chapter 13: verbs and subjects action and linking verbs verbs can work in two ways: action verbs...

Chapter 13: Verbs and Subjects

Action and Linking Verbs• Verbs can work in two ways:

• Action verbs show action:

– We walk to the store every Tuesday.– The children ran to South Beach.– There can be more than one verb in a sentence:

• Shannon planned and practiced her speech.• Anastasia bought the ingredients, prepared the brownies, and gave

them to Sean.

• Linking verbs connect the subject with the word it describes:

– My mother is a good cook.– The family seems happy.– The homemade bread smells delicious.


Finding the Verb• Finding the Verb: Finding the subject is easier if you find the verb first. Following are guidelines

to help you find the verb in a sentence:

1. A verb may show action.• The man danced by the fountain.• The sports car roared down the driveway.

2. A verb may link the subject to the rest of the sentence.• The young horse was beautiful.• My daughter seemed tired this afternoon.

3. A verb may consist of more than one word. Some verbs include a main verb and one or more helping verbs.• Susan has been taking piano lessons since the second grade.• Jack might not have been at the playground.


Finding the Verb

4. Some verbs are compound verbs. Some subjects have more than one verb. When more than one verb goes with the same subject, the verb is called a compound verb.• I cooked the pot roast and baked the lemon cake.

5. An infinitive (to + present tense verb) cannot act as a verb in a sentence. • Jessame decided to buy a piano. (The verb is decided.)

6. A verb form ending in –ing cannot act as a verb in a sentence unless a helping verb precedes it. • The setting sun cast beautiful colors of red and pink in the

evening sky. (The verb is cast.)


Finding the Subject• After you recognize verbs, finding the subjects of sentences is easy because subjects

and verbs are linked.• If the verb is an action verb, the subject will be the word or words that answer the

question, Who or what is doing the action?

– Example sentence: The truck stalled on the highway.

– Step 1: Identify the verb: stalled.– Step 2: Ask, “Who or What stalled?”: truck– Step 3: The answer is the subject: The truck stalled

on the highway. – Answer: The subject is truck.


Finding the Subject• If your verb is linking, the same steps apply to finding the subject.

– Example sentence: Toll was my best friend.– Step 1: Identify the verb: was– Step 2: Ask, “Who or What was my best friend?”:

Toll– Step 3: The answer is the subject: Toll was my best

friend.– Answer: The subject is Toll.


Recognizing Prepositional Phrases• Prepositions are usually small words that often signal a kind of position or possession.• Common Prepositions:

– about before beyond inside on under– abovebelow during into onto up– acrossbehind except like over

upon– after beneath for near through with– among beside from of to

within– around between in off toward without– at


Recognizing Prepositional Phrases• A prepositional phrase is made up of a preposition and its object.• In each example, the first word is the preposition; the other words are the object of the preposition.

– Prepositional Phrase examples:– about the movie in the kitchen– around the corner off the record– between two lanes on the mark– over the moors during the college’s recess– near my home with my sister and brother

• Nothing in a prepositional phrase can ever be the subject of the sentence.

– Prepositional phrases describe people, places, or things. They may describe the subject of a sentence, but they never include the subject.

• Note: Except in the most formal writing, ending a sentence with a preposition is acceptable.


Regular and Irregular Verbs• Every verb has four principal parts: present, past, present participle (the –ing verb

form used with helping verbs), and the past participle (used with helping verbs).

Present Past Present Participle Past Participlelisten listened (are) listening (have) listenedadd added (are) adding (have) addedchange changed (are) changing (have) changedpull pulled (are) pulling (have) pulled

• Irregular verbs do not follow a predictable pattern in their past and past participle forms.

• For a list of common irregular verbs, see pages 295-296.


Puzzling Pairs• Some irregular verbs are easily confused with other words. The following will help

you make the right choice between lend and loan, lie and lay, and sit and set.

1. Lend and Loan

• Lend is a verb meaning “to allow someone to borrow.”

– Example: Will you lend me five dollars?

• Loan is a noun meaning “something borrowed.”

– Example: Miss Lisi did receive a loan for the mansion.


