Grammar 1 Vbs
Grammar 1 Vbs
Grammar 1 Vbs
Definition #1:
A verb is an action word. It shows the
action in the sentence.
Source: Sr. Mary Agatha, St. Gabriels Catholic School, 1968.
Definition #2
A verb is the central unit of any sentence of
clause, and all the other words in a sentence
take grammatical form based on how they
relate to it. A verb can express action (run,
live, change), or states of being (is, are) or
occurrences (happen, become). Sentences
can have more than one verb. A clause is a
sub-unit of a sentence that has one verb.
Source: The Brief Thomson Handbook (sec. 30c)
Definition #3
A verb is a word that characteristically is the
grammatical center of a predicate and expresses
an act, occurrence, or mode of being, that in
various languages is inflected for agreement with
the subject, for tense, for voice, for mood, or for
aspect, and that typically has rather full descriptive
meaning and characterizing quality but is
sometimes nearly devoid of these especially when
used as an auxiliary or linking verb.
Source: www.merriamwebster.com
Definition #4
1.
2.
3.
Differences in Definitions
Some definitions stress meaning.
These definitions often leave people
confused.
What are the actions in these sentences?
His reaction is wonderful.
Her understanding seemed clear.
Inflections
One property of verbs is that they
inflect. Inflection means they change
form. So lets start by looking at what
we mean by the forms of the verb.
The -s form
This is the form of the verb used to form
the third person singular in the present
tense. In English, this is most
commonly formed by simply adding s
or es, but there are spelling
exceptions:
EXAMPLES:
have>>has; do>>does; imply>>implies
Dictionary/Language Note:
Most dictionaries, including online ones,
will mark exceptions to form rules.
Whenever a verb form is slightly
different than the general pattern (in
other words there is an exception to the
form rule), the verb or the form is called
irregular.
Some important differences -The past tense form is used by itself to express
the past tense.
I walked a mile yesterday.
The forms of be
Base form: be
Infinitive form: to be
s form: is
-ing participle form: being
Past tense form: was/were (depending on
subject)
Past participle form: been (pronounced as
bin.)
Exercise
Look at the following sentences.
Identify ALL the verbs in these
sentences and determine if the verb
forms are correct. If not, what verb form
should be used?
Sentences
1. Mary had went to Florida for vacation with her
friends.
2. The flight really shaked her up.
3. The plane dove into a spin.
4. The pilot fought for control of the plane.
5. The passengers cryed loudly in their seats.
6. The stewardess strode towards the cockpit with a
bottle of aspirin!
7. In Florida, Mary booked a return trip via train.