Category: Verbs

(This discussion revisits the subject of On to vs. Onto first posted in January 2010.) English is a rich, descriptive language with a versatile vocabulary. It also is one that can keep even well-studied native writers on their toes with its many nuances, such as those we'll find among homophones. Another English subtlety lies in …

We use verb tense in English to communicate when an action or state of being occurred. We also combine verb tense with grammatical aspect, which further indicates time-related characteristics such as the tense's duration, completion, or repetition. English has three tenses (past, present, future) and four aspects (simple, perfect, progressive, perfect progressive), creating twelve primary …

We use verbs to communicate actions. We also express their timing in the present, past, or future through their tense: e.g., practice, practiced, will practice. Beyond establishing timing, we further treat verbs to indicate their open or closed nature within their tense. In other words, how does the action extend or not extend during a particular …

We use verb tenses in English to express if an action is in the past, present, or future. We also use what is referred to as grammatical aspect, which indicates time-related traits such as the repetition, completion, or length of an action. The four aspects are the simple tense, the perfect tense, the progressive tense, …

English includes words that look and sound like verbs but are not serving a sentence as such. You likely hear them often: You said you like skydiving? What about cliff jumping? The door was closed, so I couldn't hear them—their voices were muffled. Alexander said their plan is to escape. Each underlined word is an …

We often relate the word “verb” with an action: We eat, we work, we talk, we sleep. These verbs are also referred to as dynamic verbs. However, not all verbs describe physical actions. Some express: senses opinions thoughts ownership or measurement states of being emotions or feelings Such verbs are known as stative verbs. Examples …

English uses tense to indicate the timing of a verb's action in the present, the past, or the future. Traditional English includes twelve tenses: present X simple past progressive future perfect perfect progressive In this discussion, we'll review the present perfect progressive tense, which is also referred to as the present perfect continuous. Present Perfect …

Verbs are words that describe a mental or physical action, a state of being, or an occurrence. By doing so, they often give us the most information among the parts of speech in a sentence. A sentence can exist without a noun, but it cannot without a verb. Verb Definitions and Verb Examples A verb's …

We know that verbs are words that describe a mental or physical action, a state of being, or an occurrence. We also understand that they relate to a subject that is performing the action. Examples Riva writes stories. Pietro mows the lawn. Ijo laughed. The rain fell. In each example, we have a subject noun …

Mood in English grammar is the verb form that tells us the way we should regard or understand the context of an action. For example, is the action part of a statement or question, or does it involve a command or a preference? English uses the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods to establish these contexts. …