Download action verb

SYLLABUS 9/30/15-12/2/15
VERBS
1.
CATEGORIES OF VERBS
Verbs fall into three categories:
action, helping, and linking.
ACTION VERBS
Definition: Action verbs name a physical or mental (abstract)
action.
Cats meow loudly. (physical)
Trucks speed down the highway. (physical)
Waves crash on the shore. (physical)
Students learn new material. (abstract)
Action verbs can be transitive or intransitive. Transitive
action verbs "transfer" their action to a direct object.
Intransitive action verbs have nothing to "transfer" their
action to.
The actress wiped the tears from her eyes. (transitive Wiped what? Wiped tears.)
The windshield wipers moved across the
windshield. (intransitive - Wiped what? Nothing.)
Practice: what are the action verbs?
When you ride your jetski, always wear your life jacket.
If you cook that chicken, please thaw it first.
When I watch movies, I always eat popcorn.
I used my new camera when I took those pictures.
The principal walked into the classroom, sat in the back row,
and observed the class.
The fire burned in the fireplace as the children ate
marshmallows.
My little cousin often pretends that she understands what our
dog says.
My sister jumped into the pool and splashed water all over
the dry towels.
On Saturdays we cook tacos and eat them while we watch
T-V.
MORE ON TRANSITIVE VERSUS INTRANSATIVE ACTION
VERBS AND DIRECT OBJECTS
TRANSITIVE VERBS
A transitive verb has two characteristics. First, it is an action
verb, expressing a an activity that someone or something
does. Here are some examples: kick, want, paint, write,
eat, clean.
Second, a transitive verb must have a direct object. A
direct object is something or someone who receives the
action of the verb.
Here are some examples of transitive verbs:
Sylvia kicked Juan under the table.
Kicked = transitive verb; Juan = direct object.
Joshua wants a smile from Sally.
Wants = transitive verb; smile = direct object.
Sam painted the canvas in Jackson Pollock fashion,
adding bright colors from a heavily soaked brush.
Painted = transitive verb; canvas = direct object.
Alice wrote a love poem on a restaurant napkin.
Wrote = transitive verb; poem = direct object.
Antonio eats lima beans soaked in brown gravy.
Eats = transitive verb; lima beans = direct object.
Pinky the poodle cleans the dirty supper dishes with his
tongue before Grandma loads the "prewashed" items
into dishwasher.
Cleans, loads = transitive verbs; dishes, items =
direct objects.
Important note: When no direct object follows an action
verb, the verb is intransitive.
DIRECT OBJECTS
A direct object follows a transitive verb [a type of action
verb]. Direct objects can be nouns, pronouns, phrases,
or clauses.
If you can identify the subject and verb in a sentence, then
finding the direct object—if one exists—is easy. Just
remember this simple formula:
Subject + Verb + what? or who? = Direct Object
Here are examples of the formula in action:
Zippy and Maurice played soccer with a grapefruit
pulled from a backyard tree.
Zippy, Maurice = subjects; played = verb. Zippy
and Maurice played what? Soccer = direct object.
Zippy played soccer with Maurice.
Zippy = subject; played = verb. Zippy
played what? Soccer = direct object.
Zippy accidentally kicked Maurice in the shin.
Zippy = subject; kicked = verb. Zippy kicked who
(or what)? Maurice = direct object.
Zippy accidentally kicked him in the shin.
Zippy = subject; kicked = verb. Zippy
kicked who? Him = direct object.
Sometimes direct objects are single words
like soccer and Maurice; other times they are phrases
or clauses. The formula nevertheless works the same.
Tom hates biting his fingernails.
Tom = subject; hates = verb. Tom
hates what? Biting his fingernails [a gerund
phrase] = direct object.
Sally hates when Mom lectures her about hand care.
Sally = subject; hates = verb. Sally
hates what? When Mom lectures her about
hand care [a subordinate clause] = direct object.
INTRANSITIVE VERBS
An intransitive verb has two characteristics. First, it is
an action verb, expressing a doable activity like
arrive, go, lie, sneeze, sit, die, etc. Second, unlike
a transitive verb, it will not have a direct object receiving
the action.
Here are some examples of intransitive verbs:
We arrived at the classroom door with only seven
seconds to spare.
Arrived = intransitive verb.
James went to the campus cafe for a bowl of stew.
Went = intransitive verb.
To escape the midday sun, the cats lie in the shade
under our car.
Lie = intransitive verb.
Sheryl sneezes with violence when she is around black
pepper.
Sneezes = intransitive verb.
Glenda sits on the front porch in the evenings to
admire her beautiful lawn.
Sits = intransitive verb.
The beetle that Clara soaked with poison died under
