Week 7-11 VERBS

A VERB is the main word in the predicate. There are several kinds of verbs.

ACTION VERBS show what the subjects does, did or feels.

Physical action: The students helped the scientists.

Mental action: Rita likes the car.

Physical action: The dog ran to the house.

Mental action: They hope for rain.

BEING VERBS express a state of being.

Burt is a good gardener.

One swan looks angry.

The boys are hungry.

WHAT IS A VERB (W1)

A being verb often acts as a LINKING VERB. Linking verbs link, or connect, the subject with a noun or an adjective in the predicate that names or

describes the subject. Peanut is a toad.

Peanut is tiny. The gardener felt tired.

To help decide if a verb is a linking verb, substitute is or are and if the

sentence still makes sense it is probably a linking verb. The pigeons look comical. The pigeons are comical. (linking verb)

The squirrel smells its food. The squirrel is its food. (not a linking verb)

You can think of a linking verb as an equals sign.

LINKING VERBS (W1)

The MAIN VERB is the most important verb in a sentence. It expresses action or being.

Bill Moore has arrived home.

Alberto is training for a marathon.

His coach will help him next week.

The door has been locked.

Soon she will have been running for an hour.

MAIN VERB (W1)

The HELPING VERB works with the main verb, but it does not show action. It helps complete the meaning of the main verb. You can have more that one

helping verb in a sentence

Bill Moore has arrived home.

Alberto is training for a marathon.

His coach will help him next week.

The door has been locked.

Soon she will have been running for an hour.

HELPING VERB (W1)

be am is are was were been has have had does do did can could

shall should will would might may

COMMON HELPING VERBS (W1)

One or more helping verbs and a main verb together form a VERB PHRASE.

Bill Moore (has arrived) home.

Alberto (is training) for a marathon.

Soon she (will have been running) for an hour.

Sometimes a verb phrase is interrupted by other words.

I can not learn this skill.

I can’t go to the store.

Questions are often formed using helping verbs.

Will the show start early? The show will start early.

VERB PHRASES (W1)

The DIRECT OBJECT is a word in the predicate that receives the action of the verb. To find the direct object, find the verb and ask who or what receives

the action. The direct object can be a noun or a pronoun.

The guide helped Maria. Who was helped? Maria

Luke had studied fossils. What was studied? fossils.

Fran and I visited a museum of science. What was visited? Museum

The INDIRECT OBJECT tells to whom, for whom, to what, or for what the action of the verb is done.

The boss sent Bob a letter.

DO = What was sent? A letter. IO = To whom was it sent? To Bob.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS (W1)

A verb tells when something happens. The TENSE of a verb lets you know whether something happens in the present, in the past, or in the future.

There are three SIMPLE TENSES: Present, Past, and Future

To form tenses of verbs, you use PRINCIPAL PARTS that follow a pattern.

1)  The first part is the BASE FORM of the verb: jump

2)  The second part is the PARTICIPLE

1)  Present participle add –ing to the base from: jumping

2)  Past participle add –ed or –d to the base form: jumped

SIMPLE TENSES (W1)

Rules for forming the present tense:

1.  Add –s for most verbs

run – runs

1.  Add –es for verbs that end in s, x, z, ch, or sh

watch – watches

1.  Change the –y to –I and add –es for verbs that end in a consonant y

cry – cries

1.  When the subject is plural, don’t change the form of the verb

hurry - hurry

PRESENT TENSE (W1)

Rules for forming the past tense:

1.  Add –ed for most verbs

talk – talked

1.  Double the consonant and add –ed for short verbs that end in a consonant

bat – batted

1.  Drop the –e and add –ed for verbs that end in –e

hope – hoped

1.  Change the –y to –i and add –ed for verbs that end in a consonant y

hurry - hurried

PAST TENSE (W1)

Rules for forming the future tense:

Use the basic from of the verb with the helping verb will or shall

hop – will hop

fly – shall fly

FUTURE TENSE (W1)

A TRANSITIVE VERB is an action verb that sends its action to a noun in the predicate (the direct object). The students speak French.

The crowd cheered the batter.

An INTRANSITIVE VERB has no direct object. Linking verbs are always intransitive.

They speak well. People cheered wildly.

To tell if it’s transitive ask whom or what after the verb.

Spoke what or who? Spoke French. Cheered what or who? Cheered the batter.

TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS (W2)

There are three PERFECT TENSES just as there are three simple tenses.

The helping verb shows the tense.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE:

Dr. Bob has conducted the research.

PAST PERFECT TENSE:

Dr. Bob had conducted the research before the end of the year.

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE:

Dr. Bob will have conducted the research.

PERFECT TENSES (W2)

The subject and the verb of a sentence must agree. They must both be singular or plural.

Singular Subject: Add an –s to the verb.

A computer helps people. It solves problems.

Plural Subject or I/you: Don’t add anything to the verb.

