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The Verbal Categories

1. Action Verbs Subcategories of verbs expressing physical or mental activities.

   1. Physical: Verbs denoting tangible, observable actions.

      1. Manipulative: Actions involving handling objects. kick: "She kicks the ball." throw: "He throws a stone."

      2. Performative: Actions involving bodily movement or gestures. dance: "They dance gracefully." wave: "She waves goodbye."

      3. Creative: Actions producing something tangible.

      4. build: "He builds a house." paint: "She paints a portrait."

   2. Mental Verbs describing cognitive or emotional processes.

      1. Cognitive: Thinking or reasoning processes. think: "I think about the problem." analyze: "She analyzes the data."

      2. Emotive: Emotional states or reactions. love: "He loves his dog." fear: "They fear the storm."

      3. Perceptive: Mental actions involving perception. notice: "I notice a change." imagine: "She imagines a story."

   3. Speech Verbs indicating verbal expression or communication.

      1. Declarative: Stating or asserting. say: "He says hello." declare: "She declares her decision."

      2. Interrogative: Asking or questioning. ask: "They ask a question." inquire: "He inquires about the plan."

      3. Expressive: Conveying emotion or emphasis. shout: "She shouts in excitement." whisper: "He whispers a secret."

   4. Motion Verbs expressing movement or change in position.

      1. Directed: Movement toward a specific destination. go: "She goes to school." travel: "They travel to Paris."

      2. Manner: Movement with specific style or method. run: "He runs quickly." crawl: "The baby crawls slowly."

      3. Translocative: Movement involving relocation. move: "They move to a new city." migrate: "Birds migrate south."

   5. Transitive Verbs requiring a direct object.

      1. Monotransitive: Taking one direct object. eat: "She eats an apple." write: "He writes a letter."

      2. Ditransitive: Taking two objects (direct and indirect). give: "She gives him a gift." tell: "He tells her a story."

   6. Intransitive Verbs not requiring a direct object.

      1. Pure Intransitive: Complete without an object. sleep: "He sleeps peacefully." laugh: "She laughs loudly."

      2. Resultative: Implying a resulting state. fall: "The tree falls." rise: "The sun rises."

2. Linking Verbs Subcategories of verbs connecting the subject to a complement.

   1. State of Being Verbs describing existence or identity.

      1. Existential: Indicating existence. be: "She is a teacher." exist: "Ghosts exist in stories."

      2. Identificational: Equating subject with identity. become: "He becomes president." remain: "She remains a student."

   2. Sensory Verbs related to perception or sensation.

      1. Appearance: Describing how something seems. seem: "He seems tired." appear: "She appears confident."

      2. Sensation: Relating to sensory experience. feel: "I feel cold." look: "You look happy."

   3. Change/Transformation Verbs indicating a shift in state.

      1. Transitional: Showing change over time. grow: "She grows taller." turn: "The leaves turn red."

      2. Resultative: Indicating a final state. get: "He gets angry." become: "They become friends."

   4. Equation Verbs equating subject with a complement.

      1. Descriptive: Describing qualities. seem: "It seems fair." sound: "That sounds good."

      2. Classificational: Assigning a category. be: "She is a doctor." constitute: "This constitutes a violation."

3. Auxiliary Verbs Subcategories of verbs supporting the main verb.

   1. Tense Verbs marking time.

      1. Present: Indicating current action. am/is/are: "She is running." do/does: "He does his homework."

      2. Past: Indicating completed action. was/were: "They were singing." did: "She did her best."

      3. Future: Indicating future action. will: "I will go." shall: "We shall overcome."

   2. Aspect Verbs indicating completion or progression.

      1. Perfect: Completed actions. have/has: "She has finished." had: "He had left."

      2. Progressive: Ongoing actions. am/is/are: "They are dancing." was/were: "She was reading."

      3. Perfect-Progressive: Ongoing with completion. have been: "I have been studying." had been: "They had been working."

   3. Voice Verbs marking active or passive voice.

      1. Active: Subject performs action. am/is/are: "She is writing a book." was/were: "He was painting the house."

      2. Passive: Subject receives action. am/is/are: "The book is written." was/were: "The house was painted."

   4. Emphasis Verbs used for stress or negation.

      1. Affirmative: Emphasizing truth. do/does: "I do care." did: "She did finish."

      2. Negative: Forming negation. do not/does not: "He doesn’t know." did not: "They didn’t come."

4. Modal Verbs Subcategories expressing modality.

   1. Possibility/Probability Verbs expressing likelihood or chance.

      1. Weak Possibility: Low likelihood. might: "It might rain." could: "She could arrive late."

      2. Strong Possibility: High likelihood. will: "It will happen." should: "He should win."

   2. Ability Verbs indicating capability or skill.

      1. General Ability: Current or inherent ability. can: "She can swim." could: "He could read early."