the refrigerator.
Died = intransitive verb.
REALIZE THAT MANY VERBS CAN BE BOTH
TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE.
An action verb with a direct object is transitive while an
action verb with no direct object is intransitive. Some verbs,
such as arrive, go, lie, sneeze, sit, and die, are always
intransitive; it is impossible for a direct object to follow.
Other action verbs, however, can be transitive or intransitive,
depending on what follows in the sentence. Compare these
examples:
Rosa always eats before leaving for school.
Eats = intransitive verb.
Rosa usually eats whole-grain cereal if there is no
leftover pizza.
Eats = transitive verb; cereal = direct object.
During cross-country practice, Damien runs over hills,
through fields, across the river, and along the highway.
Runs = intransitive verb.
Damien ran his first marathon yesterday.
Ran = transitive verb; marathon = direct object.
HELPING VERBS.
Definition:
The second verb category is helping verbs, sometimes
called auxiliary verbs. Helping verbs help the main verb
show tense or possibility.
Helping verbs + main verbs = verb phrases. The main verb
is always the last verb in the phrase.
The three most common helping verbs are:
1. to be: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
These are used in progressive tenses and passive voice
verbs.
Definition of progressive tense: a verb tense that is used to
refer to an action or a state that is continuing to happen.
A progressive verb form in English consists of a form of
the verb “to be” followed by the main verb's present
participle.
Definition of present participle: the form of the main verb
ending in “ing”.
I am writing a full sentence.
I was writing a full sentence.
I am working in the garden.
I was working in the garden when you called me.
A participle (past or present) is a verb form used with an
second verb like to be or to have to indicate tense, aspect,
or voice, as the past participle baked in this passive
sentence:
The beans were baked too long.
A participle can also be used as an adjective, even though it
is a verb form:
The baked beans tasted very good.
Definition of passive tense or passive voice: The voice of a
verb refers to the form of the verb used in relation to what
the subject is doing.
In English there are only two voices-- passive and active.
The passive voice of a verb simply means the form of the
verb used when the subject is being acted upon rather than
doing something.
The passive voice is formed by taking the appropriate tense
of the verb “to be” and adding the past participle.
Past participle: the form of the main verb often (but not
always) ending in “ed”, the same as the simple past tense.
(A participle is a verb form.)
The project was reviewed by the committee.
The sentence was written by me.
The active versions of these sentences:
The committee reviewed the project.
I wrote the sentence.
Writing style pointer:
In most writing, use the active voice. It is more direct and
less ambiguous.
The passive should be used only if the person doing the
action is unknown or unimportant, or if more emphasis is
put on the receiver of the action than the doer.
Doer unknown: His car was stolen last week.
Doer unimportant: The bells were rung to
announce the wedding.
Emphasize receiver: Tony was hit by the baseball.
2.
to have: have, has, had, having
These are used in perfect tenses.
Definition of Perfect Tenses
The three perfect tenses (past, present, and future) which
show action already completed. (The verb to perfect literally
means "made complete" or "completely done.")
The perfect tenses are formed by the appropriate tense of
the verb to have plus the past participle of the verb.
Present Perfect: I have seen it. (Present tense of to
have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to
the present.)
Past Perfect: I had seen it. (Past tense of to have plus
participle. Action is completed with respect to the past.)
Future Perfect: I will have seen it. (Future tense of to
have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to
the future.)
3.
to do: do, does, did, doing, done
These are emphatic verbs. They don't change tense. They
just emphasize the main verb.
I do know your uncle.
4.
Conditional Verbs: could, should, would, can, shall,
will, may, might, must
These express possibility, obligation, permission, ability,
necessity, and intention.
I could play basketball. (It is a possibility that I will be
able to.)
I should play basketball. (I have an obligation to do it.)
I would play basketball. (It is a possibility under certain
conditions.)
I can play basketball. (I am able to do it.)
I will play basketball. (It is my intention in the future.)
I may play basketball. (I have permission to do it, or it is
