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“Your New Best Friend”
To use this chart follow the steps!!
Step 1 look for an action then go to Step 2 and look for any helping verbs in front of the action.
If no action, go to Step 3 and look for a linking verb then go back to Step 2 and look for
helping verbs in front of the linking verb.
STEP 1
An Action Verb
is anything you can DO.
Ex: I sing in the choir.
Ex: swim, study, drink,
dance, write, think, love,
imagine, dream
have has had. I have it!
and
do, does, did. Just do it!
are always actions if alone in
the sentence.
STEP 2
A Helping Verb
STEP 3
A Linking Verb
is a word that goes in front of Tells what somebody or
the main action verb and helps something IS.
tell the time of the action
Most common listed below:
more clearly.
The complete list is below:
am
be
is
being
am
can
are
been
is
could
was
are
shall
were
was
should
were
will
Note: this first group looks
would
like helping verbs, but if alone
be
may
they are linking verbs.
being
might
been
must
Ex: She was a good student.
have
has
had
do
does
did
Other linking verbs: become,
seem, grow, remain, appear,
look, feel, smell, sound, taste
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Name:_________________________________
What is a Verb?
We already know that the first step for analyzing the grammar of a sentence is to mark out
prepositional phrases and label ivps. After you have done this, the next step is to find the
VERB of a sentence. VERBS are NEVER found in a prepositional phrase or IVP!!
Anything I can DO is a verb. Ex: swim, eat, sleep, dream, think, say
So all you have to do is check each word in the sentence except for prepositional
phrases and IVPs, and see if it is something you can DO. The following question
helps:
Can I _______________? If the answer is yes, it is a VERB!
Complete the example and do not forget to cross out prepositional phrases and label
IVPs first as you cannot find the VERB in these.
Ex: The teacher grades all of her students’ assignments.
The only thing I can DO in this sentence is __________________.
So ______________ is the VERB. Underline the word and label it “v”.
Sometimes there are two actions being done in a sentence.
Ex: The boy jumped and ran through the waves.
The only thing I can DO in this sentence is _______and________.
So ______________and______________ is the VERB. Underline the words and
label it “v”.
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In review, we have 2 steps now to analyze the grammar of a sentence.
1. Cross out prepositional phrases and label IVPs.
2. Find the verb, underline and label it “v”. The verb will not be in your
prepositional phrase or be the IVP!!
Verb Practice: use your notes on page 1 to guide you.
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb, underline and label it “v”.
1. The students in the teacher’s class read The Outsiders all week.
2. Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coast of Louisiana on a very scary
Monday.
3. Twelve of my students need to take their test.
4. Bob sat near me during the concert.
5. Mr. McFadden spoke over the loudspeaker to the students.
6. After the movie, the kids went and listened to their favorite band.
7. I laughed and shouted for joy after the game.
8. Mary drove and texted on her phone. BAD!!
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Action Verb Practice Number One
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb, underline and label it “v”.
1. I want pizza for lunch.
2. Sam washed and dried the dishes for his mom.
3. To earn extra money for the movies, Justin mowed the lawn.
4. Todd bought and ate three large cookies.
5. After the fourth flat tire, Mary decided to buy new ones.
6. Pam dove in the pool and swam to the end.
7. In the early morning, the athletes went up to the bleachers to train.
8. During lunch, the boys started a food fight with the girls.
9. I love to check my status updates on Facebook.
10. More and more students use Instagram instead of Facebook
communicate with friends.
to
11. Our school’s football team competed and won the division
playoffs.
12. Before breakfast, we went to meet the new trainer.
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Action Verb Practice Number Two
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb, underline and label it “v”.
1. The puppies wandered around the fenced yard until dinner time.
2. Without a care in the world, Alex relaxed.
3. Dean thinks about his homework to schedule his week.
4. Please put these cookies on the tray.
5. His doctor read through his chart and looked down his throat.
6. During the announcements, the class listened attentively to the history of 911 and the creation of Patriot Day.
7. She peered slowly around the doorway to look at the party.
8. To win the Super Bowl, the two best teams compete against each other.
9. The athletes work very hard to play and win their games.
10. At a minimum, students spend three hours on each assignment.
11. The students like the new Edmodo platform to create and complete
assignments.
12. For the record, I worked throughout the entire campaign.
13. The pep rally looked like a sea of neon.
14. The kids ran and played in the puddles after the rain.
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15. The craters on the moon look like Swiss cheese.
