Syntax Error

Verb

The verb is a word that tells or expresses action or state of being.

Every sentence must contain a word that tells what is happening. This word is the verb.

The very is the most important word in the sentence. If you can find the verb and manage it properly, your grammar and usage problems will be easily solved. Most verbs change their form to tell past time and present time. They are the only parts of speech to do so. This fact can help you decide which word in the sentence is the verb.

The state-of-being word is a linking or copulative verb. It may be a form of the verb to be, or seem, feel, appear, look, become, smell, taste, sound, remain.

The verb may consist of only one word.

He struggled to his feet.

He was not happy with the results.

Or it may consist of more than one word.

He was struggling for hours.

He could have been happier with his marks.

In the two sentences above, the main verb is assisted by auxiliary or helping verbs. These include may, might, must, shall, will, and should which are used only as auxiliary words and forms of the verbs be, have, can, and do.

The linking verb is always intransitive. The action verb may be transitive or intransitive.

The intransitive verb shows no action or shows action without a receiver of the action designated in the sentence.

The diplomat seemed calm.

The leopard moved swiftly and silently.

His clothes looked unkempt.

A transitive verb shows action. A receiver of the action is expressed in the sentence or the subject is acted upon.

Pablo tapped the ball into the net.

The ball was tapped into the net by Pablo.

A verb is in the active voice when its subject word is the doer of the action.

The boy hit the ball over the fence.

A verb is in the passive voice when its subject word is the receiver of the action. The passive requires an auxiliary.

The ball was hit by the bat.

Note: Only transitive verbs have a voice.