Verbs
Verbs express
action
occurrence
state of being
Verbs
tell what action a subject is performing
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Can show physical action (marched, mailed)
Can show mental action or ownership
(thought, has)
Can show an occurrence (became)
Can show a state of being (was)
Number of verbs
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Verbs have number, which means they are
singular (one) or plural (more than one).
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The number of a verb depends on the
number of its subject.
Singular verbs
In 1963, the Berlin Wall stood as a new
symbol of communism’s strength.
Today it stands in pieces as a new symbol of
communism’s weakness.
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Notice that stands, with an “s” is singular.
Plural verbs
In 1963, two 10-year-old girls were pushed
apart by the wall.
Today, the 37-year-old women stand together
on top of it.
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Notice that stand, without an “s” is plural.
Person of a verb
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Verbs differ in form depending upon the
point of view or person of the pronoun
being used with them.
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First person (I)
Second person (you)
Third person (he, she, it)
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Point of view
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First Person singular
– I sniff …
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First Person plural
– We sniff …
Notice on packet page 65 the examples
of second and third person.
Voice of a verb
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The voice tells you whether the subject
is doing the action or is receiving the
action.
Active voice of a verb
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The verb is in the active voice if the
subject is doing the action in the
sentence.
The baseball hit the batter.
Passive voice of a verb
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The verb is in the passive voice if the subject
is receiving the action or not personally doing
the action.
The batter was hit by the baseball.
Tense of a verb
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A verb has three principal parts:
– The present
– The past
– The past participle
The past and past participle of regular
verbs are formed by adding –ed to the
present form.
Present tense of a verb
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When the verb expresses action or
existence which is happening now
or happens continually or regularly.
My stomach tightens into a knot sometimes.
My breaths are shorter, and my palms sweat.
Past tense of a verb
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When a verb expresses action or existence
which is completed at a particular time in
the past.
Yesterday, my stomach tightened into a knot,
and my palms perspired before the game.
Future tense of a verb
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When a verb expresses action that will
take place.
Anxiety will visit you too some day, and he
will be tough! But you will be tougher!
Present perfect tense of a verb
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When a verb expresses action which began
in the past but continues or is completed in
the present.
She has screamed at her friends many times
and they have ignored it.
Past perfect tense of a verb
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When a verb expresses action which began
in the past and was completed in the past.
Then, last Friday at the Pizza Hut, they had
eaten more than their share of the pizza, and
she had called them “greedy pigs.”
Future perfect tense of a verb
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When a verb expresses action which will
begin in the future and will be completed
by a specific time in the future.
By next Friday, she will have forgotten the
pizza, but they will have remembered the
name-calling.
Helping and auxiliary verbs
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These verbs help to form some of the
tenses and voice of the main verb.
Elmer was using super-strength, slow-drying
glue. For 10 minutes he had been holding
the two broken parts together. He should
have bought a C-clamp for a glue job like
this.
Common helping verbs
shall
will
could
did
should
must
may
have
had
do
And the forms of the verb be
is
are
was
am
been
would
can
has
were
Transitive verbs
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Verbs transfer their action to an object.
An object must receive the action of a
transitive verb for the meaning of the
verb to be complete.
Look at this sentence
The earthquake shook San Francisco
with a fury.
Shook transfers its action to San Francisco.
Without the word San Francisco the meaning
of the verb shook is incomplete.
Look at this sentence
San Francisco was shaken by the
earthquake.
The subject of the sentence, San Francisco,
receives the action of the verb, was shaken.
The direct object is San Francisco; the
indirect object is earthquake.
Intransitive verbs
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Intransitive verbs complete the action
without an object.
I apologized for my late assignment.
Special verbs
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Many verbs can be either transitive or
intransitive.
Linking verbs
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Links a subject to a noun or adjective in
the predicate. Because it does not express
an action, a linking verb is intransitive.
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See your packet page 68 for examples of
common linking verbs.
Verbals
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A word which is made from a verb, has
the power of a verb, but acts as another
part of speech.
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Verbals can be gerunds, participles and
infinitives.
Gerund
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A gerund is a verb form that ends in –ing
and is used as a noun.
Smoking rots your lungs.
The noun smoking is the subject
You should quit smoking.
The noun smoking is the direct object.
Participle
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A participle is a verb form ending in –ing
or –ed and it functions as an adjective.
Those kids digging for China are already
tired. Those tired kids will probably lose
interest before they make it.
Digging and tired modify kids.
Infinitive
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A verb form introduced by to; it may be used
as a noun, adjective or adverb.
To scream in class was her secret wish.
The noun to scream is the subject.
But the last student to scream was sent
away.
To scream is an adjective modifying student.
Overwhelmed?
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Verbs are tricky and you do not need to
worry about knowing all forms for this class.
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Spend your efforts writing clearly and staying
true to the verb tense that is most
appropriate for your writing assignment.