verbs!. verbs: it’s what you do! well…not always. a verb can express three things! 1. action...

Verbs!

Verbs: It’s what you do!Well…not always.

• A verb can express THREE things!1. Action (“It’s what you do.”)2. Condition (verbs such as look,

smell, feel, sound, taste, grow, appear, become, seem, remain)

3. State-of-being (the 8 forms of the verb “to be”)

State-of-What?• The “state-of-being” verbs, as previously

stated, are the 8 forms of the verb “to be.” • Just like in Spanish, we can conjugate English

verbs into their different forms:Present Tense (right now) Past Tense (yesterday)

I _______ hungry. I _______ hungry.You _______ hungry. You _______ hungry.He/She/It _______ hungry. He/She/It _______

hungry.We _______ hungry. We _______ hungry.They _______ hungry. They _______

hungry.

am

are

isare

are

was

were

was

were

were

Forms of “To Be”• More concisely, the 8 forms of the verb “to be” are:

AM, ARE, IS, WAS, WERE, BE, BEEN, BEINGAM, ARE, IS, WAS, WERE, BE, BEEN, BEINGAM, ARE, IS, WAS, WERE, BE, BEEN, BEINGAM, ARE, IS, WAS, WERE, BE, BEEN, BEINGAM, ARE, IS, WAS, WERE, BE, BEEN, BEINGAM, ARE, IS, WAS, WERE, BE, BEEN, BEING

Forms of “To Be”These words will ALWAYS ALWAYS

ALWAYS be VERBS even though they are trickier to recognize

because they are not an action.

AM, ARE, IS, WAS, WERE, BE, BEEN, BEING



Infinitives• An infinitive=“to”+ verb• We just learned the infinitive “to be”!• In Spanish, the infinitives are the words

usually ending in “er,” (correr: to run), “ar” (caminar: to walk), and “ir” (escribir: to write)

• Let’s practice making infinitives for the following verbs:running: went: seems:felt: jumping: had:was:

to run

to feel

to go

to jump

to seem

to have

to be!

Finding VerbsIdentify the verbs in the following sentences. Remember

to look for a word that could be made into an infinitive!The swimmer jumped off of the board.The swimmer jumped off of the board.

The book is much better than the movie.The book is much better than the movie.

This new program makes my computer faster!This new program makes my computer faster!

The otters caught the first fish.The otters caught the first fish.Matt memorized all of his lines!Matt memorized all of his lines!All mammals are vertebrates.All mammals are vertebrates.

What are the forms of “to be” again?





Verb Phrases

• Verbs can also come in clusters. These clusters are called verb phrases.

• Verb phrases=auxiliary verbs + main verbs• “Auxiliary verbs” is just a fancy name for

“helping verbs.”• Common auxiliary verbs include:

can could, will would, shall should, may might must, have had has, do did does

What are the auxiliary verbs again?





Verb Phrases

For example:She may be arriving today.She may be arriving today.I will go tomorrow.I will go tomorrow.Winifred can play the clarinet.Winifred can play the clarinet.Leroy should study consistently.Leroy should study consistently.Donald must have been late.Donald must have been late.I must be on time.I must be on time.

So how can I recognize a verb if I’m unsure?

• First, check and see if it’s a form of “to be” OR an auxiliary verb!

AM, ARE, IS, WAS, WERE, BE, BEEN, BEINGcan, could, will, would, shall, should, may,

might, must, have, had, has, do, did, does• Next, test if it can be turned into an infinitive:

went: to gosaw: to seetried: to trythought: to think

• As a FALLBACK, it could be helpful to look for common verb endings, but this doesn’t always work, so it’s a last resort!

Present progressive: “ing” (walking, jumping, singing, going)

Present: “s” (walks, jumps, sings, goes)Past tense: “ed”

• If it passes any of these tests, it’s probably a verb!

Finding VerbsIdentify the verbs in the following sentences. Use the

tricks we’ve just learned!Annie went to the office early.Annie went to the office early.

Some students left before the second bell.Some students left before the second bell.

I am Sam.I am Sam.

They rode for miles on the open road.They rode for miles on the open road.

Amy and Sarah always giggle during tests.Amy and Sarah always giggle during tests.

The two cadets were proud.The two cadets were proud.

So why does it matter if I know what a stinkin’ verb is

anyway?• Verbs are TURBO important in writing:1. EVERY complete sentence needs a verb!

For example: Well-dressed and kind.(No verb, and therefore makes no sense!)She is well-dressed and kind.

Dudley the ball to the pitcher. (No verb! What did he DO with the ball?)Dudley tossed the ball to the pitcher.

2. Try to use ACTION verbs when you can. It makes your writing very vivid and visual!

Don’t depend on the forms of “to be” excessively. They’re not as vivid or effective.

For example: She was nice. (This is putting a lot of trust in the

writer to tell the truth. It’s therefore not very convincing and not visual at all.)

She helped the old woman across the street and bought lemonade from a neighbor child’s stand.

(This SHOWS us that she is nice, and is therefore more visual and convincing.)

Verbs in Writing

3. Avoid extensive verb phrases when possible. Be concise!

Your writing can become wordy, which muddles meaning. For example: The ball was thrown by Leonard. Leonard threw the ball.

The test will be taken by the cadet.The cadet will take the test. OR…The cadet takes the test.

Verbs in Writing

What are the forms of “to be” again?



And the auxiliary verbs?can could, will would, shall should, may might must, have had has, do did does


1. Every November, marching bands visit New York City for the big Thanksgiving Day parade.2. Even on cold days, the parade is on schedule.3. The crowd lines the parade route and will stay until the end.

Let’s practice identifying verbs!

Wahoo!

The End!…or is it?

verbs!. verbs: it’s what you do! well…not always. a verb can express three things! 1. action...

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