Mr' Taylors Guide to Verbs

1
Mr. Taylors Guide toVerbs
2
A verb expresses an action, a state of being, or
an event. Capt Kirk drinks too much at
Christmas. (Action) Mothers Day fell early this
year. (Occurrence) Thanksgiving is tomorrow.
(State of Being.) Verbs also reveal when events
take place in the past, present, or future. The
quality of the verb that expresses time is
referred to as the tense of the verb. Spock
drinks a Pepsi. (Present Tense) Spock drank a
Pepsi. (Past Tense) Spock will drink a Pepsi.
(Future Tense)
3
Information verbs convey to the reader Person
who or what acts or experiences an action first
person (I), second person (you), or third person
(he, she, it, Spock). Number how many subjects.
singular or plural. Tense when the action
occurs. Mood what attitude is expressed toward
the action. Voice is the subject acting or
being acted upon?
4
Regular Verbs Regular verbs change their form
from present tense to past tense in a predictable
way. Base form I talk Past Tense I
talked Past Participle I had talked Note the
only way to tell a past tense verb from a past
participle is how it is used.
5
Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs are the oldest
verbs we have in our language therefore, they do
not follow the same pattern the regular verbs
follow Base form I lie (recline) Past
tense I lay Past participle I have
lain There is no magic formula for learning the
forms of irregular verbs. When in doubt, look
it up.
6
Types of Verbs Main a verb expressing an
action, occurrence, or state of being. (Spock
talked to Uhura.) Linking a verb that doesn't
express action, but renames or describes the
subject. (Sulu was happy). Auxiliary a verb
that when combined with a past participle forms
the complete verb. (I had talked.)
7
Types of Verbs Modal Auxiliary a verb that adds
meaning such as ability or possibility to a
sentence. (I might fail you.) Transitive a
verb that must be followed by a direct object, a
noun or pronoun, that completes the verbs
message. (Spock drank a Pepsi.) Intransitive
a verb that does not have a direct object
completing its message. ( Spock cried like a
little girl.) . . .like a little girl is not a
noun or pronoun so it is not an object. It only
describes how Spock cried.
8
Main Verbs Main verbs are the words in sentences
that express actions and tell the reader what is
happening. A verbs tense describe when the
action took place. Simple Tenses Present I
finish, or she finishes. Past I
finished Future I will finish
9
Main Verbs Perfect Tenses The perfect tenses
describe actions or occurrences that are still
having an effect at the time or are having an
effect until a specified time. The perfect
tenses are composed of an auxiliary verb (have,
has, or had ) and a past participle. Present
perfect I have finished Past perfect I had
finished Future perfect I will have finished
10
Main Verbs The Progressive Tenses The progressive
tenses describe an ongoing action or condition.
They also express habitual or recurring actions
or conditions. The present progressive tense
utilizes the present tense form of a be verb
that agrees with the subject in person and
number, plus a present participle of the main
verb. Spock is working with Mr. Data. The
Romulans are trying to take over Earth. I am
thinking about Pepsi.
11
Main Verbs The Progressive Tenses The past
progressive indicates a past action went on until
another event occurred. It uses was or were
to agree with the subject in person and number
plus the present participle of the main
verb. Spock was working with Mr. Data The
Romulans were planning to attack Earth. I was
thinking about drinking a Pepsi. You were
thinking about taking a nap.
12
Main Verbs The progressive Tenses The future
progressive indicates that an action will
continue until a certain time in the future. It
uses will plus be and a present participle.
Spock will be working with Mr. Data
tomorrow. The Romulans will be thinking about
attack. You will be wanting a Pepsi. I will be
wanting a Pepsi too.
13
Main Verbs Perfect Progressive Tenses The perfect
progressive tenses are used to indicate an action
that takes place over time. It is comprised by
adding have, has, or had to the progressive
tenses. Spock has been warning us about the
dangers of Coke addiction. (Present perfect
progressive) This action began in the past and
continues to the present.
14
Main Verbs The Perfect Progressive Tenses Kirk
had been ordering Pepsi for years. (Past
perfect progressive) This action began in the
past and continues to the present. In May, Spock
will have been drinking Pepsi for ten years.
(Future perfect progressive) This is an ongoing
action that took place in the past and continues
into the future.
15
Using Verbs in a Sentence When a verb appears in
a dependent clause, its tense depends on the
tense of the main verb in the independent clause.
When the main verb is in the past tense, the
verb in the dependent clause is usually in the
past or past perfect tense. Spock was a Vulcan
who had worked with Kirk. Shifts from past to
past perfect.
16
Using Verbs in a Sentence

• When the main verb in the independent clause is
  in the present or future tenses, the verb in the
  dependent clause may be any tense needed to
  convey the meaning.
• Spock is a good student who will earn an A.
• Shifts from present to future.
• Missy will not graduate because she is a lazy
  dog.
• Shifts from future to past.

