What Is a Verb?

Roger Fielding Published 18 July 2026 · 10 min read Adult

🎒 Teaching an 8–18-year-old? Read the young-learner edition →

You're halfway through an email:

"I … am writing to ask … I have been meaning to reply … We are currently reviewing …"

And for half a second you stall on those little words — am, have been, are — thinking, hang on, which one is the verb? Are they all verbs? And what on earth is this "auxiliary" thing people keep banging on about?

Let's be honest — most of us only half-learned this, and we've managed fine. You write emails, texts, the occasional slightly-too-heated group-chat message, all without naming a single part of speech. The old schoolroom line — "a verb is a doing word" — floats around at the back of the mind, and it works right up until you hit sentences where very little "doing" happens at all:

The report is ready.
The plan seems risky.
We have been informed.

No obvious action there. Plenty of verbs.

The good news is that the moment something in your writing goes slightly wrong — a sentence that reads oddly, a subject and verb that don't quite agree, an "I feel good" you can't defend — the fix almost always lives with the verb. Verbs are the engine of a sentence. Learn to see them clearly and a surprising amount of everyday writing trouble sorts itself out.

You already know how to use them. You've just never been shown the map. That's all this is — a map. We're going to park tense completely (that's a big topic with its own home, linked at the end) and concentrate on what verbs are and the three jobs they do.

Before you read on, here's where we're heading. By the end of this article, you'll be able to: - Say what a verb actually is — and why "doing word" isn't enough. - Distinguish action, linking, and auxiliary (helping) verbs. - Pick out the main verb inside a longer verb phrase like have been reviewing. - Recognise and use modal auxiliaries (can, must, should…) accurately. - Know exactly where tense picks up — so this article stays useful, not bloated.

Beginner (Foundation): verbs as the sentence's engine

Every complete sentence you write — a work email, a text, a form, a report — has a verb. It's the word (or small team of words) that tells the reader what's happening, what something is, or what state it's in. Take it out and things fall apart fast:

✗ My boss in the meeting.
✓ My boss was in the meeting.
✓ My boss spoke in the meeting.

"The quarterly report" is a fragment. "The quarterly report is late" is a sentence — now something is being said about it.

The simplest definition is a good starting point: a verb is a doing OR a being word. Some verbs express an action; others simply state that something exists or is in a certain condition.

I sent the invoice. (doing)
The report is ready. (being)

That second one is why "doing word" fails us as adults. Be, have, do, must, will are all verbs even when nothing energetic is going on.

There are three families to know. Once you can name them, a lot of half-heard grammar advice finally clicks.

Action verbs

The obvious ones — activity and process, physical or mental.

I called the client.
They finished the report.
She believes the numbers are wrong.

Called and finished are visible; believes happens inside the head. Both are action verbs — the action just isn't always something you could film.

Linking verbs

These carry no action. They work like a soft equals sign, tying the subject to a word that describes or renames it.

The proposal is solid. (proposal = solid)
Your voicemail sounds urgent. (voicemail = urgent)
He seems annoyed. (he = annoyed)

The workhorse linking verb is to be — am, is, are, was, were, been, being. Others: seem, become, appear, feel, look, sound, smell, taste, remain, stay, prove, grow, turn.

A quick test: replace the verb with a form of be. If the sense holds, it's probably linking.

You seem confident. → You are confident. ✓
The coffee tastes bitter. → The coffee is bitter. ✓

Auxiliary (helping) verbs

Sometimes a verb needs a helper. Auxiliaries pair up with a main verb to build a fuller meaning.

I have submitted the form.
We are hiring.
Do you need a countersignature?
You must reply by Monday.

Each contains two verbs. Submitted, hiring, need, reply are the main verbs — they hold the actual meaning. Have, are, do, must are the auxiliaries, supporting them. The whole cluster is a verb phrase. Think of the main verb as the engine block and the auxiliaries as the starter motor and dashboard lights — different parts, same system.

Quick recap: - A verb expresses doing, being, or grammatical support — and holds the sentence together. - Action verbs show a process or event (physical or mental): call, send, believe. - Linking verbs join the subject to a description or identity: is, seem, sound. - Auxiliaries support a main verb to form a verb phrase: have submitted. - Everyday adult writing leans on all three types constantly.

Intermediate (Development): the working rules, and where people go wrong

Once your writing lengthens — a performance review, a complaint, a cover letter — single-word verbs turn into multi-word phrases. Diagnosis is the skill.

