What are Verbs? The verb is king in English The shortest sentence contains a verb You can make a oneword sentence with a verb, for example: Stop! You cannot make a one-word sentence with any other type of word Verbs are sometimes described as "action words" This is partly true Many verbs give the idea of action, of "doing" something For example, words like run, fight, and work all convey action But some verbs not give the idea of action; they give the idea of existence, of state, of "being" For example, verbs like be, exist, seem and belong all convey state A verb always has a subject (In the sentence "John speaks English", John is the subject and speaks is the verb.) In simple terms, therefore, we can say that verbs are words that tell us what a subject does or is; they describe: • action (Ram plays football) • state (Ram is English) There is something very special about verbs in English Most other words (adjectives, adverbs, prepositions etc) not change in form (although nouns can have singular and plural forms) But almost all verbs change in form For example, the verb to work has five forms: • to work, work, works, worked, working We divide verbs into two broad classifications: • helping verbs (also called "auxiliary verbs") These are verbs that have no real meaning They are necessary for the grammatical structure of the sentence, but they not tell us very much alone For example, will, would, may are helping verbs We usually use helping verbs with main verbs They "help" the main verb • main verbs (also called "lexical verbs") These are verbs that really mean something, they tell us something For example, love, make, work are main verbs Types of Main Verb Transitive and intransitive verbs Transitive verbs can take a direct object (subject + verb + object) Intransitive verbs not take a direct object (subject + verb [+ indirect object]) Many verbs can be transitive or intransitive transitive: • He speaks English • We are watching TV • I saw an elephant intransitive: • He has arrived • She speaks fast • John goes to school Linking verbs Linking verbs are always intransitive A linking verb does not have much meaning in itself It "links" the subject to what is said about the subject Usually, a linking verb shows equality (=) or a change to a different state or place (>) • Mary is a teacher (mary = teacher) • Tara is beautiful (tara = beautiful) • That sounds interesting (that = interesting) • The sky became dark (the sky > dark) • The bread has gone bad (bread > bad) Dynamic and stative verbs Some verbs describe action They are called "dynamic", and can be used with continuous tenses Other verbs describe state (non-action, a situation) They are called "stative", and cannot normally be used with continuous tenses (though some of them can be used with continuous tenses with a change in meaning) dynamic verbs: examples • hit, explode, fight, run, go stative verbs: examples • be • like, love, prefer, wish • impress, please, surprise • hear, see, sound • belong to, consist of, contain, include, need • appear, resemble, seem Regular and irregular verbs This is more a question of vocabulary than of grammar The only real difference between regular and irregular verbs is that they have different endings for their past tense and past participle forms For regular verbs, the past tense ending and past participle ending is always the same: -ed For irregular verbs, the past tense ending and the past participle ending is variable, so it is necessary to learn them by heart regular verbs: base, past tense, past participle • look, looked, looked • work, worked, worked irregular verbs: base, past tense, past participle • buy, bought, bought • cut, cut, cut • do, did, done Regular Verbs A-C • accept • add • admire • admit • advise • afford • agree • alert • allow • amuse • analyse • announce • annoy • answer • apologise • appear • applaud • appreciate • approve • argue • arrange • arrest • arrive • ask • attach • attack • attempt • attend • attract • avoid Regular Verbs G-L • gather • gaze • glow • glue • grab • grate • grease • greet • grin • grip • groan • guarantee • guard • guess • guide • hammer • hand • handle • hang • happen • harass • harm • hate • haunt • head • heal • heap • heat • help • hook Regular Verbs R-T • remain • remember • remind • remove • repair • repeat • replace • reply • report • reproduce • request • rescue • retire • return • rhyme • rinse • risk • rob • rock • roll • rot • rub • ruin • rule • rush • sack • sail • satisfy • save • saw • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • back bake balance ban bang bare bat bathe battle beam beg behave belong bleach bless blind blink blot blush boast boil bolt bomb book bore borrow bounce bow box brake brake branch breathe bruise brush bubble bump burn bury buzz calculate call camp care • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • hop hope hover hug hum hunt hurry identify ignore imagine impress