Download Action and Linking Verbs

Verbs
What is a verb?
 A verb is a word that shows the action
or condition of a person, place, or thing.
 There are three main types of verbs:
action, linking, and helping.
 Today’s lesson is on ACTION VERBS.
Action Verbs
 An action verb tells what the subject does, did, or
will do. The action can be either VISIBLE (an action)
or MENTAL (a thought).
VISIBLE
Ex: The children play outside after school.
MENTAL
Ex: Our class hopes for the best this year.
Note: Action verbs are also called main verbs.
Action Verbs
Identify the action verb in each sentence. Is it
visible or mental.
 The crowd cheered at the football game.
 I felt grateful that my mom took me to the
mall.
 Amanda worried about her math test.
 We gave Mike a surprise birthday party.
 My cousin received an award for his
science project.
Action Verbs
Identify the action verb in each sentence.
 The students wrote letters to their friends.
 Naomi gives the class red pencils.
 Carmen sewed a quilt for her niece.
 Peter played the piano at the recital.
 The baby crawled across the floor.
Action Verbs are either
Transitive or Intransitive
Action verbs that have a direct object
are TRANSITIVE verbs.
Think of TRANSitive verbs
TRANSferring the action of the verb
from the subject to the object.
Mother baked cookies for the bake sale.
ACTION VERBS
Transitive Verbs and Direct Objects
TRANSITIVE verbs have direct objects.
Direct objects receive the action of the verb.
They answer the following questions:
Who received the action of the verb? Or
What received the action of the verb?
• I threw the ball.
• I threw what? The ball.
• Ball is the DO. It received the
action of being thrown.
ACTION VERBS
Transitive Verbs and Direct Objects
The following DOs answer the questions
what or whom received the action of the verb.
•
•
•
•
•
.
Shelly dropped her books.
The dog ate the hamburgers.
My mother read 8 books last summer.
I had the weirdest dream last night.
She loves Marcus even though he
sometimes annoys her.
ACTION VERBS
Indirect Objects answer the questions
For Whom or What?
To Whom or What?
Use the DO to ask these questions.
EX: James gave Shelly his notes.
James gave his notes to whom?
To Shelly. Shelly is the IO.
EX: Joseph tossed Jill the frisbee.
Joseph tossed the frisbee to whom?
To Jill. Jill is the IO.
Note: An indirect object (IO) can only appear in a
sentence that has a DO?
ACTION VERBS
Transitive Verbs and Indirect Objects
The following IOs answer the questions
to what or to whom.
• He gave his daughter his old phone.
• The mayor handed the winner a key to the
city.
• Harold’s mother tossed him another orange.
• The candidate gave the reporter a dirty look.
• My friend bought me lunch on Saturday.
ACTION VERBS
Transitive Verbs and Indirect Objects
• He gave his daughter his old phone.
• He gave the phone TO WHOM?
• The mayor handed the winner a key to the
city.
• He handed the key TO WHOM?
• Harold’s mother tossed him another orange.
• She tossed the orange TO WHOM?
• The candidate gave the reporter a dirty look.
• He gave a dirty look TO WHOM?
• My friend bought me lunch on Saturday.
• She bought lunch FOR WHOM?
ACTION VERBS
Intransitive Verbs are Action Verbs that DO NOT
have a direct object.
There are no DOs in the following sentences.
We arrived on time yesterday.
You cannot arrive something so this verb
is always intransitive.
The audience applauded for three minutes.
The audience applauded what? There is no
answer to that question in this sentence.
The verb APPLAUDED does not have a
direct object. So, it is an INTRANSITIVE
verb.
ACTION VERBS
Circle the action verbs in the following
sentences. If the verb is transitive,
underline the DO.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
It rained all night long.
They slept in the street.
The doctor advised me to exercise regularly.
We showed her the photo album.
I laughed until I cried.
Jo finally remembered her father’s birthday.
ACTION VERBS
Circle the action verbs in the following
sentences. If the verb is transitive,
underline the DO.
1. It rained
all night long.
2. They slept in the street.
3. The doctor advised me to exercise regularly.
4. We showed her the photo album.
5. I laughed until I cried.
6. Jo finally remembered her father’s birthday.
Linking Verbs
 A linking verb connects (or links) the subject
to a word that comes after the verb.
 The word that comes after the verb either
renames the subject or describes it.

Ex: Dogs are popular pets.
 Pets

refers to the subject dogs.
Ex: The fruit tastes delicious.

Delicious describes the subject fruit.
Linking Verbs
 All forms of the verb TO BE are linking
verbs.



AM IS ARE WAS WERE,
BECOME, APPEAR (to be) SEEM, GROW,
REMAIN, STAY
Sense verbs like LOOK, FEEL, TASTE,
SMELL SOUND
 If a verb can be replaced by a form of the
verb “seem” or “seem to be” then it is a
linking verb.
Linking Verbs
The words that follow the linking verb are called
PREDICATE NOUNS or PREDICATE
ADJECTIVES.
Obama became the President in 2009.
President is the predicate noun, renaming Obama.
The green apple tastes sour.
Sour is the predicate adjective, describing the apple.
Linking Verbs
Underline the subject, circle the linking
verb, and box the predicate word linked
to the subject.
An avocado is a fruit.
The flowers in the garden are beautiful.
The dance performance was amazing.
Jake is very handsome.
The singer seemed nervous.
The audience looked sympathetic.
Linking Verbs
Underline the subject, circle the linking
verb, and box the predicate word linked
to the subject.
An avocado is a fruit.
The flowers in the garden are beautiful.
The dance performance was amazing.
Jake is very handsome.
The singer seemed nervous.
The audience looked sympathetic.
Linking or Action?
1. The singer appeared on television.
2. The singer appeared nervous.
3. Your brother grew tall over the summer.
4. My uncle grew a beard last November.
5. The hound dog smelled the food even though we
wrapped it tightly.
6. The hound dog smelled terrible after he fell in
the retention pond.
Helping Verbs
 Helping verbs help or work with the main verb to
create a verb phrase. Helping verbs may also be
called auxiliary verbs.
 Ex: had, has, been, will, may, can, be, is, could,
have, am, was, might, must, are, do
 Ex: She will be leaving for New York soon.
Will be is the HELPING VERB. Leaving is the MAIN
VERB. Will be leaving is the VERB PHRASE.
Helping Verbs
Circle the entire verb phrase and underline
the helping verb or verbs.
 The band director is planning the fall
musical.
 They have lived next door for ten years.
 I might go to Six Flags tomorrow.
 Their coach is teaching them a new play.
Helping Verbs
Circle the entire verb phrase and underline the
helping verb or verbs.
 The band director is planning the fall musical.
 They have lived next door for ten years.
 I might go to Six Flags tomorrow.
 Their coach is teaching them a new play.
Helping, Action, or Linking
 The ball bounced off the backboard.
 Many gases are colorless and odorless.
 On Thanksgiving, we all enjoy a huge feast.
 Kate is employed at a school library.
 The apple pie smells good.
 Arnold will paint the door tomorrow.
 Everyone laughed at the funny movie.
 The king and queen were very nice.