This paper makes observations on verb classification which are considered relevant to the understanding of Swahili syntax. Three different syntactically relevant approaches are discussed: (1) establishing a set of "basic sentence types" and then classifying verbs according to their occurrence or non-occurrence in sentences of these types; (2) using morphological criteria; (3) grouping together those verbs which behave similarly in relation to the formal restrictions they impose on the embedded strings with which they occur. The bulk of the paper is then given to a discussion of the third approach. Six major types of embedding according to the form of the nuclear verb in the embedded clause are identified and one type, the infinitive, is discussed in great detail. It is felt that the results of verb classification along these lines is interesting because: (1) it is immediately applicable to the teaching of syntax in the language classroom; (2) it provides knowledge of the surface structure necessary for the understanding of the deep structure; and (3) it can be used in the investigation of grammatical universals. (FWB)