Verb Packet
“…To be, or not to be.” –Shakespeare, Hamlet
Everything you need to know about verbs, from the
exciting action verbs to the thirty forms of “to be.”
Name: ____________________________________ Per. _____
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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3.3 By the end of English 1, students can list and define the eight parts of speech.
3.4 By the end of English 1, students can identify types of nouns (i.e. common, proper,
abstract, concrete and collective) and verbs (i.e. transitive and intransitive) and speak and
write using the correct forms of regular and irregular nouns and verbs.
“The verb is a necessary part of every sentence. It helps tell whether an event is
taking place in the present, past, or future. Verbs do more, however, than just tell
time. Some verbs express action. Other verbs provide a link between two parts of a
sentence. Still others simply point out that something exists.” –Prentice Hall
Grammar and Composition
Grammatical Terms to Know & Apply:
30 forms of “to be”
Action verb (visible and mental)
Helping verb
Intransitive verb
Linking verb
Transitive verb
Verb
Verb phrase
Note: Some sentences taken and/or adapted from Prentice Hall: Grammar and
Composition and some definitions taken and/or adapted from Writers INC.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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Verbs
3.3 By the end of English 1, students can list and define the eight parts of speech.
3.5 By the end of English 1, students can identify types of nouns (i.e. common, proper,
abstract, concrete and collective) and verbs (i.e. transitive and intransitive) and speak and
write using the correct forms of regular and irregular nouns and verbs.
Part 1: Review of the Basics
There are two kinds of main verbs:
1. ________________________________ 2. ________________________________
The third type of verb is called a(n)_________________________________ and their
purpose is to______________________________________________________________
Part 2: Action Verbs
An action verb tells what action a person or thing is performing.
(Note: The performer of the action is called the___________________________of the
verb.)
Examples:
An action verb may be one of two kinds:
___________________________________ or _________________________________.
Exercise 1: Review of Visible and Mental Action Verbs
1. Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos threw a long pass down the field.
2. Jumping to their feet, the Broncos fans cheered wildly, knowing Demaryius
Thomas would catch the ball.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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3. The Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, held their breath, hoping he
would somehow drop it.
4. When he successfully caught the ball and scored a touchdown to win the
game, the stadium erupted in an explosion of cheering and applause.
5. The Pittsburgh Steelers sadly left the stadium and dreamt of a better
outcome for the following season.
Exercise 2: Examples of Action Verbs
Directions: List as many visible and mental actions verbs you can think of in their
infinitive form. Try to use descriptive words instead of dull, overused words (e.g. to
scamper vs. to run).
Visible
Mental
 to scamper

 to ponder

Part 2a: Action verbs continued…
Not only may an action verb be a visible action verb or a mental action verb, but it
may also be either a transitive verb (VT) or intransitive verb (VI).
An action verb is transitive if the receiver of the action is named in the sentence.
(The receiver of the action is called the object of the verb. The object is always a
noun or a pronoun.)
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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Examples:
Sandy opened the window with great difficulty.
Tom chopped enough wood to last through February.
An action verb is intransitive if no receiver of the action is named in the sentence.
Examples:
My brother smiled.
The bus raced through the traffic light.
Exercise 3: Distinguishing between Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Part 1 Directions: Determine whether the action verb in each sentence is transitive
or intransitive. If the verb is transitive, double underline it and draw an arrow from
the verb to its object; if it’s intransitive, write VI above the verb.
1. Later in the evening, Beth wrote her entire essay by candlelight.
2. Lightning struck Town Hall.
3. The tiny kitten stepped daintily around the patches of mud.
4. The spider hovered near the top of the lamp.
5. Beulah and Betty talked for hours after lunch.
6. Burt used recycled paper to build his fort.
7. A pleasant dream about unicorns awoke her before dawn.
8. Lewis and Clark traveled along the banks of the river.
9. The train reached the station two hours late.
10. At noon the floodwaters spilled over the top of the barrier.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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Part 2 Directions: Each of the following verbs may be used either as a transitive or
intransitive verb. Use each of the verbs in two sentences of your own, once as a
transitive verb and once as an intransitive verb. Label your sentence transitive or
intransitive and double underline the verbs. Hint: Check to see that your transitive
verbs are really transitive by drawing arrows to their objects.
Example: Read
He read Never Cry Wolf in one sitting. Transitive
He read until bedtime.
