Uzbekistan state world languages university

English language №3 faculty

Theoretical aspects of English language №3 department

Research paper
on Theoretical grammar and history of the language
Theme: The verb and it's types. Structural and functional types of verbs. The
grammatical categories of verbs.

Group: 2201
Full name: Usubjonova Sadoqatxon Valijon qizi
Total score: ___________
Paper: _____ Oral: ______

Tashkent 2024
CONTENTS
1
INTRODUCTION ………...……………………………….………............ 2

CHAPTER I. THE VERB IN THEORETICAL GRAMMAR.

1.1. Definition and Classification of Verbs.………………..….................. 4

1.2. Grammatical Categories of Verbs………...………………………….. 6

1.3. Role of Verbs in Sentence Structure.………….………………...……10

CHAPTER II. THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH VERBS

2.1. Old English verbs..…………………………………….………………14

2.2. The Evolution of Verbs from Middle English to Modern English…18

CHAPTER III. MODERN TRENDS IN VERB USAGE

3.1 Simplification of Tense and Aspect ….………........………………….22
3.2 Influence of Technology and Social Media………...……..…..………24
3.3 Future of English Verbs………………………..………………………26

CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………..28

REFERENCE………………………………….….…..………….….……..30

2
 INTRODUCTION
Verbs are at the heart of English grammar. They facilitate communication
through action, states, and processes. They are vital in the construction of
sentences as they help express meaning. According to Jalgasova Laura, unlike
other words, verbs differ because they mark time, action, or state making them
essential in the workings of sentences in different languages. This makes verbs a
necessary component in english grammar as well as its evolution over time.

Linguistics and pedagogy also place great importance on the study of verbs.
They serve as the basis of the sentence predicate, performing the action on the
subject and modifying the sentence. To determine their productivity in different
situations, it is important to learn different classes of verbs. Jarullah Nashua
illustrates, verbs are classified into general groups – lexical and auxiliary. Lexical
verbs are those whose meaning can exist on their own, whereas auxiliary verbs are
used as function verbs in grammatical phrases. This difference is the most import
in learning English grammar because verbs determine the tense, mood, and voice,
all of which are necessary for effective communication.

Understanding how verbs function is made easier by grammar categories,

which include tense, aspect, mood, and voice. They demonstrate how the meaning
of words is altered by their different forms. For instance, a given verb can denote
an event taking place right now, an action already completed or define a situation
that is only wished for. Verbs are no exception to the rule that all languages
progress according to the demands of their speakers, while retaining the power of
inflection. Verbs evolved from the Old English with endless modifications to
modern English, which incorporates less dynamic inflections. The changes in verbs
are parallels to the language’s usage and history.

The research pays special attention to English verbs such as their

classifications, grammatical distinctions, and transformations over time. It aims to
give an insight into verb usage and their functions. The first chapter is dedicated to
the classification of verbs showing how they can be transitive or intransitive, finite
3
or non-finite. The second chapter includes categories of grammatical discourse
such as tense, mood, and even aspect where the meaning of verbs is altered. Lastly,
the third chapter encompasses the tracing of the evolution of the verbs from the
Old English to contemporary English.

This research underscores the significance of a verb in the structure and

composition of English by analyzing how it functions and its evolvement over
time.

On one hand, they assist in outlining the framework of a sentence while on

the other, they deal with time, intent and possibilitites which makes them among
the most essential components to linguists, teachers and students alike. As claimed
by Greenbaum and Quirk, both in theory and practice, the understanding of basic
language concepts brings together real communication: verbs do that. Thus, the
purpose of this study is to shed a deeper insight on the importance of English
verbs.

4
 CHAPTER I. THE VERB IN THEORETICAL GRAMMAR.
1.1. Definition and Classification of Verbs

Of all the clauses in English, the most vital ones include those that
demonstrate an event, an action or a certain condition. Verbs play an important role
in sentence structure because, as Ilyish points out, every sentence has a predicate
that requires a verb. Furthermore, they add details and context about actions, such
as when, how often, and the current or completed status of the verb. They also
illustrate the features such as tense, mood and aspect.