improve include increase influence inform inject injure instruct intend interest interfere interrupt introduce invent invite irritate itch jail jam jog join joke judge juggle jump kick kill kiss kneel knit knock knot label • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • scare scatter scold scorch scrape scratch scream screw scribble scrub seal search separate serve settle shade share shave shelter shiver shock shop shrug sigh sign signal sin sip ski skip slap slip slow smash smell smile smoke snatch sneeze sniff snore snow soak soothe • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • carry carve cause challenge change charge chase cheat check cheer chew choke chop claim clap clean clear clip close coach coil collect colour comb command communicate compare compete complain complete concentrate concern confess confuse connect consider consist contain continue copy correct cough count cover • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • land last laugh launch learn level license lick lie lighten like list listen live load lock long look love man manage march mark marry match mate matter measure meddle melt memorise mend mess up milk mine miss mix moan moor mourn move muddle mug multiply • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • sound spare spark sparkle spell spill spoil spot spray sprout squash squeak squeal squeeze stain stamp stare start stay steer step stir stitch stop store strap strengthen stretch strip stroke stuff subtract succeed suck suffer suggest suit supply support suppose surprise surround suspect suspend • • • • • • • • • • crack crash crawl cross crush cry cure curl curve cycle Regular Verbs D-G • dam • damage • dance • dare • decay • deceive • decide • decorate • delay • delight • deliver • depend • describe • desert • deserve • destroy • detect • develop • disagree • disappear • disapprove • disarm • discover • dislike • divide • double • doubt • drag • drain • dream • dress • drip • murder Regular Verbs N-R • nail • name • need • nest • nod • note • notice • number • obey • object • observe • obtain • occur • offend • offer • open • order • overflow • owe • own • pack • paddle • paint • park • part • pass • paste • pat • pause • peck • pedal • peel • peep • perform • permit • phone • pick • pinch • pine • place • plan • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • switch talk tame tap taste tease telephone tempt terrify test thank thaw tick tickle tie time tip tire touch tour tow trace trade train transport trap travel treat tremble trick trip trot trouble trust try tug tumble turn twist type Regular Verbs U-Z • undress • unfasten • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • drop drown drum dry dust earn educate embarrass employ empty encourage end enjoy enter entertain escape examine excite excuse exercise exist expand expect explain explode extend face fade fail fancy fasten fax fear fence fetch file fill film fire fit fix flap flash float • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • plant play please plug point poke polish pop possess post pour practise pray preach precede prefer prepare present preserve press pretend prevent prick print produce program promise protect provide pull pump punch puncture punish push question queue race radiate rain raise reach realise receive • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • unite unlock unpack untidy use vanish visit wail wait walk wander want warm warn wash waste watch water wave weigh welcome whine whip whirl whisper whistle wink wipe wish wobble wonder work worry wrap wreck wrestle wriggle x-ray yawn yell zip zoom • • • • • • • • • • • • flood flow flower fold follow fool force form found frame frighten fry • • • • • • • • • • • • recognise record reduce reflect refuse regret reign reject rejoice relax release rely English Club ESL Progress! Magazine the magazine for English Club members Dear English Club Member, This month we have some new boards at EC ESL Forums, as well as a dedicated area for EC Talking Point Please click through to leave your message on a variety of topics As usual, you will find your letters and poetry, as well as a quick quiz from Word Up and this month's Talking Point Good luck with your English learning or teaching! New English Club Forums We have redesigned the English Club ESL Forum section, to use newer-style forum boards and incorporating a special area for the popular EC Talking Point The main boards are shown below Click now to leave your message For Teachers: Reviewers Wanted TEFL.net offers the widest ranging and most up-to-date reviews pages on the net, but we are always looking for more reviewers Would you like to contribute, whilst receiving free copies of your choice of the latest materials from leading publishers? If so, please contact Alex Case New Games at MY ENGLISH CLUB We've added some new games to the Games Room! To gain access, just go to MY ENGLISH CLUB and click on