What is a verb?
Actions, states and feelings, and the one test that finds a verb every time.
The answer
A verb is a word for an action, a state or a feeling, such as run, is or love, and it can change to show present or past.
Examples
The children raced across the playground.
Maya is my best friend.
Is is a verb, a form of be. It names a state, not an action.
I love strawberries.
The baby was sleeping when we arrived.
Was is a helper verb that goes with sleeping.
How to spot it
- Change the time: they run, they ran. If the word changes to show present or past, it is a verb.
- Almost every sentence has a verb. Ask what is happening, or what someone is being or feeling.
- Look for helper verbs too: is, was, has, had and will often come just before the main verb.
The common mistake
Thinking verbs must be actions.
Be, seem, know and like are verbs, even though nobody is moving. And some action words are nouns: in ‘The walk took an hour’, walk is a noun because it comes after the.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 1
- On the pupil word list
- Year 2, as “verb”
Year 1 children add -ing and -ed to verbs that need no spelling change (helping, helped). Year 2 names the word verb and teaches past and present tense, used consistently.
Try a question
Circle the verb in this sentence.
My grandad knows every word of that song.
Show the answer
Answer: knows
Knows names a state, not an action, but it is still the verb: it changes to knew for the past.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Maintain consistent tense
- Practise the 11+ skill: Match subject and verb
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Is is a verb?
Yes. Is, am, are, was and were are all forms of the verb be.
What is an auxiliary verb?
A helper verb that goes with a main verb. The auxiliary verbs are be, have and do, plus the modal verbs such as can and will. In ‘She has finished’, has is the auxiliary and finished is the main verb.
Why do teachers not call verbs doing words any more?
Because many verbs are not actions (know, seem, belong), and some action words are nouns. The national curriculum glossary says the surest test is whether the word can show tense.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.