Editing English grammar (section)

===Verbs===
{{Main|English verbs}}

The basic form of an English verb is not generally marked by any ending, although there are certain suffixes that are frequently used to form verbs, such as ''-ate'' (''formulate''), ''-fy'' (''electrify''), and ''-ise/ize'' (''realise/realize'').<ref name=carter-mccarthy-p301>{{Harvnb|Carter|McCarthy|2006|p=301}}</ref> Many verbs also contain [[prefix]]es, such as ''un-'' (''unmask''), ''out-'' (''outlast''), ''over-'' (''overtake''), and ''under-'' (''undervalue'').<ref name=carter-mccarthy-p301/> Verbs can also be formed from nouns and adjectives by [[Conversion (word formation)|zero derivation]], as with the verbs ''snare'', ''nose'', ''dry'', and ''calm''.

Most verbs have three or four inflected forms in addition to the base form: a third-person singular present tense form in ''-(e)s'' (''writes'', ''botches''), a [[present participle]] and [[gerund]] form in ''-ing'' (''writing''), a past tense (''wrote''), and – though often identical to the past tense form – a [[past participle]] (''written''). Regular verbs have identical past tense and past participle forms in ''-ed'', but there are 100 or so [[English irregular verbs|irregular English verbs]] with different forms (see [[List of English irregular verbs|list]]). The verbs ''have'', ''do'' and ''say'' also have irregular third-person present tense forms (''has'', ''does'' {{IPA|/dʌz/}}, ''says'' {{IPA|/sɛz/}}). The verb ''be'' has the largest number of irregular forms (''am, is, are'' in the present tense, ''was, were'' in the past tense, ''been'' for the past participle).

Most of what are often referred to as verb [[grammatical tense|tenses]] (or sometimes [[Grammatical aspect|aspect]]s) in English are formed using [[auxiliary verb]]s. Apart from what are called the [[simple present (English)|simple present]] (''write'', ''writes'') and [[simple past (English)|simple past]] (''wrote''), there are also [[continuous aspect|continuous]] (progressive) forms (''am/is/are/was/were writing''), [[perfect aspect|perfect]] forms (''have/has/had written'', and the perfect continuous ''have/has/had been writing''), [[future tense|future]] forms (''will write'', ''will be writing'', ''will have written'', ''will have been writing''), and [[conditional tense|conditionals]] (also called "[[future in the past]]"), so forms equivalent to future ones but with ''would'' instead of ''will''. The auxiliaries [[shall and will|''shall'' and ''should'']] sometimes replace ''will'' and ''would'' in the first person. For the uses of these various verb forms, see [[English verbs]] and [[English clause syntax]].

The basic form of the verb (''be, write, play'') is used as the [[infinitive]], although there is also a "to-infinitive" (''to be'', ''to write'', ''to play'') used in many syntactical constructions. There are also infinitives corresponding to other aspects: ''(to) have written'', ''(to) be writing'', ''(to) have been writing''. The second-person [[imperative mood|imperative]] is identical to the (basic) infinitive; other imperative forms may be made with ''let'' (''let us go'', or ''let's go''; ''let them eat cake'').

A form identical to the infinitive can be used as a present [[subjunctive]] in certain contexts: ''It is important that he '''follow''' them'' or ''... that he '''be''' committed to the cause''. There is also a past subjunctive (distinct from the simple past only in the possible use of ''were'' instead of ''was''), used in some conditional sentences and similar: ''if I were'' (or ''was'') ''rich{{nbsp}}...''; ''were he to arrive now{{nbsp}}...''; ''I wish she were'' (or ''was'') ''here''. For details see [[English subjunctive]].

The [[passive voice]] is formed using the verb ''be'' (in the appropriate tense or form) with the past participle of the verb in question: ''cars are driven, he was killed, I am being tickled, it is nice to be pampered'', etc. The performer of the action may be introduced in a prepositional phrase with ''by'' (as in ''they were killed by the invaders'').

