Download verbs

-- word that expresses action or a
state of being and is necessary to
make a statement
Examples
 The
bicyclist grinned.
 A spectator cheered loudly.
 The right gear is important.
 The riders seem enthusiastic.
*** The primary characteristic of a verb is its
ability to express time – present, past, and
future. Verbs express time by means of TENSE
forms.
 Present
Tense
-- They watch the race together.
 Past Tense
-- They watched the race together.
 Future Tense
-- They will watch the race together.
-- tells what someone or something does
-- some express physical action; others
express mental action
 EXAMPLES
 Physical
 Mental
Ted waved the signal flag.
He hoped for success.
-- followed by a direct object – that is, a
word or words that answer the question
what? or whom?
Example:
The batter swung the
bat confidently.
(the action verb swung is followed by the
noun bat, which answers the question
swung what?
 Is

not followed by a direct object
EXAMPLE
The batter swung wildly.
(The verb is followed by a word that tells how.)
To
decide whether a verb in a
sentence is transitive or intransitive,
ask what? or whom? after the verb. If
the answer is given in the sentence,
the verb is transitive. If the answer
is NOT given in the sentence, the
verb is intransitive.
Robert “Tree” Cody, a member of the Dakota Sioux,
speaks on Native American history throughout the
United States.
2. A six-year-old boy in New Haven once saved a threeyear-old child.
3. Hilda hid Jonny’s gift until his birthday.
4. The Dixwell Dragons win the basketball tournament
almost every year.
5. Zambia’s flag features three stripes: the red stripe
symbolizes freedom, the black strip represents the
people, and the orange stripe signifies its mineral
wealth.
1.
6. The senator spoke to the press from the
platform of a caboose.
7. The United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum opened in Washington, D.C., in 1993.
8. The Christmas in April program recruits
volunteers who repair homes for low-income,
elderly, and develop-mentally challenged
people.
9. Maria recognized her little brother by his
Halloween costume.
10. The town of Mystic, Connecticut, preserves
for citizens and visitors alike its colorful twohundred-year-old history.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
speaks – intransitive
9. recognized – transitive:
saved – transitive: child
brother
hid – transitive: gift
10. preserves – transitive:
win – transitive: tournament
history
features - transitive: stripes
symbolizes – transitive: freedom
represents – transitive: people
signifies – transitive: wealth
6. spoke – intransitive
7. opened – intransitive
8. recruits – transitive : volunteers
repair – transitive: homes
-- links, or joins, the subject of a
sentence (often a noun or
pronoun) with a noun,
a pronoun, or an adjective
that identifies or describes
the subject.
-- does not show action!
Be in all its forms – am, is, are, was, were – is
the most commonly used linking verb.
Examples
The person behind the mask was you.
The players are ready.
Archery is an outdoor sport.
They were sports fans.
Several other verbs besides be can act as linking
verbs as well.
OTHER LINKING VERBS
look
stay
taste
remain
grow
smell
seem
appear
feel
become
sound
turn
Examples
This salad tastes good.
You look comfortable.
The sun feels warm on my shoulders.
The leaves turned brown.

The verb in a sentence may consist of more
than one word. The words that accompany the
main verb are called auxiliary, or helping
verbs.
Forms of BE
AUXILIARY VERBS
am, is, are, was, were, being, been
Forms of HAVE
has, have, had, having
Other Auxiliaries
can, could
do, does, did
may, might
must
shall, should will, would
The most common auxiliary verbs are forms of be and
have. They help the main verb express time by forming
the various tenses.
Examples
We will weed the vegetable garden this morning.
Sandra has weeded the peppers and tomatoes already.
We were weeding the flower beds when the rain started.
The other auxiliary verbs are not used primarily to express time.
They are often used to emphasize meaning.
Examples
I should be leaving.
He could have forgotten.
Marisa may be finished already.
Write the sentence. Underline each verb and verb phrase.
Identify it by writing transitive, intransitive, or linking.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The crowd grew quiet. The president stepped up to the
podium.
Yes, sir, Juan has been here all morning.
Ginger, I will leave your lunch in the refrigerator.
Anderson fell in gym class last period.
Maggie may have forgotten her keys this morning.
What are you cooking, Ron?
The light show is spectacular.
The ugly duckling became a beautiful swan.
Which of you have been absent from school this week?
The Appalachian Trail stretches from Maine to Georgia.
1. grew: linking
stepped: intransitive
2. has been: linking
3. will leave: transitive
4. fell: intransitive
5. may have forgotten: transitive
6. are cooking: transitive
7. is: linking
8. became: linking
9. have been: linking
10. stretches: intransitive