17
Using Verbs in a Sentence

• When an infinitive appears in a verbal phrase,
  the tense it expresses depends upon the tense of
  the sentences main verb. The present infinitive
  (to plus a verb) indicates that the action is
  happening at the same time as or later than the
  main verb.
• Spock went to see a movie.
• The going and seeing occur at the same time.

18
Using Verbs in a Sentence

• When the perfect infinitive (to plus have
  plus the past participle) indicates action
  happening earlier than the main verb.
• I would like to have seen Capt. Kirk fight the
  bug-eyed monster.
• The like occurs in the present and
• the to have seen occurs in the past.

19
Using Verbs in a Sentence

• When a participle appears in a verbal phrase,
  its tense depends on the tense of the sentences
  main verb. The present participle indicates
  action happening at the same time as the action
  of the main verb.
• Thinking about Pepsi, Spock drove into a tree.
• The thinking occurs at the same
• time as the driving.

20
Using Verbs in a Sentence

• The past participle or the present perfect
  participle indicates action occurring before the
  action of the main verb.
• Having finished his Pepsi, Spock drank another.
• Since he had consumed too much Pepsi, Spock
  couldnt sleep.
• The action in the subordinate clause occurs
  before the action in the independent clause.

21
Using Verbs in a Sentence

• Verb tense may shift in a paragraph or sentence
  as long as the shift in tense is required for the
  sentence to make sense.
• Random shifting of tense must be avoided.

22
Using Verbs in a Sentence

• Spock was born on Vulcan. He lives on Earth, but
  soon he will join Starfleet.
• These sentences are shifting from past to
  present to future, but it must or it wont make
  any sense.
• Spock is born on Vulcan. He lives on Earth, but
  he joins Starfleet.
• These sentences make no sense.

23
Linking Verbs linking verbs are weak verbs that
convey a state of being, relate to the senses, or
indicate a condition. Linking verbs are often
forms of the verb be and link the subject to an
adjective that describes it. (Sulu was
happy) (Captain Kirk is well)
24
Linking Verbs

• Linking verbs may deal with the senses look,
  feel, taste, and sound that describe the subject.
  These verbs will not indicate an action.
• (Fish tastes good)
• Linking verbs convey a sense of existing or
  change. Examples include appear, seem, get, turn,
  and remain.
• (Spock grew old.)

25
Linking Verbs To test if a verb, other than a be
verb, is functioning as a linking verb,
substitute was or were for the original verb.
If the sentence makes sense, the original verb
was functioning as a linking verb. Spock grew a
beard. Spock grew old. Spock was a beard.
(No) Spock was old. (Yes) Grew is not a
linking verb. Grew is a linking verb. The
importance of linking verbs will be clear when we
study objective and subjective case.
26
Understanding Mood

• Mood is the least important aspect of verb
  usage. Mood indicates the attitude toward the
  action in a sentence. Shifting in mood is
  generally not a huge problem in writing.
• The Indicative Mood is used to make factual
  statements, highly likely events, and for
  questions about fact.
• The Imperative Mood expresses commands and
  direct requests.
• The Subjunctive Mood expresses unreal
  conditions, conjectures, recommendations, and
  wishes.

27
Understanding Mood

• Indicative
• The door is open. fact
• Missy seemed hungry. highly likely
• Do you want a Pepsi. question about a fact
• Imperative
• Please close that door. command
• Subjunctive
• I wish I were a fish. states a desire
• If I were you, Id be scared. conditional

28
Understanding Voice

• Voice in a verb tells the reader if the subject
  is acting or being acted upon. In active voice
  the subject does the action in the sentence.
• Scotty fixed the engine. is written in active
  voice because Scotty is the subject of the
  sentence, and he is performing the action of
  fixing.

29
Understanding Voice

• In passive voice the subject is receiving the
  action of the verb, not doing it. The person or
  thing doing the action is often in a phrase
  starting with the word by.
• The engine was fixed by Scotty. is written in
  passive voice because the subject is receiving
  the action of being fixed, and the object is
  doing the action.

30
Understanding Voice

• Passive voice is bad because
• It uses more words.
• It is harder for the reader to understand.
• It utilizes wimpy verbs.
• Passive voice is useful because
• It emphasizes what was done not who did it.

31
Verbs
At first verb tense may seem to be a bit
overwhelming, but with a little practice proper
verb usage will become second nature. Learning
to utilize the English language correctly will
not only improve your writing, but it will also
help to keep your papers out of the circular file.
32
Remember to use verbs logically.
The End. Live Long and Prosper