Games Room Type in your username and password when prompted (if your username/password not work, you may need to change your browser settings or upgrade your browser): Your username: member Your password: eclub777 Sponsor's Message Enjoy Your Learning Experience with Self Study Books! Self Study Books is a publishing company run by two English language teachers The books they publish are novels which were written after many years' experience in ESL classrooms They are designed to bridge the gap between simplified "readers" and real literature The exercises on the Self Study Books web site use the same educational approach as the books QUICK QUIZ If today is Wednesday, Friday is a) the next two days b) the next tomorrow c) the day after tomorrow Answer Sponsor's Message Is business about personal contact, or is it about administrative systems? The answer is, of course, "both" but here at Severnvale, UK, we work on the theory that in international business it’s for personal contacts that people most need to speak English It’s a theory that suits us too, because we’re a small, friendly school and personal contact is what we best Certainly our approach has seemed to work pretty well for the many high-powered (and medium-powered!) business people we’ve trained in the past Why not visit us on our website www.severnvale.co.uk and see if it might work for you? Severnvale Academy sponsor English Club Business English YOUR LETTERS TO POSTBAG If you'd like to write a letter to PostBag, please post it here It may be published in this magazine My country Situated in the west of Africa, Cote d'Ivoire is a small francophone country of about 16,000,000 persons This country lived in peace and friendship between peoples 30 years ago But since 1999, it has known a very big trouble with the coup of general "Guéi" Since this date, he went from coup to coup To day, it is living the most difficult trouble of its young story There are too many countries which are in the same situation as my country because of the bad leading of ours leaders Anelka, Cote d'Ivoire Don't worry You have two things to worry about: Are you well or are you sick? If you are well, don't worry If you are sick, you have two things to worry about: Will you get better or will you die? If you get better, dont worry If you'll die, you have two things to worry about: Will you go to Heaven or will you go to Hell? If you'll go to Heaven, why worry If you'll go to Hell, you needn't worry 'Cause all your friends are waiting for you there Clearstream, Vietnam Write a letter to PostBag here Sonnet The teacher wants a sonnet; fine, but how? "With fourteen lines that end in two the same, and ev'ry line should have a meter." How? "Just have some fun as if it were a game." Yeah right; I never know just where to start; My lines don't rhyme; it won't be done in time Again I write with all my might, but smart I'm not; so here's the best that I could find I bet you've never read a poem like mine Which doesn't make you laugh or cry I never wrote to make much sense or rhyme No matter what I or write or try I'll turn this in and hope it makes the grade for it's the best of sonnets I have made Arbona, Puerto Rico Add your Poetry here English Club Tip Learn English Faster! Play Word Up! "We recently bought this game for use with our classes, and have to tell you that it is definitely a good investment - we deal with adult students and they love it!" Shaun Fitzhenry, Coordinator of Studies EnglishBusiness, Hamburg, Germany Click here to learn more EC TALKING POINT Holidays are a Waste of Time! What you think about holidays? Do you get enough of them? What you with them? Do you enjoy them or are they boring sometimes? Are they a waste of time? Click here and then click "PostReply" to let us know what you think More topics at English Club Talking Point English Club Tip E is for Electronic, English and Educational You can download these e-books in a few minutes and read them on computer or print them to paper English Prepositions Listed CVs, Resumes & Covering Letters Top 20 Business Vocabulary ELT PROFESSIONAL for Teachers & Schools REVIEWS New Editions Children's Books Story time is a standard part of the British primary school day that I think is all too little used in EFL It provides lots of understandable input in context for the children to pick up natural language from, it allows each child to get involved or sit back as much as suits them, and it provides quiet time between more active EFL games Although these books advertise themselves as Self-Study Readers for children, the year old children I was teaching were only just literate in their own language, so I decided to use them for story time in the classroom Read the full review by Alex Case JOBS FOR TEACHERS TEFL Jobs Centre "I am pleased to inform you that, thanks to your website, all vacancies have now been filled within our school We had an overwhelming response, and couldn't