What Are Verbs

Verbs are action words: that’s a rather simplified explanation but it’s the clearest one. Verbs tell you what the subject of the sentence is up to.

Tom is funny.

The verb is tells us what Tom is doing: he’s being funny.

Verbs don’t have to be just one word; they can have up to four parts.

The cat is purring.

When we were going to work, it began to rain.

The boy must have been doing something terrible to make his mother that upset.

The parts of the verb can also be separated by other words (usually adverbs).

I have always liked that painting.

Why do you not like to eat chocolate?

Verbs can also be contracted, either with a noun or an adverb.

I’ve always liked that painting.

Don’t you like it?

Where’s Andrew?