Name __________________________
Nouns and Verbs Study Guide
I. Recognizing Nouns
A noun is a word that names a person, place, or thing. When a noun names an idea, it
names something that cannot be touched such as time, friendship, anger, or summer.
Underline the nouns in the following sentences.
1. A clever invention can save time for a person.
2. Our society has been changed by creativity.
3. Many years ago, people hunted for food.
4. Farmers began growing plants to eat.
II. Common and Proper Nouns
Some nouns name a particular person, place, or thing. These are call proper nouns. A
proper noun is always capitalized and may be made up of more than one word. Examples
of proper nouns are New Jersey, Statue of Liberty, July, or the Atlantic Ocean.
Underline the common nouns once and the proper nouns twice in the following
sentences.
1. Their friend, Ellen, wanted to be a reporter.
2. Francie wrote a story about a boy and his boat.
3. Karl took a picture of a new baby at Memorial Hospital.
4. The manager of the Eliot Hotel ordered one hundred papers.
III. Action Verbs
All verbs are used to express an action or state of being. An action tells what the subject
of the sentence does: walked, ran, wanted, or wondered are all action verbs.
Underline the action verbs in the following sentences.
1. Sometimes sand dollars float onto the beach.
2. Tiny spines and feet cover their bodies.
3. Sand dollars eat tiny plants.
4. They crawl through the sand.
IV. Main Verbs and Auxiliary Verbs
Sometimes several verbs together make a verb phrase. There is a main verb and one or
two auxiliary verbs (helping verbs) in a verb phrase. For example, in the sentence, The
door has been locked, the verb phrase is has been locked. The main verb is locked and
has been are the auxiliary verbs.
Underline the auxiliary verbs once and the main verb twice in the following sentences.
1. Lewis and Clark had met a Native American tribe.
2. The Rocky Mountains were crossed at last.
3. The trip through the mountains had taken one month.
4. Did the explorers return to St. Louis by 1860?
Don’t forget to study your list of Linking (Auxiliary Verbs) too!