Group I Normal Verbs

Most verbs are "normal verbs." These verbs are usually physical
actions which you can see somebody doing. These verbs can be
used in all tenses.

Normal Verbs
to run, to walk, to eat, to fly, to go, to say, to touch, etc.
Examples:
• I eat dinner every day.
• I am eating dinner now.

Group II Non-Continuous Verbs

The second group, called "non-continuous verbs," is smaller.
These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing.
These verbs are rarely used in continuous tenses. They include:

Abstract Verbs
to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe,
to exist...

Possession Verbs
to possess, to own, to belong...

Emotion Verbs
to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...
Examples:
• He is needing help now. Not Correct
• He needs help now. Correct
• He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct
• He wants a drink now. Correct

Group III Mixed Verbs

The third group, called "mixed verbs," is the smallest group. These
verbs have more than one meaning. In a way, each meaning is a
unique verb. Some meanings behave like "non-continuous verbs,"
while other meanings behave like "normal verbs."

Mixed Verbs
to appear, to feel, to have, to hear, to look, to see, to weigh...

List of Mixed Verbs with Examples and Definitions:

to appear:
• Donna appears confused. Non-Continuous Verb
Donna seems confused.
• My favorite singer is appearing at the jazz club tonight.
Normal Verb
My favorite singer is giving a performance at the jazz club
tonight.
to have:
• I have a dollar now. Non-Continuous Verb
I possess a dollar.
• I am having fun now. Normal Verb
I am experiencing fun now.
to hear:
• She hears the music. Non-Continuous Verb
She hears the music with her ears.
• She is hearing voices. Normal Verb
She hears something others cannot hear. She is hearing
voices in her mind.
to look:
• Nancy looks tired. Non-Continuous Verb
She seems tired.
• Farah is looking at the pictures. Normal Verb
She is looking with her eyes.
to miss:
• John misses Sally. Non-Continuous Verb
He is sad because she is not there.
• Debbie is missing her favorite TV program. Normal Verb
She is not there to see her favorite program.
to see:
• I see her. Non-Continuous Verb
I see her with my eyes.
• I am seeing the doctor. Normal Verb
I am visiting or consulting with a doctor. (Also used with
dentist and lawyer.)
• I am seeing her. Normal Verb
I am having a relationship with her.
• He is seeing ghosts at night. Normal Verb
He sees something others cannot see. For example ghosts,
aura, a vision of the future, etc.
to smell:
• The coffee smells good. Non-Continuous Verb
The coffee has a good smell.
• I am smelling the flowers. Normal Verb
I am sniffing the flowers to see what their smell is like.
to taste:
• The coffee tastes good. Non-Continuous Verb
The coffee has a good taste.
• I am tasting the cake. Normal Verb
I am trying the cake to see what it tastes like.
to think:
• He thinks the test is easy. Non-Continuous Verb
He considers the test to be easy.
• She is thinking about the question. Normal Verb
She is pondering the question, going over it in her mind.
to weigh:
• The table weighs a lot. Non-Continuous Verb
The table is heavy.
• She is weighing herself. Normal Verb
She is determining her weight.

Some Verbs Can Be Especially Confusing:

to be:
• Joe is American. Non-Continuous Verb
Joe is an American citizen.
• Joe is being very American. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving like a stereotypical American.
• Joe is being very rude. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving very rudely. Usually he is not rude.
• Joe is being very formal. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving very formally. Usually he is not formal.
NOTICE: Only rarely is "to be" used in a continuous form. This is
most commonly done when a person is temporarily behaving
badly or stereotypically. It can also be used when someone's
behavior is noticeably different.
to feel:
• The massage feels great. Non-Continuous Verb
The massage has a pleasing feeling.
• I don't feel well today. Sometimes used as Non-Continuous
Verb
I am a little sick.
I am not feeling well today. Sometimes used as Normal Verb
I am a little sick.
NOTICE: The second meaning of "feel" is very flexible and there
is no real difference in meaning between "I don't feel well today"
and "I am not feeling well today."

Active Form

In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence
and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]
Examples:

Passive Form
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the
sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end
of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing
receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can
also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if
you do not want to mention who is doing the action.
[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing
doing action]
Examples:

Active and Passive Overview

Tense Active Passive
Simple Once a week, Tom cleans Once a week, the house is
Present the house. cleaned by Tom.
Present Right now, Sarah is writing Right now, the letter is being
Continuous the letter. written by Sarah.
Simple PastSam repaired the car. The car was repaired by Sam.
The salesman was helping The customer was being
Past
the customer when the thief helped by the salesman when
Continuous
came into the store. the thief came into the store.
Present Many tourists have visited That castle has been visited by
Perfect that castle. many tourists.
Present
Recently, John has been Recently, the work has been
Perfect
doing the work. being done by John.
Continuous
George had repaired many Many cars had been repaired
Past Perfect cars before he received his by George before he received
mechanic's license. his mechanic's license.
Chef Jones had been The restaurant's fantastic
preparing the restaurant's dinners had been being
Past Perfect
fantastic dinners for two prepared by Chef Jones for
Continuous
years before he moved to two years before he moved to
Paris. Paris.
Simple
Someone will finish the The work will be finished by
Future
work by 5:00 PM. 5:00 PM.
will
Simple
Sally is going to make a A beautiful dinner is going to
Future
beautiful dinner tonight. be made by Sally tonight.
be going to
Future
At 8:00 PM tonight, John At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes
Continuous
will be washing the dishes. will be being washed by John.
will
Future At 8:00 PM tonight, John is At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes
Continuous going to be washing the are going to be being washed
be going to dishes. by John.
Future They will have completed
The project will have been
Perfect the project before the
completed before the deadline.
will deadline.
Future They are going to have The project is going to have
Perfect completed the project before been completed before the
be going to the deadline. deadline.
Future The famous artist will have The mural will have been
Perfect been painting the mural for being painted by the famous
Continuous over six months by the time artist for over six months by the
will it is finished. time it is finished.
Future The famous artist is going to The mural is going to have
Perfect have been painting the been being painted by the
famous artist for over six
Continuous mural for over six months by
months by the time it is
be going to the time it is finished.
finished.
The bills used to be paid by
Used to Jerry used to pay the bills.
Jerry.
Would My mother would always The pies would always be
Always make the pies. made by my mother.
Future in
I knew John would finish I knew the work would be
the Past
the work by 5:00 PM. finished by 5:00 PM.
Would
Future in
I thought Sally was going to I thought a beautiful dinner was
the Past
make a beautiful dinner going to be made by Sally
Was Going
tonight. tonight.
to