Verbs

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Verbs

• presented by
• Emanuel Hughley Jr.
• Professor of English and Journalism
• Cuyahoga Community College
• Eastern Campus

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Key part of speech

• The most important part of speech is the verb.
• The power source of a sentence
• Without a verb a sentence is not complete.

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Key part of speech

• A verb shows action
• State-of-being
• Location
• A verb can be a sentence all by itself.

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• Here are some examples
• Help!
• Stop!
• Move!
• Hush!

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Six verb tenses

• Present tense action that takes place now.
• I sigh. He speaks
• Past tense past action.
• I sighed. He spoke.
• Future tense action will take place.
• I will sigh. He will speak.

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Perfect tense

• Present perfect tense action continuing or
  completed in the present.
• I have sighed. He has spoken.
• Past perfect tense past action completed before
  another past action.
• I had sighed. He had spoken.
• Before he went to work he had voted in the
  primary election

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Perfect tense

• Future perfect tense action that will begin and
  end in the future.
• I will have sighed. He will have spoken.
• By June of 2010, he will have received his
  bachelors degree.

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The 411 on participles

• Note When accompanied by helping verbs,
  participles act as verbs.
• She is working on a solution to the problem.
• He had done his job well.
• When they stand without helping verbs,
  participles act as adjectives or adverbs.
• Tired by the delay, Lisa paced the floor.
• Sitting on the dock of the bay, Michael watched
  to tide roll away.

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Types of Verbs

• The function of the verb can be placed in one of
  three categories.
• Transitive
• Intransitive
• Linking

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Transitive Verbs

• Express action that is directed toward a noun or
  pronoun.
• The noun or pronoun that receives the action is
  called the direct object of the verb.
• Example I washed my car.
• my car is the direct object.

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Transitive Verbs

• Often the direct object is received by somebody
  or something else.
• That somebody or something is called the indirect
  object.
• The indirect object tells to whom or what, or for
  whom or what the verbs action was done.

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Transitive Verbs

• Example The librarian handed Michael the book.
• To whom did the librarian hand the book?
• Michael
• What did Michael receive?
• the book

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Intransitive Verbs

• The second kind of verb used in a predicate is an
  intransitive verb.
• An intransitive verb expresses action that is not
  directed toward an object or person.

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Intransitive Verbs

• It is often followed by an adverb.
• Example The old car backfired loudly.

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Linking Verbs

• The third kind of verb used in a predicate is a
  linking verb.
• Linking verbs express state of being or a
  condition.

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• The most commonly used linking verbs are forms of
  the verb to be such as is, was, or were.
• Some other linking verbs are feel, seem, taste,
  smell.

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• Although the words that follow a linking verb
  might answer the question What? or Who? they
  dont receive action.

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• Three kinds of words follow linking verbs
• predicate nouns
• Predicate pronoun
• predicate adjectives.

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• Predicate nouns
• restate or identify the subject of a sentence.

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• Example Christine is a single mother.
• Single mother restates the subject Christine.
• Who is It?
• It is me, Wil.

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• Rule The subject must agree in number with the
  predicate noun.
• With either/or, etc. the verb agrees with closer
  subject.

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• Neither the principal nor the counselors
  know/knows my name.
• Neither the counselors nor the principal
  know/knows my name.
• Neither Jim nor I like/likes tofu.
• Neither I nor Jim like/likes tofu.

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Special cases

• Della and Denise is/are a team.
• Soup and crackers is/ are a meal.

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• Predicate adjectives also can follow a linking
  verb.
• They describe the subject of the linking verb.

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Voice

• Tells if verbs subject commits action of verb or
  is acted on.
• Active voice The subject performs the action
• Jane mailed the letter.
• Passive voice The subject is acted on or
  receives the action of the verb.
• The letter was mailed by Jane.