Unit 3 Verbs Study Guide
Action Verbs – simple action in the sentence. What is the subject doing?
I walked to school this morning. Walked is the verb.
Main Verbs and Helping Verbs – main verb plus a helper. If the sentence is a question, then
flip the sentence to make it a statement to find the verb phrase.
I did walk to school this morning.
Do you walk to school every day? Flip it: You do walk to school every day.
Direct Objects – It is the noun or pronoun that follows an ACTION verb and answers who or
what.
First find the verb (or verb phrase), ask yourself WHAT? or WHO? The answer is your direct
object.
I brought my backpack to school. I brought what? Backpack is the direct object.
I brought my backpack and lunch to school. I brought what? Backpack/lunch are the direct
objects.
Have you seen my backpack? Flip it: You have seen my backpack. Have seen what? backpack
Being/Linking Verbs – They show what the subject is or is like. They DO NOT show action.
I feel sad that I lost my backpack. FEEL links the subject to being sad and shows no action.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs – Transitive verbs HAVE direct objects. They answer Who? Or
What? Just like the direct objects notes above.
Intransitive verbs do NOT have direct objects. They answer Where? Or How?
I feel sad that I lost my backpack. I feel how? Sad – sad is an adjective so it’s a predicate
adjective.
Simple Verb Tenses – Tense means time: present, past, and future
Today I complete my homework. (happening right now)
Yesterday I completed my homework. (already happened)
Tomorrow I will complete my homework. (going to happen)
Perfect Tensespresent perfect helper is has or have
Sally has found my backpack.
past perfect helper is ALWAYS had
Yesterday Sally had found my backpack in the gym.
future perfect helpers are will have or shall have.
I hope someone will have found my backpack by the end of the school day.
Regular and Irregular Verbs – Regular verbs follow a similar spelling pattern. Irregular Verbs
change in spelling.
Verb
Presenting
Participle (ing)
Past
climb
is climbing
climbed
jump
is jumping
jumped
have
is having
had
write
is writing
wrote
Past Participle
has/have
climbed
has/have
jumped
has/have had
has/have
written
Type of
Verb?
regular
regular
irregular
irregular
Subject/Verb Agreement -means your subject and verb must match, or agree, in number.
– If you have a singular subject, then you must use a singular verb.
• The dog barks at every sound he hears.
– If you have a plural subject, then you must use a plural verb.
• The dogs bark at every sound they hear.
- If you have two subjects then you treat them as PLURAL.
 The dog and cat fight all of the time. (THEY fight all of the time.)
More Subject/Verb Agreement:
If one part of the compound subject is singular and one part is plural, then make the verb
agree with the subject that is closer to it.
Either my notebooks or pencil is missing.
Either my pencil or notebooks are missing.
When a sentence begins with Here or There the verb must also agree with the subject. To find
the subject ask: Who or What is here? Who or What is there?
Here are the pencils. What is here? The pencils are here.
Here is my backpack. What is here? My backpack is here.
Contractions: A contraction is one word that is made by putting together two separate words
and shortening them. Always capitalize contractions with “I.”
I’ll be late for school today. (I will)
Watch out for “is” and “has” used in contractions!
She’s going to be late for school. (She IS)
He’s been late for school three times. (He HAS)
will not = won’t (not willn’t!)
Troublesome Verb PairsSit – to rest on your bottom
Set – to put
Lie – to rest or recline or you’re already down
Lay – to put
Rise – to get up or go up
Raise – to move up, to grow something, to increase
Lend – to give
Borrow – to take
Let – to permit or allow
Leave – to go away, or to allow to remain in one place
Teach – to give instruction
Learn – to receive instruction