It is misleading to think of a verb simply as the action in the sentence. While there are any number of action verbs, such as run or jump, sometimes the action is merely emotional or intellectual, as in believe or think. Other times, verbs indicate no action at all, as in be or seem., but instead serve to link the subject with its state of being.

To delineate between action that is received by an object and action that is not received by an object, action verbs are divided into transitive and intransitive verbs. Those verbs that indicate a state of being rather than an action are defined as linking verbs. Determining whether the verb indicates an action or a state of being is easier with a clear understanding of verb tense and structure.

Verb Tense and Structure

The tense of a verb indicates the relative time of the action or state of being. Rarely are journalists required to know a verb's tense other than to understand its usage and agreement. In other words, it is less important for the average journalist to know that in the sentence "Bill is running," the verb "is running" is in the present progressive tense than it would be to know that "running" is the main verb and "is " acts as its helper. It is also important to know that the form of the helping verb must agree with the subject. (i.e. "Bill is running" not "Bill are running" or "Bill were running.")

Writers would be wise to recognize that the verb is the force behind the sentence and, therefore, will