Unit 3 Grammar Review

O’Neal Elementary

4th Grade

Verbs and Their Tenses

• An action verb tells what the subject does or did.

• A verb in the present-tense tells what happens now.

• The present-tense must have subject-verb agreement. Add (s) to most verbs if the subject is singular. DO NOT add (s) if the subject is plural or I or you.

Practice: Correct the Verb Tense

• The roadrunner race across the empty desert.

• A car speed down the road.

• They stares at the roadrunner

• Two hares hops out of the roadrunner’s way.

Mechanics: Quotation Marks

• Use quotation marks at the beginning and end of a speaker’s exact words.

• Begin a quotation with a capital letter.• Do not use quotation marks when you do not use the

speaker’s exact words.

1. Roberto asked me, have you ever seen a rattlesnake?2. no, I never have, I answered.3. roberto told me that rattlesnakes are his favorite

animal.4. Our science teacher said, rattlesnakes are related to

lizards.

Past-Tense Verbs• A verb in the past tense tells about an action that has already

happened.• Add ed to most verbs to show past tense.• If a verb ends with e, drop the e and add ed.• If a verb ends with a consonant and y, change y to i and ad ed.• If a verb ends with one vowel and one consonant, double the

consonant and add ed.

1. We ____________(celebrate) Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in January.

2. People __________(stay) home from school for the holiday.3. We _________(prepare) a program of events about Dr. King.4. James ________(play) the lead in the show.5. He _________(beg) his Aunt to come to the play.

Verb Tense: Future

• A verb in the future tense tells about an action that is going to happen.

• To write about the future, use the special verb will.

• Change the verb to the future tense.

1. The students work in pairs.

2. All of the classes go to the library.

3. Sally and Fran learn about their rights.

Main Verb and Helping Verb• The main verb in a sentence shows what the subject does or is.• A helping verb helps the main verb show an action or make a

statement.• Have, has, had, is, are, am, was, were, and will are helping verbs.• Is, are, am, was, and were can be used with a main verb ending in

ing. A verb in the past tense tells about an action that has already happened.

• Will is a helping verb used to show an action in the future.

*Draw one line under each helping verb. Draw two lines under each main verb.

1. Gidget always has liked to help others.2. Next year, she will volunteer at the homeless shelter.3. She is starting her own group.4. I am thinking of joining the group.

Contractions

• A contraction is a shortened form of two words.• A contraction can be made by combining certain

verbs with the word not.• An apostrophe (‘) shows that the letter o has

been left out.• Examples of contractions: is + not = isn’t, did +

not = didn’t • has not is not does not• are not should not have not

Linking Verbs

• A linking verb does not show action. It connects the subject to the rest of the sentence.

• Is, are, am, was, and were are often used as linking verbs.

1. The story we read (was, were) Mystic Horse.

2. It (is, are) about the Native Americans.3. The stories (is, are) fascinating to me.

Mechanics: Colon/Parentheses

• In a play, use a colon(:) between each character’s name and his or her words.

• Do not use quotation marks around dialogue in a play.

• Start a new line each time a new character is speaking.

• Use parentheses () around stage directions

Irregular Verbs

• An irregular verb is a verb that does not add ed to form the past tense.

1. The snow begin ________ to fall.

2. An icicle break _________ off the roof.

3. I find _______ the icicle on the ground.

4. John draw _______ a picture of a frozen pond.