Why does it matter?

When it comes to structuring your sentences, everything revolves around the verb and the noun. In other words, everything revolves around what happened and what was affected. In this discussion, with help from Thesaurus.com and Merriam-Webster, we’ll be able to break down the verb types that tend to wear many labels in the English language. Before we get too deep into the technicalities, reference the word bank and refresh your foundation of terms.

Back to basics word bank

A transitive verb: these verbs earned their label partially by position. Transitive verbs are followed by a direct object. In other words, whatever noun is being affected by that verb, is close in placement, for example: I refilled my coffee mug.

An intransitive verb: on the opposite side of transitive verbs are intransitive verbs. For this case, certain verbs don’t require a direct object for clarity. In an example this might look like: Wait there.

An adverb: Merriam-Webster explains that an adverb is simply a modifier that changes the meaning of the verb which it’s connected. Think about the way that a modifier like annually changes any verb that follows. 

Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s dig a little deeper.

Stative Verbs

Stative verbs might explain a few word usage gray areas, you’ve seen before. Statives are a type that show a state of living or being. Beyond that, Thesaurus explains that stative verbs can also show qualities, emotions, opinions and beliefs. 

Your story plot resembles much of the material we’ve published before.

Our particular stative verb example falls into the state of being category. With that in mind, think about the use of resembles. By using that verb, the statement is actively showing the existance of similar published material.

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs show many of the word combinations that have worked their way into everyday speech. A phrasal verb happens when either a preposition or adverb is tagged onto the main verb, which entirely changes the meaning. Look at this sentence for a better idea. 

Sorry about the timing, I zoned out before your message came in. 

Zoned as a lone verb has an entirely different meaning from the common term we’re working with. Out acts as the modifier which becomes the second half of our phrasal verb. Exactly like the definition explains, the two pieces together hold a verb of its own meaning.

Helping Verbs

Now, keep in mind that our next verb can fall under a number of categories, this is just one of them that it fits in. Thesaurus explains that helping verbs are boosters to the main verb of a sentence. Their purpose focuses on the mood, or more commonly the tense, of the sentence.

 Remember that the calendar can shift today. 

In terms of this particular statement, our helping verb works to show the tense. We are put in the middle of that moment and the requested changes are actively approved to happen.

Modal Verbs

Staying in the vein of helping verbs, there is a subgroup referred to as modal verbs. Still functioning like a helping verb by adding onto the main verb, modals serve an even more specific function. When you run into modal verbs, they are likely to express one or more of these four concepts: ability, necessity, permission, and possibility. For a better visual understanding, look through the example.  

We should finish the last piece of the template before noon. 

In the case of this current example, we’re dealing with a modal that checks two out of the five boxes. Given the context of the message, we not only sense a tone of necessity but also permission. There is permission granted to finish the task, but also an added urgency to get the task done.