Download Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects

Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Action and Linking Verbs
•
Verbs can work in two ways:
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Action verbs show action:
– We walk to the store every Tuesday.
– The children ran to South Beach.
– There can be more than one verb in a sentence:
• Shannon planned and practiced her speech.
• Anastasia bought the ingredients, prepared the brownies, and
gave them to Sean.
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Linking verbs connect the subject with the word it describes:
– My mother is a good cook.
– The family seems happy.
– The homemade bread smells delicious.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Finding the Verb
• Finding the Verb: Finding the subject is easier if you find the verb first. Following are
guidelines to help you find the verb in a sentence:
1. A verb may show action.
• The man danced by the fountain.
• The sports car roared down the driveway.
2. A verb may link the subject to the rest of the sentence.
• The young horse was beautiful.
• My daughter seemed tired this afternoon.
3. A verb may consist of more than one word. Some
verbs include a main verb and one or more helping
verbs.
• Susan has been taking piano lessons since the second grade.
• Jack might not have been at the playground.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Finding the Verb
4. Some verbs are compound verbs. Some subjects have
more than one verb. When more than one verb goes
with the same subject, the verb is called a compound
verb.
• I cooked the pot roast and baked the lemon cake.
5. An infinitive (to + present tense verb) cannot act as a
verb in a sentence.
• Jessame decided to buy a piano. (The verb is decided.)
6. A verb form ending in –ing cannot act as a verb in a
sentence unless a helping verb precedes it.
• The setting sun cast beautiful colors of red and pink in the
evening sky. (The verb is cast.)
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Finding the Subject
• After you recognize verbs, finding the subjects of sentences is easy because subjects
and verbs are linked.
• If the verb is an action verb, the subject will be the word or words that answer the
question, Who or what is doing the action?
– Example sentence: The truck stalled on the
highway.
– Step 1: Identify the verb: stalled.
– Step 2: Ask, “Who or What stalled?”: truck
– Step 3: The answer is the subject: The truck stalled
on the highway.
– Answer: The subject is truck.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Finding the Subject
• If your verb is linking, the same steps apply to finding the subject.
– Example sentence: Toll was my best friend.
– Step 1: Identify the verb: was
– Step 2: Ask, “Who or What was my best friend?”:
Toll
– Step 3: The answer is the subject: Toll was my best
friend.
– Answer: The subject is Toll.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Recognizing Prepositional Phrases
•
Prepositions are usually small words that often signal a kind of position or possession.
•
Common Prepositions:
–
–
–
–
–
–
about before
above below
across behind
after
beneath
among beside
around between
without
– at
beyond
during
except
from
inside
for
of
in
on
into
like
near
to
off
under
onto
up
over
upon
through
with
within
toward
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Recognizing Prepositional Phrases
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A prepositional phrase is made up of a preposition and its object.
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In each example, the first word is the preposition; the other words are the object of the preposition.
–
–
–
–
–
–
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Prepositional Phrase examples:
about the movie
in the kitchen
around the corner
off the record
between two lanes
on the mark
over the moors
during the college’s recess
near my home
with my sister and brother
Nothing in a prepositional phrase can ever be the subject of the sentence.
– Prepositional phrases describe people, places, or things.
They may describe the subject of a sentence, but they
never include the subject.
•
Note: Except in the most formal writing, ending a sentence with a preposition is acceptable.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Regular and Irregular Verbs
• Every verb has four principal parts: present, past, present participle (the –ing verb
form used with helping verbs), and the past participle (used with helping verbs).
Present
listen
add
change
pull
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•
Past
listened
added
changed
pulled
Present Participle
Past Participle
(are) listening
(have) listened
(are) adding
(have) added
(are) changing
(have) changed
(are) pulling
(have) pulled
Irregular verbs do not follow a predictable pattern in their past and past participle
forms.
For a list of common irregular verbs, see pages 295-296.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Puzzling Pairs
• Some irregular verbs are easily confused with other words. The following will help
you make the right choice between lend and loan, lie and lay, and sit and set.
1. Lend and Loan
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Lend is a verb meaning “to allow someone to borrow.”
– Example: Will you lend me five dollars?
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Loan is a noun meaning “something borrowed.”
– Example: Miss Lisi did receive a loan for the
mansion.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Puzzling Pairs
2. Lie and Lay
• These words are often confused because the present tense of the verb lay and the past
tense of lie are both the same: lay.