Computers help people. They solve problems.

SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT (W2)

A noun that renames the subject is called the PREDICATE NOUN.

Direct Object: This book describes funny creatures. (does not describe or modify)

Predicate Noun: The Hobbit is its title.

An adjective that follows a linking verb and describes, or modifies, the subject is called a PREDICATE ADJECTIVE.

Predicate Adjective: The story sounds wonderful.

PREDICATE NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES (W2)

These are verb phrases that express action IN PROGRESS. They are called PROGRESSIVE FORMS. There is a progressive form for all six tenses.

Present Progressive: We are studying plants in school now.

Past Progressive: We were studying plants when the bell rings.

Future Progressive: We will be studying plants again tomorrow.

Present Perfect Progressive: We have been studying plants for several days.

Past Prefect Progressive: We had been studying plants for only a days when we went on our field trip.

Future Perfect Progressive: We will have been studying plants for weeks by the time our project was due.

PROGRESSIVE FORMS (W2)

The verbs be and have change to agree with the subject in a sentence.

THE VERB BE, HAVE AND DO (W2)

Subject To Be Have Do

Singular: I You He, She, It (or singular noun)

am are is

was were was

have have has

had had had

do do does

did did did

Plural: We You They (or plural noun)

are are are

were were were

have have have

had had had

do do do

did did did

Verbs that do not add –ed to show past action are called IRREGULAR VERBS.

begin, began, (has, have, had) begun

break, broke, (has, have, had) broken

say, said, (has, have, had) said

throw, threw, (has, have, had) thrown

sing, sang, (has, have, had) sung

There are many more.

IRREGULAR VERBS (W2)

When you join a verb with the word not you can shorten it with a contraction. An apostrophe (‘) takes the place of the o in the word not.

is not – isn’t

are not – aren’t

was not – wasn’t

will not – won’t

were not – weren’t

do not – don’t

did not – didn’t

can not – can’t

have not – haven’t

CONTRACTIONS WITH NOT (W2)

When you join could, would, should, and must with the word have you can shorten it with a contraction. An apostrophe (‘) takes the place of the ha in

the word have.

could have – could’ve

should have – should’ve

would have – would’ve

must have – must’ve

It is NOT written – must of seen

It IS written – must’ve seen

As is: You must’ve seen the car before it hit you.

CONTRACTIONS WITH HAVE (W3)

VERB CONFUSIONS (W3)

Verb Meaning Example

teach learn

to give instruction to receive instruction

He will teach us history. We will learn about Rome.

let leave

to permit to go away from or let remain

Let Kevin go with us. We will leave tomorrow.

sit set

to rest to place or put

I will sit in the chair. Set the book on the table.

can may

to be able. to be allowed

I can ride my bike well. May I go to the park?

lie lay

to rest or recline to put or place an object

I lie on the blanket. I lay the book on the table

rise raise

to get up or go up to move something up, to grow

We rise early. They raise their hand.

VERB CONFUSIONS CONT. (W3)

Verb Meaning Example

lend borrow loan

to give temporarily to take temporarily something that is lent

Will you lend me your boots? May I borrow them for a hike? These works are a loan to our museum.

bring take

to carry toward the speaker to carry away from the speaker

Pam brought me a postcard. She will take me to the museum.

affect effect

to influence the result of an action

The new law will affect many people. The effect should be felt in time.

accept except

to receive willingly excluding, other than

Congress accepted the proposal All except the last item passed.

When the subject is the doer of the action, the verb is in the ACTIVE VOICE. An active verb sends its action forward to the object.

Zebras surround the bus.

When the subject receives the action, the verb is in the PASSIVE VOICE. A passive verb sends its action back to the subject.

The bus was surrounded by zebras.

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE (W4)

Sentences that begin with all or part of the predicate rather than the subject are in INVERTED ORDER.

Here is the science museum.

There are so many exhibits.

In this room is a space capsule.

Up stairs are cars of the future.

Where is the fossil exhibit?

Are the dinosaurs shown here?

INVERTED ORDER (W4)

A sentence is in INTERRUPTED ORDER when other words come between the subject and verb.

Often exhibits on only on subject fill an entire museum.

A guide to a museum exhibit is in the library.

INTERRUPTED ORDER (W4)

A COLLECTIVE NOUN names a group acting as a single unit.

Usually you use a singular verb with a collective noun.

The team is playing.

My family is going.

If you are referring to all the individuals in the group you use a plural verb.

The team are putting on their helmets.

My family are all going to different places this summer.

COLLECTIVE NOUNS (W4)

Terms that refer to amounts such as money, time, weight, measurement, or fractions are usually singular when thought of as a single unit.

Ten dollars is too much to spend.

Ten quarters are divided among six cups.

When terms refer to amounts are thought of as separate items or units, they are plural.

Twelve years seems like a long time.

Those twelve years are each important ones.

NOUNS OF AMOUNT (W4)