Verb

Verbs are lexical morphemes denoting situations.

Examples

In English, event verbs are for instance fall or die. Actions are expressed by chop or play. Real stative verbs are not found in English. They have to be paraphrased with an adjective and the copula verb be (for example be small). In other languages, as for instance Akkadian, also states can be expressed by intransitive verbs: rpš ‘be wide’.

Comments

Verbs are distinguished from other parts of speech because of their possible inflection in tense, aspect and mood, which is not possible for other parts of speech in most languages. Additionally, verbs agree in many languages overtly with one or more arguments. They are heads of verbal phrases.

Subclasses

Verbs with different valence:

• intransitive verbs
• semitransitive verbs
• ambitransitive verbs
• monotransitive verbs
• sesquitransitive verbs
• ditransitive verbs

verbs with different thematic roles:

• unaccusative verbs
• unergative verbs

• fientic verbs (event verbs)
• stative verbs (state verbs)

verbs with different etymology:

• primary verbs
• secondary verbs (derivated verbs)

Origin

Etymologically, the term origins from Latin: verbum (word). Already in the Middle Ages it was used in its grammatical meaning by missionars.

See also

• POS
• Action

Other languages

• German Verb (de)