Verbs

What is a verb? A verb is a word that shows the actionor condition of a person, place, or thing.

There are three main types of verbs:action, linking, and helping.

Action Verbs An action verb tells what the subject does, did, orwill do. The action can be either visible or mental

(either an action or a thought).

Action verbs are also called main verbs.

Ex: Our class hopes for the best this year.

Ex: The children play outside after school.

Action VerbsIdentify the action verb in each sentence.

The crowd cheered at the football game. I thanked Mom for taking me to the mall. Amanda studied for her math test. We gave Mike a surprise birthday party. My cousin received an award for hisscience project.

Action Verbs

Identify the action verb in each sentence.

The students wrote letters to their friends. Naomi thought about her grandmother. Carmen sewed a quilt for her niece. Peter forgot his music for the recital. The baby learned to crawl across the floor.

Action verbs that have a direct object areTRANSITIVE verbs.

Action verbs that do not have a directobject are INTRANSITIVE verbs.

Action Verbs: Transitive and Intransitive

TRANSITIVE verbs have direct objects.Direct objects answer the questionsWho? Or What?

Indirect Objects answer the questions For Whom? Or to whom?

Transitive Verbs: Direct Objects and Indirect Objects

Direct and Indirect Objects

The following DOs answer the questions what or whom.

Shelly dropped her books.The dog ate the hamburgers.

The following IOs answer the questions for or to whom or for or to what.

James gave Shelly his notes.Joseph tossed Jill the frisbee.

Linking Verbs A linking verb connects the subject of asentence to a noun that renames the subjector to an adjective that describes it. If a verb

can be replaced a form of the verb “seem” or “seem to be” then it is a linking verb.

Ex: is, are, were, was, become, appear, am,look, seem, feel, grow, taste Ex: Dogs are popular pets. Ex: The fruit tastes delicious.

Linking VerbsIdentify each linking verb.

An avocado is a fruit. The flowers in the garden are beautiful. The dance performance was amazing. Jake is very handsome.

Linking or Action?

The hunting dog smelled its prey. The hunting dog smelled like a wet foot

after its day in the swamp.

These frog legs taste like chicken. The chef tasted the soup before he

added more paprika.

Linking or Action?

That new building downtown looks like a spaceship.

The doctor looked at the x-ray of my elbow.

That boy appears to be having some difficulty.

A witch appeared quite suddenly upon the heath.

Helping Verbs Helping verbs help or work with the mainverb to express an action or make a

statement.

Together, they create a verb phrase. Helping verbs may also be called auxiliary verbs.

Helping Verbs

Forms of the verb TO BE (am is are were) are used with the present participle.

am playing is watching are eating were testing

Helping Verbs

Forms of the verb TO HAVE (has had have) are used with the past participle.

had played have watched has broken had noticed

Other common helping verbs: to do: did, does, do should, would, could might, can, will, must

Verb phrases can contain more than one helping verb. will be coming

must have been injured should have paid

Helping Verbs

The parts of a verb phrase can be separated from one another by other verbs.

Did you see the play yet? We have not seen it yet.

Helping VerbsIdentify the helping and main verbs.

The band director is planning the fallmusical. They have lived next door for ten years. I might go to Six Flags tomorrow. Their coach is teaching them a new play.

Helping, Action, or Linking

The ball bounced off the backboard. Many gases are colorless and odorless. On Thanksgiving, we all enjoy a huge feast. Kate is working at a school library. The apple pie smells good. Arnold will paint the door tomorrow. Everyone laughed at the funny movie. The king and queen were very nice.

Verb Tense The tense of a verb tells when an actionoccurs- present, past, or future.

Present- the action is happening now. Past- the action already happened. Future- the action is going to happen.

Present:The action is happening now.

Ex: Meiko practices the piano.

Ex: He works at a bookstore.

Ex: The students walk home from school.

Past:The action already happened.

Ex: My brother and I played chess.

Ex: I gave my dad a tie for his birthday.

Ex: The garden was planted last spring.

Future:The action is going to happen.Future tense verbs always use

“will” or “shall” before the main verb.

Ex: Dana will organize a talent show ather school.

Ex: Dr. Jones shall turn in the book fairmoney.

Principal Parts of Verbs The principal parts of verbs are the present,present participle, past, and past participle. For regular verbs, the present participle isformed by adding ing to the present. It is usedwith a form of the helping verb be. The past and past participle of regular verbsare formed by adding ed or d to the present. The past participle uses a form of have.

Examples of Principle Parts

Present PresentParticiple

Past PastParticiple

Play (is, are, am)playing

played have, has, hadplayed

Move (is, am, are)moving

moved have, has, hadmoved

Perfect Tenses

There are three perfect tenses: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. Perfect tenses are used when there are two actions

depicted in the sentence, one of the actions happened before the other one.

Form the perfect tenses with the past participle and the helping verbs have, has, had, or will have.

Present Perfect

Present perfect expresses an action occuring at no definite time in the past. It also tells about an action that happened in the past and is still happening now.

It is formed with the past participle and “have” or “has.” Ted has waited for us often. He has played in the band for three years.

Past Perfect

Used to express an action completed in the past BEFORE another action that happened in the past. It is formed with the past participle and “had.”

After we had waited for an hour, we left. We had just arrived when the play

began.

Future Perfect

Used to express action that will be completed BEFORE another future event begins.

It is formed with the past participle and “will have” or “shall have.” By the time the bus arrives, we will have

waited for an hour. Before the movie finally starts, we will have

seen nine commercials.

Perfect Tenses: Play

Present Perfect have played has played

Past Perfect had playedFuture Perfect will have played

shall have played