Verbs
 Verbs are expressed in the infinitive: to ----- (to
wrestle, to rearrange, to mingle, to be, to breathe,
to walk, to eat, to dance)
 Remember, sometimes "to" is a preposition
introducing a prepositional phrase, but it
functions differently (and gets labeled
differently) when introducing an infinitive or an
infinitive phrase.
 Most verbs (96%) are “action verbs”
o Anything that can be done (to exist, to tackle,
to cook, to love, to laugh, to smoke, to learn,
to study)
 > 4% are “linking verbs”
o Forms of "to be" (is, are, was, were, being,
etc.)
o verbs related to five senses (to taste, to feel,
to look, to sound, to smell)
o some others: to become, to appear, to seem
 <4% helping verbs (auxiliary verbs)
o some common helping verbs (will, can, was,
am, would, could be, is, have, etc.)
o some helping verbs look like linking verbs
but function in conjunction with an action
verb to establish verb tense (versions of
present tense, past tense, and future tense)
 I was hiking yesterday.
 I will send the wedding invitations next
week.
o often it takes two helping verbs to establish
verb tense
 I have been meaning to write.
 I could have danced all night.
 Verbs are all over sentences, but there is always
at least one in every sentence that serves a
crucial role: the predicate.
o Sentences have two parts: the subject and
the predicate
o Predicate or “full” predicate: the main verb
plus complements, such a direct objects or
object complements (generally the 2nd half of
the sentence)
o “Simple” or “main” predicate: just the main
verb
o Subject or “full” subject: the main actor
(noun/pronoun) and any modifiers
o “simple” or “main” subject: the main actor
(noun/pronoun)
o Simple subject and verb identified: The
crocodile (simple subject) wound (simple
verb) its way down the bank.
o As the men watched, the large, albino
crocodile (simple subject) wound (simple
verb) its way quickly down the bank to where
it had laid its nest.
o The crocodile (simple subject) swam
(simple verb) down there to protect her
eggs.
o When the crocodile made its way into the
thicket, the men (simple subject) surrounded
(simple verb) it.
o The animal (simple subject) snorted (simple
verb) and snapped (simple verb) in an effort
to scare the men away.
o The tactic worked, and the men backed
away as they were not really hunters, but
research scientists.
o English is a verb-driven language
 Find the verb first in sentences, not the subject.
o What’s going on? Answering this question
will help you find the verb.
 Mary had a little lamb. What’s going
on? Someone HAD a lamb. “Had” is
the verb.
 The photographer captured a great
smile. What’s going on? Someone
CAPTURED a great smile. “Captured”
is the verb.
 One of the football players was
penalized for kicking the referee. What’s
going on? Someone WAS PENALIZED
for kicking. “Was penalized” is the verb.
o Once you’ve found the verb, ask who/what
did whatever the verb said. That question
leads you to the subject.
 Mary had a little lamb. Who/What HAD
a lamb? Mary. “Mary” is the subject.
 The photographer captured a great
smile. Who/What CAPTURED a great
smile? The photographer.
“Photographer” is the subject.
 One of the football players was
penalized for kicking the referee.
Who/What WAS PENALIZED for
kicking? One [of the players]. “One” is
the subject.
 Please note: you will never ever
ever ever find the subject of a
sentence inside a preposition
phase. “Of the players” is a
prepositional phrase.
 In English, there are three basic tenses: present,
past, and future. Each has a perfect form,
indicating completed action; each has a
progressive form, indicating ongoing action; and
each has a perfect progressive form, indicating
ongoing action that will be completed at some
definite time. Here is a brief demonstration of the
verb tenses:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Simple Present: They walk.
Present Perfect: They have walked.
Present Progressive: They are walking.
Simple Past: They walked.
Past Perfect: They had walked.
Past Progressive: They were walking.
Future: They will walk.
Future Perfect: They will have walked.
Future Progressive: They will be walking.
