V ERB F ORM

T HE 4 T YPES OF V ERBS Action Verbs - verbs which show action! Ex: run, jump, eat, sleep, think, stare Ex: I jump at the chance to talk about verbs! Being Verbs - verbs which show a state of being. Depending on the situation, they can act alone or as helping or linking verbs. There are only eight: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been. Ex: Are you taking a full load of classes? I am. Ex: Were you in class yesterday? I was. Ex: He is studying for Friday’s quiz. Ex: He wants to be a rock star. Ex: She has been practicing. Ex: They are being excellent role models.

T HE 4 T YPES OF V ERBS Helping Verbs - verbs which help show tense and occur before the main verb (usually an action verb) Helping Verbs: am, is, are, was, were, have, has, had, do, does, did, can, could, may, might, must, will, should, would, ought to, used to Ex: We are working on verb form today. Linking Verbs - verbs used when the predicate renames or describes the subject. Linking Verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been, feel, taste, look, smell, appear, grow, remain, stay, turn, seem, sound, become, prove Ex: I am interested. He feels happy. She is the teacher.

V ERB F ORMS FOR R EGULAR V ERBS All verbs have 5 forms used to create the different tenses. Regular verbs add a –d or –ed to make the simple past and past participle forms. Ex: I need to walk. She walks every day. He is walking. Ex: They walked yesterday. We have walked the dog. Ex: (passive voice) The dog was walked this morning. InfinitiveSimple Present Simple Past Participle Present Participle To + VerbNo helping verb No helping verb Use with has, have, had OR Passive voice Use with is, am, are, was, were Regular Verb to walkwalk(s)walk ed walk ing

T ROUBLE S POTS Don’t forget your –d and –ed with “used to” and “supposed to.” These words usually occur with the infinitive (to + verb) of other verbs. Use –d or –ed: If you’re using “used to” to mean “formerly.” Ex: I used to have trouble with verb form. If you’re using “supposed to” to mean “should,” “should have,” or “believed to be true.” Ex: I am supposed to sit in the front row. Ex: Jacob was supposed to clean his room today. Ex: These study guides are supposed to be good. Ex: I had supposed you were paying attention.

V ERB FORM FOR I RREGULAR V ERBS InfinitiveSimple Present Simple Past Participle Present Participle To + VerbNo helping verb No helping verb *Use with has, have, or had OR passive voice Use with is, am, are, was, were Irregular Verb to beis, am, arewas, werebeen being Irregular Verb to drivedrive(s)drovedrivendriving o Irregular verbs change their spelling in various ways to make the simple past and past participle forms. Ex: I was in class yesterday. I have been in class every day. Ex: I drove to school last semester. Tom has driven this semester. Maria was driven to school this morning.

B E, H AVE, AND D O The irregular verbs be, have, and do have several forms in the simple present and the simple past. 1 st person present: I am a student at Hinds Community College. We are freshmen this year. 1st person past: I was asleep ten minutes before class started. We were taking practice quizzes until 2 AM. 2 nd person present: You are close to making an A in this class. 2 nd person past: You were my favorite student. 3 rd person present: Composition I is the most exciting class ever. My parents are impressed with the A’s on my report card. 3 rd person past: He was a demanding instructor. Midterms were stressful, but I survived. InfinitiveSimple Present Simple Past Participle Present Participle To + VerbNo helping verb No helping verb *Use with has, have, or had OR passive voice Use with is, am, are, was, were Irregular Verb to beis, am, arewas, werebeen being

InfinitiveSimple Present Simple Past Participle Present Participle To + VerbNo helping verb No helping verb *Use with has, have, or had OR passive voice Use with is, am, are, was, were Irregular Verb to havehas, havehad having InfinitiveSimple Present Simple Past Participle Present Participle To + VerbNo helping verb No helping verb *Use with has, have, or had OR passive voice Use with is, am, are, was, were Irregular Verb to dodo, doesdiddone doing

G ENERAL N OTES ABOUT I RREGULAR V ERBS There is no consistent pattern to the way irregular verbs change form. You simply must memorize the irregular verbs. There is a good list on the Grammar Bytes website: Most people make two particular kinds of errors with irregular verbs: 1) Adding an –ed to an irregular verb Incorrect: He drived to school yesterday. Correct: He drove to school yesterday. 2) Mixing up the simple past and the past participle forms. Incorrect: We seen that show too. Correct: We saw that show too.

InfinitiveSimple Present Simple Past Participle Present Participle To + VerbNo helping verb No helping verb *Use with has, have, or had OR passive voice Use with is, am, are, was, were Irregular Verb to sitsit(s)sat sitting Irregular Verb to setset(s)set setting Trouble Spots The irregular verbs sit and set are often confused. Definitions: Sit means “to rest.” Set means “to place something.” *There is usually a direct object after set. Ex: Please sit down. She sat on the bench. They have sat there every day. Ex: Set your papers on your desk. She set the baby down hours ago. They have set their hearts on a new car.

InfinitiveSimple Present Simple Past Participle Present Participle To + VerbNo helping verb No helping verb *Use with has, have, or had OR passive voice Use with is, am, are, was, were Irregular Verb to lielie(s)laylain lying Irregular Verb to laylay(s)laid laying Trouble Spots The irregular verbs lie and lay are often confused. Definitions: Lie means “to rest or recline.” Lay means “to put something down.” *There is usually a direct object after lay. Ex: I need to lie down. After studying all day, we lay down for a nap. I have lain on the couch since yesterday. The cat is lying on the sofa. Ex: Lay down your pencils. Sarah laid her purse on the table. Mom has laid down the law. Timothy is laying brick in his kitchen.