Present
lay (put)
lie (recline)
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Past
laid
lay
Past Participle
(have) laid
(have) lain
Present Participle
(are) laying
(are) lying
Lay means “to put” or “to place” and always has a direct object.
– Example: Tonight, Shelia will lay the embroidered
tablecloth upon the table.
•
Lie means “to recline” or “rest on a horizontal surface.”
– Example: The blankets have lain in the closet for years.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Puzzling Pairs
3. Sit and Set
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Sit means “to take a seat” or “to be located”; it does not take an object.
– Example: She will sit on the chair to tie her tennis
shoes.
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Set means “to put” or “to place”; it always takes an object. (You can ask, “Set
what?”)
– Example: Monica set her exercise clothes down on
the chair.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
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Identify the verbs.
Q.
A.
My brother rides a motorcycle.
rides
Q.
A.
On a stormy night, my dog sleeps next to me.
sleeps
Q.
A.
He stretched and yawned during the discussion.
stretched, yawned
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
•
Identify the verbs.
Q.
A.
Sliding down into the pool was my favorite summertime activity.
was
Q.
A.
During the holidays, I always listen to Mario Lanza.
listen
Q.
A.
Diane and Ron live and work in the upstairs apartment.
live, work
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
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Add a helping verb to the verb and create a sentence (answers will vary).
Q.
A.
A.
Verb: called
Add helping verb: was called
Sentence: He was called during class.
Q.
A.
A.
Verb: fishing
Add helping verb: should be fishing
Sentence: She should be fishing by this afternoon.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
•
Add a helping verb to the verb and create a sentence (answers will vary).
Q.
A.
A.
Verb: take
Add helping verb: might have taken
Janet might have taken the ring from Brad.
Q.
A.
A.
Verb: shout
Add helping verb: will be singing
Dr. Scott will be singing with Brad and Janet.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
•
Identify the subjects.
Q.
A.
After the interview for the new job, excitement overwhelmed me.
excitement
Q.
A.
Anything could happen on a vacation to Grandma’s house.
anything
Q.
After the ice cream and the chocolate cake was gone, I was in no mood for more
food.
I
A.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
•
Identify the subjects.
Q.
A.
Swimming is fun.
swimming
Q.
A.
Mom and Dad want me to be happy.
Mom, Dad
Q.
A.
Behind the curtain under the ceramic giraffe is a big diamond ring.
ring
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
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Identify the prepositional phrases.
Q.
A.
During the college’s recess, we were able to find part time jobs in the city.
during the college’s recess, in the city
Q.
A.
Near my apartment, I found a stray puppy at the park.
near my apartment, at the park
Q.
When I was watching the game on television, my friend brought me soda from
the neighborhood store.
on television, from the neighborhood store
A.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
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Identify the prepositional phrases.
Q.
A.
From my apartment window, I can see the people in the shops and people on
the streets.
from my apartment window, in the shops, on the streets
Q.
A.
In the locker near my math book, I have a piece of gum by the candy bar.
in the locker, near my math book, of gum, by the candy bar
Q.
A.
After the game at the park, let’s buy a chocolate sundae on the boardwalk.
after the game, at the park, on the boardwalk
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
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Identify Prepositional Phrases, Subjects, and Verbs in Complicated Word Order.
Q.
A.
In the back of the closet by the shoes is a secret letter from my cousin.
Prepositional Phrase =
in the back, of the closet, by
the shoes, from my cousin
Subject
=
letter
Verb
=
is
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
•
Identify Prepositional Phrases, Subjects, and Verbs in Complicated Word Order.
Q.
In my kitchen on the refrigerator there is a magnet with a small green frog near a
lily pad.
Prepositional Phrase =
in my kitchen, on the
refrigerator, with a
small green frog, near
a lily pad
Subject
=
magnet
Verb
=
is
A.
Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects
Exercises
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Identify the correct form of the verb.
Q.
A.
(Sit, Set) at the table to eat dinner.
(Sit, Set) at the table to eat dinner.
Q.
A.
After I return home from school, my dog loves (laying, lying) next to me.
After I return home from school, my dog loves (laying, lying) next to me.
Q.
A.
Before Wyatt went on vacation, he asked his friend to (lend, loan) him money.
Before Wyatt went on vacation, he asked his friend to (lend, loan) him money.