Classification is quite essential to understanding verbs. In their book,

Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) explain the importance of classifying verbs into
lexical, and auxiliary, non-finite, finite, regular or irregular. Such classfications aid
in understanding how verbs act in a sentence.

Lexical vs. Auxiliary Verbs

It is possible to identify the core actions of a given sentence through lexical
verbs. Some examples are the actions or states of 'run', 'eat', and 'think.' In the
sentence, 'She runs every morning', 'runs' is classified as a lexical verb. (Ilyish,
1971)

Auxiliary verbs, also called helping verbs, do not carry main meaning and are
called helping verbs. They assist in coming up with verb phrases for tense, mood,
and aspect. Verb forms such as “has eaten” carry an auxiliary verb “has”.
According to Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) auxiliary verbs also assist to make
questions and negatives. These include primary auxiliaries, be, have, do, and
modal auxiliaries, can, may, will.
Finite vs. Non-finite Verbs
According to Ilyish (1971), in ‘she runs every day’, ‘runs’ is finite as it agrees
with ‘she’ and is subject agnostic. Finite verbs show tense and agree with the
subject.

5
 Non-finite verbs are those which do not show agreement or tense. This
category covers infinitives, present participles and past participles. ‘To eat’ in ‘I
want to eat’ is a non-finite while ‘having finished’ in ‘having finished the task, he
left’ is also non-finite. According to Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) verb tense helps
in coming up with complex sentences.
Regular vs. Irregular Verbs
‘I walked to school’ is an example of a regular verb. Such verbs add ‘-ed’ to
the base form to derive past tense and past participle. Such verbs are common and
easy to use (Ilyish, 1971).

Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs do not form the past tense and past
participles by adding an -ed suffix. Instead, their forms change in peculiar ways
like changing “go” to “went.” According to Greenbaum and Quirk (1990), these
irregular forms are derived from the historical forms of the English language.

To sum up, it is helpful to know how the different categories of verbs

including lexical vs. auxiliary, finite vs. non-finite, and regular vs. irregular, work
in the context of how verbs work in the English language. Ilyish (1971) and
Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) show the elasticity of verbs, as well as the
contribution of these classifications of verbs in constructing substantive sentences.

6
 1.2. Grammatical Categories of Verbs

In a sentence, verbs in English are grouped into a few crucial grammatical

categories, each crucial in defining its meaning and its function in that sentence.
The latter set of categories include tense, aspect, mood, voice, person, and number.
Each one of them brings color to the way verbs combine with other words and also
express time and manner or time and relationships. As Ilyish (1971) and
Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) contend, knowledge of these categories is basic for
the appropriate and competent use of verbs in discourse.

Tense

Tense expresses the time of the activity or condition denoted by the verb.
English verbs have three main tenses: past, present, and future.

Past tense indicates the actions or states that occurred prior to now. For
instance, She walked to school. Regular verbs create past tense by adding -ed
suffix (i.e., walk → walked), while for the irregulars, the change is not so
straightforward (Ilyish, 1971). Such as, go → went.

When something or someone is said to be running or performing an action

presently, it is written in present active tense like ‘She runs in the morning’. Also
note that verbs in the third person (he, she, it) singular take the affix ‘s’ (e.g., run
becomes runs) (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990).

Actions that are planned to occur after the present time are described using
words such as ‘will’ and ‘shall’, so this action will be illustrated as ‘She will run
tomorrow’ (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990). In English, the future tense does not have
a unique form in its verbs like the past and the present do (greenbaum and quirk,
1990).

Although Old English used to have a much more elaborate system of

inflections for tense, these have gradually become simplified, particularly with the
introduction of auxiliary verbs (Ilyish, 1971).
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 Aspect

The term aspect is used to signify an action that can be either completed or
underway. In English, perfect and progressive are the top two aspects.

Perfect – also referred to as the complete aspect – is a form that makes an

action suitable to a certain time perspective. For instance, ‘She has finished her
homework’. It employs the auxiliary verb ‘have’ along with past participle (Ilyish,
1971).

Progressive aspect works with the actions still in progress, for instance she is
running. This aspect uses auxiliary ‘be’ along with the present participle e.g.
‘running’ (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990).