a possibility.)
I might play basketball. (It is a possibility.)
I must play basketball. (It is a necessity.)
Challenge 1: Watch out for questions!
The subject of the question is often between the helping
verb and the main verb. If you keep all the words and
rearrange the sentence to a declarative sentence, it
may be easier to find the verb phrase.
Are you coming to my party?
You are coming to my party.
Challenge 2: Sometimes the verb phrase can be interrupted
by an adverb. Be careful not to include the adverb in the
verb phrase.
The girl was quickly running up the stairs.
Better: The girl was running quickly up the stairs.
Note: don't, doesn't, and didn't are contractions for do
not, does not, and did not. The not is not a helping verb.
Practice: What are the complete verb phrases?
Tomorrow we will be playing soccer.
You should have cleaned your room.
Sam did do the dishes.
Should you be eating that much candy?
Early scientists must have wondered about the
strange animals at the bottom of the ocean.
A car must have driven here on the beach.
St. Augustine, Florida would have been a hot place to
live in the 1600s.
Have you been doing your homework?
That satellite rocket should have launched by now.
My four canaries could have flown away.
More Practice: Show only the helping verbs (not the
complete verb phrase)
You should have been practicing your free throws
before the last game.
We might be seeing the pyramids on our trip to
Egypt.
That picture may have been cut out of a medieval
book.
That crash must have been caused by texting while
driving.
We will not be shopping at the mall on Black Friday.
Can you help me find my lost keys?
We would have been here on time if Sam had not
broken his ankle.
My aunt and uncle will soon be visiting us for the
summer.
Hannukah and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the
same day in 2013.
LINKING VERBS
Definition:
Unlike action verbs, linking verbs show a relationship
between the subject of the sentence and a noun or adjective
being linked to it. Adverbs do not follow a linking verb.
We usually place adjectives before a noun: The good book.
but sometimes we place it after a noun and join the two with
a “linking” verb: The book is good.
Linking verbs suggest a state of being
My cat is furry. (Cat and furry are linked because furry
describes the cat.)
We can also “link” a noun to the subject to show a
relationship between the two.
My dog is an Akita. (Dog and Akita are linked because
they are the same thing.)
George is a doctor. (George and doctor are linked
because they are the same thing.
The most common linking verbs are forms of the verb to
be (am, is, are, was, were, being, been).
Other common linking verbs include: appear, become, feel,
grow, look, remain, seem, smell, sound, stay, taste, and
turn.
Milk may turn sour.
I feel refreshed.
To check if these are being used as linking verbs, try
replacing them with the correct form of to be. If they
make sense and have almost the same meaning, they
are linking verbs.
Laurie appears tired.
Laurie is tired.
NOTE ABOUT THE VERB “TO BE” (am, is, are, was,
were, be, being, been)
The verb to be can be used as 3 different types of verbs.
State-of-being (action):
Wendell is here. (Wendell is being, and he's doing it
here.)
Helping:
Irena is listening to the
teacher. (Is helps listening show that it is ongoing.)
Linking:
Daphne is kind. (Is links Daphne and the
adjective kind.)
2.
PRINCIPAL PARTS OF VERBS
Definition: In English there are four principal parts, or
forms, of a verb. English uses helping verbs and the four
principal parts to show the tenses.
base/present
present
participle
past
past
participle
walk(s)
walking
walked
walked
dance(s)
dancing
danced
danced
study(s)
studying
studied
studied
Definition of participle:
A form of a verb that is used to indicate a past or present
action and that can also be used like an adjective
In the phrases “the finishing touches” and “the
finished product,” “finishing” and “finished”
are participles formed from the verb “finish.”
Definition of present participle:
A verb form that ends in “-ing” and that is used with “be” to
refer to action that is happening at the time of speaking or
a time spoken of.
The verbs “dancing” in “He was dancing” and “crying”
in “The baby is crying” are present participles.
The present participle can also be used before a noun like
an adjective.
the crying baby
the rising tide
Definition of past participle:
The form of the verb that is used with “have” in perfect
tenses. A past participle indicates past or completed action
or time. It is often called the 'ed' form as it is formed by
adding “d” or “ed”, to the base form of regular verbs.
However it is also formed in various other ways for irregular
verbs.