 “Conjugation” refers to the patterns verbs use to
create the various tenses. Conjugations depend
on the subject that a verb is paired with, with the
biggest concern being whether a subject is
singular or plural. As a result, conjugation tables
focus on the personal pronouns that often serve
as the subjects of sentences. Some will indicate
how plural and singular nouns work, but most will
not. (I have added the nouns in the categories
below.)
o First person singular: I
o Second person singular/plural: you
o Third person singular: he, she, it, John, the
man
o First person plural: we
o Third person plural: they, the men
 Verbs are either “regular,” meaning they follow
the standard conjugation pattern for verbs or
“irregular,” meaning they follow a unique
conjugation pattern.
 Dictionaries/grammar texts, and websites often
provide examples of verb conjugations but they
usually focus on irregular verbs. After all, since
the vast majority of verbs are “regular,” they
would waste a lot of ink showing you the usual
way, word after word. So, they tend to show you
the irregular patterns, largely as a space saver
and often, even then, not every verb tense. You
see, quite a few irregular verbs follow the regular
pattern in the present tense and don’t seem
“irregular” until they are expressed in the past or
future tenses.
o But before we look at any irregular verbs,
let’s see the complete conjugation for a
regular one. I’ll use the verb “to allow.” In
this basic grammar class, we will not focus
on the advanced verb tenses, but I wanted
you to see it done, so in addition to showing
you present, past, and future tenses, I threw
in the past perfect tense and the future
progressive tense .
o PRESENT












I allow
you allow (singular and plural)
he allows
she allows
he/she allows
we allow
they allow
--often the grammar books/websites
stop here-it allows
John allows
the man allows
the men allow
o PAST
 I allowed
 you allowed
 he allowed






we allowed
they allowed
it allowed
John allowed
the man allowed
the men allowed
o FUTURE









I will allow
you will allow
he will allow
we will allow
they will allow
it will allow
John will allow
the man will allow
the men will allow
o
o PAST PERFECT (sometimes called the
PLUPERFECT)(used to refer to an event
that has been completed before another past
action)
o
 I had allowed
 you had allowed
 he had allowed
 we had allowed
 they had allowed
 it had allowed
 John had allowed
 the man had allowed
 the men had allowed
o FUTURE PROGRESSIVE (used to show
that the action is continuing at the time the
sentence is being spoken/written)









I am allowing
you are allowing
he is allowing
we are allowing
they are allowing
it is allowing
John is allowing
the man is allowing
the men are allowing
to hike
Present tense/past tense:
I hike/hiked
He hikes/hiked
She hikes/hiked
You hike/hiked
They hike/hiked
We hike/hiked
It hikes/hiked
The man hikes/hiked
The men hike/hiked
John hikes/hiked
to dream
Present tense/past tense:
I dream/dreamed
He dreams/dreamed
She dreams/dreamed
You dream/dreamed
They dream/dreamed
We dream/dreamed
It dreams/dreamed
The man dreams/dreamed
The men dream/dreamed
John dreams/dreamed
Dreamt?
