Forms of Verb in English

Verbs show actions performed by a subject. For example, when you read this, the verb “read” shows what you are doing. In English grammar, verbs change their forms to indicate the time of an action. Verb forms explain whether the action happens now, happened in the past, or will happen in the future. This article explains forms of verb, demonstrates their use in sentences, and provides examples.

Verb Forms

A verb in a sentence can appear in different ways to explain when an action happens. These are called verb forms. Learning verb forms is important to understand tenses. English grammar includes five main verb forms: root, past, past participle, present participle, and third-person singular present.

Types of Forms of Verb

Present (Root) Form of a Verb

The present or root form of a verb is the base verb as it is, without any changes. Root verbs can also show simple present tense. This form is called “V1.”

Examples:

• I walk to school every day. (Root verb: walk)
• They play cricket on weekends. (Root verb: play)
• We write letters often. (Root verb: write)

Simple Past Form of a Verb

The simple past form of a verb describes actions that happened before now. This is called “V2.” Usually, this form is made by adding “-ed” or “-d” to the base verb.

Examples:

• She worked on her project yesterday. (Root verb: work, Past form: worked)
• They danced at the party. (Root verb: dance, Past form: danced)

Irregular verbs do not follow this rule. Instead, their forms change completely, or they remain the same.
Examples:

• I saw a bird. (Root verb: see, Past form: saw)
• He went to the market. (Root verb: go, Past form: went)

Past Participle Form of a Verb

The past participle, or “V3,” is used in perfect tenses. This form also adds “-ed” or “-d” to regular verbs, but it must come with an auxiliary verb like “has,” “have,” or “had.”

Examples:

• She has completed her homework. (Root verb: complete, Past participle: completed)
• They had left before I arrived. (Root verb: leave, Past participle: left)

Some irregular verbs have unique past participle forms that differ from their past forms.
Examples:

• The bell has rung. (Root verb: ring, Past participle: rung)
• He has eaten the apple. (Root verb: eat, Past participle: eaten)

Present Participle Form of a Verb

We form the present participle, also called “V4,” by adding “-ing” to the base verb. We use it in continuous tenses and sometimes as a gerund.

Examples:

• I am reading a book. (Root verb: read, Present participle: reading)
• She was cooking dinner. (Root verb: cook, Present participle: cooking)

Special rules for forming present participles:

• When a verb ends with a vowel followed by a consonant, double the consonant before adding “-ing.”
  Examples: run → running, swim → swimming
• When a verb ends in “e,” remove the “e” before adding “-ing.”
  Examples: write → writing, bake → baking

Third-Person Singular Present Form

We use this form in simple present tense when the subject is a singular noun or “he,” “she,” or “it.” We make it by adding “-s” or “-es” to the base verb. This form is called “V5.”

Examples:

• He runs fast. (Root verb: run, Third-person singular: runs)
• She teaches math. (Root verb: teach, Third-person singular: teaches)
• The cat plays with the ball. (Root verb: play, Third-person singular: plays)

Forms of Verb List (A to Z)

V1 (Root)	V2 (Past)	V3 (Past Participle)	V4 (-ing Form)
Act	Acted	Acted	Acting
Bake	Baked	Baked	Baking
Choose	Chose	Chosen	Choosing
Dance	Danced	Danced	Dancing
Eat	Ate	Eaten	Eating
Fix	Fixed	Fixed	Fixing
Go	Went	Gone	Going
Help	Helped	Helped	Helping
Jump	Jumped	Jumped	Jumping
Laugh	Laughed	Laughed	Laughing
Make	Made	Made	Making
Paint	Painted	Painted	Painting
Read	Read	Read	Reading
Sing	Sang	Sung	Singing
Teach	Taught	Taught	Teaching
Write	Wrote	Written	Writing

Verbs That Stay the Same

Some verbs remain the same in all their forms: root, past, and past participle.

V1 (Root)	V2 (Past)	V3 (Past Participle)
Bet	Bet	Bet
Hit	Hit	Hit
Cost	Cost	Cost
Put	Put	Put
Shut	Shut	Shut
Hurt	Hurt	Hurt
Let	Let	Let
Set	Set	Set
Quit	Quit	Quit
Fit	Fit	Fit

Irregular Forms of Verb

Irregular verbs do not follow the regular rules of adding “-ed” or “-d.” These verbs change in unique ways, and their forms need to be remembered.

V1 (Root)	V2 (Past)	V3 (Past Participle)
Begin	Began	Begun
Drink	Drank	Drunk
Fly	Flew	Flown
Break	Broke	Broken
Know	Knew	Known
See	Saw	Seen
Swim	Swam	Swum
Take	Took	Taken
Throw	Threw	Thrown
Write	Wrote	Written

Summary

Forms of verb in English are essential to describe when actions happen. There are five main forms: root, past, past participle, present participle, and third-person singular. Regular verbs follow rules to form their past and participle forms, while irregular verbs must be memorized. Understanding these forms helps in using tenses correctly in sentences.

Frequently Asked Questions on Forms of Verb in English

Q1. What is a form of verb?
Ans. A verb form is how a verb changes to show the time of an action or to fit the sentence. It shows when an action happens.

Q2. What are the five forms of verb in English?
Ans. The five verb forms in English are: the base verb (root form), the third-person singular present form, the present participle, the simple past, and the past participle.

Q3. What is the simple past form of a verb?
Ans. The simple past form shows an action that happened in the past. It is usually made by adding “ed” or “d” (if the verb ends in “e”) to the base verb. Some verbs do not follow this rule and are called irregular verbs. Examples are read, sat, cheated, drank, spoke, and cut.