These aspects start being more used and appeared during Middle English
when the English began expanding the use of auxiliary verbs (Ilyish, 1971).

The way a speaker perceives an event or a situation can be expressed through

the mood. English speakers have three moods: indicative, imperative, and
subjunctive.

The indicative mood refers to the common factual statements or questions

made – for example “She eats lunch.” This is the most frequently used mood
(Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990).

Imperative on the other hand refers to command statements or requests such

as “Close the door.” This type of statement usually excludes the subject since the
listener is understood to be the objective participant (Ilyish, 1971).

Subjunctive mood situations are often hypothetical or unreal. A good example

is “If I were rich.” This form of mood is not common with every day modern
English, but is often used in formal conversations (GB&T).

The subjunctive mood was widely used in Old English but the use of it has
declined over time with the simplification of English grammar (Ilyish, 1971).

8
 Voice

The relationship between the verb and its subject can also be shown by voice.
English language encompasses active and passive voice, both of which are used
widely.

Active voice places emphasis on the subject of a sentence that performs an

action, such as “The dog chased the cat.”

Here, the subject receives the action, so passive voice is centered here. “The
cat was chased by the dog.” The auxiliary verb ‘be’ must be combined with the
past participle to form passive voice (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990).

With the development of English grammar towards a more standardized word

order, the usage of passive voice has increased over the years, especially in
academic writing. (Ilyish)

Person and Number

These categories relate to the connection that exists between the verb and its
subject.

“Run” in “I run” \”She runs” is noted as first and third person respectively. It
is noted that the participant, who is the subject has an audience. The actions can
belong in the first (you, I, we), second (you), or third person (he, she, they, it).

“Run” in “He runs” “They run” depicts singular as opposed to plural subjects
which requires distinguishing.

Although in the period of old English, there were additional verb elements to
signify person and number, most of these have already been lost, meaning only a
few distinctions remain in modern English (Ilyish, 1971).

The grammatical categories of verbs - tense, aspect, mood, voice, person, and
number - have a specific essence and importance in the correct expression of
thoughts and their preservation in a grammatical context. These, as do Ilysh
9
(1971), Greenbaum & Quirk (1990), have been previously pointed out to greatly
change through history, making English verb structure more simplistic but less
rigid. It is also essential in knowing how categories serve us to understand the role
of verbs in thoughts and how concepts are related in a language.

10
 1.3. Role of Verbs in Sentence Structure

Verbs play a central role in sentence structure by connecting subjects to

actions, states, or conditions. They determine how other elements like objects,
complements, and modifiers are arranged within a sentence. According to
Greenbaum and Quirk (1990), verbs are the backbone of sentence construction,
influencing meaning and grammatical accuracy. Verbs integrate the subject and
activity, stage, or state in a sentence.

Transitive Verbs

They play a significant role in determining the arrangement of other

components of a sentence, such as the object, complement, and modifier.
Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) state, words that create sentences and extend the
phrase are the verbs that most alter the meaning and grammar used in it.

This part examines the structures of verb phrases with a particular focus on
transitive, intransitive, and linking verbs and offers examples that illustrate them.

Transitive verbs are phrases with an action and a direct object. In the absence
of an object, the phrase becomes one-dimensional. Consider the following
sentences:

Complete: "She wrote a letter." (The direct object a letter completes the
meaning of wrote.)

Incomplete: "She wrote."

As Ilyish (1971) states, transitive verbs are those that have a subject and an
object as opposed to another verb. There is a plethora of transitive verbs, Examples
include eat, throw, and read. In addition, certain transitive verbs have the capability
of taking on an indirect object or a recipient. For example:

"He gave her a gift." (Her is the indirect object, and a gift is the direct object.)

Intransitive Verbs

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 Intransitive verbs do not have a direct object. They perform an action by
themselves or signify some status. For instance:

"The baby sleeps."

"They danced all night."

According to Greenbaum and Quirk (1990), intransitive verbs frequently

describe a change of state or an accomplished event. Although some phrases do not
require an object, they can be modified with adverbs or prepositional phrases to
add more information:

"She runs every morning." (Every morning is a prepositional phrase, not a

direct object.)

