VERBS

Verbs show action or state of being

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1) 2) 3) 4) The three principal parts of verbs are: base form past past participle present participle play played played playing

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Participles have functions in sentences. They can be part of a verb phrase, or act as an adjective or noun. Regular verbs form the past and past participle by adding –d or –ed to the base form.

A verb phrase is two or more verbs that work together as a unit:

Ten million people watched the Tour de France each year. have

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.

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lie, lay The verb lie (lay, lain) means “to rest or recline”.: It’s intransitive; it does not take 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

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The verb lay (laid) means “to put or place in position.” It is transitive; it takes a direct object.

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.

I sat quietly throughout the concert.

* The verb set (set) means “to put or place.” It is intransitive; it takes a direct object.

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 borrow raise lend let teach Leave 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

Linking Verb

is was The grounds 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

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Simple tenses are: 1) Simple tenses 2) 3) Present tenses 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: Past perfect active: Future perfect active: I have read the book on Venice.

I had read the book before my trip.

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: Future perfect passive: The solution has been proposed a while ago.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

Possibility: I might need some help with my math.

Ability: Laurel can solve equations easily. Necessity: You must complete your homework on time.

Obligation: I should study more.

Intention: Andy will help you with that paper.