Understanding Verbs

A verb is a word that shows action or state. It's the most important word in a sentence because it tells you what is happening or what something is.

Simple Definition

Verb = The action or state in a sentence

Examples

Sentence	Verb	What It Shows
"I write emails."	write	An action
"She is a teacher."	is	A state (what she is)
"I feel happy."	feel	A state (an emotion)
"They run fast."	run	An action

Why it matters: Every complete sentence needs a verb. Without a verb, you don't have a complete thought.

Action Verbs

Action verbs describe things people do or things that happen. These are the most common verbs.

Everyday Action Verbs

Verb	Meaning	Example
write	Put words on paper	"I write emails."
speak	Use your voice to talk	"I speak English."
work	Do a job	"She works as a teacher."
study	Learn something	"I study every day."
read	Look at words and understand	"I read articles."
listen	Hear and pay attention	"I listen to audio."
sleep	Rest at night	"I sleep 8 hours."
eat	Consume food	"We eat breakfast."
run	Move fast on foot	"She runs in the morning."
walk	Move slowly on foot	"I walk to work."
help	Give assistance	"I help students."
play	Do something fun	"They play sports."

Using Action Verbs in CELPIP

Good email: "I report the problem to you."
Bad email: "I am in the situation of reporting."

Note: Use simple action verbs. They are clear and direct. Examiners like clear writing.

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs do not describe an action. They connect the subject to a description — what something is or how something feels.

Common Linking Verbs

Verb	Means	Example
be (am, is, are)	Exist or equal something	"I am a student."
seem	Appear to be	"The problem seems serious."
look	Appear (what you see)	"She looks happy."
feel	Experience emotion or physical state	"I feel frustrated."
sound	What you hear	"Your idea sounds good."
appear	Seem or look like	"He appears tired."
become	Change to be	"She became a manager."
stay	Remain in a state	"I stayed calm."
get	Change or become	"He got angry."

Pattern: Linking Verb + Adjective or Noun

Linking verbs usually connect to an adjective or noun, not an action.

Wrong	Correct	Why
"The problem is seeming big."	"The problem seems big."	Don't use continuous with stative verbs
"She is teacher."	"She is a teacher."	"is" links the subject to a noun
"I feel happily."	"I feel happy."	Linking verb + adjective (not adverb)

Using Linking Verbs in CELPIP

Good: "I am very concerned about the noise."
Good: "The apartment appears to have structural damage."
Good: "I feel frustrated with the delay."

Use linking verbs to describe problems, feelings, and situations in complaint emails.

Regular & Irregular Verbs

Now that you understand action and linking verbs, let's learn how they change in past tense.

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs are easy. You just add -ed to make past tense.

Base Verb	Past Tense	Example
report	reported	"I reported the problem."
work	worked	"I worked yesterday."
study	studied	"She studied hard."
wait	waited	"We waited 2 hours."
try	tried	"I tried to contact you."
request	requested	"I requested a refund."
walk	walked	"I walked to school."
listen	listened	"I listened to the audio."

Simple rule: Base verb + -ed = Past tense ✅

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs change completely. There's no pattern. You must memorize them.

Base	Past	Past Participle	Example
be	was/were	been	"I was upset."
go	went	gone	"I went home."
see	saw	seen	"I saw the damage."
come	came	come	"He came early."
write	wrote	written	"I wrote an email."
say	said	said	"She said no."
have	had	had	"I had a problem."
do	did	done	"I did my best."
make	made	made	"I made a complaint."
take	took	taken	"I took steps to fix it."
feel	felt	felt	"I felt concerned."
find	found	found	"I found the solution."
give	gave	given	"I gave feedback."
get	got	gotten	"I got a response."
know	knew	known	"I knew the answer."

Using Correct Past Tense in CELPIP

Correct (irregular): "I wrote to you last week."
Wrong: "I writed to you last week."
Correct (regular): "I reported the issue."
Wrong: "I report the issue." (present tense, not past)

Memorize irregular verbs. They are very common in English.

Transitive & Intransitive

As you get better, you need to understand if a verb needs something after it or not.

Transitive Verbs

Transitive verbs need an object (a noun) after them. Without the object, the sentence is incomplete or confusing.

