Download Types of Verbs

Understanding Verbs
Created 8/2011
A verb is often defined as a word describing an action or a state of being.
Buffy St. Marie composes and sings songs. Action verb
The brown recluse spider is highly poisonous. State of being
Verbs that describe states of being usually assert that something is or exists
Or they describe something’s condition. The most frequently used verbs that
Describe a state of being are am, are, is, was and were.
Sentences can contain both action verbs and state of being verbs.
Write the following sentences, underlining the verbs. (A
sentence can have more than one verb.)
Example:
The explosion of Mount St. Helens scattered volcanic ash over
Four states and halted tourism for several weeks.
Answer:
The explosion of Mount St. Helens scattered volcanic ash over
Four states and halted tourism for several weeks.
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atwere
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4. In World
War I British sailors rescued a fox terrier from the wreckage of a German ship;
4.
In World War I British sailors rescued a fox terrier from the wreckage of a German ship; the dog
the
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are
words
or
read
exactly the same forward and backward;
became
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British
an
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palindrome
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area words
or sentences
that
theI saw?”
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a palindrome
is “Wasaitnumber
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I saw?”
7. Comedian
Wilson created
memorable
characters; my favorites were
6.
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that Reverend
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“Lord
Invader.”
3.2.
Calpso music swings and sparkles, and one of its composers was the famous Rupert Grant, who
9. Sequoya
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9.
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American
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Indian syllabary.
10.
The comic Strip “Pogo” contained many amusing characters, but the one with the most unusual
name was the bloodhound who was called “Beauregard Chaulmoogra Frontenad de
Montmingle
Bugleboy”a name like
that,
it is no wonder
he always
looked
10. The
comic Strip
“Pogo”with
contained
many
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characters,
but the
onebewildered
with the and
sad. unusual name was the bloodhound who was called “Beauregard Chaulmoogra
most
8.
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looked bewildered and sad.
There are four classes of verbs: action, linking, main, and helping verbs.
Action verbs describe physical or mental activity.
Most action verbs show some kind of physical movement, but some describe
Mental or emotional activity that cannot be seen by others.
Example:
The horses thundered around the curve. (Physical action)
Marsha believed the story.
(Mental action)
Linking verbs join the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that
Identifies or describes it.
Linking verbs join the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that Identifies or
describes it.
Example:
Her name is Lana Valdez.
Is Is a linking verb because it links the subject, name, with a proper noun that
identifies the name.
The record sounded scratchy.
(Sounded is a linking verb because it links the subject, record with the adjective,
scratchy.)
The most commonly used linking verbs are forms of the verb be: am, are, is, was,
were, been, and being. Other verbs may also be used as linking verbs.
Appear
become
feel
grow
Look
remain
seem
smell
sound
stay
taste
turn
Verbs in the preceding list may be either action or linking verbs, depending on
Their use in the sentence.
The puppies looked frightened.
(Looked is a linking verb in this sentence because it links the subject, puppies, to an
Adjective describing them: frightened.)
The puppies looked at the lizard with curiosity.
(Looked is an action verb in this sentence because it does not link the subject puppies to a
Word that describes or identifies it; rather, it names an action of the puppies.
Verbs may be either single words or verb phrases. Verb phrases consist of two or
More verbs acting as a single unit. The last verb in the verb phrase is called the main
Verb. The other verbs in the verb phrase are called helping verbs or auxiliary verbs.
List of common helping verbs
is
are
was
were
am
do
does
did
can
could
should
would
have
has
had
been
be
shall
will
might
may
Examples:
We are going to Montana this summer.
The baby-sitter thought the children should have been asleep hours ago.
We will be playing Tech High in the semifinals.
Sometimes, a main verb is separated from its helping verb or verbs by other
Words, such as always, ever, never, not or the contraction n’t. Such modifiers
Are not part of the verb phrase. In questions another word may occur between
Parts of the verb phrase.
Have you seen Sheila’s tennis racket?
Mr. Whitewater has always lived in South Dakota.
The lost watch may never be found.
In some sentences a helping verb may be contracted:
She’ll be coming around the mountain.
She’ll is a contraction of she will.
Johnson has the ball; he’s running past the ten-yard line.
He’s is a contraction of he is.
Write the following sentences, underlining the verb phrases. (Be careful not to
Underline any other words that may modify the verb phrase or that occur between
Its parts.)
A. A single drop of water may contain 50 million bacteria cells.
A single drop of water may contain 50 million bacteria cells.
B. Saturn’s rings are not always seen, due to the planet’s tipping.
Saturn’s rings are not always seen, due to the planet’s tipping.
Write the following sentences, underlining the verb phrases. (Be careful not to
Underline any other words that may modify the verb phrase or that occur between
Its parts.)
Could exit
Planet life could not exist without lightning.
Nitrogen is required by plants.
Is required
Earth’s atmosphere is formed of almost 80 percent nitrogen. Is formed
This nitrogen, however, is in a form that plants can’t use; it is insoluble.
Can’t use
Is accompanied
Lightning is always accompanied by intense
heat.
High temperatures will force nitrogen to combine with oxygen.
Will force
Nitrogen oxides are formed by the lightning; these oxides can be
Are formed and can be dissolved
dissolved in water.
8. The nitrogen oxides are mixed with rain, and a dilute
nitric acid
is formed
formed.
Are mixed
and is
9. This acid is mixed with minerals in the earth and becomes the nitrates
Is mixed and must have
that the plants must have to live.
10. If electrical storms did not occur, the world’s vegetation would most
certainly perish, and the world would become an unlivable desert.
Did occur, would perish, would become
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.