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VERBS
Verbs show action or state of being.
The three principal parts of verbs are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
base form
past
past participle
present participle
play
played
played
playing
• Participles have functions
in sentences. They can
be part of a verb
phrase, or act as an
adjective or noun.
• A verb phrase is two or
more verbs that work
together as a unit:
Ten million people have
watched the Tour de
France each year.
Regular verbs form the
past and past participle by
adding –d or –ed to the
base form.
A verb phrases may have
one or more auxiliary
verbs and a main verb.
Looking at the previous
example, “have” would be
considered the auxiliary
verb.
Past participle is often
used with an auxiliary
verb.
Can you find the auxiliary and main verb
in this sentence?
Have you begun your report on the Tour de
France?
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
A transitive verb expresses an action that
passes from a doer to a receiver.
Joe saw the new musical.
The receiver of the action is the direct
object. In this sentence the verb saw is
transitive. Its direct object is musical.
REMEMBER: to determine the direct object,
ask whom or what AFTER the verb.
Phrasal Verb
A phrasal verb is a combination of the main verb and a
preposition or an adverb:
MAIN VERB + PREPOSITION/ADVERB = PHRASAL
VERB
Put on your coat.
Put (main verb) (on) preposition = PHRASAL VERB
Some common phrasal verbs are: burn down, drag out,
hand down, look after, put on, and set up
Intransitive Verbs
An intransitive verb DOES NOT have a receiver
for its action. It does not have a direct object.
Sophia went to the Fox Theater.
Can you tell whether the verb in this
sentence is transitive or intransitive?
Nick enjoyed the show.
How can you tell?
Troublesome Verbs
Here are some pairs of verbs that
often cause usage problems.
lie, lay
• The verb lie (lay, lain)
means “to rest or recline”.:
It’s intransitive; it does not
take a direct object.
• The verb lay (laid) means
“to put or place in
position.” It is transitive; it
takes a direct object.
Those gloves have lain in my
drawer since last winter.
I laid my book somewhere,
and now I can’t find it.
More Troublesome Verbs
sit, set
* The verb sit (sat) means
“to have or keep a seat.”
It is intransitive; it does
not take a direct object.
* The verb set (set)
means “to put or place.”
It is intransitive; it takes
a direct object.
I sat quietly
throughout the
concert.
Lori set the salad
bowl on the table.
Your Turn!
Create a sentence for
each of the verbs listed
below. Then, tell whether
you think it is transitive
or intransitive.
rise
raise
borrow
lend
let
Leave
teach
learn
Linking Verbs
Not all verbs express action. A linking verb joins a
subject with a subject complement. The subject
complement is a noun, a pronoun, or an adjective that
renames or describes the subject.
Subject
Philo
It
The grounds
Linking Verb
is
was
look
Subject Complement
our spokesperson.
he who got the prize.
beautiful.
Active and Passive Voices
When a transitive verb is
in the active voice, the
subject is the doer of the
action.
The Chinese invented
paper.
(Chinese, the subject, is
the doer of the action,
invent)
In the passive voice, the
subject is the receiver of
the action.
Paper was invented by the
Chinese.
(The subject, paper, is
the receiver of the
action, was invented)
Simple, Progressive, and Perfect
Tenses
Verb forms indicate tense.
Simple tenses are:
1) Simple tenses
2) Present tenses
3) Future tenses
Progressive tenses consist
of a form of the auxiliary
verb be and the present
participle of the main verb.
**Verbs in the progressive
tense indicate continuing,
or ongoing action. **
Progressive Tenses
Perfect Tenses
Perfect tenses consist of a form of the auxiliary verb
have and the past participle of the main verb.
The present perfect tells about an action that took
place at an indefinite time in the past, or that started
in the past and continues to the present.
The past perfect tells about an action that was
completed before another past action.
The future perfect tells about an action that will be
completed before a specific time in the future.
Present perfect active:
I have read the book on
Venice.
Past perfect active:
I had read the book before
my trip.
Future perfect active:
I will have read the book by
time I leave.
In the perfect tenses, the passive voice is formed by
inserting been between the auxiliary verb have and the
main verb.
Present perfect passive:
A plan to save Venice has
been undertaken recently.
Past perfect passive:
The solution has been
proposed a while ago.
Future perfect passive:
Perhaps the plan will have
been implemented by the
time I visit.
Progressive forms of the perfect tenses indicate ongoing
actions.
Present perfect progressive: I have been planning for
months.
Past perfect progressive:
I had been studying Italian
for a while before I
understood it.
Future perfect progressive: I will have been studying
Italian for a long time
before I am fluent.
There are four moods in English:
Indicative
Imperative
Emphatic
Subjunctive
INDICATIVE MOOD
Indicative Mood: the form of the verb that is
used to state a fact or ask a question.
We are working on the project together.
Have you ever painted a T-shirt?
IMPERATIVE MOOD
Imperative Mood: the form of a verb that is used to
give a command.
• The subject of a verb in the imperative mood is
almost always in the second person, either singular
or plural.
• The subject “you” usually is not expressed.
• To form the imperative mood, use the base form of
the verb.
• For negative sentences, use do not or don’t
Plan your design carefully.
Do not start without a definite design.
EMPHATIC MOOD
Emphatic Mood: the form of the verb that gives special
force to a simple present or past tense verb.
• For the present tense, use do or does before the base
form of the verb
• For the past tense, use did before the base form of
the word
• Do not confuse this with do, does, and did used as
auxiliary verbs in questions or negative sentences
I do like your idea.
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
Subjunctive Mood: a verb that expresses a wish or desire, or a
condition that is contrary to fact.
• The past tense is used to state present wishes or desires or
contrary-to-fact conditions.
• The past perfect tense is used to state past wishes, desires, or
contrary-to-fact conditions.
Note: the use of could and would have in the contrary-to-fact
sentences.
Wish or desire: I wish my new bike were here already.
Contrary-to-fact condition: If I were in the market for a bike, I
could research prices in on the Internet.
If you had worked more hours, you would have earned enough to
buy a computer.
MODAL AUXILIARIES
Modal auxiliaries are used to express permission,
possibility, ability, necessity, obligation, and intention.
They are used with main verbs that are in the base form.
The common modal auxiliaries are: may, might, can,
could, must, should, will, and would.
Look closely at the verb phrases
in each of these sentences…
Permission: Anyone who
needs help may request a
tutor.
Necessity: You must
complete your homework
on time.
Possibility: I might need
some help with my math.
Obligation: I should study
more.
Ability: Laurel can solve
equations easily.
Intention: Andy will help
you with that paper.