Transitive Verb	With Object ✅	Without Object ❌
write	"I write an email."	"I write." (what?)
report	"I report the issue."	"I report." (what?)
send	"Please send a response."	"Please send." (what?)
read	"I read the instructions."	"I read." (what?)
solve	"I solved the problem."	"I solved." (what?)

Intransitive Verbs

Intransitive verbs are complete without an object. They don't need anything after them.

Intransitive Verb	Complete ✅	With Object ❌
sleep	"I sleep."	"I sleep hard." (not an object)
work	"She works."	"She works well." (not an object)
run	"He runs."	"He runs fast." (not an object)
arrive	"They arrive."	"They arrive early." (not an object)

Dynamic & Stative

Dynamic verbs show actions. Stative verbs show states or conditions. This matters for tense choice.

Dynamic Verbs - Actions (Use With Continuous Tenses)

Verb	Meaning	Example
run	Move fast	"I am running right now." ✅
eat	Consume food	"She is eating lunch." ✅
write	Put words on paper	"I am writing an email." ✅
work	Do a job	"He is working hard." ✅
study	Learn	"They are studying together." ✅

Stative Verbs - States (Don't Use Continuous Tenses)

Verb	Meaning	Example	Wrong ❌
be	Exist	"I am a student."	"I am being a student."
have	Possess	"I have a problem."	"I am having a problem."
like	Enjoy	"I like English."	"I am liking English."
know	Understand	"I know the answer."	"I am knowing the answer."
want	Desire	"I want help."	"I am wanting help."
seem	Appear	"It seems serious."	"It is seeming serious."
believe	Think true	"I believe this."	"I am believing this."

Important for CELPIP

Don't use continuous tense with stative verbs.

Wrong: "I am having a problem."
Correct: "I have a problem."
Correct: "I am working hard." (dynamic verb - continuous is OK)

Modal verbs are helper verbs that add meaning to action verbs. They show if something is possible, necessary, allowed, or suggested.

Modal verbs always come before the main verb.

Modal	Means	Example
can	Able to do something	"I can speak English."
cannot / can't	Not able to do	"I can't work tomorrow."
could	Possible / polite request	"Could you help me?"
must	Very necessary / obligation	"You must fix this."
should	Good idea / advice	"You should arrive early."
would	Polite request / habit	"Would you help?"
may	Permission / possibility	"May I ask a question?"
might	Small possibility	"It might rain tomorrow."
have to	Necessary / obligation	"I have to study."

Good: "You must make repairs within 7 days."
Good: "I should have received a response."
Good: "Could you please send me an update?"
Good: "I would appreciate your help."

Modal verbs show politeness and urgency. Use them in complaint emails.

Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs

Auxiliary verbs help the main verb create different tenses. They come before the main verb.

Common Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary	Function	Example
am, is, are	Making present continuous	"I am writing an email."
was, were	Making past continuous	"She was studying."
have, has	Making present perfect	"I have reported the issue."
had	Making past perfect	"He had finished before I arrived."
will	Making future	"I will call you tomorrow."
do, does, did	Asking questions / negatives	"Do you work here?" / "I did not see it."

Using Auxiliary Verbs in CELPIP

Present continuous: "I am writing to report a problem."
Present perfect: "I have tried to contact you multiple times."
Future: "I will follow up on Friday."
Question: "Did you receive my email?"

Auxiliary verbs help you use correct tenses in emails and speaking.

Putting It All Together - Real CELPIP Examples

Email Writing (All Verb Types)

"I am writing (auxiliary + action) to report (action) a serious maintenance issue. The heating system is (linking) non-functional. I have requested (auxiliary + action) your help multiple times. You must make (modal + action) repairs within 7 days. I am waiting (auxiliary + action) for your response."

Verbs used:

am writing (auxiliary + action)
report (action)
is (linking)
have requested (auxiliary + regular past)
must make (modal + action)
am waiting (auxiliary + action)

Speaking Example (All Verb Types)

"I work (dynamic action) as a teacher. I feel (stative linking) passionate about education. I have achieved (auxiliary + irregular) success with my students. I can (modal) solve problems quickly. My students seem (linking) very happy."