VERBS
What is a VERB?
• A WORD OR GROUP OF WORDS EXPRESSING AN ACTION OR A
STATE, ESPECIALLY A STATE OF BEING.
• Many verbs have more than one function.
• Consequently, many verbs can fall into one or more verb
categories
4 TYPES OF VERBS
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ACTION VERBS:
DESCRIBE PHYSICAL OR MENTAL ACTION
LINKING VERBS:
CONNECT THE SUBJECT IN A SENTENCE TO ITS COMPLEMENTS
(PREDICATE NOUNS/PRONOUNS/ADJECTIVES)
AUXILIARY VERBS:
USED TO INFLECT (CHANGE) VERBS TO ACHIEVE TENSES, MOODS,
ETC.
MODAL VERBS:
USED TO EXPRESS INFLUENCE OVER THE SUBJECT OF THE
SENTENCE
(DUTY/OBLIGATION/ABILITY/PERMISSION/VOLITION/NECESSITY)
ACTION VERBS: DESCRIBE PHYSICAL OR
MENTAL ACTION
• CAN BE TRANSITIVE OR
INTRANSITIVE
• TRANSITIVE VERBS-are
followed by a direct or
indirect object.
• INTRANSITIVE VERBS-take
no objects after them
TRANSITIVE/INTRANSITIVE ACTION VERBS:
EXAMPLES
• Myron likes ice cream at the ball park.
Transitive
• Evelyn read Johnny the book aloud.
Verbs
• Debbie spoke loudly during the
have objects
• entire convention.
—answer
• Mrs. Randolph is an expert nurse.
who
or what
• Mara always feels sick after eating
after
Italian sausages.
• WWII ended successfully for the Allies. the verb!
LINKING VERBS: connect the subject of a sentence
to its complements: a predicate noun, a predicate
pronoun or a predicate adjective.
• Various verbs related to
• do not express action and
the
senses
(appear,
thus may be considered
feel, look, smell, sound,
intransitive.
taste, etc.)
• The forms of “to be,” (am,
• Verbs expressing
is, are, was, were, be,
condition or placement
being, been, become, and
of the subject (become,
became.)
grow, remain, seem,
stay, etc.)
EXAMPLES OF LINKING VERBS:
• My great-grandfather was a famous actor. (form of
“to be”
• The boy felt ill over the holidays. (relates to the
senses)
• The fate of the three lost travelers remains
unknown. (verb expressing condition)
AUXILIARY VERBS: are used to form verb
tenses of verb, moods of verbs, etc.
AUXILLARY VERBS INCLUDE:
• The forms of “to be,” (am, is, are, was, were,
be, being, been, become, and became.)
• The forms of “have,” (has, have, had.)
• The forms of “do,” (do, does, did.)
EXAMPLES OF AUXILiARY (OR HELPING)
VERBS
• My brother was asking for a toy gun for Christmas.
(form of “be” / used to form the past progressive
form of “ask” ) I
• I have wondered about that woman for years. (form
of “have”/used to form the present perfect tense of
“wonder”)
• The boy did commit to making better grades in the
coming year. (form of “do”/ used to create a “dosupport” verb form)
MODALS OR MODAL VERBS: verbs used to express
influence, obligation, duty, ability, permission,
volition, or necessity.
• May, might, and must
• Can and could
• Will, would, shall, and should
• Ought (to), had better and had best
• Have to and need to
• Used to
• Dare
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
• In active voice
sentences, the subject
is the thing or person
that does the action
in the sentence
• Most sentences are
active.
• In passive voice
sentences, the thing
that receives the
action is the subject
of the sentence
EXAMPLES OF ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
• The boy kicked his
sister in the head.
• She was kicked in the
head by her brother.
• The goats ate most
of the vegetables
in the garden.
• Most of the garden
vegetables were
eaten by the goats.
• Many people saw
that movie.
• That movie was seen
by many people.
VERB PHRASES-combine the auxiliary, linking
and/or modal verbs with the main verb
LINKING/AUXILIARY/MODAL
VERB
IS
WOULD HAVE
WILL HAVE BEEN
MAIN
VERB
PHRASE
+
VERB=
+
+
+
SINGING
GONE
WORKING
TWO KINDS OF VERBS: REGULAR AND IRREGULAR
REGULAR VERBS-form the past tense by adding –
ed
IRREGULAR VERBS-form the past tense in
different ways
a. remain the same—burst/hit/
b. change in entire word—teach/begin/blow
3 PRINCIPAL PARTS OF VERBS: A VERB’S BASIC
FORMS FROM WHICH ITS OTHER FORMS ARE MADE
Simple Present and Present Participle—
walk/walking
Simple Past—walked
Past Perfect and Past Participle—have
walked/walked
EXAMPLES OF THE 4 PRINCIPAL PARTS OF
VERBS:
PRESENT
(SIMPLE )
PRESENT
PARTICIPLE
Dance/dances
dancing
hit
hitting
buy
buying
shrink
shrinking
(SIMPLE) PAST
PAST
PARTICIPLE
danced
danced
hit
hit
bought
bought
shrank
shrunk
VERB TENSES
• FORMS OF VERBS THAT SHOW WHEN AN ACTION
HAPPPENS
• SIX (6) BASIC TENSES
• 3 SIMPLE TENSES
• 3 PERFECT TENSES
• 6 PROGRESSIVE FORMS
• 2 EMPHATIC FORMS
THE SIMPLE TENSES
PRESENT
PAST
FUTURE
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
• Expresses present action
or condition
The copier works now.
• Expresses regularly
occurring action or
condition
My copies are ready now.
• Expresses constant
action or condition
I use the copier every day.
ALSO:
• Used to introduce a quotation in an
essay
(The author STATES, “blah, blah.”)
• Expresses action in a piece of
literature as if happening now
(In the story, Usher THINKS that he is
going mad.)
EXPRESSING THE SIMPLE TENSE IN THREE
WAYS:
• PRESENT
• PRESENT
PROGRESSIVE
• PRESENT EMPHATIC
• I STUDY.
• I AM STUDYING.
• I DO STUDY.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IN ACTIVE AND
PASSIVE VOICE
Active
-3rd person singular,
present form +-s/-es
-other singular/plural
forms, use unchanged
present form.
EXAMPLE: The janitor (he)
cleans the restroom each
day.
Passive
-am,is,are + past participle
EXAMPLE: The restroom is cleaned
every day.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE
• Expresses an action or
condition that started
and ended in the past.
EXAMPLES:
• She washed her car.
• I saw a movie yesterday.
• Expresses action or
• Marie bought a new
condition that
house.
happened at a definite
• Last year, I traveled to
time in the past
Japan.