VERB, in grammar, that part of speech which predicates something in regard to something else (the subject or thing spoken of) ; as, The man lives, The boy threw a stone. Verbs affirm ac tion or existence of a subject under cer tain conditions or relations called voice, mood, and tense. Verbs may be classi fied into: (1) Transitive, requiring an object, as he learns his lesson; and (2) Intransitive, as, He runs. Transitive verbs include reflexive verbs. Some transitive verbs are reflex in meaning though not in form, and appear, at first sight, as if used intransitively; as, He keeps out of danger, i. e., He keeps him self, etc. Sometimes a transitive verb has a passive sense with an active form; as, The cakes are short and crisp. Some verbs are sometimes transitive and some times intransitive; as, He floats a scheme, The body floats. Only transi tive verbs have a passive voice. Some intransitive verbs, by means of a prep osition, become transitive, and so may be used passively; as, He laughed at the act, The act was laughed at by him. Intransitive verbs include a large num ber that might be classed as frequenta tive, diminutive, inceptive, desiderative, etc. Some intransitive verbs have a
causative meaning, and take an ob ject: I run, I ran a pin into my finger. Intransitive verbs may take a noun of kindred meaning as object (called the cognate object) ; as, to sleep a sleep, to run a race, to live a life. Verbs used with the third person only are called impersonal verbs; as, methinks, it rains, it snows. In the case of some verbs, the transitive form is distinguished from the corresponding intransitive by a change of vowel; as raise, rise; set, sit; fell, fall. Such verbs are called causa tive. The past tense of strong verbs is expressed by a change of vowel only; as, throw, threw; the past tense of weak verbs by adding to the verbal root the syllable -ed; as shout, shouted; or its euphonic substitute d (-ed) ; as love, loved. Auxiliary verbs are used in forming the tenses of other verbs; as, I have seen.