Verbs

Verbs

• A verb is a word that expresses an action or a state of being.

• An action verb is a verb that expresses physical or mental action.

• Examples:

• I thought about the problem.

• I carry my books to school.

• I answered the question.

• A transitive verb is an action verb that expresses an action toward a person, place or thing.

• Examples:

• We visited my sick grandmother. (Visited whom or what? – grandmother)

• Jill watched the little children. (Watched whom or what? – children)

• An intransitive verb is an action verb that does not pass action to a receiver or object.

• Examples:

• The boy smiled. (Smiled whom or what? – we can’t answer.)

• The horses galloped across the prairie. (Galloped whom or what? – we can’t answer.)

• Some verbs can be either transitive or intransitive.

• Example:

• My friend plays the trombone. (Transitive)

• My friend plays every day. (Intransitive)

• A linking verb is a verb that expresses a state of being.

• A linking verb connects the subject of a sentence with a word in the predicate that explains or describes the subject.

• Linking verbs formed from BE:• Am has been may be

Is have been might be

Are had been can be

Was will be should be

Were shall be would have been

• Other Linking Verbs

• appear grow seem

stay become look

smell taste feel

remain sound turn

• A helping verb helps the main verb to express an action or a state of being.

• Helping verbs:

• am is are waswere be been hashave had do doesdid may might mustcan could shall shouldwill would