Structure: Functions of Verb – JSS1 English Lesson Note (First Term)

A verb is a word that tells or asserts something about a person or thing. Verbs come from the Latin verbum, a word. It is so called because it is the most important word in a sentence.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define a verb;
• state the three things a verb may tell us;
• identify verbs that consist of more than one word;
• explain what auxiliary verbs are and give examples;
• identify modal auxiliaries and the ideas they express.

What are the functions of verbs?

A verb may tell us:

1. What a person or thing does, as in “Anthony laughs” and “The clock strikes.”
2. What is done to a person or thing, as in “Harry is scolded” and “The window is broken.”
3. What a person or thing is, as in “The cat is dead”, “I feel sorry” and “Glass is brittle.”

Can a verb have more than one word?

A verb often consists of more than one word, as in these examples:

• The girls were singing.
• I have learned my lesson.
• The watch has been found.

What are auxiliary verbs?

Auxiliary verbs are helping verbs. They cannot stand on their own. They help to form the tenses of verbs, for example:

• I have written it.
• She has done it.
• They are going.
• They were going.
• She is dancing.

What are modal auxiliaries?

Modal auxiliaries express ideas such as possibility, probability, ability, certainty, willingness, obligation, permission, necessity, request and compulsion.

Examples

Evaluation

Say the function of each of the underlined verbs in each of the sentences below.

1. Harry is tall.
2. Bola sings.
3. Olawale was singing.
4. I can swim.
5. You may go home.

Assignment

Read about auxiliary verbs.

Reference

English Grammar for Junior Secondary Schools, pages 47 to 50.