Verbs Grammatical Categories
As there are relatively many English verb tenses, verbs in English come
in many forms that provide different shades of meaning. However,
English verbs comprise a much easier verb system than that of other
languages that have distinct inflectional verb endings for different
persons and number, or even change the verb stem with various tenses
and aspects. In English only one verb ending remained, for verbs in the
third person singular in the Present Simple tense.
Dan cooks dinner for us 3 times a week.
[3rd person, singular, present, simple, indicative, active,
meaning: habit in the present]
Yesterday we were cooking for hours on end.
[1st person, plural, past, progressive, indicative, active,
meaning: action in the past that continued over an extended period of time]
She would have cooked, if you had asked her to.
(but in reality you didn’t ask so she didn’t cook)
[would have cooked: 3rd person, singular, past, conditional, active,
meaning: hypothetic outcome in the past, contrary to fact]
[had asked: 2nd person, singular, past, perfect, subjunctive, active,
meaning: hypothetic assumption in the past, contrary to fact]
I suggest that dinner be cooked no later than 20:00.
[3rd person, singular, present, subjunctive, passive,
meaning: strong recommendation, which will not necessarily be fulfilled]
| Categories | Type | Examples |
| Person | 1st person 2nd person 3rd person |
I go You go She goes |
| Number | Singular Plural |
He has written They have written |
| Tense | present past future |
I eat I ate I will eat |
| Aspect | simple, progressive, perfect, perfect-progressive |
I study every day. I am studying today. I have studied for years. I have been studying for hours. |
| Mood | ||
| Voice | indicative imperative subjunctive |
I am always on time. Be there on time! If I were on time, I would… |