Moreover, some verbs are context-sensitive; They are able to transit from life
to death and back again.

Do not hesitate to provide me with any input or text that you would like me to
assist you with. For example:
Transitive: "She sings a song." (A song is the direct object.)
Intransitive: "She sings beautifully."

Linking Verbs

An example is the sentence: ‘She is a teacher’ where ‘is’ acts as a linking verb
to refer to the subject ‘she’ and the complement ‘a teacher.’ So too: ‘The soup
tastes delicious,’ with the sentence containing the verb ‘tastes.’ Oftentimes, linking
verbs describe states or conditions.

Ilyish (1971) associates linking verbs with the English verbs be, seem,
become, feel, and appear. While transitive verbs take objects, linking verbs are
followed by subject complements which describe or identify the subject. Subject
complements can be:

1. Nouns: "He became a doctor."

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 2. Adjectives: "The sky looks clear."
Case Studies of Verb Functions
To better understand verb roles, consider the following sentences:
1. Transitive Verb Example:
"The artist painted a masterpiece."
Here, painted is transitive because it requires the object a masterpiece to
complete its meaning.
2. Intransitive Verb Example:
"The birds flew away."
Flew is intransitive because no object is needed; the prepositional phrase
away adds detail but is not essential.
3. Linking Verb Example:
"The cake smells amazing."
Smells is a linking verb because it connects the subject cake to the adjective
amazing, describing its state.
Interaction of Verbs with Sentence Structure
Verbs guide the organization of other sentence elements, shaping how ideas
are presented. Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) note that verbs can combine with
auxiliary verbs to form complex structures like:
Negative sentences: "She does not like coffee."
Questions: "Does she like coffee?"
Progressive aspect: "She is drinking coffee."
In addition, verbs influence whether a sentence is active or passive. For
example:
Active: "The dog chased the cat."
Passive: "The cat was chased by the dog."
Tasks assigned to a verb fundamentally shape their role in a sentence. English
verbs may be classified as transitive, intransitive, or linking and their
categorization informs us of the relations a subject can have with the objects,
complements and modifiers of a sentence. Verbs define the meaning of a sentence,
13
as Ilyish (1971) and Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) have pointed out, they define
how a sentence is put together, and most importantly, what is intended by the
speaker.

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 CHAPTER II. THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH VERBS

2.1. Old English verbs

The earliest form of the English language, Old English (450 – 1150), was rife
with diverse verb forms as a result of its Germanic origins. Old English verbs were
classified into broad categories of strong verbs and weak verbs depending on the
forms of past tense and past participle. These distinctions reveal the complexities
and development of the grammar in English.

Strong Verbs
In the Old English era, stronger verbs would change their past tenses through
a process called ablaut, which involved alterations in the vowel sounds of the stem.
The Proto-Germanic spoken forms of these languages passed down this system,
resulting in verbs that were able to alter their form independent of the addition of
affixes and more endings.

For example:
Drīfan (to drive):
Present: drīfan
Past singular: drāf
Past plural: drifon
Past participle: (ge)drifen
Singan (to sing):
Present: singan
Past singular: sang
Past plural: sungon
Past participle: (ge)sungen
While some pages authored by Ilyish in the year of 1971 do not classify
strong verbs in a flexible way, there is an inclusion of many frequently used and
essential verbs like bēon (to be), cuman (to come) and niman (to take). This was
done because, in fact, the method of ablaut was very organized with each class of

15
verbs having been divided into a total of seven different groups that were based on
specific patterns of vowel arrangements.

Weak Verbs
In any case when concerned with weak verbs, past tenses and past participles
were formed with the addition of a dental suffix (-d or -t) - a process termed as
affixation. This primitive method was easier than the ablaut system and formed the
basis for most of the newly formed English verbs around the world.

For example:
Lufian (to love):
Present: lufian
Past: lufode
Past participle: (ge)lufod
Deman (to judge):
Present: deman
Past: demde
Past participle: (ge)demed
Weak verbs were more flexible, and by adopting this new method,
Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) assert that weak verbs were indeed more flexible and
productive because new verbs could easily incorporate this structure. This
development could be why weak verbs became more common in Modern English.

