Verbs — Parts of Speech
What Is It?
A verb expresses an action, occurrence, or state.
Canonical pattern: Subject → Verb (→ Object/Complement).
Why Use Verbs?
- Action – drives instructions (“Click the icon”).
- Timeline – conveys tense, aspect, and mood.
- Consistency – aligns with UI verbs like edit, delete.
- Energy – active verbs keep docs lively.
When to Choose Verbs
- Step‑by‑step tutorials.
- Release notes describing fixes (“resolved,” “improved”).
- UX microcopy for buttons and tooltips.
Forming Verb Sentences
| Tense / Aspect | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | S + V(s) | Devs push code daily. |
| Past Simple | S + V-ed | The job crashed at 02:00. |
| Present Perfect | S + have/has + V-pp | We have merged the branch. |
| Future Perfect Cont. | S + will have been + V-ing | By Friday, the API will have been running for 48 h. |
Tips for Writing with Verbs
- Start task sentences with an imperative verb (“Deploy the stack”).
- Cut redundant helpers (“can be able to” → “can”).
- Keep tenses consistent within a paragraph.
- Use the passive voice only to hide agent when irrelevant.
- Pair linking verbs with adjectives, not adverbs (“feels smooth,” not “smoothly”).
Exceptions & Nuances
In commit messages, the conventional tense is present imperative (“Add tests”) even though the action occurred in the past.