Verbs!

Verb Study Guide

Action Verbs
An action verb tells what the subject of the sentence does.

Baron von Drais built one of the first bicycles in 1817. We enjoy his invention today.

The subject of each sentence is underlined. Write the action verb in the space provided.

1. Early bicycles moved slowly. _____________
2. Riders pushed the ground with their feet. _____________
3. Kirkpatrick Macmillan attached cranks to the
rear wheel. _____________
4. He connected the cranks to foot pedals. ­­­­_____________

Main Verbs and Helping Verbs
The main verb expresses action or being.
A helping verb works with the main verb.
A verb phrase is made up of one or more helping verbs and a main verb.

Example: All spiders can spin silky threads. Can=helping verb
spin =verb

Write the verb phrase in each sentence.

1. Webs are seen best in the early morning _____________
2. Thousands of threads might be covered with
dew. _____________
3. Shall we look for webs at dawn tomorrow? _____________
4. Spiders can move rapidly after their prey. _____________

Direct Objects
A direct object receives the action of a verb.
Some direct objects are compound
Ex. Maroconi invented the wireless telegraph. (invented what)

This book describes him and his invention. (describes whom and what?)

Write the D.O. that receives the action of the underlined verb. The D.O. may be compound.
1. Mr. Wan described the first telegraph. _____________
2. At first, wires carried the signals. _____________
3. Marconi developed a wireless system. _____________
4. He had studied electricity on his own. _____________

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
A verb is transitive when it is followed by a direct object that receives the action of the verb.
A verb is intransitive when it has no direct object.

Transitive – Earthquakes strike many parts of the world.
Intransitive – They usually strike without warning.

Label each underlined verb transitive or intransitive

1. Earthquakes can cause tremendous damage. _________
2. Many countries experience tremendous damage. _________
3. Japan suffers from earthquakes almost every year. _________
4. Many earthquakes occur in the United States. _________

Being and Linking Verbs
A being verb shows a state of being.
A being verb is called a linking verb when it links the subject with a word in the predicate.
A predicate noun renames or identifies the subject.
A predicate adjective describes the subject.

Linking verbs

A popular newspaper section is the comics.

Comic strips have become popular.

Write the linking verb in each sentence.

1. My aunt is the author of a comic strip. _________
2. Her office is a busy and colorful place. _________
3. Her special ink smells funny. _________
4. The characters in her strip are little animals. _________





Simple Verb Tenses
The present tense tells that something is happening now.
The past tense tells that something has already happened.
The future tense tells that something is going to happen.
Write present, past or future for each underlined verb.

1. Lighthouses long ago were low towers on the shore. _________
2. In those days, ships depended on lighthouses for safety. _____
3. Even today lighthouse beams guide sailors. _________
4. In the past, a lighthouse lens was glass. _________

Perfect Tenses
The perfect tense describes an action that was or will be completed before another action. It is formed by combining the helping verb have with the past participle of the main verb.
The present perfect tense combines has or have with the past participle.
The past perfect tense combines had with the past participle.
The future perfect tense combines will have with the past participle.

Rewrite the sentences, changing the underlined verb to the correct perfect tense. Use the verb tense in parentheses.

1.The Post Office try to read incomplete addresses, but it has had to give up. (Present).
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

2.If the sender include a return address, the letter would have been returned. (Past)
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

3.By the end of this year, our class send 800 letters to animal rights groups. (Future)
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Regular and Irregular Verbs
Present Past Present Participle Past Participle
Regular study studied (is) studying (has) studied
help helped (is) helping (has) helped
Irregular do did (is) doing (has) done
eat ate (is) eating (has) eaten

Choose the correct form of the verb for each sentence. Then identify whether it is regular or irregular.
1.Kela, the pilot, (saw, seen) acres of blue ice.
_____________________________________________________

2.The view (proved, proven) to be a very exciting one.
_____________________________________________________

3.Many of the rivers had (froze, frozen).
_____________________________________________________

Subject – Verb Agreement

1.A reptile ________scales or bony plates in its body. (has, have)
2.These animals ______ all cold-blooded. (is, are)
3.They _______ on the environment for warmth. (depend, depends)
4.Alligators and turtles ______reptiles. (is, are)

Contractions
Write the contraction for the following words

She is ___________ She will ­­­­­­­­­­__________ Has not __________
It is __________ Must not _________ did not ________________

Sit, set; lie, lay; rise, raise

Sit to rest in an upright position rise to get up or go up
Set to put or place an object raise to move something
Lie to rest or recline to grow something
Lay to put or place an object to increase

1.The gorilla _______ inside a rubber tire. (sits, sets)
2.A mountain goat ______ on a boulder. (lies, lays)
3.The owl sleeps while the sun _______. (rises, raises)

Lend, borrow; let, leave; teach, learn

Lend to give Leave to go away, to remain in one place
Borrow to take teach to give instruction
Let to permit learn to receive instruction

1.Suki _______ from Bev about Annie Sullivan. (learns, teaches)
2.Annie _______ the Perkins Institute for the Blind. (lets, leaves)
3.Helen ______ many books in Braille from her teacher. (lends, borrows)