Dummy Verbs

For Intermediate learners

Have you ever repeated a word too much that made you think How boring it got! You can use dummy verbs instead of repeated verbs.

What Are Dummy Verbs?

Dummy Verbs (also known as delexical verbs) are common verbs like 'go', 'make', or 'take' that have no meaning by themselves and take their meanings from the nouns they are accompanied with.

English Dummy Verbs

Although we use dummy verbs very often in both everyday conversations and academic or formal situations, the number of these verbs is limited.
Here is the list of English dummy verbs:

Have
Take
Make
Give
Go
Do

Have

'Have' as the main verb means possession. But, as a dummy verb, it can commonly appear with these nouns:

Have breakfast
Have a drink
Have a break
Have an argument
Have a conversation

Take

'Take' as a dummy or delexical verb can also be used with many nouns, such as:

Take a shower
Take a risk
Take care
Take a break
Take a photo

Make

We can use 'make' as a dummy verb with the following nouns:

Make a mistake
Make a decision
Make a phone call
Make an attempt
Make a mess

Give

We can also use 'give' as a dummy verb with the following nouns:

Give a hug
Give a shout
Give directions
Give evidence
Give orders

Go

'Go' as a dummy verb can be used with certain gerunds (-ing forms):

Go shopping
Go swimming
Go skiing
Go dancing
Go running

Do

Like 'go', 'do' can also be used with certain nouns or gerunds (-ing forms):

Do the dishes
Do the laundry
Do the ironing
Do the cooking
Do ones hair

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What Are Dummy Verbs?
English Dummy Verbs
Have
Take
Make
Give
Go
Do

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