1. Grammar Lessons – Week 2
A review of verbs

2. Day 1 - Verbs
The verb of a sentence usually expresses action (jump, think) or being (is, become). It is composed of a main verb possibly preceded by one or more helping verbs:
The best fish swim near the bottom.
A marriage is not built in a day.
Beowulf is a poem, an epic, and an elegy.

3. Day 1 – Action and Linking Verbs
There are three main types of verbs—action, linking, and helping.
Action verbs denote action, whether external or internal:
The man ate the cheeseburger.
The lady thought about the matter.
Linking verbs equate the subject with a state of being (appearance, mood, etc):
The lizard is green.
The person was tired.
The man has a parking ticket.

4. Day 1 – Helping Verbs The third type of verb is the helping verb.
Helping verbs do not act alone in a sentence, but help other verbs to do their job.
I will eat the sandwich.
I have drank the coffee.
We were headed the wrong way.
Some of the same words are used for linking or helping verbs, depending on the context.
LINKING – I am hungry.
HELPING – I will be hungry.
LINKING – I had a wrench.
HELPING – I had used a wrench.

5. Day 2 – Recapping Verbs
Verbs come in three main types: action, linking, and helping.
Action verbs denote action.
Linking verbs equate the subject with a state of being.
Helping verbs help out the main verb.

6. Day 2 – Verbs and Numbers
Verbs must agree with their subjects in terms of number (singular or plural):
WRONG: I eats the apple.
CORRECT: I eat the apple.
WRONG: They eats the apple.
CORRECT: They eat the apple.
WRONG: You eats the apple.
CORRECT: You eat the apple.

7. Day 2 – Verbs – Past and Future
Verbs also have tenses.
Most of us know the present tense:
PRESENT: I eat the cheese. She likes the cheese. He has too much cheese.
However, there are also past and future tenses:
PAST: Joe-Bob ate the cheese. Gilbert went fishing. Bubba walked around the block.
FUTURE: Joe-Bob will eat the cheese. Gilbert will go fishing. Bubba will walk around the block.

8. Day 3 – Recapping So far, we’ve talked about:
Action Verbs, Linking Verbs, and Helping Verbs
Verbs agreeing with their subjects in number
Past and future tenses.
Today, we’ll take a couple more steps into the world of verb tenses.
I guess it’s going to be…in-tense. Ha.

9. Day 3 – Perfect Tenses There are also three perfect tenses.
Present Perfect
Have / has + past participle
Use for when something starts in the past and continues into the present.
I have watched TV all week. Bobby-Jo has wanted a pony for years. Billy-Bob has eaten two chicken sandwiches and is eyeing-up a third.
Past Perfect
Had + past participle
Use when something starts in the past and ends before something else in the past.
I had examined the menu before I ordered the steak.
Gilbert had wanted a fish filet before he saw the three-cheese bbq shrimp and grits.

10. Day 3 – Future Perfect Lastly, there’s the future perfect tense.
Will have + past participle
Used for something in the future happening during / after something else in the future.
When I finally beat the game, I will have finished all the games I own.
If Gilbert continues at this pace, he will have tasted every type of hot pepper by the end of the week.