Influence of Germanic Languages

However, it is worth noting that the Old English forms of verbs were greatly
impacted by other Germanic languages like the Old High German, Old Norse, and
Gothic. They bear similarities like the strong and weak verbs and the inflectional
endings.

For example, the strong verb system in Old English closely resembled that of
Old High German. Compare the Old English verb beran (to bear) with its Old High
German equivalent beran:
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 Old English:
Present: beran
Past singular: bær
Past plural: bæron
Past participle: (ge)boren
Old High German:
Present: beran
Past singular: bar
Past plural: barum
Past participle: boran
The common features point to the foreshadowed commonness of the
Germanic nations, which separated from Proto Germanic language around 500 BC.

Similarly, Old Norse, which was introduced in England during the Viking
invasions, greatly impacted Old English. Several Old Norse verbs hāta (to call or
name) and skinna (to skin) entered the language, and these influences served to
facilitate the decimation of the Old English inflectional system, especially during
the later Middle English era.

Inflectional Endings

Old English verbs were highly inflected, meaning their endings changed to
indicate tense, mood, number, and person. For example, the verb lufian (to love)
had the following forms:
Present Tense:
Ic lufie (I love)
Þū lufast (You love)
Hē/hēo/hit lufað (He/she/it loves)
Past Tense:
Ic lufode (I loved)
Þū lufodest (You loved)
Hē/hēo/hit lufode (He/she/it loved)
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 According to Ilyish (1971), these intricate defining patterns were indicative of
a high degree of synthesis of Old English. As language transformed to Middle
English throughout the ages, however, much of these defining features were shed,
as Old Norse and Norman French influenced the language.

Legacy of Old English Verbs

The division of verbs into strong and weak accents is here to stay in Modern
English. Even though the majority of modern verbs are weak love won, some
unique strong verbs still exist e.g. sing/sang/sung. The mark of Germanic
languages is still clear in the modern verb forms and their employment in speech.

The Old English verbs epitomize the rich culture and traditions of the
Germanic constituent of the language family. The strong and weak divergences
among the verbs with their respective ordering of the past tense have their own
complexities as well as flexibilities. As Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) and Ilyish
(1971) point out, these distinctions are historically important because of their
significance to the evolution of English and its grammar.

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 2.2. The Evolution of Verbs from Middle English to Modern English
The transition from Old English to Middle English and later to Modern
English correlates with the phonological/morphological changes in the English
tenses where English verbs underwent considerable changes. The Old English
tense system with inflectional forms of the verbs went into decline due to
phonological and sociological changes like the contact with the Norman people
after the conquer of 1066. Other changes included the development of periphrastic
verbs by decreasing the amount of strong verbs used, the using of auxiliary verbs
instead, and simplifying the tense and mood systems present ( Baugh & Cable,
2002). This section aims at describing the major alterations in the grammatical
system during the era of Middle and Modern English. The elaboration will be
limited to the decrease of verb inflectional endings and increase of periphrastic
constructions under the influence of different languages.

The Decline of Inflectional Endings in Middle English

One of the most significant changes in Middle English was the loss of
inflectional endings. Old English verbs had a complex system of suffixes that
indicated person, number, tense, and mood. By the Middle English period, many of
these endings had weakened or disappeared due to phonetic erosion (Crystal,
2003).
For example, the Old English verb "lufian" (to love) was conjugated as
follows:
As seen in the table, by the Middle English period, most inflectional endings
had been simplified, especially in the plural and second-person singular forms.
Eventually, these distinctions disappeared in Modern English, leaving only the "-s"
ending for third-person singular in the present tense.
Additionally, the past tense forms of verbs became more regular. While Old
English had a mix of strong (irregular) and weak (regular) verbs, many strong
verbs began to adopt weak conjugation patterns (Hogg, 1992). For example:
Old English: helpan → healp → holpen