The [[English modal verbs]] consist of the core modals ''can'', ''could'', ''may'', ''might'', ''must'', ''shall'', ''should'', ''will'', ''would'', as well as ''ought (to''), ''had better'', and in some uses ''dare'' and ''need''.<ref name=carter-mccarthy-p303>{{Harvnb|Carter|McCarthy|2006|p=303}}</ref> These do not inflect for person or number,<ref name=carter-mccarthy-p303/> do not occur alone, and do not have infinitive or participle forms (except synonyms, as with ''be/being/been able (to'') for the modals ''can/could''). The modals are used with the basic infinitive form of a verb (''I can swim, he may be killed'', ''we dare not move'', ''need they go?''), except for ''ought'', which takes ''to'' (''you ought to go''). Modals can indicate the condition, probability, possibility, necessity, obligation and ability exposed by the speaker's or writer's attitude or expression.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Modal verbs and modality – English Grammar Today – Cambridge Dictionary|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/modal-verbs-and-modality|access-date=2020-09-24|website=dictionary.cambridge.org|language=en}}</ref>

The [[copula (linguistics)|copula]] ''be'', along with the modal verbs and the other [[English auxiliary verbs|auxiliaries]], form a distinct class, sometimes called "[[special verbs]]" or simply "auxiliaries".<ref>Sidhu, C. D. (1976). ''An Intensive Course in English'', Orient Blackswan, p. 5.</ref> These have different syntax from ordinary [[lexical verb]]s, especially in that they make their [[interrogative]] forms by plain [[subject–auxiliary inversion|inversion]] with the subject, and their [[negation|negative]] forms by adding ''not'' after the verb (''could I{{nbsp}}...? I could not{{nbsp}}...''). Apart from those already mentioned, this class may also include ''used to'' (although the forms ''did he use to?'' and ''he didn't use to'' are also found), and sometimes ''have'' even when not an auxiliary (forms like ''have you a sister?'' and ''he hadn't a clue'' are possible, though becoming less common). It also includes the auxiliary ''do'' (''does'', ''did''); this is used with the basic infinitive of other verbs (those not belonging to the "special verbs" class) to make their question and negation forms, as well as emphatic forms (''do I like you?''; ''he doesn't speak English''; ''we did close the fridge''). For more details of this, see [[do-support|''do''-support]].

Some forms of the copula and auxiliaries often appear as [[contraction (grammar)|contraction]]s, as in ''I'm'' for ''I am'', ''you'd'' for ''you would'' or ''you had'', and ''John's'' for ''John is''. Their negated forms with following ''not'' are also often contracted (see {{slink||Negation}} below). For detail see [[English auxiliaries and contractions]].

====Phrases<span class="anchor" id="Verb phrases"></span>====
A verb together with its dependents, excluding its [[subject (grammar)|subject]], may be identified as a [[verb phrase]] (although this concept is not acknowledged in all theories of grammar<ref>[[Dependency grammar]]s reject the concept of finite verb phrases as clause constituents, regarding the subject as a dependent of the verb as well. See the [[verb phrase]] article for more information.</ref>). A verb phrase headed by a [[finite verb]] may also be called a [[predicate (grammar)|predicate]]. The dependents may be [[object (grammar)|object]]s, complements, and modifiers (adverbs or [[adverbial phrase]]s). In English, objects and complements nearly always come after the verb; a [[direct object]] precedes other complements such as prepositional phrases, but if there is an [[indirect object]] as well, expressed without a preposition, then that precedes the direct object: ''give me the book'', but ''give the book to me''. Adverbial modifiers generally follow objects, although other positions are possible (see under {{slink||Adverbs}} below). Certain verb–modifier combinations, particularly when they have independent meaning (such as ''take on'' and ''get up''), are known as "[[phrasal verb]]s".

For details of possible patterns, see [[English clause syntax]]. See the [[English clause syntax#Non-finite clauses|Non-finite clauses]] section of that article for verb phrases headed by non-finite verb forms, such as infinitives and participles.