What does a verb mean in parts of speech?

Answer 1

A verb is an action word. It can be in the infinite form (to run, to walk, to wait, to eat), or it can be in a tense-- present (I eat), past (he ate), future (they will eat), etc. Verbs can not only show action, but they can also show state of being-- the verb "to be" is the best example-- we are happy; Mary was lonely; the children will be hungry.

In a sentence, there must be a noun or pronoun (that's the subject-- the person or thing performing the action) and a verb (the action that is being performed). David threw the ball (subject: David; verb: threw). She will go to work (subject: she; verb: will go). So, a verb is very important in a sentence because it tells us what action the subject did (or does, or will do). There are other uses for verbs in a sentence, but this ought to get you started.