Position of verb in sentence

1. The Concept of Verbs in Sentences

- Verbs are words that indicate actions (drive, run, play, ...) or states (seem, feel, ...) of the subject.

• Verbs, along with the subject, are the two mandatory components in a simple sentence (also called a clause).
• Each simple sentence (clause) has only one conjugated verb. All other verbs in the simple sentence must be in a specific form.

2. Verb Tenses and Verb Forms

- We need to distinguish between Verb Tenses and Verb Forms:

Verb Tenses indicate the time when an action or event occurs, while Verb Forms are different forms of the same verb and do not inherently indicate anything about time.

For example, the verb to write has the following forms:

Form	Example for "to write"
Base form	write
Third person singular	writes
Past	wrote
To + base form	to write
V-ing	writing
Past participle / V3	written

However, only the first three forms are considered conjugated tenses, as they independently indicate a verb tense among the 12 tenses:

Form	Example for "to write"	Verb Tense
Base form	write	Simple Present (for I/you/we/they)
Third person singular	writes	Simple Present (for he/she/it)
Past	wrote	Simple Past

The remaining forms do not indicate tense on their own, so they are considered only as forms of the verb, not conjugated tenses:

Form	Example for "to write"	Verb Tense
To + base form	to write	Unclear
V-ing	writing	Indicates continuous aspect, but not whether it is present, past, or future → requires an auxiliary verb to determine
Past participle / V3	written	Indicates perfect aspect, but not whether it is present, past, or future → requires an auxiliary verb to determine

3. The Golden Rule in Sentences

Summary: In a simple sentence or clause, associated with one subject, there must be and can only be one conjugated verb, while the remaining verbs must be in a specific form. Conjugated verbs (tense) come after the subject and indicate the time of the action. They must be conjugated appropriately for the subject. Verbs in a specific form (form) are conjugated based on a specific structure.

In a simple sentence or clause, associated with one subject, there must be and can only be one conjugated verb.

• The house is new. → is is a verb conjugated in the simple present tense.
• We have decided to get married. → have decided is a verb conjugated in the present perfect tense.
• Have you seen Nam recently? → have seen is a verb conjugated in the present perfect tense.
• No, I last saw him a year ago. → saw is a verb conjugated in the simple past tense.

We have decided to get married.

A sentence can have multiple clauses, each with one subject. However, as mentioned above, each subject can only have one conjugated verb (tense), and the remaining verbs must be in an appropriate form.

• I like cake, and John likes ice cream.
  → 2 clauses, 2 subjects, 2 conjugated verbs.
• John and I like music.
  → 1 subject phrase, 1 conjugated verb.
• In the morning, Jimmy gets up at 6 and goes to school at 7.
  → 1 subject, 2 conjugated verbs, but this is actually a compound sentence with Jimmy gets up at 6 and Jimmy goes to school at 7, where Jimmy is combined into one.
• At last the guests began to arrive.
  → 1 subject, 1 conjugated verb, 1 verb in a form (structure: begin to do something).
• I look forward to hearing from you soon.
  → 1 subject, 1 conjugated verb, 1 verb in V-ing form (because it follows the preposition to).
• My sister saw him standing there, crying like a baby.
  → 1 subject, 1 conjugated verb, 2 verbs in forms (structure: see somebody doing something).

John and I like music.

From the examples above, we can see:

• Conjugated verbs (tense) come after the subject and indicate the time of the action (present, past, future).
• Verbs in a form (form) follow a specific structure (e.g., want to do something, see somebody doing something).

This is also how to identify whether a verb in a sentence is conjugated in a tense or in a form.

Note:

• For conjugated verbs (tense), the verb must be conjugated appropriately for the subject in the sentence.

For example, a singular subject must use is or add the suffix -s or -es.

• For verbs in a form (form), the form must align with the structure dictated by another word in the sentence. For example, after a preposition, use the V-ing form; after an adjective, use the to-infinitive form, etc.

4. Applications of the Golden Rule

- The Golden Rule will help you:

• Write grammatically correct sentences: do not conjugate two verbs in the same simple sentence.
• Identify grammatically incorrect sentences.
• Complete exercises involving filling in verbs: know whether to use a tense or a form appropriately.