Puzzling Pairs2. Lie and Lay• These words are often confused because the present tense of the verb lay and the past

tense of lie are both the same: lay.

Present Past Past Participle Present Participlelay (put) laid (have) laid (are) layinglie (recline) lay (have) lain (are) lying

• Lay means “to put” or “to place” and always has a direct object.

– Example: Tonight, Shelia will lay the embroidered tablecloth upon the table.

• Lie means “to recline” or “rest on a horizontal surface.”

– Example: The blankets have lain in the closet for years.


Puzzling Pairs3. Sit and Set

• Sit means “to take a seat” or “to be located”; it does not take an object.

– Example: She will sit on the chair to tie her tennis shoes.

• Set means “to put” or “to place”; it always takes an object. (You can ask, “Set what?”)

– Example: Monica set her exercise clothes down on the chair.

Chapter 13: Verbs and SubjectsExercises

• Identify the verbs.

Q. My brother rides a motorcycle.A. rides

Q. On a stormy night, my dog sleeps next to me.A. sleeps

Q. He stretched and yawned during the discussion.A. stretched, yawned


• Identify the verbs.

Q. Sliding down into the pool was my favorite summertime activity.A. was

Q. During the holidays, I always listen to Mario Lanza.A. listen

Q. Diane and Ron live and work in the upstairs apartment.A. live, work


• Add a helping verb to the verb and create a sentence (answers will vary).

Q. Verb: calledA. Add helping verb: was calledA. Sentence: He was called during class.

Q. Verb: fishingA. Add helping verb: should be fishingA. Sentence: She should be fishing by this afternoon.


• Add a helping verb to the verb and create a sentence (answers will vary).

Q. Verb: takeA. Add helping verb: might have takenA. Janet might have taken the ring from Brad.

Q. Verb: shoutA. Add helping verb: will be singingA. Dr. Scott will be singing with Brad and Janet.


• Identify the subjects.

Q. After the interview for the new job, excitement overwhelmed me.A. excitement

Q. Anything could happen on a vacation to Grandma’s house.A. anything

Q. After the ice cream and the chocolate cake was gone, I was in no mood for more food.

A. I


• Identify the subjects.

Q. Swimming is fun.A. swimming

Q. Mom and Dad want me to be happy.A. Mom, Dad

Q. Behind the curtain under the ceramic giraffe is a big diamond ring.A. ring


• Identify the prepositional phrases.

Q. During the college’s recess, we were able to find part time jobs in the city.A. during the college’s recess, in the city

Q. Near my apartment, I found a stray puppy at the park.A. near my apartment, at the park

Q. When I was watching the game on television, my friend brought me soda from the neighborhood store.

A. on television, from the neighborhood store


• Identify the prepositional phrases.

Q. From my apartment window, I can see the people in the shops and people on the streets.

A. from my apartment window, in the shops, on the streets

Q. In the locker near my math book, I have a piece of gum by the candy bar.A. in the locker, near my math book, of gum, by the candy bar

Q. After the game at the park, let’s buy a chocolate sundae on the boardwalk.A. after the game, at the park, on the boardwalk


• Identify Prepositional Phrases, Subjects, and Verbs in Complicated Word Order.

Q. In the back of the closet by the shoes is a secret letter from my cousin.A. Prepositional Phrase = in the back, of the closet, by

the shoes, from my cousinSubject = letterVerb = is


• Identify Prepositional Phrases, Subjects, and Verbs in Complicated Word Order.

Q. In my kitchen on the refrigerator there is a magnet with a small green frog near a lily pad.

A. Prepositional Phrase = in my kitchen, on the refrigerator, with a

small green frog, near a lily pad

Subject = magnetVerb = is


• Identify the correct form of the verb.

Q. (Sit, Set) at the table to eat dinner.A. (Sit, Set) at the table to eat dinner.

Q. After I return home from school, my dog loves (laying, lying) next to me.A. After I return home from school, my dog loves (laying, lying) next to me.

Q. Before Wyatt went on vacation, he asked his friend to (lend, loan) him money.A. Before Wyatt went on vacation, he asked his friend to (lend, loan) him money.