Action or linking? Some verbs are both

A handful of verbs — feel, look, smell, taste, sound, appear, grow — can work as linking or action verbs, and the meaning flips completely.

The proposal looks solid. → linking (the proposal is solid-looking)
I looked at the proposal. → action (I directed my attention — something I did)
The milk smells off. → linking (the milk is off-smelling)
I smelled the milk to check. → action (I sniffed it)

The test again: swap in be.

The proposal is solid. ✓ → linking
I was at the proposal. ✗ → action

What a verb phrase is

In professional writing you'll rarely use a verb entirely alone. You'll use a verb phrase — a main verb plus one or more auxiliaries. The main verb carries the core meaning; the auxiliaries add grammatical information and always come before it.

Sentence	Auxiliaries	Main verb
I am waiting on legal.	am	waiting
They have approved the spend.	have	approved
Do you need a signature?	do	need
You should have replied sooner.	should, have	replied
We will be launching next quarter.	will, be	launching

To find the main verb, boil the sentence down: They will be working late strips to They work. "Work/working" survives — that's the main verb. The rest is support staff.

The two kinds of auxiliary

Primary auxiliaries — be, have, do. These three can also work as full main verbs on their own:

She is the lead on this. → main verb (linking)
We have three options. → main verb (possession)
He did the training last year. → main verb (an action)

Or as auxiliaries helping another verb:

She is meeting them later.
We have submitted the form.
I do not agree.

Role is always local. Don't laminate one label onto a word forever.

Modal auxiliaries (modals) — can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would (plus ought to). These only ever work as helpers — they always need a main verb — and they add meaning like possibility, permission, ability or obligation.

I can meet at three.
You should confirm your attendance.
We might postpone the launch.
They must submit by Friday.

A couple of stubborn habits worth knowing:

Modals don't change for person: she can, never she cans.
They're followed by the base form of the main verb — should send, not should sends or should to send.

Linking verbs and the adjective trap

Because linking verbs describe the subject, they're followed by adjectives, not adverbs.

The idea seems sensible. ✓ (adjective)
The coffee smells terrible. ✓ (adjective)
✗ The coffee smells terribly. (that would suggest the coffee is bad at smelling)

This is the root of the good/well puzzle: I feel good uses the adjective because feel is linking there. Our adjectives-and-adverbs article (H4.5) goes deeper; I won't rehash it here.

Common Mistake: Treating every is, was or have as "not a real verb" because there's no obvious action. They're among the most frequent verbs in the language. When they link or help, they are fully real verbs — just not action verbs. And watch the reverse mistake too: have in "I have a question" is the main verb (possession), not an auxiliary.

Pro-Tip: In a dense draft, highlight every verb phrase before you edit for tone. Clarity failures usually start with a missing, doubled, or buried engine. "Please be advised that consideration will be given to your request" → "We'll consider your request."

Quick recap: - Some verbs (feel, look, smell) switch between linking and action; test with be. - A verb phrase is a main verb plus one or more auxiliaries: has been approved. - The main verb (usually last) carries the meaning; auxiliaries add grammatical information. - Primary auxiliaries (be, have, do) can also be main verbs; modals only ever help. - Modals take no "-s" and are followed by the base form of the main verb.

Advanced (Mastery): nuance, register, and sharper distinctions

Once you can spot the types confidently, the interesting part is where they overlap, switch, or sit in genuinely tricky sentences. This is the level that helps when you're editing your own writing under pressure.

Stacked auxiliaries — without getting lost in tense

English will happily pile up helpers:

The report might have been being finalised when the server failed.

Awkward, but grammatical. Practically, you don't need to name every part:

Find the main verb — the last content-carrying word (finalised).
Everything to its left in the same verbal group is auxiliary scaffolding (might, have, been, being).
Keep the main verb in focus for agreement, emphasis and editing.

That understanding is the foundation for active vs passive voice and the tense system — both of which live next door in the Verbs & Tenses pillar. Think of this article as the legend on the map.

"Do" as the invisible helper

English uses do/does/did as an auxiliary even when there's already a perfectly good verb — in questions, negatives, and for emphasis:

Do you understand the issue?
She does not agree.
I do appreciate your help.

In that last one, appreciate is the main verb; do is only adding weight. This matters when you're hunting for the main verb or checking subject–verb agreement — and you can usually drop the emphatic do in formal writing (I do appreciate this → I appreciate this).

