There are three basic kinds of verbs plus many subclasses. Here we cover only the three basic types. Initially, verbs are divided into main verbs and auxiliary verbs. Then auxiliary verbs are divided ...

Most learners of English get to know soon enough that a verb is a word that describes an action, condition or experience, but not many are able to confidently distinguish main verbs from auxiliary ...

Modal verbs, which express a likelihood, ability, permission, request, order etc., usually help main verbs to state the future. It is the reason they are categorised as auxiliary verbs in the context.

THE following simple-sounding but actually rather complicated grammar question was posted in Jose Carillo’s English Forum recently by Education student Justine Aragones: “How does the use of auxiliary ...

Verbs are the action words in English, and they are the heart of every sentence. Understanding how to use different verb forms correctly is essential for clear, powerful, and accurate communication, ...

Sometimes you can guess the meaning of a phrasal verb because it is related to the main verb. Look at this example again. Shall we give away all the old books in the office? The meaning is clearly ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. A note on verbs. In the Art of Persuasion column a fortnight ago I discussed how you make the reader’s (or ...

Writing in the active voice makes the meaning clear while keeping sentences from becoming complicated and wordy. Sentences using passive voice are not necessarily wrong, just less effective than ...

I describe the results of an experiment that bears on how children learn the lexical and syntactic properties of abstract verbs (seem, try) in order to distinguish the subclasses of raising (seem) and ...