VERBS
An action verb is a word that shows action. An action verb is often the key word in the predicate. It tells what the subject does.
The children carved the ghost’s head out of a pumpkin.
They climbed up the attic.
Then they talked for a long time.
Joe flashed a light on their ghost.
The children worked on their plan.
A linking verb connects the subject with the other words in the predicate. It tells what the subject is or was.
The people were hungry during the famine.
Drought and famine are hard on everyone.
Very few children were in the village.
There was no rain for a long time.
“Halloween is my favorite celebration,” Dracula said.
Sometimes the verb is made up of two or more words. The main verb tells the action. A helping verb helps the main verb express an action or make a statement.
The Great Spirits will send the rain.
The people had given the girl her name.
No one but Mulan had made a sacrifice.
When she awoke, the ground was covered with flowers.
The story is telling an event that happened a long time ago.
VERB TENSES
The time expressed by a verb is called the tense.
Present tense shows action that happens how or regularly. Most present tense verbs that follow singular subjects end in s or es.
Joe pushes the door open.
Each child climbs to the attic.
Present tense verbs that follow plural subjects do not take an s or es.
The children plan their trick carefully.
All the warriors respect Mulan.
Past tense shows action that happened in the past. To form the past tense of many verbs, add ed.
The children worked on their plan.
Their idea needed a lot of planning.
Future tense shows action that will happen in the future. Verbs that tell about the future have the helping verb will.
They will give Peter the scare of her life.
Do you think the trick will work?
IRREGULAR VERBS
Irregular verbs are verbs that do not add ed to show past tense.
Many farmers grow crops in the General Plains.
They grew corn and wheat last year.
People began to settle in the United States centuries ago.
Some of the settlers had become farmers.
Many authors have written stories about pioneers crossing the Rocky Mountains.