main verb

/ˌmeɪn ˈvɝːb/

noun

  1. The verb in a clause that expresses the main action, event, or state and carries the main meaning; it is not an auxiliary verb.

    B1

    countable; in a clause, the primary verb that is not an auxiliary verb.

    • "In “She sings,” “sings” is the main verb."A2
    • "In “They have finished,” “finished” is the main verb, while “have” is the auxiliary verb."B1
    • "In “The report may have been revised,” “revised” is the main verb and “may,” “have,” and “been” are auxiliary verbs."B2

Common mistakes

  • The main verb is always the first verb.→The main verb is the verb that carries the main meaning.

    Auxiliary verbs can come before the main verb.

Collocations

main verbmain verb phrasefinite main verbmain verb + auxiliary verbmain verb + object

Word family

verbauxiliary verbverb phrasepredicate