be happier with the quality of people who applied No other advertising we've used has ever delivered such a fantastic response." Jessica Macdonald, Friday Bridge School of English, UK SPAIN: TEFL Teacher Urgently Required Exeter Language Centres CHINA: EFL Teachers Shenyang Sheng Si English Centre MACEDONIA: TEFL Teacher St George School TURKEY: English Teachers and Directors NETA CHINA: Native English Nursery Teacher Deobrah Kindergarten ETHIOPIA: Volunteer Teachers/Administrators GYA School UK: Coordinator, Language Courses English Naturally LANGUAGE SCHOOLS FOR SALE Language School, Valencia, Spain Sale or Lease available Located 60 km south of Valencia, the school was started in 1988 It is today the most prestigious language school in the area The school is ample, 160m2, has four classrooms, a computer room, a teacher resource room and large reception area It is situated on the first floor and is in the centre of the city, within the old walled town, in the middle of three large schools! For Sale - successful English language school in Aguilas on S.E coast of Spain in the province of Murcia Established in 1988 and under present management for the last twelve years - sale offer includes goodwill, fixtures and fittings plus premises if required Owner wishes to retire but willing to assist new owners during first term if necessary Audited accounts available for inspection English-only university for sale—Cambodia For sale: Cambodia's sole English-only university Accredited with the Cambodian ministry of Education, offering bachelors courses in general English, English literature, English Language Teaching, and translation and interpretation The university has a loyal following and a good reputation, and a large core of nearly 1500 students studying certificate courses in general English The university is running well and has excellent potential for growth into other subject areas in the years ahead LANGUAGE SCHOOL FOR SALE, BASQUE COUNTRY, NORTHERN SPAIN Situated 60 km south of San Sebastian and 60 km south east of Bilbao, the school has been open for the last 15 years with a good reputation in the town The town itself has a population of around 20,000 and is surrounded by a highly industrial area which makes English a key language for the inhabitants of the area The school is 100 square metres divided into ample classrooms, teachers room, office and a self-study room The school is on the first floor and on the main street overlooking the central town square The school is regularly attended by between 60 and 90 students plus outside factory workers The school is profitable and would be ideal for a couple or two teachers Classlists and bank transfer history available I would be pleased to help in the takeover as I live 15km away The sale includes ongoing concern and all material inside: whiteboards in each class, tables, chairs with writing tops, photocopier, 100+ speak up videos, hundreds of books, cassettes, all you need to walk in and start teaching The property is rented from a local family with rent review available, thus making this a low cost investment ELT Resources Language Lab Solutions: a site license for Pronunciation Power If you have a language lab, a site license for Pronunciation Power could be your ideal solution for pronunciation training A site license lets you feed 5, 10, 15, 20 or more computers with a single installation of Pronunciation Power on your server Easy installation Unlimited time Full support Cost-effective Full details of Pronunciation Power are here For our educational discounts for site licenses and other options please click here Word Up: the ESL game available in single and Classroom Pack editions Word Up is a unique board game developed specifically for English language teaching and learning It's suitable for use by all levels and ages, and can be played by students at home or in the classroom Full details of Word Up are here Free Lesson Plans Material Topic-based Worksheets (Warning! These lesson worksheets require ABSOLUTELY NO PREPARATION) A range of topic-based worksheets by Liz Regan available for free download in PDF format, so they'll print out perfectly on A4 or Letter-size paper Each worksheet is accompanied by handy notes or Teaching Suggestions Watch for new worksheets monthly Teaching Tips These helpful Teaching Tips are written in plain, jargon-free English Talking Point A range of discussion-based worksheets - all available for free download Each worksheet is accompanied by handy notes or Teaching Suggestions New Talking Points monthly ELT Marketing Easy ELT Marketing that Works: targeted, effective, immediate You can easily market any ELT service or product and target your advertising towards learners or teachers through the EnglishClub.com network Use a service that brings results In many cases, you can start marketing today—worldwide Learn more about how to reach ESL learners or how to reach ESL teachers