Subjects and Verbs
What are subjects and verbs? What is a subject? Usually a noun or pronoun – the who or what of the sentence. What is a verb? The action of the sentence or the link in the sentence.
Recognizing Subjects Subjects Often answers the who or what question Jamie stole the car – who? The dirty car wouldn’t come clean – what?
Action vs. Linking Verbs Action Verbs Show an action – what did so and so do? Linking Verbs not actions (test replace verb with is or was – if it makes sense, it’s probably a linking verb.
Recognizing Verbs VERBS May show action [jump, hop, skip] May link [is, was will be, appeared] May be compound [has been, will have, is going] Might be infinite [to go, to listen] **However a gerund is not an active verb [ing verb without helping verb isn’t main verb]
Prepositional Phrases #1 of 3 •Often show place – What can a marble do to a mountain? •Why know them? –They often confuse what verb to choose, so eliminate to check the verb.
Prepositional Phrases #2 of 3 Eliminate the prepositional phrases and find the verb in the example. Next to the bus stop, a group of new college students is talking. P. S. It’s okay to end a sentence with a preposition.
Prepositional Phrases #3 of 3 Eliminate: “next to the bus stop,” and “of new college students.” Subject: “a group” Verb: “is talking”
Regular and Irregular Verbs #1 of 2 How to know present tense add the word every day How to know past tense add word yesterday How to know future tense Add word tomorrow
Regular and Irregular Verbs #2 of 2 Which sentence is in the present, past, and future? EX: Mary drives like a maniac on the freeway. Bill didn’t like the apple cart. Arthur is going to fly to Hawaii.
Puzzling Pairs Lend: allow someone to borrow [verb] Loan: is something borrowed [noun] Lay: to put in place Lie: to recline Sit: to take a seat Set: to put or place