Verbs
Middle School
Definition
A word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being, such as "run," "happen," or "is." Verbs are essential to sentences because they tell what the subject does or is. Their form changes to show tense, such as past or present.
Worked examples
"The cat sleeps on the couch."
"Sleeps" is the verb — it tells what the cat does.
"Yesterday, she walked to school. Today, she walks to school."
The verb changes form (walked, walks) to show different tenses — past and present.
"The event happened quickly."
"Happened" is the verb — it expresses an occurrence, not a physical action.
Common mistakes
- Thinking "quickly" is the verb because it describes the action → "happened" is the verb; "quickly" is an adverb modifying it Verbs show action or state; adverbs describe how, when, or where the action happens.
- "The running dog" — treating "running" as the main verb of the sentence → "running" is a participle (adjective here); the sentence needs a main verb like "is" or "barks" A verb form used as an adjective is not the sentence's main verb.
- "She is happy" — thinking "happy" is the verb → "is" is the verb (state of being); "happy" is an adjective Linking verbs like "is" connect the subject to a description but are still the verb.
Where you'll use it next
You'll use verbs to build every sentence, identify subject-verb agreement, form different tenses in narrative and expository writing, and analyze verb mood and voice in advanced grammar and literature study.
See also
Reviewed by Pat Cheng, M.Ed. — StudyPug Curriculum Lead · Last updated June 6, 2026