http://www.michellehenry.fr/verb.htm
http://www.pdfdrive.net/verb-tenses-the-university-of-sydney-e8057557.html
Ask this: What is the subject of the sentence doing (or is the subject just being something, in which case you'd find a linking verb such as "is," "was," "seems," or others.
Notice that there are action verbs (run, hit, jump, sleep, hug, yawn, say, slip, work, etc.)
and state of being verbs. (is, am was, were, seems, feels, appears, etc.) These are also known as linking verbs. Here's a web page that explains linking verbs: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/linkingverb.htm
There are also helping verbs.
may
|
be
|
do
|
should
|
have
|
will
|
In the chart above, the verbs labeled "main" can also be used as the main verb in a sentence, such as in "I am happy," "She did," or "We have five dogs."
These are examples of helping verbs in action:
I am hoping that you will earn all of the points.
He might be going to the play.
They must have been thirty yards behind us.
I do want to go to Disneyland this summer.
He should have finished his homework.
We have been laughing at the jokes in Reader's Digest.
Jamie will run a half marathon in June.
More examples of verbs:
--> Vietnam is this long, narrow country in southeast Asia. . . . -->
from the short story “Zebra” by Chaim Potok
America fought a terrible war there . . . --> His heart beat thunderously. -->
from the short story “Zebra” by Chaim Potok
-->
If the
driver of the black Buick had cut off our heads, .
. . I would have died happy.
from An American Childhood by Annie Dillard
Special Note: See http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/infinitive.htm about infinitives which are "to be" verbs.
WHY?
Improving Your Writing by Knowing About Parts of Speech
- Strengthen your writing with VERBS by using strong verbs. Instead of writing, "He walked into the room," say "He slunk into the room," or "He barged into the room."
- Strengthen your writing with VERBS by being consistent in your use of tense. Don't change tense unless you have a good reason to.
For example, don't do this: "He strutted (past tense) up to Jim and slaps (present tense) him square on the jaw." Instead you would write "He strutted (past tense) up to Jim and slapped (past tense) him square on the jaw." You could also write, "He struts (past tense) up to Jim and slaps (present tense) him square on the jaw."
- Strengthen your writing with VERBS by making sure your verb agrees in number with your subject. For example, don't write, "The boys runs." Instead write, "The boys run," or "The boy runs."
Back to Parts of Speech 2015
Back to Parts of Speech 2015
