Practice
Lexical verbs: meaning and examples
Compare these two sentences: Maya repairs bicycles every weekend. Maya has repaired three bicycles this week. Repairs tells us what Maya does in the first sentence. Repaired carries that meaning in the second, while has only helps form the present perfect.
Identify the lexical verb that carries the main meaning in a clause, and distinguish lexical uses of be, have, and do from their auxiliary uses.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
lexical verb /ˈlɛksɪkəl vɜrb/
The short answer
Find the verb that names the action, event, state, or process. That is usually the lexical verb. In She has a new laptop, has means possesses, so it is lexical. In She has bought a new laptop, bought is lexical and has is an auxiliary.
The guide described the route clearly.
Why it works: Described tells us the main action, so it is the lexical verb.
5 more examples
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The museum closes at six o'clock.
Closes names the event, so it is the lexical verb.
Not this:The museum
is closingat six o'clock today. What changes: Closing still gives the main event. Is helps form the progressive verb phrase. -
Nora has two older brothers.
Has means possesses here, so it is a lexical verb.
Not this:Nora
has calledher two older brothers. What changes: Called gives the main action. Has helps form the present perfect. -
We do the accounts on Friday afternoon.
Do means carry out or complete the accounts, so it is lexical.
Not this:
Dowe need the accounts by Friday afternoon? What changes: Do makes the question. Need is the lexical verb. -
The children were nervous before the concert.
Were expresses the children's state, so it is lexical.
Not this:The children
were practicingbefore the concert. What changes: Practicing gives the main activity. Were helps form the progressive. -
The package may arrive tomorrow morning.
Arrive names the possible event. May expresses possibility and is a modal auxiliary.
Not this:The package
arrivedthis morning. What changes: Arrived is the lexical verb in a simple past clause without an auxiliary.
Read the full guide
Start by asking what the clause says happens or what state it describes. The word that supplies that idea is the lexical verb. Then look at the verbs around it. A form of be, have, do, or a modal such as can may be helping the lexical verb, rather than adding the central meaning itself.
Find the verb with the main meaning
A lexical verb tells the reader what happens, what someone does, or what state exists. In a short clause, it may be the only verb. In a longer verb phrase, it is often the final verb.
The train arrived late.
Arrived names the event. It is the lexical verb.
Which word carries the main meaning: The driver checked the map?
Checked is the lexical verb because it names the driver's action.
Separate lexical verbs from auxiliaries
Auxiliary verbs help another verb. They can show tense, form a question, make a negative, or express possibility. The lexical verb still supplies the idea that the sentence is about.
The driver has checked the map.
Has helps form the present perfect. Checked is the lexical verb because it names the action.
Which verb gives the main meaning in The driver can check the map?
Check is lexical. Can is a modal auxiliary that expresses ability or possibility.
Check be, have, and do by meaning
Be, have, and do do not always have the same job. They are lexical when they express existence, possession, a state, or an action. They are auxiliaries when they help another verb form a grammatical pattern.
I have a question.
Have means possess, so it is lexical. In I have asked a question, asked is lexical and have is auxiliary.
Is do lexical or auxiliary in I do yoga every morning?
Do is lexical because it means perform the activity.
Read the whole verb phrase
A verb phrase may contain more than one helper before the lexical verb. Do not choose the first word automatically. Read to the end and find the word that names the action, event, or state.
The report might have been delayed.
Delayed names the event. Might expresses possibility, have helps make the perfect form, and been helps make the passive form.
Find the lexical verb in The forms will be reviewed tomorrow.
Reviewed is lexical because it names the action. Will and be help form the future passive.
Use the test in your own sentences
Ask what information would remain if you removed the helper words. The remaining lexical verb usually names the sentence's central idea. Do not remove auxiliaries when you write, though, because they still provide important grammar.
She will finish the report tonight.
Finish names the action. Will changes the time reference, but it does not replace the main action.
Which word is lexical in Are they working from home today?
Working is lexical because it gives the activity. Are makes the question and progressive form.
Before you go
Remember this
A lexical verb carries the main meaning of an action, event, state, or process. Auxiliary verbs help build the grammar around it. Read the whole clause when you identify the verb's job. Be, have, and do are lexical when they have their own meaning and auxiliaries when they support another verb.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Lexical verbs: meaning and examples"
What is a lexical verb?
A lexical verb is a verb with its own main meaning. It can describe an action, event, state, or process, such as write, arrive, know, or change. In a clause with several verbs, the lexical verb usually supplies the central idea.
The museum closes at six o'clock.
How is a lexical verb different from an auxiliary verb?
A lexical verb gives the main meaning, while an auxiliary verb helps build the grammar around it. Auxiliaries can show tense, form questions and negatives, make passive or progressive forms, or express possibility. In She is reading, reading is lexical and is is auxiliary.
The museum is closing at six o'clock today.
Can be be a lexical verb?
Yes. Be is lexical when it expresses a state, identity, location, or existence, as in They are ready. It is auxiliary when it helps another verb, as in They are preparing. Check whether be has its own meaning or supports a following verb.
Nora has two older brothers.
When is have a lexical verb?
Have is lexical when it means possess, experience, eat, or take part in an activity. In We have enough time, have means possess. In We have finished, have is an auxiliary because finished gives the main action in the present perfect form.
Nora has called her two older brothers.
Is the lexical verb always the last word in a verb phrase?
In many English verb phrases, the lexical verb comes after the auxiliaries, as in might have forgotten. However, the useful test is meaning, not position alone. Find the word that names the action, event, state, or process that the clause is about.
We do the accounts on Friday afternoon.