Verbs
That’s what’s happening!
Recognize a verb when you see one.
Verbs are a necessary component of
all sentences.
Some verbs put static objects
into motion.
Other verbs help to clarify static
objects in meaningful ways.
Take a look
The fast turtle ran across the track.
Static Object - Turtle
Verb - ran
Practice
My grumpy old English teacher smiled at the plate
of cold meatloaf.
My grumpy old English teacher = static object | smiled = verb
The daredevil cockroach splashed into Sara's soup.
The daredevil cockroach = static object | splashed = verb
Know an action verb when you see one.
Dance! Sing! Paint! Giggle! Chew!
What are these words doing?
They are expressing action, something
that a person, animal, force of
nature, or thing can do. As a result,
words like these are called action
verbs.
Using Exciting Verbs
Rikki Tikki broke two eggs, and fell
backward down the melon bed with
the third egg in his mouth, and ran
to the veranda…
Rikki Tikki smashed two eggs, and
tumbled backward down the melon
bed with the third egg in his mouth,
and scuttled to the veranda…
Instead of…
The teacher asked me about my
missing homework.
My brother bothers me.
I wanted to get down from the Ferris
Wheel.
Try This…
The teacher interrogated me about my
missing homework.
My brother plagues me with his
presence.
I wanted to alight from the Ferris
Wheel.
State of Being Verbs
Express a state of being, existing
– am
– is
– are
– was
– were
– be
– been
– being
Take a look
Francisco's comic book collection is worth $20,000.00.
=
$
Once upon a time there was a nice boy
named Stately. He was very prim and proper.
Stately was an A+ student. One day at school,
there was going to be a big test on verbs. Stately
knew all the action verbs but he didn't want to
forget the eight state-of-being verbs. He needed a
way to remember them so he could get an A+ on
the big test. As he sat there thinking of ideas, he
found himself humming a rhythm, "Da, da, da-da,
da, da, da, da. All of a sudden he jumped up and
shouted, "That is it! That is the rhythm I need to
remember the state-of-being verbs: am, is, are,
was, were, be, being, been."
The next day, he went to school humming and
clapping the rhythm the whole way. When he got
his graded test back he had earned an A+, and
Stately was very happy. After he got the A+ he
changed his name to Stately State-of-Being Verb
because he just IS so stately.
Know a linking verb when you see one.
Linking verbs do not express action.
They connect the subject of a verb to additional
information about the subject.
Francisco's comic book collection is worth $20,000.00.
=
$
Try this:
A three mile run seems like a marathon during a hot July afternoon.
Seems connects the subject, a three-mile run,
with something more said about it, that it's more arduous
depending on the day and time.
True Linking Verbs
Any form of the verb be
am, is, are, was, were, be, being
been, become
These true linking verbs are always
linking verbs.
Multiple Personalities
Then you have a list of verbs with multiple
personalities:
appear, feel, grow, look, stay, remain, smell,
sound, taste, and turn
Sometimes these verbs are linking verbs; sometimes
they are action verbs. Their function in a sentence
decides what you should call them
How can you tell?
If you can substitute am, is, or are for the verb
and the sentence still sounds logical, you have a
linking verb on your hands.
If, after the substitution, the sentence makes no
sense, you are dealing with an action verb.
Try one:
Chris tasted the crunchy, honey-roasted
grasshopper.
Chris is the grasshopper? I don't think so! Tasted,
therefore is an action verb in this sentence.
The crunchy, honey-roasted grasshopper
tasted good.
The grasshopper is good? You bet. Roast your own!
Monster
1. The man is a monster.
2. His skin looks _____________
3. His mouth resembles _____________
4. His teeth appear _____________________
5. His ears are ________________
6. His eyes seem __________
7. His nose is_________________.
8. He smells _________________.
9. His skin feels ________________
10. Truly, the man must have been ugly from
birth!
Helping Verbs
Hi! I'm Harry Helping Verb and
I'm so helpful I will help you
learn the 23 Helping Verbs by
telling you a story.
The title of the story is Old
Mr. Do. Like some stories,
this story has a moral.
The moral is: "Maybe Mr. Do
should have a will". Read on
and you will see why!
Old Mr. Do
Once upon a time there was a wealthy
merchant named Mr. Do. Mr. Do was very
old and very rich. His many relatives were
dreaming of the day the old man would
die. They wondered which one of them
would inherit his money. Finally, one day
Mr. Do did die. All the relatives searched
his house for a will. They didn't find one.
They searched his house three times.
They still did not find a will. The relatives
did not get one dime of Mr. Do's fortune.
The moral: Maybe Mr. Do should have a will.
Just remember this sentence and you will know how
to set up a chart of the 23 helping verbs! The largest
"family" is the "BE" family with eight members. The
other five families have three members each.
Helping Verbs
may be
do
might being does
must been did
am
are
is
was
were
(main) (main)
should have
could had
would has
(main)
will
can
shall