Why Every English Sentence Needs a Main Verb (With Fixes)

Priya Sharma

Priya Sharma writes English learning guides for ESL students. Pune-based language enthusiast.

Visual representation of the voice · not a photographic portrait

Quick answer: Every complete English sentence needs a main verb because the verb tells the listener what happens, when it happens, and who does it. Without a main verb you have a fragment, a group of words that leaves the reader waiting. The fix is usually one word: add a form of 'be' or an action verb.↗ Share on X

Every complete English sentence needs a main verb because the verb carries the action, the time, and the link between the subject and the rest of the sentence. Take the verb away and the words stop being a sentence. "My brother a doctor" leaves the reader waiting. "My brother is a doctor" is complete. The verb "is" does three jobs at once: it says this is true now, it connects "my brother" to "a doctor," and it tells us a statement is being made.

Many languages let you drop the verb in sentences like this. Russian, Arabic, Turkish, and Indonesian can say "My brother doctor" and sound perfectly normal. English cannot. This is one of the most common mistakes in beginner writing, and it is also one of the easiest to fix once you know what to look for.

What does a main verb actually do?

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A main verb does three jobs in every sentence.

1. It shows what happens. "She runs." "They cook." "I think." The verb is the event.

2. It shows when. "She runs" is now or always. "She ran" is the past. "She will run" is the future. English puts the time inside the verb, so without a verb there is no time.

3. It links the subject to the rest. In "The soup is cold," nothing happens, but "is" connects "the soup" and "cold." Verbs like "is," "seem," "become," and "feel" are called linking verbs. They do not show action, but they are still main verbs.

If a group of words has no main verb, it is called a fragment. Your reader understands a fragment as "not finished yet."

The most common mistake: dropping "be"

The verb "be" (am, is, are, was, were) disappears more often than any other verb. It feels like it carries no meaning, so learners skip it. Here are the places it goes missing most often.

The rule is simple: when your subject is followed by an adjective, a place, or a noun that describes it, and there is no action, you need "be."

The second mistake: using an -ing word alone

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A word ending in -ing cannot be the main verb by itself. It needs a helper.

• Wrong: "She working at the bank."
• Right: "She is working at the bank."
• Wrong: "We going to the market tomorrow."
• Right: "We are going to the market tomorrow."
• Wrong: "The kids playing outside all afternoon."
• Right: "The kids were playing outside all afternoon."

The -ing form is called a participle. On its own it behaves like an adjective or a noun. "Working" alone cannot tell you the time. Add "is," "are," "was," or "were," and the sentence has a time and becomes complete.

Watch out for the same thing with "to" verbs: "My plan to study tonight" is a fragment. "My plan is to study tonight" is a sentence.

The third mistake: a long subject with no verb at all

This one hides in longer writing. The subject grows so long that the writer forgets the verb was never added.

• Fragment: "The man who sold me the car last week and promised it was new."
• Sentence: "The man who sold me the car last week and promised it was new lied."

Notice that "sold" and "promised" are verbs, but they belong to the "who" part, which only describes the man. The main sentence, "The man ... ," still needs its own verb. A good test is to cut out the describing part. "The man." That is not a sentence. "The man lied." That is.

How to check any sentence in 10 seconds

Use this three-step test on every sentence you are unsure about.

1. Find the subject. Ask "who or what is this sentence about?" Underline it.

2. Ask "what about it?" The answer must contain a verb that shows action or links the subject to something. If you cannot find one, there is no main verb.

3. Check for time. Change the sentence to the past. If you can say "yesterday" and change a word, that word is your verb. If nothing changes, nothing is working as the verb.

Try it: "The food at that restaurant very expensive."

• Subject: "the food at that restaurant."
• What about it? "very expensive." No verb.
• Past test: "Yesterday the food ... very expensive." Nothing changed. Fragment.
• Fix: "The food at that restaurant is very expensive."

Are there any English sentences without a verb?

Yes, but only in specific situations, and you should learn the rule before you use the exceptions.

• Commands have a verb, but the subject "you" is hidden: "Sit down." "Close the door." The verb is still there.
• Short answers and reactions: "Yes." "No problem." "Great idea!" These are accepted in conversation and in text messages, not in essays or work emails.
• Titles, headlines, and signs: "Road closed." "Fresh bread." These are labels, not sentences.
• Replies that repeat an earlier verb: "Who called?" "My mother." The verb "called" is understood from the question.

In an exam, a cover letter, or a report, do not rely on these. Write full sentences with a visible main verb.

Practice: fix these eight fragments

Cover the answers and try each one.

1. The weather in London often cold and wet.

2. My cousin studying engineering in Canada.

3. All the students in the back row.

4. This phone much better than my old one.

5. The reason I called you.

6. Our neighbors from Mexico.

7. The bus that goes to the airport every thirty minutes.

8. She always late for class.

Answers:

1. The weather in London is often cold and wet.

2. My cousin is studying engineering in Canada.

3. All the students in the back row were talking. (Any verb works; the original had none.)

4. This phone is much better than my old one.

5. The reason I called you is that I need help. (Or: I called you because I need help.)

6. Our neighbors are from Mexico.

7. The bus that goes to the airport leaves every thirty minutes.

8. She is always late for class.

If you fixed six or more, you already understand the rule. The remaining errors usually come from speed, not from not knowing.

Why this one habit improves your English score

Teachers and exam graders look for complete sentences first. A fragment is marked as a grammar error even when the meaning is clear. In the IELTS and TOEFL writing sections, repeated fragments lower the grammar score. In emails at work, fragments make the writer sound rushed or careless. Fixing the missing verb is cheap: one small word per sentence.

The best part is that the habit transfers. Once you start noticing "be" and the -ing helper, you will also start using tenses more accurately, because you are paying attention to the verb every time. Learners who master this step usually find that their next grammar problems, such as subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, become much easier to spot.

Your next step

Take the last email, message, or paragraph you wrote in English. Read it one sentence at a time and underline the main verb in each. Any sentence where you cannot underline a verb, fix it with "am," "is," "are," "was," or "were." Do this once a day for a week. After seven days, the check becomes automatic and the fragments disappear from your writing.

FAQ

Is 'is' really a verb? It doesn't show any action.

Yes. 'Is', 'am', 'are', 'was', and 'were' are forms of the verb 'be'. They are linking verbs: they connect the subject to a description and carry the tense. Without them the sentence is a fragment.

Can a sentence have more than one main verb?

Yes. 'She cooked dinner and washed the dishes' has two main verbs joined by 'and'. What a sentence cannot have is zero main verbs.

Why is 'She working' wrong if everyone understands it?

People understand it, but it is still a fragment. The -ing form cannot show tense by itself. In exams, emails, and essays it counts as a grammar error. Add 'is' or 'was'.