A1 English Verbs: Actions, Movement & Modals
This section covers verbs for Actions & Making things (e.g. make, build), vocabulary related to Movement & Travel (e.g. go, run, fly), and words for Starting, Changing & Finishing (e.g. begin, stop). It also includes the essential list of Modal & Auxiliary Verbs like can, must, and should.
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Actions & Making
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| to add | Please add some sugar to my coffee.
Word Partners: add something to something
|
/æd/ |
| to break | Be careful! Don't break the cup. | /breɪk/ |
| to build | They want to build a new house.
Word Partners: build a house
|
/bɪld/ |
| to close | Please close the door. | /kləʊz/ |
| to cut | I will cut the bread.
Word Partners: cut something
|
/kʌt/ |
| to dance | Do you want to dance with me?
Word Partners: dance with someone
|
/dɑːns/ |
| to do | You must do your homework after school.
Word Partners: do homework, do sport
|
/duː/ |
| to draw | My daughter loves to draw pictures of animals.
Word Partners: draw a picture, draw a line
|
/drɔː/ |
| to fill | Can you fill this bottle with water? | /fɪl/ |
| to find | I can't find my keys. | /faɪnd/ |
| to fix | Can you fix my bike?
Word Partners: fix something
|
/fɪks/ |
| to get | What time do you get up in the morning?
Word Partners: get up, get home
|
/ɡet/ |
| to give | I want to give you a gift.
Word Partners: give a present/gift, give someone something
|
/ɡɪv/ |
| to grow | We grow vegetables in our garden.
Word Partners: grow vegetables, grow plants
|
/ɡrəʊ/ |
| to help | Can you help me? | /help/ |
| to keep | You can keep the book for a week. | /kiːp/ |
| to learn | I want to learn German. | /lɜːn/ |
| to look | Look! There's a rainbow! | /lʊk/ |
| to lose | Be careful not to lose your ticket.
Word Partners: lose something
|
/luːz/ |
| to make | I always make mistakes in spelling.
Word Partners: make a mistake, make dinner
|
/meɪk/ |
| to open | Can you open the window, please? | /ˈəʊpən/ |
| to own | Do you own a car? | /əʊn/ |
| to paint | We need to paint the living room.
Word Partners: paint a room, paint a picture
|
/peɪnt/ |
| to play | My brother plays football every Saturday.
Word Partners: play football, play the guitar
|
/pleɪ/ |
| to practise | I practise the piano every day.
Word Partners: practise the piano, practise English
|
/ˈpræktɪs/ |
| to put | Please put the books on the shelf.
Word Partners: put something somewhere
|
/pʊt/ |
| to send | I will send you a message later. | /send/ |
| to take | Let's take a photo.
Word Partners: take a photo
|
/teɪk/ |
| to try | You should try this cake. | /traɪ/ |
| to turn | Turn left at the supermarket.
Word Partners: turn left/right
|
/tɜːn/ |
| to use | Can I use your phone?
Word Partners: use a phone, use a computer
|
/juːz/ |
| to win | I hope our team will win the match.
Word Partners: win a game, win a match
|
/wɪn/ |
Movement & Travel
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| to arrive | What time does the train arrive? | /əˈraɪv/ |
| to bring | Please bring a pen to the lesson. | /brɪŋ/ |
| to carry | Can you help me carry this bag? | /ˈkæri/ |
| to change | We have to change trains here. | /tʃeɪndʒ/ |
| to climb | The children like to climb trees. | /klaɪm/ |
| to come | Are you going to come to the party? | /kʌm/ |
| to drive | My sister can drive a car. | /draɪv/ |
| to fall | He fell over and hurt his knee.
Word Partners: fall over, fall asleep
|
/fɔːl/ |
| to fly | Birds can fly. | /flaɪ/ |
| to follow | Please follow me. | /ˈfɒləʊ/ |
| to go | I go to school every morning.
Word Partners: go to school, go home
|
/ɡəʊ/ |
| to leave | What time does the bus leave? | /liːv/ |
| to lie | I am tired. I need to lie down.
Word Partners: lie down
|
/laɪ/ |
| to live | Where do you live? | /lɪv/ |
| to move | Can you move your bag, please? | /muːv/ |
| to return | She will return next week. | /rɪˈtɜːn/ |
| to ride | I love to ride my bike at the weekend.
Word Partners: ride a bike, ride a horse
|
/raɪd/ |
| to run | The children run in the park. | /rʌn/ |
| to stand | Please stand up.
Word Partners: stand up
|
/stænd/ |
| to stop | The bus stops here. | /stɒp/ |
| to swim | Can you swim? | /swɪm/ |
| to travel | I love to travel in Europe. | /ˈtrævl/ |
| to wait | We are waiting for the bus. | /weɪt/ |
| to walk | I walk to work every day. | /wɔːk/ |
Starting, Changing & Finishing
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| to become | He wants to become a doctor.
Word Partners: become a doctor, become a teacher
|
/bɪˈkʌm/ |
| to begin | The film will begin in five minutes. | /bɪˈɡɪn/ |
| to check | Please check the time. | /tʃek/ |
| to choose | You can choose a book from the library.
Word Partners: choose a colour, choose a friend
|
/tʃuːz/ |
| to complete | You must complete the form.
Word Partners: complete a form, complete a task
|
/kəmˈpliːt/ |
| to die | My grandfather died last year. | /daɪ/ |
| to finish | What time do you finish school? | /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ |
| to happen | What will happen next? | /ˈhæpən/ |
| to include | The price does not include drinks. | /ɪnˈkluːd/ |
| to join | Would you like to join us? | /dʒɔɪn/ |
| to start | The lesson starts at nine o'clock. | /stɑːt/ |
Modal & Auxiliary Verbs
| Word | Example Sentence | IPA (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| to be | I am a student at the University of Birmingham. | /biː/ |
| can | Can you swim in the sea, Kathy? | /kæn/ |
| cannot | I cannot come today. | /ˈkænɒt/ |
| could | Could you help me, please? | /kʊd/ |
| to have | We have breakfast at 7:30 AM.
Word Partners: have breakfast, have a shower
|
/hæv/ |
| to have to | I have to go to work now.
Word Partners: have to go, have to study
|
/ˈhæv tə/ |
| to let | Please let me help you. | /let/ |
| must | You must be quiet in the library. | /mʌst/ |
| should | You should see a doctor. | /ʃʊd/ |
| will | I will call you tomorrow. | /wɪl/ |
| would | I would like to order a pizza.
Word Partners: would like to
|
/wʊd/ |