16. Before the concert, Reggie drank and ate at the cafe.
17. The kids in the park hid behind the trees for a game of hide-and-seek.
18. During the drill team’s dance, the crowd cheered and clapped.
19. The novel The Outsiders engages students from the very beginning to the
very end!
20. Harold rested upon the mountain top and considered a life without hassles.
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What is a Helping Verb?
A helping verb is used when the action verb needs a little more help to explain
exactly what we want to say more clearly.
A helping verb is a word that goes in front of the main action verb to help explain
the action or show the time of the action.
The following sentence does NOT have a helping verb. Identify the action verb
and underline it and label it with a “v”.
Mrs. Johnson teaches 7th grade Language Arts.
Now, we will add a helping verb to this sentence in front of the action verb. Pay
attention to how the meaning of the sentence changes, particularly the time of the
action.
Mrs. Johnson ____________teaches 7th grade Language Arts.
Do we have to change the action verb a little when we add the helping verb? If we
do, that’s okay. Add some other helping verbs to the above sentence using your list
of helping verbs in your “3 Kinds of Verbs” chart!
Start memorizing your helping verb list!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Helping Verb Practice: use your notes on page 6 to guide you.
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Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb including the helping verb(s); REMEMBER there can be
more than one helping verb. Underline the helping verbs and the action
verb and label it “v”.
1. The kid in the black leather jacket might look like a greaser.
2. The students in Mrs. Johnson’s class might survive the week.
3. You shall honor your parents.
4. Mike should study for his big test.
5. I have slept really well for three nights.
6. After the movie Breaking Dawn, we will have seen the whole Twilight series.
7. We should have gone in the van with the rest of the kids.
8. In the middle of the night, the vase was taken from the museum.
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Helping Verb Practice One
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb including the helping verb(s); REMEMBER there can be
more than one helping verb. Underline the helping verbs and the action
verb and label it “v”.
1. Ms. Desmond is typing a practice page for class.
2. The students in fourth period should have been reading.
3. The girl behind the computer does like to write.
4. The boy near the pencil sharpener should be paying attention.
5. Mr. Montgomery will be subbing for a football coach.
6. Mr. McFadden might be missing his meeting.
7. Mr. Shiflet should be calling that parent.
8. The students must complete this work for an A.
9. Poll Everywhere has increased student interest in many subject areas.
10. In order to vote, students use their own devices in class like their smart phone.
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Helping Verb Practice Two
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb including the helping verb(s); REMEMBER there can be more than one
helping verb. Underline the helping verbs and the action verb and label it “v”.
1. The Underground Railroad has played a special role in our history.
2. No one really was hidden underground.
3. A network of sympathetic people would help slaves to freedom.
4. These people were called conductors.
5. The hiding places along the way to freedom were called stations.
6. Runaway slaves could stop at the stations for food and clothing.
7. Conductors might show the slaves the best routes to Canada.
8. Many people today are researching the history of the Underground Railroad.
9. Some can follow the routes of the runaway slaves.
10. Most slaves did escape through Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.
11. Interested history buffs may study the lives of some conductors of the railroad.
12. One famous conductor has been called the “president of the railroad.”
13. Levi Coffin may have helped more than 3,000 slaves to freedom.
14. More information will increase our understanding of this period in our history.
15. Do you know any other facts about the Underground Railroad?
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PERMANENT NOTES
Verb Phrases
Verbs that need helping verbs are also known as verb phrases. Sometimes the verb phrase has
little words that interrupt the phrase or separate the helping verbs from the main verb. It is
STILL a verb phrase, but the little words are NOT part of the verb phrase.
For example: Bob should always exercise after work.
Mary must regularly walk the dogs.
She has definitely begun to practice in the gym.
He should not start the motor without help.
We are not going through the tunnel.
WARNING!! Helping verbs can hide in contractions!!
Examples: don’t = do not, can’t = cannot, shouldn’t = should not
So, n’t = not. “Not” is NOT part of a verb phrase.
For Example: You shouldn’t even try to sing that song.
We can’t go to the party.
The greasers don’t really want to fight all the time.
Ponyboy wouldn’t want to hurt his brothers on purpose.
The principal didn’t announce the winners of the game.
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PERMANENT NOTES
Verb Practice Three
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb including the helping verb(s); underline the helping verbs and the verb and
label it “v”.