 Sometimes, books, and websites (and even
teachers) will try to reflect conjugations in charts,
tables, and various sorts of slash marks. I
personally think it IS worth the trouble to write out
the full conjugation, but it’s just important that you
understand the system being used:
o I walk/walked/will walk
 Shows present tense, past tense, future
tense
o I/we/they/you kiss, he/she/it kisses
 Shows which subjects go with which
present tense verbs
o
Infinitive
play
Past
played
Present Participle playing
Past Participle
played
Present:
I
play
You
play
He, She, It
plays
We
play
You
play
They
play
 Similar resources exist for irregular verbs. Here
is a list of some “common” irregular verbs I found
on a web site when I googled “irregular verbs”
List of “Common” Irregular Verbs in
English
Past
Present
Past
Participle
be
was, were
Been
become
became
become
begin
began
begun
blow
blew
blown
break
broke
broken
bring
brought
brought
build
built
built
burst
burst
burst
buy
bought
bought
catch
caught
caught
choose
chose
chosen
come
came
come
cut
cut
cut
deal
dealt
dealt
do
did
done
drink
drank
drunk
drive
drove
driven
eat
ate
eaten
fall
feed
feel
fight
find
fly
forbid
forget
forgive
freeze
get
give
go
grow
have
hear
hide
hold
hurt
keep
know
lay
lead
leave
let
fell
fed
felt
fought
found
flew
forbade
forgot
forgave
froze
got
gave
went
grew
had
heard
hid
held
hurt
kept
knew
laid
led
left
let
fallen
fed
felt
fought
found
flown
forbidden
forgotten
forgiven
frozen
gotten
given
gone
grown
had
heard
hidden
held
hurt
kept
known
laid
led
left
let
lie
lose
make
meet
pay
quit
read
ride
run
say
see
seek
sell
send
shake
shine
sing
sit
sleep
speak
spend
spring
stand
steal
swim
lay
lost
made
met
paid
quit
read
rode
ran
said
saw
sought
sold
sent
shook
shone
sang
sat
slept
spoke
spent
sprang
stood
stole
swam
lain
lost
made
met
paid
quit
read
ridden
run
said
seen
sought
sold
sent
shaken
shone
sung
sat
slept
spoken
spent
sprung
stood
stolen
swum
swing
swung
take
took
teach
taught
tear
tore
tell
told
think
thought
throw
threw
understand understood
woke
wake
(waked)
wear
wore
win
won
write
wrote
Swung
taken
taught
torn
told
thought
thrown
understood
woken
(waked)
worn
won
written
 Sometimes, a chart like the above one helps, but
you can also look up a specific verb’s conjugation—
via dictionary or other resource.
 WRITE
Present: I write today.
Past: I wrote yesterday.
Future: I will write tomorrow.
Present Perfect: I have written many times
before.
Past Perfect: I had written many times before.
Future Perfect: By Friday, I will have written
many times.
 TEAR (Note that you may add the pronoun "it"
to make the sentence flow more smoothly)
Present: I tear it today.
Past: I tore it yesterday.
Future: I will tear it tomorrow.
Present Perfect: I have torn it before.
Past Perfect: I had torn it before.
Future Perfect: By Friday, I will have torn it
many times.
 TAKE (Note that you can add "it" or put in a
noun that helps the sentence make sense to
you. Let's consider that we are "taking" a test
and insert "the test.")
Present: I take the test today.
Past: I took the test yesterday.
Future: I will take the test tomorrow.
Present Perfect: I have taken the test before.
Past Perfect: I had taken the test before.
Future Perfect: By Friday, I will have taken the
test many times.
 DRINK (Note that you can add "it" or put in a
noun that helps the sentence make sense to
you. Let's consider that we are "drinking"
water.)
Present: I drink water today.
Past: I drank water yesterday.
Future: I will drink water tomorrow.
Present Perfect: I have drunk water before.
Past Perfect: I had drunk water before.
Future Perfect: By Friday, I will have drunk
water many times.
 Please note: the above example (drawn from
the www.lessontutor.com website) only
conjugates “I.” Others sources might show you
how to conjugate the verb with other subjects
as well. Every grammar resource is slightly
different, but most give accurate information.
o
o
 Transitive vs. intransitive verbs
 With transitive verbs, there is a direct object, a
noun or pronoun that is said to “receive the
action of the verb.” Most transitive verbs are
action verbs.
 Linking verbs can be transitive, but when
they are, the word that receives the action
of verb is not called a direct object but is
instead called a subject complement.
There are two types of subject
complements. If it is a noun, it is called a
predicate noun. If it is an adjective, it is
called a predicate adjective.
 Intransitive verbs don’t have direct objects.
Nothing “receives the action of the verb.”
Often, however, they are accompanied by
adverbs and adverbial phrases.
