……….VERBS…….
Verbs are words that show physical or mental actions.
Charlie ate his supper. (physical action)
Jamie threw the softball 75 mph. (physical action)
I imagined the whole thing. (mental action)
She dreamed about her perfect wedding day. (mental action)
If you are unsure if a word is a verb ask yourself “Can I do that?”
John calculates all his answers to the math test in his head.
Can I calculate something? Yes, therefore calculate is a verb.
Jesse was angry at her friends’ actions.
Can I angry something?
No, therefore angry is not a verb.
Angry is an adjective modifying Jesse.
Verbs can link a subject to an adjective; hence, these verbs are called linking verbs.
Jennie is so happy about her math score.
Sammy was terrified about his speech performance.
They were disgusted by his words, and moreover, his actions.
Shakespearo’s magical word reminds of the 5 most commonly used LINKING VERBS.
What was Shakespearo’s magical word?
“AMISAREWASWERE”
AM - IS - ARE - WAS - WERE
Therefore, verbs are words that show physical or mental actions, or they show a “state of
being”.
Sometimes there is more than one verb in a sentence.
Students must be searching to find all the verbs in a sentence.
Must Be are helping verbs, and Searching is the main verb. Together they form the verb
phrase must be searching.
There are 23 helping verbs to remember.
Remember Chad B. Swim, the heroic swim instructor who died helping others at the
early age of 23.
C
H
A D
Can
has am do
Could have are does
had
did
B.
be
being
been
S
shall
should
W
I
was is
were
will
would
M
may
must
might
Look at the sentence again.
Students must be searching to find all the verbs in a sentence.
What part of speech is the phrase “to find”?
An Infinitive.
RULE: Infinitive phrases are never the verb in a sentence.
They ONLY NAME an action in the sentence,
they ARE NOT the action the subject is doing in the sentence.
RULE: Not is Never a Verb.
The words NOT and NEVER will never be the verbs in a sentence.. They are adverbs
modifying the verb (action word) in a sentence.
I can not see the finish line.
Can see is the verb phrase, and NOT is an adverb describing to what extent the person
can see.
I can’t see the finish line.
Even though the contraction ’t is not fully written out
and even though the contraction is connected to the helping verb can
remember the rule: Not (or in this case, the contraction ’t) is not a part of the verb phrase.
Underline the verbs in the following sentences.
Julie wasn’t ready for her swimming test.
Frank will not be eating his lunch this hour.
She never said that statement in class.
A TRICKY WORD
The GERUND.
IT LOOKS LIKE A VERB,
(writing, reading, talking, swimming, eating, yelling)
BUT IN A SENTENCE IT IS USED LIKE A NOUN.
Writing is a very important skill to know.
Tom likes reading better than writing.
Swimming is a great exercise.
Eating must be controlled to stay healthy.
Mr. Kocon will not tolerate yelling in the classroom.
When is WRITING a verb?
…when WRITING is used as a verb in the sentence.
This happens when WRITING is used with the helping verb “be” or any form of the verb
“be”.
I will be writing my essay today.
I could be writing for hours.
John is writing his essay now.
Alexis could have been writing her essay, but she was talking on the phone for hours to
her friend Alyssa, who was not writing her essay either.