1. The Underground Railroad was operating in the mid-1800s.
2. Thousands of people were justly helped to freedom.
3. Many runaway slaves would walk all night to find their freedom.
4. During the day they might instantly be seen by other people.
5. Most slaves had escaped with little food or clothing.
6. Without a guide, they could lose their way to the North.
7. A slave could always encounter natural barriers such as rivers or lakes.
8. Stories have been written about the dangerous trip to freedom.
9. Have you read about the Underground Railroad?
10. Do you understand its importance?
11. Harriet Tubman, a famous freedom fighter, used her resources to help the slaves.
12. It must have been very frightening to escape from slavery.
13. Many people though wouldn’t help because of severe punishments.
14. Today we can’t imagine slavery.
15. Thankfully, slavery has been gone from America for over 150 years.
16. You shouldn’t even play with a broken leg.
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PERMANENT NOTES
What is a Linking Verb?
A linking verb ties the subject to other words in the sentence that tell what someone or
something IS.
Linking Verb List
Am
Is
Are
Was
Were
Be
Being
Been
Become
Seem
Remain
Appear
Grow
Look
Feel
Smell
Sound
Taste
BUT WAIT! Some of these words look like helping verbs and action verbs. Remember words
can have more than one job! But when they are used to tell what someone or something IS they
are linking verb.
For Example: Mrs. Johnson is a teacher.
The students are really nice.
They were tired.
He becomes angry easily.
The girl seems very nice.
She looks pretty today.
Linking Verbs also can have helping verbs.
For Example: Mrs. Johnson has been a teacher for many years.
The students are being really nice.
They will be tired.
He has become angry with me on many occasions.
The girl does seem very nice.
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PERMANENT NOTES
Verb Practice Four
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb including the helping verb(s); underline the helping verbs and the verb and
label it “v”.
1. A hurricane is a powerful tropical storm.
2. For a hurricane, the water temperature must be warm.
3. The eye is the center of the hurricane.
4. Inside the eye, the wind feels calm.
5. Outside the eye, the winds grow fierce.
6. That part of the hurricane is the eye wall.
7. Feeder bands are the outer part of the hurricane.
8. Hurricanes can be very dangerous over land.
9. A surge is a quick rise in the ocean’s water level.
10. The winds of a hurricane seem deafening.
11. After big hurricanes, it can be a long recovery for the area.
12. So far Katrina has been the most devastating hurricane in US history.
13. Hopefully, it will be the last in our area.
14. In Texas, we have become aware of the dangers.
15. We are always on the lookout for tropical storms.
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PERMANENT NOTES
Verb Practice Five
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb including the helping verb(s); underline the helping verbs and the verb and
label it “v”.
1. Not all creatures in science fiction movies are scary.
2. Some may seem downright friendly.
3. For example, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was a hit.
4. The movie’s alien creature did appear loveable.
5. E.T. seemed afraid of the children at first.
6. In Close Encounters of the Third Kind the aliens were a mystery for most of the movie.
7. In the end the inhabitants of the giant UFO were friendly to humans.
8. In The Empire Strikes Back one alien was very wise.
9. Yoda was a 900-year-old Jedi sage.
10. With Yoda’s help Luke Skywalker became a Jedi too.
11. The job title “continuity clerk” may seem unimpressive.
12. Footage from different days can be part of the same scene.
13. Such footage must appear continuous.
14. The students are being difficult today.
15. In order to work harder, we must become serious students.
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Verb Unit Review
Directions
 Cross out all prepositional phrases and label IVPs
 Find the verb including the helping verb(s); underline the helping verbs and the verb and
label it “v”.
1. The teacher should take attendance every day of the week for reporting purposes.
2. The hard-working plumber was early for the appointment.
3. Those secretaries appear to be very busy this afternoon.
4. During a fire drill, you should not run to go to the parking lot.
5. She has been happy all week.
6. The teacher liked to give incredibly hard homework after major tests.
7. Her mother Mary is a tax attorney with her own business.
8. The construction crew built that house in less than a month.
9. Around 40 people attended the concert to hear the live music.
10. The sale person will think of new marketing slogans for the commercials.
11. The set of instructions with the computer has been confusing for everyone.
12. They couldn’t have been tardy yesterday.
13. Across the lake, they have a large marina to park your boat.
14. The homecoming queen looks like a beautiful star.
15. You could have gone to the concert with your big brother.
16. The fish were becoming ill from the molasses spill in the Hawaiian harbor.
17. The student council would like us to come to the dance on Friday.
18. After the long talk about tardies, students weren’t late for class.
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19. Environmentalists were being very tough on companies after the spill.
20. We waited hours for the pep rally to begin due to the rain.
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