Verbs
Ms. López
March 7th, 2012
What are Verbs
 The verb is perhaps the most important part of the sentence.
A verb or compound verb asserts something about the
subject of the sentence and express actions, events, or states
of being.
 They could be action, helping or linking verbs.
Uses of Verbs
 In each of the following sentences, the verb or compound verb is
highlighted:
Dracula bites his victims on the neck
 The verb "bites" describes the action Dracula takes.
In early October, Giselle will plant twenty tulip bulbs.
 Here the compound verb "will plant" describes an action that will
take place in the future.
Uses of Verbs
My first teacher was Miss Crawford, but I remember the janitor Mr.
Weatherbee more vividly.
 In this sentence, the verb "was" (the simple past tense of "is")
identifies a particular person and the verb "remember" describes a
mental action.
Karl Creelman bicycled around the world in 1899, but his diaries and his
bicycle were destroyed.
 In this sentence, the compound verb "were destroyed" describes
an action which took place in the past.
Auxiliary Verbs or Helping verbs
 The most common auxiliary verbs are "be," "do," and
"have", and you may also use these verbs on their own.You use
"Will" and "shall" to express future time.
 In each of the following examples, a verb commonly used as an
auxiliary verb appears as a simple predicate:
She is the chief engineer.
The tea cups are in the china cabinet.
Garth does this kind of thing frequently.
My roommates and I do the laundry every second week.
I can't complete my assignment because he still has my notes.
They have several kinds of gelato in the display case.
Auxiliary Verbs or Helping verbs
 Other common auxiliaries are "can," "could," "may," "might,"
"must," "ought," "should," "will," and "would."
 A verb like these is called a modal auxiliary and expresses necessity,
obligation, or possibility.
 The highlighted word in each of the following sentences is a modal auxiliary:
Zora was pleased to learn that she could take several days off.
The small freckled girl told her neighbours that she would walk their dog for an appropriate fee.
Henry told Eliza that she ought to have the hole in the bucket fixed.
The principal told the assembled students that the school board might introduce a dress code next autumn.
According to the instructions, we must leave this goo in our hair for twenty minutes.
Auxiliary Verbs or Helping Verbs
 Several words may intervene between the auxiliary and the verb
which goes with it, as in the following sentences:
They have not delivered the documents on time.
The treasure chest was never discovered.
The health department has recently decided that all high school students
should be immunised against meningitis.
Will you walk the dog tonight?
Linking Verbs
 A linking verb connects a subject to a subject complement which
identifies or describes the subject.
 Linking verbs are either verbs of sensation ("feel," "look," "smell,"
"sound," "taste") or verbs of existence ("act," "appear," "be,"
"become," "continue," "grow," "prove," "remain," "seem," "sit,"
"stand," "turn").
 Examples:
The play isWaiting for Godot.
 In this sentence, the linking verb "is" links the noun phrase "the play" to
the identifying phrase "Waiting for Godot," which is called a subject
complement.
Linking Verbs
Some of us thought that the play was very good.
 In this sentence, the verb "was" links the subject complement
"very good" to subject "the play."
Others thought it became tedious after the first fifteen minutes.
 In this sentence, the linking verb "became" links the subject "it" to
the subject complement "tedious." The phrase "after the first
fifteen minutes" functions as an adverb modifying the clause "it
became tedious.“
Linking Verbs
The cast appears disorganised and confused; perhaps Beckett intended
this.
 Here "appears" is functioning as a linking verb that connects
the subject "the cast" to its subject complement
"disorganised and confused."
The play seems absurd to me.
 The subject "the play" is joined to its subject complement
"absurd" by the linking verb "seems.“