*Action Verbs Show Action. They Tell What the Subject of the Sentence Is Doing

NOTES ON VERBS

Action Verbs *Action verbs show action. They tell what the subject of the sentence is doing.

Jonathan ran around the field. The baby cried last night. Several students walk around the field. ______Linking Verbs *Linking verbs don’t show action. Linking verb sentences describe the subject; they tell what the subject is. Most common linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were

Why are they called “linking verbs”? They link the subject of the sentence to one of two things. 1. Linking verbs can link the subject of the sentence to a noun that means the same thing as the subject. S LV Mr. Tolbert is the principal. (Principal and Mr. Tolbert are the same person.)

S LV Abraham Lincoln was the president during the Civil War. (President and Abraham Lincoln are the same person.)

2. Linking verbs can link the subject of the sentence to an adjective that describes the subject. S LV The cat is fluffy. (Fluffy describes cat.) S LV The clouds were dark. (Dark describes clouds.)

Some verbs can be ACTION or LINKING—smell, look, grow, feel I smell the pizza. (Action verb—smell is the action I am doing)

The flower smells good. (Linking verb—the flower can’t do an action) ______Helping Verbs *When there are two or more verbs in one sentence, the verbs in front are helping verbs. *The main verb and the helping verb together are the verb phrase.

HV V They have gone to the movies.

*Sometimes there is a word that comes between the helping verb and the main verb. HV V I could not finish my work. (could finish is the verb phrase)

*Sometimes the helping verb comes at the front of the sentence to make the sentence a question.

HV V Will Tom’s friend go to our school? (will go is the verb phrase)