The verbs “walked” in “the dog has been walked” and
“raised” in “many hands were raised” are past
participles.
Use of simple past tense and past participle:
When to use the simple past tense
We use the simple past tense for actions that began
and finished in the past. We do not have to say exactly
when. The important thing is that it happened and is
not happening now.
I walked to the store.
When to use the past participle
The PAST PERFECT TENSE indicates that an
action was completed (finished or "perfected") at some
point in the past before something else happened.
This tense is formed with the past tense form of "to
have" (HAD) plus the past participle of the verb.
Note: For regular verbs (discussed next), the past participle
will be the same as the past tense.
Past tense: I walked to the store yesterday.
Past perfect tense: I had walked to the store
before my sister called me.
For irregular verbs, the word form for the past participle can
be very different from the form of the past tense.
Past tense: I saw the movie yesterday.
Past perfect tense: I had seen the movie before I
read any reviews of it.
A past participle can also be used in forming perfect and
passive tenses and sometimes as an adjective.
2-A Regular Verbs:

Base/Present - same as infinitive without to. Add -s to form
third person singular. I talk. He talks

Present Participle - add -ing. I am talking. He is talking.

Past - add –ed.

Past Participle - add –ed
I talked. He talked.
I had talked. He had talked.
Note: Participles function as part of a verb phrase.
Participles cannot be used as verbs by themselves.
They must have a helping verb in order to make sense.
My sister is walking to school today.
We had walked the dog before leaving the house.
2-B Irregular Verbs:
Definition: Irregular verbs are verbs that do not form the
past tense and participle by adding-ed.
All irregular verbs, like regular verbs, form the present
participle by adding -ing. Irregular verbs may change vowels,
consonants, both vowels and consonants, or may stay the
same.
Infinitive Present
Tense
Present
Participle
Past
Tense
Past
Participle
To run
run(s)
running
ran
run
To drive
drive(s)
driving
drove
driven
To
begin
begin(s)
beginning
began
begun
The verb to be is the most irregular verb in English.
Infinitive Present
Tense
Present
Participle
Past
Tense
Past
Participle
to be
Being
was /
were
been
am / are /
is
Irregular verbs can be sorted into groups by pattern, but the
patterns don't help you remember the forms. For the most
part, these need to be memorized. Most people memorize
them simply by hearing them, reading them, or being
corrected.
The patterns are:
present, past, and past participle are the same (put/put/put)
past and past participle are the same (catch/caught/caught)
past + n or en forms past participle (freeze/froze/frozen)
present + n/en/ne forms past participle (do/did/done)
final vowel changes from i in present to “a” in past or to “u” in
past participle. (begin/began/begun)
Hint:
If you are not sure, look up the verb in the dictionary. If the
verb is irregular, the dictionary will give you the past and
past participle form.
SPELLING ISSUES WHEN ADDING ENDINGS TO VERBS
When adding endings to verbs, you sometimes have to
change the spelling.
Do change:

Single syllable verbs generally double the consonant
when adding -ing and -ed.
shop + s = shops, shop + ing = shopping, shop + ed =
shopped

Verbs that end with a single vowel and a consonant that
stress the end of the word usually double the consonant
before adding -ing and -ed.
refer + s = refers, refer + ing = referring, refer + ed =
referred
To add -s or -ed to verbs that end in consonant y,
change y to i before adding the ending. To add -ing, don't
change the y.
carry + s = carries, carry + ing = carrying, carry + ed =
carried

To add -ed or -ing to verbs that end in silent e, drop
the e before adding -ed or -ing.
amaze + s = amazes, amaze + ing = amazing,
amaze + ed = amazed

Verbs that end in a vowel followed by an l usually do not
double the l before adding -ed or –ing (in the U.S.).
travel + s = travels, travel + ing = traveling, travel + ed = traveled.

Verbs that end in c usually add k before adding endings.
frolic + s = frolics, frolic + ing = frolicking, frolic + ed =
frolicked
Don't change:

If the verb ends with a single vowel before a consonant,
but the last syllable is not stressed, don't double the
consonant.
wander + s = wanders, wander + ing = wandering,
wander + ed = wandered

Verbs with a double vowel before a consonant do not
double the consonant.
retreat + s = retreats, retreat + ing = retreating, retreat +
ed = retreated