/Verbs & Verb Patterns
A1Verbs & Verb Patterns

Verbs (overview)

1

What is it?

Verbs are words that show ACTIONS (run, eat, think), STATES (be, have, seem), or help other verbs (do, will, can). Three main types: ACTION VERBS (what you do): run, eat, study, work; LINKING VERBS (connect subject to description): be, seem, appear, feel; HELPING VERBS (assist main verb): do, have, will, can, must. Verbs have different FORMS: base (go), past (went), past participle (gone), -ing form (going), 3rd person singular (goes). They change based on TENSE (time), PERSON (who), and NUMBER (singular/plural).

2

How to form it

SubjectPositiveNegativeQuestion
Action verbsI run. / She eats. / They study. / He works.I don't run. / She doesn't eat.Do you run? / Does she eat?
Linking verbsI am happy. / She seems nice. / It looks good.I'm not happy. / She doesn't seem nice.Are you happy? / Does it look good?
Helping verbsI will go. / She has eaten. / They can swim.I won't go. / She hasn't eaten.Will you go? / Has she eaten?
Verb forms (regular)Base: work | Past: worked | Past Participle: worked | -ing: working | 3rd person: worksnot applicablenot applicable
Verb forms (irregular)Base: go | Past: went | Past Participle: gone | -ing: going | 3rd person: goesnot applicablenot applicable
  • • Verbs: show actions (run, eat), states (be, have), or help other verbs (do, will)
  • • Action verbs: physical (run, eat, write) or mental (think, believe, understand)
  • • Linking verbs: connect subject to description (be, seem, appear, feel, look, sound)
  • • Helping verbs (auxiliaries): help main verb (do, does, did, have, has, will, can, must)
  • • Five verb forms: base (go), past (went), past participle (gone), -ing (going), 3rd person (goes)
  • • Regular verbs: add -ed for past (work → worked) | Irregular: change form (go → went → gone)
  • • 3rd person singular (he/she/it): add -s or -es → he works, she goes, it watches
  • • Verbs change for: tense (time), person (who), number (singular/plural), aspect (perfect/continuous)
3

When to use it

  1. 1

    Action verbs — show what someone does

    "I run every day." / "She eats breakfast." / "They study English." / "He works here." / "We think about it."

  2. 2

    Linking verbs — connect subject to description

    "I am happy." / "She seems nice." / "It looks good." / "They appear tired." / "He feels sick."

  3. 3

    Helping verbs — assist main verb for tense/modality

    "I will go." (future) / "She has eaten." (perfect) / "They can swim." (ability) / "Do you like it?" (question)

  4. 4

    Regular verbs — add -ed for past

    Base → Past → Past Participle: work → worked → worked | play → played → played | study → studied → studied

  5. 5

    Irregular verbs — change form unpredictably

    go → went → gone | eat → ate → eaten | see → saw → seen | have → had → had | do → did → done

  6. 6

    3rd person singular — add -s/-es (present simple)

    "He works." / "She goes." / "It watches." / "He has." (NOT: he work*, she go*, it watch*)

4

Common mistakes

He work here. (missing -s)

He works here.

Add -s/-es for 3rd person singular in present simple.

I am happy yesterday. (wrong tense)

I was happy yesterday.

Use past tense (was) for past time, not present (am).

She goed to school. (wrong irregular form)

She went to school.

GO is irregular: go → went (not goed*).

I do my homework yesterday. (wrong tense)

I did my homework yesterday.

Use past tense (did) for past time, not present (do).

5

Quick reference

  • Verbs: actions (run, eat), states (be, have), help (do, will)
  • Action verbs: show what you do → run, eat, study, think
  • Linking verbs: connect to description → be, seem, appear, feel
  • Helping verbs: assist main verb → do, have, will, can, must
  • Five forms: base, past, past participle, -ing, 3rd person
  • Regular: work → worked | Irregular: go → went → gone
  • 3rd person singular: add -s → he works, she goes, it watches
6

Natural conversation example

Talking about daily activities

T

Tom

What do you do every day?
L

Lisa

I work in the morning. Then I study English.
T

Tom

That sounds interesting! Do you like studying?
L

Lisa

Yes, I do! I also run in the evening. What about you?
T

Tom

I work at home. I have a flexible schedule.
L

Lisa

That seems nice! Can you work any time?
T

Tom

Yes, I can. I usually start at 9am.

Practice Exercises

Complete with the correct verb form.

  1. 1.
    He every day. (work, present)
  2. 2.
    I to school yesterday. (go, past)
  3. 3.
    She happy. (be, present)
  4. 4.
    They English. (study, present)
  5. 5.
    I breakfast every morning. (eat, present)
  6. 6.
    He nice. (seem, present)
All TopicsGerunds and Infinitives

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