Verb: a word used to express an action or a state of being.

1. Verb: a word used to express an action or a state of being. • The two main kinds of verbs are action verbs and linking verbs. • Both of these kinds of verbs can appear with helping verbs.

2. Action Verb: tells what the subject does. The action may be physical or mental. • She rides motorcycles • She = subject • rides = action verb (describes a physical action) • I prefer a bike. • I = subject • prefer = action verb (describes a mental action)

3. Linking Verb: links the subject of a sentence to a word in the predicate • The most common linking verbs are forms of the verb “be” • Ex: be, is, am, are, was, were, been, being • Ex: We are late. I am hungry. He is being silly. • There are other linking verbs, and they express a condition. Note: You can replace them with “is/are.” • Ex: look, smell, feel, sound, taste, seem, grow, appear, become • She sounds great! It feels cold. They seem bored.

4. Be careful! Some verbs may act either as action verbs or linking verbs • You must think about what the verb is doing to figure it out. • She smells the perfume • action verb -- smells is something she is physically doing • It smells flowery • linking -- smell links the subject, I, to the predicate adjective, flowery • I taste cinnamon (action) • This tastes gross (linking)

5. Helping Verb: adds functional or grammatical meaning; for example, to express tense or need/ability • Common helping verbs • Forms of “have” • Has, have, had • Forms of “do” • Do, does, did • Forms of “be” • Be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being • Others… • Could, should, would, • may, might, must, • can, shall, will

6. A few verbs can serve as either helping verbs or main verbs • He has a tractor. • main verb = has • Owning it is an active idea • It’s not a linking verb because it does not link “he” to a noun or adjective that describes “he” • He has eaten today. • main verb = eaten • has = helping verb (it adds meaning to the main verb)

7. Underline the verb/verb phrase, then mark “A, “ “H,” or “L” • Mail travels overseas on airplanes. • Mail can also go overseas by boats. • Boats are slower but less expensive. • Boats might take weeks for the trip. • Boats were once the only form of transportation across the ocean. • The post office can use trucks, trains, and planes to move mail. • In the past, horses have carried mail.

8. Action Verbs and Objects • Action verbs are often paired with “compliments”. • Compliments are words that complete the meaning of the active verb. • Complements fall into two categories, direct objects, and indirect objects.

9. Direct Objects: a word or words that name the receiver of the action • They answer the question “what?” or “whom?” receives the action of the verb. • Larry tells lots of funny stories. • tells = verb • lots= direct object • Tina passed Erin on the way to school. • passed = verb • Erin = direct object

10. Indirect Objects: tells who/what an action is done to or for • It answers the questions to what? to whom? for what? for whom? • Larry tells his friends stories. • Larry tells stories to whom? Friends. • friends = indirect object • Emma gives the flowers water. • Emma gives water to what? Flowers. • flowers = indirect object

11. Important: The indirect object does not follow a preposition • If a preposition is used, then the word becomes the object of that preposition. • For example, “to,” and “for” are prepositions, so in these sentences there is no indirect object: • We will make an offer to the man. • to = preposition • man = object of preposition, NOT indirect object • Get a job for yourself. • for = preposition • yourself = object of preposition

12. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs • Transitive verbs take a direct object • Lyle patted the dog’s fur. • patted = transitive • Intransitive verbs don’t take an object • Lyle patted softly. • patted = intransitive

13. Do not confuse adverbs with direct objects! • A word is only a direct object if that word answers the question “what is being verbed” or “who is being verbed.” • Laura danced the Tango. • Gina claps her hands. • An adverb tells how, when, where, or to what extent (it gives more detail about a verb). • Laura danced wildly. • Gina claps loudly.

14. Which verbs are transitive, and which ones are intransitive? • Joe read to the class. • Gordon was writing Katrina a long letter. • Anna spoke indistinctly. • Peter and John presented a little skit. • John played the part of a policeman.

15. Find the direct objects and indirect objects • Joe read to the class. • Gordon was writing Katrina a long letter. • Anna spoke indistinctly. • Peter and John presented a little skit. • John played the part of a policeman.

16. Action Verbs: Two Types • There are two large classes of action verbs -- transitive and intransitive. • A verb is transitive when the action it expresses is directed toward a person or a thing named in the sentence. • Neil rang the bell. [The action of the verb rang is directed toward bell. The verb is transitive.] • Tina mailed the package. [The action of mailed is directed toward package. The verb is transitive.]

17. Transitive Verbs • With transitive verbs, the action passes from the doer -- the subject-- to the receiver of the action. • Words that receive the action of a transitive verb are called “objects.” • Kallie ate the sandwich. • The dog chewed the shoe. • Our boat broke the rope.

18. Intransitive Verbs • A verb is intransitive when it expresses action (or helps make a statement) without reference to an object. • Note: Like intransitive verbs, linking verbs (be, seem, appear, etc.) never take direct objects. • Last Saturday we stayed inside. • The children laughed. • The band marched past the crowd.

19. Note: The same verb may be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another! • Marcie studied her notes. • Marcie studied very late. • The poet wrote a sonnet. • The poet wrote carefully.

20. Write the verb and whether it is transitive and intransitive: • Carl Lewis won four Olympic gold medals. • Mr. Ling works for an import company in California. • Robert Hayden taught at our school. • The scouts rescued the girl from an island. • Even good friends sometimes disagree.