrasal verb has a main verb and another word (either a preposition or a particle).

* The phrasal verb usually has a meaning different to the main verb. For example:

* A burglar will often break a window to break in.

(Here, the phrasal verb "break in" means "to enter illegally," which is different to "break.")

* If you drop the baton the team will drop back to last place.

(Here, the phrasal verb "drop back" means "to fall behind," which is different to "drop.")