Intransitive
1. Verb: Finish
2. Verb: Grow
3. Verb: Eat
Tips for distinguishing between transitive and intransitive verbs:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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Exercise 4: Review of Action Verbs
Part 1 Directions: Underline the subject(s) and double underline the main action
verb(s) in the following sentences. If the action verb is transitive, draw an arrow to
its object. If it’s intransitive, write VI above the verb.
1. The old woman struggled up the hill and pulled a grocery cart behind her.
2. Nathan edited his uncle’s memoirs of his lifetime as an acrobat.
3. At the beginning of the play, the entire cast jumps manically across the
stage.
4. Stella read quietly in the upstairs bedroom.
5. Much to the amusement of the onlookers, Tim danced to polka music.
6. We all ate heartily at the feast.
7. Although all of the Stephens sisters are talented, Virginia writes beautifully
and Vanessa paints magnificently.
8. Charles opened his lunch, examined the contents carefully, and devoured his
dessert.
9. This semester I studied the poems of Robert Lowell.
10. “Little Bo Peep lost her sheep, and doesn’t know where to find them.”
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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Part 3: Verb Tenses
The tense of a verb lets you know when the action (or state of being) took place
(yesterday, tomorrow, 10 years ago, right now, for the past two weeks, etc.). In
English, each verb has three parts: present, past, and past participle.
Examples:
Present
walk
ski
sing
eat
Past
walked
skied
sang
ate
Past Participle
walked
skied
sung
eaten
regular
irregular
The difference between the first two examples and the second two is that the first
two are regular, meaning they follow the rule of adding –ed to the verb to create
the past and past participle form of the verb. The second two are irregular,
meaning they don’t follow the rules.
Fill in the following chart and identify the verbs as either regular or irregular.
Present tense
speak
smile
take
bring
climb
Past tense
Past Participle
Ir/regular?
State of being verbs also have different tenses:
Present
have
be (am, is, are)
Past
had
was, were
Past Participle
had
been
Although verbs only have three parts, with the help of auxiliary verbs, or
_____________ verbs, we can create six different tenses:
 ______________________ expresses action that is happening at the present
time, or that happens continually or regularly.
At Summit, students learn fascinating information every day.
 ______________________ expresses action that is completed at a particular
time in the past.
Last week they learned about the wonders of the Roman Empire in history
class.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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 ______________________ expresses action that will take place in the future.
Next week students will learn about genetics in biology.
 ______________________ expresses action that began in the past but
continues in the present or is competed in the present.
Students have learned a great deal in all of their classes.
 ______________________ expresses action that began in the past and was
completed in the past.
Before this unit, the students had learned about Greek mythology.
 ______________________ expresses action that will begin in the future and
be completed by a specific time in the future
By the end of the year these students will have learned and grown so much,
they will hardly recognize their former selves.
Exercise 5: Identifying the tense of verbs
Directions: Identify the tense of the verbs in the following sentences using the terms
above.
____________ 1. It is so stormy today!
____________ 2.Colorado has weathered worse storms than this one.
____________ 3. Everyone had guessed that the snow storm would hit the mountains.
____________ 4. By this time tomorrow, the slopes will be packed with people.
____________ 5. Many people in Colorado enjoy skiing and snowboarding.
____________ 6. Earlier in the week, a few people bought enough food to last the
entire week.
____________ 7. Even when it’s warm and summery, people will remember how
beautiful the snow-frosted mountains looked.
Note: Remember to always use present tense when writing an analytical essay.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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Part 4: Linking Verbs
The second type of main verb is a linking verb. Linking verbs do not show action.
A linking verb connects a noun or pronoun at or near the beginning of a sentence
with a word at or near the end.
(Hint: Think of linking verbs acting as equal signs between the words they link.)
Examples:
The new chorus sounds even better than the old. (New chorus = better than the old)
Marie Curie was the winner of two Nobel Prizes. (Marie Curie = winner)
Your first choice should be the green sweater.
The noises from the empty house sound strange.
Edgar Allen Poe was for a short time a cadet at West Point.
The verb be is the most commonly used linking verb in English.
The Thirty Forms of Be
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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Other Linking Verbs
Exercise 7: Identifying Linking Verbs
Directions: Double underline the linking verb in each of the following sentences and
then draw a double-headed arrow connecting the words that are linked by the verb.
