Verbs

Unit 10

Action Verbs

• There are two main kinds of verbs: action verbs and linking verbs.

• An action verb names an action. It may contain more than one word.

Action Verbs

• There are two different kinds of action verbs: physical and mental.

• Smith catches the ball. (catches shows a physical action)• Smith shares his sandwich. (shares shows a physical

action)• Smith imagines great things. (imagines shows a mental

action)• Smith thinks about the problem. (thinks shows a mental

action)

Action Verbs and Direct Objects

• A direct object receives the action of a verb. It answers the question whom? or what? After an action.

Sightseers paid the fees.• Note: If a preposition follows the verb, there is

no direct object.

Anthropologists explore for evidence of early peoples.

Action Verbs and Indirect Objects

• An indirect object answers the question to whom? or for whom? the action was done.

Sightseers paid the guides fees.

Action Verbs and Indirect Objects

• Indirect objects appear only in sentences that have a direct object.

• The indirect object always comes before the direct object.

• The floodwaters of the Nile gave farmers rich soil.

• If you add the word to or for in front of the indirect object, the sentence will still make sense.

• Rachel bought her friends post cards.

• Rachel bought (FOR) her friends.

Linking Verbs

• A verb that doesn’t express an action, but helps to complete the statement about the subject by describing it or identifying it is called a linking verb. – Diane is happy.– Joy feels feverish.–Maria is a doctor.– The music sounds good.

Linking Verbs

Common Linking Verbs

become, seem, appear, feel, grow, turn

look, prove, remain, taste, smell, sound

&

“BE” Verbs

am, is, are, was, were,

be, being, been

Linking Verbs VS Action Verbs

• Some linking verbs can function as action verbs.

• If you can substitute the verb with am, is, or are, you are dealing with a linking verb.– The dog smelled the man’s boot. (action)• The dog is the man’s boot.

– The dog smelled bad. (linking)• The dog is bad.

Linking Verbs VS Action Verbs

• Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew.• The squid eyeball stew tasted good.

• I smell the delicious aroma of a mushroom and papaya pizza baking in the oven.

• The mushroom and papaya pizza smells heavenly.

Linking Verbs VS Action Verbs

• When my dog Oreo felt the wet grass beneath her paws, she bolted up the stairs and curled up on the couch.

• My dog Oreo feels depressed after seven straight days of rain.

• Swooping out of the clear blue sky, the blue jay appeared on the branch.

• The blue jay appeared happy to see the bird feeder.

Predicate Words

• A predicate noun is a noun that follows a linking verb and tells what the subject is.– Zambia is a country.

• A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and tells what the subject is like– Zambia is scenic.

Predicate Words

• Some farmers appear content with their lives.

• A common food in Zambia is corn porridge.

• Zambia is a land of farmers and miners.

• Some languages seem unfamiliar to a nearby group.

Verb Tenses

• A verb changes its form to show tense and to agree with its subject. The tense of a verb tells when an action takes place.

• There are 3 kinds of verb tenses:– past tense– present tense– future tense

Verb Tenses

• The past tense of a verb names an action that already happened.– Form the past tense of most verbs by adding –ed to

the base form of the verb.• Larry and his friend watched a movie.• Egyptians buried their treasure underground.• I walked to school this morning.

Verb Tenses

• The present tense of a verb names an action that happens regularly. It can also express a general truth.– The present tense is usually the same as the base

form of the verb. • I visit the park.• She visits the park.• They visit the park

Verb Tenses

• The future tense of a verb names an action that will take place in the future.– Form the future tense by adding the helping verb

will or shall to the base form of the verb.• Someday he and his parents will travel to Florida.• Tomorrow I shall study for my test.

Main Verbs and Helping Verbs

• A helping verb is a verb that helps the main verb tell about an action or make a statement.– The most common helping verbs are forms of be

and have.

Main Verbs and Helping Verbs

Forms of Be

am, is, are (Present)

was, were (Past)

Forms of Have

have, has (Present)

have, had (Past)

Main Verbs and Helping Verbs

• A verb phrase consists of one or more helping verbs followed by a main verb.– A verb phrase is made up of the helping verb and

the past or present participle of a main verb

Principal Parts of Verbs

• Verbs have four principal parts– Base Form (present tense)

• I learn.

– Present Participle (helping verb be in front of present tense form of the main verb)• I am learning.

– Past Form (past tense)• I learned.

– Past Participle (helping verb have in front of past tense form of the main verb )• I have learned.

Present and Past Progressive Forms

• The present tense of a verb names an action that occurs regularly. The present progressive form of a verb tells about an action that is continuing right now.

Present and Past Progressive Forms

–The present progressive form or a verb consists of the present participle of the main verb and the helping verb am, are, or, is• The children are listening to a story.• I am singing.• She is complaining about the weather.

Present and Past Progressive Forms

• The past tense of a verb describes an action that was started and completed in the past. The past progressive form of a verb names an action that continued for some time in the past.

Present and Past Progressive Forms

• The past progressive form of a verb consists of the present participle of the main verb and the helping verb was or were.– The women were singing a folk song– She was dancing to the music.– You were watching television last night.

Present and Past Progressive Forms

• To sum up, if you see the helping verb am, is, or are, the present tense verb is in the present progressive form.

• If you see the helping verb was or were, the present tense verb is in the past progressive form.

Perfect Tenses

• The present perfect tense of a verb tells about something that happened at an indefinite time in the past. It also tells about an action that happened in the past and is still happening now.

Perfect Tenses

• The present perfect tense of a verb consists of the helping verb have or has followed by the past participle of the main verb.– I have collected.– You have performed.– She has created.

Perfect Tenses

• The past perfect tense of a verb names an action that happened before another action or event in the past.

Perfect Tenses

• The past perfect tense of a verb consists of the helping verb had and the past participle of the main verb.– I had started.– They had played.– She had moved.

Perfect Tenses

• To sum up, if you see the helping verb have or has, the past tense verb is in the present perfect tense form.

• If you see the helping verb had, the past tense verb is in the past perfect tense form.