 Examples (the direct objects of transitive verbs
are highlighted in yellow):
 The child runs. (intransitive)
 The child runs quickly. (intransitive)
 The child runs quickly down the street.
(intransitive)
 Often, the child runs quickly down the
street. (intransitive)
 The child ran a marathon. (transitive)
 The child ran the marathon quickly.
(transitive)
 The child ran the marathon in a quick two
hours. (transitive)
 She is (transitive) a great singer.
 When she was (transitive) a young girl,
she was (transitive) more curious; now, as
an adult, she is (transitive) dull and
disinterested in life.
 The tree fell (intransitive).
 The tree fell (intransitive) after the man
chopped (transitive) it down.
 The tree fell (intransitive) after the tornado
last night.
 The tree fell (intransitive) after the tornado
that hit (transitive) the town last night.
 After hours of the man chopping with a dull
ax, the tree finally fell (intransitive) to the
ground.
 Last night, during the thunderstorm, the
tree fell (intransitive) on my dad’s truck.
 The tree fell (intransitive) right on top of
the car.
 The tree fell (intransitive) to the ground so
quickly that it flattened (transitive) a few
bunnies.
 My dog (subject) jumped (transitive) a
brown log (direct object) with green moss.
 The man opened (transitive) his mouth to
talk (intransitive) to his mother.
 The man opened (transitive) his mouth to
make (transitive) a speech to the boy
scouts.
 The Home Depot racing car didn’t make
(transitive) it through the last lap during the
NASCAR race.
 The car completed (transitive) several laps
before blowing (transitive) a gasket.
 The girl wrote (transitive) a letter to her
brother last night. She wrote (intransitive)
about her trip to Florida. She also sent
(transitive) a postcard to her mother.
 The lion jumped (intransitive) through the
burning fire ring at the circus.
 The lion jumped (transitive) the crates that
had been laid out in a pattern inside the
ring.
 The truck hit (transitive) a pile (direct
object) of sand last night in the rain, and it
was (transitive) covered (predicate
adjective) with mud.
 When linking verbs are transitive verbs, they are
paired, not with direct objects, but with one of two
kinds of words in the predicate: predicate nouns or
predicate adjectives. These elements of sentences
are called subject complements.
o I (subject) am (linking verb) a firefighter
(predicate noun).
o After years of training and sacrifice, she
(subject) became ( transitive linking verb) a
ballerina (predicate noun) and moved
(intransitive action verb) to New York to pursue
(transitive action verb) a career (direct object)
in dance.
o John (subject) is (linking verb) a complete idiot
(predicate noun).
o The soup (subject) tasted (linking verb) salty
(predicate adjective).
o The girl (subject) appeared ( transitive linking
verb) quite beautiful (predicate adjective) in her
chiffon dress.
o The weather (subject) is (linking verb) rainy
(predicate adjective).
o It (subject) is (linking verb) rainy (predicate
adjective).
o I (subject) am (linking verb) a doctor (predicate
noun) with Mercy West.
o I (subject) am (linking verb) a professor
(predicate noun) at the university.
o My daughter, Makayla, is smart.
o She looks Italian (predicate adjective), but she
is actually Irish (predicate adjective).
o She looks Italian (predicate adjective), but she
is actually an American (predicate noun).
o The man bought a car from the car
salesman, but he was devastated
when he wrecked the car shortly after.
o The car salesman sold ten cars in the
past week; he is now top salesman of
the month.
o The car salesman sold the last Jaguar
on the lot, but the customer was not
too thrilled with the color of the car.
o The company named Mario the best
car salesman; then he became a
manager.
o That car salesman sold the most cars
the last quarter; he is excited about
doing it again this quarter as well.
o Joe test drove the Cadillac last week;
however, it was a lemon that broke
down on the side of the road.
o Tommy won car salesman of the year;
he was able to average fifteen cars a
month to achieve this victory.
o The car salesman took Don for a test
drive; when they got back, he was
confident enough to purchase the car.
o The car salesman said a lie to his
customer that the Cadillac was
damaged.