FAQs about verbs

What are the most common phrasal verbs in English?

The most common phrasal verbs in English include:

• Bring up (to raise)
• Call off (to cancel)
• Find out (to learn about)
• Give up (to stop trying)
• Get by (to survive)
• Put off (to postpone)
• Show up (to arrive)
• Take off (to leave or to remove)

Phrasal verbs are challenging because they are idioms, which means that they have figurative rather than literal meanings. Luckily, the QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you use them correctly in any piece of writing.

Read this FAQ: What are the most common phrasal verbs in English?

Is a phrasal verb the same as a verb phrase?

No, a phrasal verb is not the same as a verb phrase. A phrasal verb is a type of English verb made up of a verb and one or more particles (e.g., “hang out”).

The combined words have a different meaning than the verb alone. For example, “hang out” means “to spend time together,” but “hang” means “to fasten” or “to dangle.”

A verb phrase includes the main verb of a sentence and any auxiliary verbs (e.g., “have” or “are”) or modal verbs (e.g., “might” or “would”). A phrasal verb can be part of a verb phrase (e.g., “We could have hung out last night if I didn’t have homework”).

Whether you’re writing with phrasal verbs or verb phrases, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid errors.

Read this FAQ: Is a phrasal verb the same as a verb phrase?

What does shooketh mean?

Shooketh is a humorous slang alternative to the word “shaken” (the past participle of the verb “shake”) associated with the comedian Christine Sydelko. It is used to express shock or surprise in a sarcastic or ironic way (e.g., “Wow, really? I didn’t know that; I am shooketh”).

The standard past participle of “shake” is “shaken.” The standard past tense of shake is “shook.”

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you check your writing for errors with tricky irregular verbs like “shake.”

Read this FAQ: What does shooketh mean?

What does shaken not stirred mean?

Shaken not stirred or “shaken but not stirred” is a catchphrase of the fictional spy James Bond. This is what Ian Fleming’s character says to specify how he would like his martini cocktail prepared.

The phrase “shaken but not stirred” can also mean “superficially but not fundamentally affected by a negative experience” (e.g., “The company’s message at the press conference was that it has been shaken, but not stirred, by the outcome of the antitrust case”).

“Shaken” is the past participle of “shake.” The past tense of shake is “shook.”

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to use tricky irregular verbs like “shake” correctly in your writing.

Read this FAQ: What does shaken not stirred mean?

What does shooken up mean?

Shooken up is a non-standard past participle form of the phrasal  verb “shake up.” The standard form is shaken up.

If you feel “shaken up,” you feel “shocked” or “upset” (e.g., “It was only a minor accident, but I was still shaken up”). When “shaken up” is used like an adjective in passive constructions like this in informal contexts, “shook” is sometimes used as an alternative past participle form (e.g., “I was a bit shook up at first”).

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to pick up errors like “shooken up” instead of “shaken up” in your writing.

Read this FAQ: What does shooken up mean?

Is it shooken or shaken?

It is shaken, not shooken.

The standard past participle of the verb “shake” is “shaken” (e.g., “The community has been shaken by the news that the factory will close next year,” or “People are very shaken by the news”).

The standard past tense of shake is “shook” (e.g., “I followed the instructions and shook the bottle first”).

Tools like QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to pick up errors like “shooken” instead of “shaken” in your writing.

Read this FAQ: Is it shooken or shaken?

Is favorite a verb?

Favorite can be used as a verb to mean “to mark something online (e.g., a photo, video, or website) to visit again.” For example: “Let me find that photo for you. I know I favorited it.”

This use is relatively new and is not common in academic or formal contexts. Favorite is more frequently an adjective (e.g., “my favorite shoes”) or noun (e.g., “These shoes are my favorite”).

Read this FAQ: Is favorite a verb?

What is a ditransitive verb?

A ditransitive verb can take both an indirect object and a direct object. For example, in the sentence “Luis brought Sam a soda,” “brought” is ditransitive. “Sam” is the indirect object, and “soda” is the direct object.

Some common ditransitive verbs are:

• Bring
• Send
• Buy
• Ask
• Loan
• Give
• Tell
• Show
• Hand

Note that most ditransitive verbs are also sometimes used as transitive verbs (i.e., with a direct object only).

Read this FAQ: What is a ditransitive verb?

What is the perfect tense?

The perfect tense is used to discuss completed actions. This verb tense includes the verb “have” and the past participle (e.g., “eaten”).

There are several different perfect tenses:

• Present perfect (“I have eaten”)
• Past perfect (“I had eaten”)
• Future perfect (“I will have eaten”)

When you’re writing with different verb tenses, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid errors.

Read this FAQ: What is the perfect tense?

What are continuous tenses?

Continuous tenses (also known as progressive tenses) are used to discuss actions that are ongoing or in progress. They are formed with a form of the verb “be” and the present participle (“-ing” form).

There are several continuous tenses:

• Present continuous (“She is sleeping”)
• Past continuous (“She was sleeping”)
• Future continuous (“She will be sleeping”)
• Present perfect continuous (“She has been sleeping”)
• Past perfect continuous (“She had been sleeping”)
• Future perfect continuous (“She will have been sleeping”)

Read this FAQ: What are continuous tenses?