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 Middle English: helpen → helped → helped
By the Modern English period, the majority of verbs followed the weak
pattern (-ed ending), leading to the standardization of regular past tense forms.
The Rise of Auxiliary Verbs and Periphrastic Constructions
As the Old English inflectional system declined, English began to compensate
for lost verb endings by using auxiliary verbs (Denison, 1993). This process,
known as periphrasis, became a defining feature of Middle and Modern English
grammar.
"Do"-Periphrasis: In Old English, negation and questions were formed
without "do" (e.g., Nimst þu mete? – "Take you food?"). By Middle English, the
auxiliary "do" had started to appear in questions and negatives (e.g., Dost thou take
food?). In Modern English, this became mandatory: Do you take food?
(Nevalainen, 2006).
Perfect Tenses with "Have": In Old English, the past participle was often used
without "have" (e.g., He bunden – "He bound"). By Middle English, the auxiliary
"have" had become common in perfect tenses (e.g., He hath bound the book),
leading to the Modern English structure (He has bound the book) (Fischer, 1992).
Future Tenses with "Will" and "Shall": Old English expressed the future tense
using the present tense or context clues. By Middle English, "will" and "shall" had
emerged as auxiliary verbs to indicate the future, which remains standard today
(Barber, Beal, & Shaw, 2012).
These developments marked a shift from synthetic verb structures (single-
word forms with inflections) to analytical structures (multi-word phrases with
auxiliary verbs).
External Influences on Middle and Modern English Verbs
The changes in the verb system during the Middle and Modern English
periods were also influenced by contact with foreign languages, especially French
and Latin following the Norman Conquest (1150–1400) (Baugh & Cable, 2002).
French Influence: After 1066, thousands of French words entered English,
including many verbs (continue, receive, prepare, desire). French influence also led
20
to changes in verb endings, with some Middle English verbs adopting French-style
conjugation patterns (e.g., the "-eth" ending in he goeth).
Latin Influence: The Latin grammatical system, brought by scholars and the
Church, influenced the use of modal auxiliaries (e.g., must, may, ought), which
became more common in English over time (Görlach, 1991).
This linguistic contact played a key role in the simplification and restructuring
of the English verb system.
The Final Shift to the Modern English Verb System
By the Early Modern English period (1500–1700), the major changes in the
verb system had stabilized, and the language had reached a form much closer to
what we use today. The key features of the Modern English verb system include:
1. The dominance of weak verbs: Most verbs now form their past tense with
"-ed" instead of vowel changes.
2. The standardization of auxiliary verbs: The use of "do" in questions and
negatives became fixed.
3. The loss of second-person singular endings: The archaic forms thou lovest
and he loveth were replaced by you love and he loves.
4. The simplification of verb conjugations: English reduced its reliance on
inflections, making verb endings simpler and more uniform.
The process of verb regularization and simplification continues today, with
modern English showing a tendency to further reduce irregular forms and rely
more on periphrastic constructions. For instance, some irregular verbs (e.g., dive –
dove – dived) now have both regular and irregular past forms, reflecting an
ongoing trend toward simplification (Leech, 2004).
The transformation of the English verb system from Middle English to
Modern English was driven by phonetic erosion, language contact, and
grammatical restructuring. The loss of inflectional endings, the rise of auxiliary
verbs, and the influence of French and Latin all contributed to the development of
the analytical structure found in Modern English. While Middle English retained
many elements of the Old English system, by the Early Modern period, English
21
verbs had evolved into a simpler, more regularized system that remains largely
unchanged today.

22
 CHAPTER III. MODERN TRENDS IN VERB USAGE
3.1 Simplification of Tense and Aspect
In modern English, especially in casual conversations, people often use
simpler ways to express tense and aspect. While traditional grammar offers many
detailed rules, speakers in everyday communication focus on being quick and easy
to understand. This has led to a trend of simplifying how tenses and aspects are
used.
Simplified Tenses in Modern Speech
In casual speech, complex tenses are often replaced with basic ones like the
present and past. For example:
Instead of saying, “I will have finished the project by tomorrow,” people
might say, “I’ll finish it tomorrow.”
“I’m going to visit” is more common than “I shall visit.”
As Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) explain, speakers prefer using simpler and
shorter phrases to make communication faster and easier. This often results in a
preference for less precise but more practical tense forms in informal situations.
Simplified Aspect in Everyday Use
The perfect and progressive aspects are still used, but speakers often replace
them with simpler alternatives. For example:
Instead of saying, “I have been studying all day,” someone might say, “I
studied all day” or “I’ve studied all day.”
The phrase “I’m waiting for you” could become just “I wait for you” in
certain informal contexts.
According to Ilyish (1971), this simplification reflects the natural evolution of
language, where frequently used forms become more efficient. Auxiliary verbs like
have, be, and do help keep sentences clear while allowing flexibility in tense and
aspect.
Modern English also shows a tendency to rely more on context than on verb
forms to convey meaning. For instance, in conversations, people may skip

