Verbs

Let's learn about verbs! Verbs are the action words in a sentence. They describe what someone or something does, is, or experiences.

1. Action Verbs: These describe actions that can be physical or mental.

• Physical Actions: run, jump, eat, write, build, throw
  • Example: The dog runs across the yard.
• Mental Actions: think, believe, remember, understand, consider, dream
  • Example: I believe in you.

2. Linking Verbs: These verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a word or phrase that describes or identifies the subject. They don't express action themselves. Common linking verbs include:

• Forms of "to be": am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
  • Example: She is a doctor.
• Sense verbs: look, smell, taste, feel, sound
  • Example: The soup smells delicious.
• Other linking verbs: become, seem, appear, remain, stay, grow
  • Example: He became a successful businessman.

3. Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs): These verbs help the main verb express tense, mood, or voice. Common auxiliary verbs include:

• Forms of "to be": am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
  • Example: She is running. (Helping verb "is" + main verb "running")
• Forms of "to have": have, has, had
  • Example: They have finished their work.
• Forms of "to do": do, does, did
  • Example: Do you understand?
• Modal verbs: can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must
  • Example: I can swim.

Verb Tenses: Verbs change form to show when an action takes place. Here are some basic tenses:

• Present Simple: Describes habitual actions, facts, or general truths. Example: I eat breakfast every morning.
• Past Simple: Describes completed actions in the past. Example: I ate breakfast this morning.
• Future Simple: Describes actions that will happen in the future. Example: I will eat breakfast tomorrow.
• Present Continuous: Describes actions happening now. Example: I am eating breakfast right now.
• Past Continuous: Describes actions that were in progress in the past. Example: I was eating breakfast when the phone rang.

Subject-Verb Agreement: Verbs must agree with their subjects in number (singular or plural).

• Singular subject: The cat sits on the mat.
• Plural subject: The cats sit on the mat.

Regular and Irregular Verbs:

• Regular verbs: Form their past tense and past participle by adding "-ed." Example: walk - walked - walked
• Irregular verbs: Have different forms for their past tense and past participle. Example: eat - ate - eaten

Verb Voice (Active and Passive):

• Active voice: The subject performs the action. Example: The dog chased the ball.
• Passive voice: The subject receives the action. Example: The ball was chased by the dog.

Let's Practice!

Can you identify the verbs in these sentences? What type of verb are they?

1. The birds sing beautifully.
2. She is a talented artist.
3. They have been traveling for weeks.
4. The cake smells delicious.

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By Jerry Ramonyai