1. This family of actors had been successful on the stage before working in
movies.
2. Even after the most tumultuous arguments, we stay good friends.
3. The chili tastes delicious.
4. You might have been correct with your answer, but Hilda responded first.
5. Mark was for a brief moment a famous poet.
6. Although the speaker delivered a lucid discussion, he remained incredulous.
7. He appears quite happy at the moment.
Exercise 8: More Linking Verbs!
Part 1 Directions: Double underline the linking verb in each of the following
sentences and then draw a double-headed arrow connecting the words that are
linked by the verb.
1. That hot pink coat looks too small for you.
2. The apples I purchased yesterday taste bitter.
3. “I could have been a contender,” remarked Marlon Brando in On the
Waterfront.
4. They remained cheerful in spite of their hardships.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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5. The children were being very gentle with the newborn kittens.
6. She turned a peculiar shade of blue from the cold.
7. We will be the first customers to purchase the new book.
8. It has been a long and difficult day.
9. They appeared older after their terrifying ride on the roller coaster.
10. After years of serious study, Tom finally became a grammar guru.
Part 2 Directions: Use the following verbs as linking verbs in sentences. Double
underline the linking verb in each sentence and then draw a double-headed arrow
connecting the words that are linked by the verb. Write your complete sentences on
notebook paper.
Verbs:
will be
smell
appear
were
Action Verb or Linking Verb?
Most linking verbs other than be may be used as either an action verb or a linking
verb.
Examples:
The warm milk turned sour. (Linking)
She turned the handle and opened the door. (Action)
The suede jacket felt soft. (Linking)
Mary felt for the light switch but couldn’t find it in the dark. (Action)
Tip: To determine whether a verb is an action verb or a linking verb, substitute am,
is, or are for the verb. If the sentence still makes sense and if the new verb links a
word before it to a word after it, then the original verb is a linking verb.
Examples:
The breeze felt refreshing.
The breeze is refreshing.
(Makes sense; therefore it’s a linking verb.)
Henry felt the rough surface.
Henry is the rough surface.
(Doesn’t make sense; therefore it’s an action verb.)
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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He looked longingly at the cake.
_________________________
______________________________________________________________
“The cake looks delicious!” he exclaimed.
_________________
______________________________________________________________
She tasted the cake batter before pouring it into the pan.
______________________________________________________________
The cake stayed warm on the way to the birthday party.
______________________________________________________________
Exercise 9: Action or Linking Verb?
Directions: Double underline the verb in each of the following sentences and
determine if the verb is an action verb or a linking verb. If it’s an action verb, write
AV above the verb, and if it’s a linking verb, write LV above it.
1. His voice grew peculiar on the phone.
2. In their garden they grow tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots.
3. My mother’s pesto sauce always tastes slightly sweet.
4. Who can remember the seventh president of the United States?
5. Did you stay for the entire game Friday night?
6. Sarah appeared tired after running the Boston Marathon.
7. John looked for his missing Farewell to Manzanar book.
8. She is much taller than her sister.
Part 5: Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs)
Sometimes a verb is just a single word, but other times a verb may be made up of
two, three, or even four words. This kind of verb is called a verb phrase. Helping
verbs are added before another verb to make a verb phrase.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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Examples (notice how the helping verbs change the meaning of the verb read):
Read
Has read
Will have read
Could have been read
Is being read
Exercise 10: On a separate piece of paper, write a sentence using each of the verb
phrases above.
How to recognize helping verbs: The forms of the verb be are often used as helping
verbs (refer to pages 9-10 of this packet), and the following verbs are also used as
helping verbs:
do
have
can
will
does
has
could
would
did
had
shall
may
should
might
must
Exercise 11: Recognizing Verb Phrases
Directions: Double underline the complete verb phrase in each of the following
sentences. Do not include any words that separate the parts of the verb phrase.
1. Have you ever wanted to climb Mount Washington?
2. He had arranged for a taxi hours ago.
3. Do you know the meaning of imperturbable?
4. This food has not been eaten because it has started to rot.
5. We are hoping for more rain.
6. She had carefully completed all of her homework for the week.
7. My plants have not been watered in more than a week.
8. You should not even have attempted to make that complicated dessert.
Jessica Spangler, 2012. Adapted from Cynthia Kolanowski, 2007
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