23
explicitly marking time if the context already makes it clear, such as saying “I call
him tomorrow” instead of “I will call him tomorrow.”
In summary, the simplification of tense and aspect in modern English shows
how language adapts to the needs of speakers. By focusing on shorter and clearer
expressions, speakers prioritize effective communication over strict grammatical
rules, especially in informal settings. This trend is supported by the flexible use of
auxiliary verbs, which help maintain meaning while simplifying structure
(Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990; Ilyish, 1971).

24
 3.2 Influence of Technology and Social Media
Technology and social media have had a big impact on how verbs are created
and used in English. New actions and tools introduced by technology often require
new words to describe them, and verbs have adapted quickly to these changes. As
Greenbaum and Quirk (1990) note, language evolves to meet the needs of its
speakers, and modern technology has accelerated this process.
Formation of New Verbs
Many new verbs come from brand names or technology-related actions. For
example:
To google means to search for information online using the Google search
engine (e.g., “I googled the answer”).
To tweet refers to posting a message on Twitter (e.g., “She tweeted about the
event”).
To stream means to watch or listen to content online in real time (e.g., “We
streamed the movie last night”).
These verbs often follow regular conjugation patterns, like adding -ed for the
past tense (e.g., googled, tweeted, streamed). This shows how English adapts new
words to its existing grammatical rules.
Changes in Verb Usage
Technology has also influenced how people use verbs. Short, direct
communication on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok encourages the
use of simple verb forms. For example:
Instead of saying, “I am uploading a video,” people often say, “Uploading
now.”
Commands and hashtags rely on base verbs, such as “Post now” or “Watch
this.”
These trends show how technology-driven communication values speed and
simplicity, often skipping traditional grammatical structures.
Examples from Social Media

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 Social media has introduced phrases that rely on verbs in new ways. For
instance:
“DM me” (direct message me) has turned DM into a verb meaning to send a
private message.
Phrases like “unfriend” (to remove someone from a friend list) or “like” (to
click a button showing approval) have become common actions tied to social
media.
As Ilyish (1971) points out, verbs reflect cultural changes, and these examples
highlight how modern communication shapes language. Social media verbs often
come from nouns (e.g., DM or friend) and quickly gain widespread use.
In conclusion, technology and social media have transformed English by
introducing new verbs and changing how verbs are used in communication. These
changes reflect the adaptability of English and its ability to respond to cultural and
technological developments (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990; Ilyish, 1971).

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 3.3 Future of English Verbs
The future of English verbs will likely involve more changes as the language
continues to evolve. English has already simplified over time, and global
communication trends, technology, and cultural exchange will influence how verbs
are used and formed in the years to come. As Ilyish (1971) and Greenbaum and
Quirk (1990) explain, the history of English shows a clear trend toward
simplifying grammar and adapting to the needs of speakers.
Further Simplification of Verbs
One possibility is that English verbs will become even simpler in the future.
For example:
Irregular verbs might follow regular patterns over time, as has already
happened with some verbs in the past. For instance, the irregular verb “help” in
Old English (holp/holpen) is now regular (help/helped).
Verb conjugations may lose distinctions for person and number, especially in
casual speech. This trend is already visible in sentences like “He run fast” instead
of “He runs fast.”
Simplification could make English easier to learn and use, especially as a
global language.
Influence of Global Communication
Global communication through technology and social media may lead to the
creation of new verbs and further changes in verb structure. For example:
Verbs from other languages could be borrowed or adapted into English,
especially in multicultural and international settings. Words like “to karaoke”
(from Japanese) or “to schmooze” (from Yiddish) show how this process is already
happening.
English might adopt more informal verb forms from online communication,
such as “text me” or “zooming” (using Zoom for video calls). These trends could
lead to a more universal, simplified version of English used in global
conversations.
The Role of Technology
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 As artificial intelligence and automation become more common, English
verbs may evolve to describe new types of interaction with technology. For
instance:
New verbs could emerge to describe AI-related actions, such as “to prompt”
(e.g., giving input to an AI system) or “to programmatically solve.”
Existing verbs might shift meaning. For example, “to chat” now often means
interacting with a chatbot, not just talking in person.
The future of English verbs will likely reflect a mix of simplification and
innovation. Changes in technology, global communication, and cultural exchange
will shape how verbs are formed and used. As Ilyish (1971) and Greenbaum and
Quirk (1990) suggest, English’s adaptability is its greatest strength, and its verbs
will continue to evolve to meet the needs of its speakers. Whether through further
simplification or the adoption of new forms, English verbs will remain central to
communication in a changing world.