Light verbs, corporate fog, and register

Business English overuses make, take, give, have, do + a noun: make a decision, give consideration, take action. Grammatically, these are all still verbs. Stylistically, they can pad a sentence. Choosing a precise main verb — decide, consider, act — often sounds more confident in a report, a CV [US: résumé], or public-facing writing. Internal Slack can stay lighter. Match the room; this is craft, not a morality test about "proper" English.

We will be looking into your complaint. (softer, ongoing)
We will review your complaint. (neutral, firmer)

More auxiliaries — especially be + -ing — often sound more conversational or tentative; simpler forms sound more direct. Once you can see the moving parts, you can dial the tone up or down on purpose.

What only looks like a verb

Not every verb-shaped word is the verb of a sentence. Infinitives and -ing forms often do noun or adjective jobs:

Resigning early cost him goodwill. (Resigning acts as a noun here.)
To resign would be rash. (an infinitive)
A written warning. (written is doing adjective work)

The practical point: don't call every -ed or -ing the verb until it's clearly finite or clearly part of a verb phrase. (Non-finite forms are covered in the neighbouring verb articles.)

Where the payoff lands

Subject–verb agreement (Pillar 1) only works if you've found the real head of the verb phrase, not a nearby noun in a distracting phrase: The list of deliverables is ready.
Good vs well (H4.5) turns entirely on whether you've got a linking verb describing the subject or an action being modified.

Spot the verb type, and both of those old battles get a lot calmer.

And, deliberately: tense, aspect, the perfect and progressive systems — all out of scope here, on purpose. Follow the Verbs & Tenses pillar when you're ready for the clockwork.

Pro-Tip: When a sentence feels floppy, check whether a linking verb is carrying a vague complement — is impactful, is of relevance. Sharpen the complement or swap in a clearer action verb. Fix the engine first; polish the adjectives second.

Common Mistake: Writing a modal with "-s" or after to — ✗ "He cans handle it," ✗ "to must attend." Modals never take "-s" and can't follow to. It's he can handle it and must attend.

Quick recap: - Long auxiliary stacks still revolve around one main content verb — find it first. - Many high-frequency verbs toggle linking/action by what follows them. - Do/does/did often serves as an auxiliary for questions, negatives and emphasis. - Light-verb habits are grammatical but often stylistically soft in formal prose. - Verb typing underpins agreement and good/well — without replacing later tense study.

UK vs US note: Action, linking and auxiliary categories are identical across UK and US English. The differences are cosmetic. Spelling: UK practise/licence (verbs) [US: practice/license], UK recognise [US: recognize], UK behaviour [US: behavior], UK cancelled [US: canceled]. Terminology you'll meet elsewhere: full stop [US: period]. US school materials also lean hard on the label helping verb alongside auxiliary. And shall survives in British usage (Shall I send it?) but is rare in American English, where will or should usually stand in. None of this changes how you sort verb types.

Key Takeaways

A verb expresses an action, a state, or grammatical support — it's the engine of the sentence.
Verbs do three jobs: action, linking, and auxiliary (helping).
A verb phrase = one or more auxiliaries + a main verb (has been reviewing); the main verb is usually last.
Primary auxiliaries (be, have, do) can also be main verbs; modals (can, must, should…) only ever help.
The same word can change job depending on the sentence — read what it's doing.
Tense — how verbs express time — is a separate topic, covered in the Verbs & Tenses pillar.

Check Your Understanding

Label each verb as action, linking, or auxiliary: "You should feel confident before you send the proposal."
Identify the main verb: "The board may have approved the merger already."
Is have auxiliary or main in "We have three vacancies"? What about in "We have filled three vacancies"?
Is the verb in "The proposal sounds promising" action or linking? How can you tell?
Rewrite this to remove the emphatic do without changing the meaning: "I do appreciate your feedback."

Answer key

should = auxiliary (modal); feel = linking (you = confident); send = action.
Main verb = approved; auxiliaries = may, have.
First sentence: main verb (possession). Second: auxiliary helping filled.
Linking — swap it for is ("The proposal is promising") and it holds; it describes the proposal rather than an action.
"I appreciate your feedback."

H0 — What grammar really is (a good grounding if the terms feel unfamiliar).
H3.2 — Transitive and intransitive verbs (does the verb take an object?).
H3.3 — Regular and irregular verbs.
H3.4 — Stative and dynamic verbs (a closer look at "action" verbs).
H1.6 — What is a clause? (how the verb anchors a sentence).
H4.5 — Good vs well (linking vs action verbs in practice).
Pillar 1 — Subject–verb agreement (locate the real verbal head first).
→ The Verbs & Tenses pillar — how verbs move through time: tense, aspect, voice and mood. Read this next.