      2. Specific Ability: Context-specific ability. be able to: "I am able to help." could: "She could fix it yesterday."

   3. Permission Verbs allowing or prohibiting actions.

      1. Granting: Allowing action. can: "You can leave." may: "She may enter."

      2. Prohibiting: Denying permission. must not: "You must not smoke." cannot: "He cannot park here."

   4. Obligation/Necessity Verbs denoting duty or requirement.

      1. Strong Obligation: Mandatory action. must: "You must obey." have to: "She has to finish."

      2. Weak Obligation: Suggested action. should: "You should study." ought to: "He ought to apologize."

   5. Volition Verbs expressing desire or intention.

      1. Intention: Planned action. will: "I will try." shall: "We shall succeed."

      2. Desire: Wishing or wanting. would: "She would love to join." want to: "He wants to learn."

   6. Conditionality Verbs used in hypothetical or conditional contexts.

      1. Hypothetical: Imagined scenarios. would: "I would go if invited." could: "She could win if she tries."

      2. Counterfactual: Unreal conditions. would have: "He would have won." might have: "They might have left."

5. Incomplete Verbs Subcategories requiring complements.

   1. Copulative Verbs needing a subject complement.

      1. Descriptive: Describing qualities. seem: "She seems happy." appear: "He appears confident."

      2. Identificational: Naming or classifying. be: "She is a lawyer." become: "He became a chef."

   2. Transitive Incomplete Verbs needing a direct object.

      1. Monotransitive: One object. want: "She wants a book." need: "He needs help."

      2. Ditransitive: Two objects. give: "She gives him a gift." show: "He shows her a picture."

   3. Complex Transitive Verbs requiring an object and complement.

      1. Descriptive: Object with adjective. call: "They call him brave." consider: "She considers it fair."

      2. Naming: Object with noun. name: "They named her leader." appoint: "He appointed her manager."

6. Finite Verbs Subcategories forming complete predicates.

   1. Indicative Verbs expressing facts or questions.

      1. Declarative: Stating facts. walk: "She walks daily." is: "He is here."

      2. Interrogative: Asking questions. do: "Do you know?" is: "Is she coming?"

   2. Imperative Verbs conveying commands or requests.

      1. Direct: Explicit commands. go: "Go now!" sit: "Sit down!"

      2. Polite: Softened requests. please come: "Please come inside." do help: "Do help me."

   3. Subjunctive Verbs indicating hypothetical or wished situations.

      1. Present Subjunctive: Current hypotheticals. be: "I suggest he be ready." have: "She demands we have it."

      2. Past Subjunctive: Unreal conditions. were: "If I were rich." had: "If she had known."

   4. Tensed Verbs marked for specific tense.

      1. Present: Current actions. run: "She runs fast." is: "He is happy."

      2. Past: Completed actions. ran: "She ran yesterday." was: "He was tired."

      3. Future: Future actions. will run: "She will run tomorrow." will be: "He will be there."

7. Infinite Verbs Subcategories of verbs not bound by tense (often synonymous with non-finite, but here focused on infinitives).

   1. Bare Infinitive Base verb form without "to."

      1. Modal Complement: Following modals. go: "She can go." help: "He must help."

      2. Causative/Perceptive: After causative/perception verbs. make: "She makes him sing." see: "I saw her run."

   2. Full Infinitive Verb form with "to" expressing purpose or concept.

      1. Purpose: Indicating intention. to learn: "She studies to learn." to win: "He plays to win."

      2. Nominal: Acting as a noun. to sing: "To sing is fun." to dream: "To dream is free."

8. Non-Finite Verbs Subcategories not tied to subject or tense.

   1. Infinitive Verbs acting as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

      1. Nominal: Functioning as a noun. to dance: "To dance is her passion." to study: "To study requires focus."

      2. Adverbial: Indicating purpose or reason. to help: "She came to help." to learn: "He reads to learn."

      3. Adjectival: Modifying a noun. to read: "A book to read." to solve: "A problem to solve."

   2. Gerund Verbs functioning as nouns.

      1. Subject: Acting as sentence subject. swimming: "Swimming is healthy." reading: "Reading takes time."

      2. Object: Acting as verb object. enjoy swimming: "She enjoys swimming." love dancing: "He loves dancing."

      3. Complement: Following prepositions. fond of running: "She’s fond of running." good at singing: "He’s good at singing."

   3. Present Participle Verbs functioning as adjectives or in progressive aspects.

      1. Adjectival: Describing a noun. running: "A running stream." shining: "A shining star."

      2. Progressive: Forming continuous tenses. is running: "She is running now." was singing: "He was singing loudly."

      3. Past Participle Verbs functioning as adjectives or in perfect/passive constructions.

      4. Adjectival: Describing a noun. broken: "A broken window." written: "A written note."

      5. Perfect: Forming perfect tenses. have written: "She has written a book." had gone: "He had gone home."

      6. Passive: Forming passive voice. is written: "The book is written." was seen: "She was seen there."

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