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 CONCLUSION
In this study, we explored the role of verbs in English grammar, focusing on their
structure, historical development, and contemporary usage. The research covered a
range of topics, from the classification of verbs to their grammatical categories like
tense, aspect, mood, voice, person, and number. We also looked at the evolution of
English verbs, from Old English to Modern English, and examined the impact of
technology and social media on verb usage. The key points of our research are
summarized below, and we will discuss their implications for theoretical grammar
and historical linguistics, along with recommendations for further study.
1. Classification of Verbs
Verbs in English can be classified in several ways. We discussed lexical and
auxiliary verbs, finite and non-finite verbs, and regular and irregular verbs. Lexical
verbs express core meanings, while auxiliary verbs help form tenses and other
grammatical constructions. Finite verbs show tense and agree with the subject,
while non-finite verbs do not have tense or subject agreement. Regular verbs
follow a predictable conjugation pattern, while irregular verbs have unique forms.
2. Grammatical Categories of Verbs
The study also explored the grammatical categories of verbs, which include tense,
aspect, mood, voice, person, and number. These categories help express time,
aspect of action, attitude toward action, and relationships between subjects and
objects. We observed how verbs function differently in the past, present, and future
tenses and how auxiliary verbs play a crucial role in simplifying constructions,
especially in modern speech.
3. Historical Development of Verbs
The history of English verbs was another important focus. We traced the changes
in verb forms from Old English to Modern English, noting the shift from a more
inflected system to the simpler, auxiliary-driven system used today. Old English
had a rich system of strong and weak verbs, but over time, English lost many of its
inflections, leading to more regular verb forms.
4. Modern Trends in Verb Usage
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In contemporary English, verbs are being simplified, especially in casual
conversation. We looked at how tense and aspect are used more flexibly, with
auxiliary verbs like "have" and "be" playing key roles in constructing different
meanings. Additionally, we explored how technology, particularly social media, is
influencing verb usage, with new verbs like “to google” and “to tweet” emerging
in response to digital culture.
5. The Future of English Verbs
The study also speculated on how English verbs may continue to evolve. It seems
likely that English verbs will become even simpler, especially with the rise of
global communication, which favors easier and faster ways of expression. This
trend might lead to further reductions in verb conjugation or the adoption of new
verb forms influenced by technology.
6. Implications for Theoretical Grammar and Historical Linguistics
The findings of this study have significant implications for both theoretical
grammar and historical linguistics.
Theoretical Grammar: The research highlights the importance of understanding
verb classifications and their grammatical categories in order to analyze sentence
structure and meaning. The simplification of verb forms in modern speech,
particularly in casual conversation, reflects broader trends in English grammar
toward efficiency and ease of use. Understanding how verbs function in various
grammatical contexts is crucial for both linguists and language learners, as it helps
us decode meaning and structure in complex sentences.
Historical Linguistics: This study shows the evolution of verb forms in English,
from the rich inflection system in Old English to the simplified system in Modern
English. The historical decline of many verb inflections and the rise of auxiliary
verbs is a reflection of broader language change, including the loss of many Old
English word forms and the influence of other languages over time.
The simplification of verb conjugation also suggests how languages evolve to meet
the communication needs of their speakers.

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