1. Parts of Speech
Verbs and adverbs

2. Find nouns, Pronouns & adjectives
Yes, he misguided you and me with a supercilious equanimity.
prep.
interj.
pron. V.
pron.
conj.
pron.
art
adj
adj.
noun
subj.
AVP.
----- D.O

3. Verdi composed the opera
VERb
A word that shows action, being, or links a subject to a subject complement.
Verdi composed the opera
Verdi composed.
I am.
Verdi is a composer.

4. The verb is about the noun
Every sentence
has a subject
The verb (the predicate of the sentence) is about the subject
Simple predicate = verb

5. The verb is about the noun
The verb is saying that the noun did something or that the noun is something.

6. Four principal parts of the verb
The infinitive: to do, to go, to think, to dream
The present participle: doing, going, thinking, dreaming
The past: did, went, thought, dreamed
The past participle: done, gone, thought, dreamed

7. Irregular verbs Many verbs do not follow this regular pattern
Their principal parts are unique
Must be memorized to use correctly
Infinitive
Present participle
Past
Past participle
To shrink
Shrinking
Shrank
Shrunk
To ring
Ringing
Rang
Rung
To break
Breaking
Broke
Broken

8. Regular verbs
Most verbs make the four principle parts in the same regular way
Begin with the infinitive: to …
Add –ing to make the present participle
Add –d or –ed to make past and past participle
Infinitive
Present participle
Past
Past participle
To Work
Working
Worked

9. Auxiliary or Helping verbs
Simple tense: the verb stands alone, as a single word, to make the simple predicate
“I composed a symphony.”
Compound tense: main verb is supplemented by an auxiliary or helping verb to construct the tense.
“I will have composed a symphony.”

10. “The harpoon hit Moby Dick.”
Transitive verb
An action verb that acts on a direct object
“The harpoon hit Moby Dick.”
Called transitive because of the transit of action or energy that takes place when the subject acts on the object

11. An action verb that does not act on a direct object
Intransitive verb
An action verb that does not act on a direct object
“Harpoons flew.”

12. Active vs. Passive VOice
“Johnson and Boswell discussed the problem.”
Active Voice Verb: shows the subject acting
“The problem was discussed.”
Passive Voice Verb: shows the subject passively being acted upon.
Make sentences seem weak
Tends to leave out important information
Passive voice more frequently used in scientific writing

13. Time makes verbs tense.
Time is so central in our experience as human beings we identify it in every sentence we make, and we do it by putting each verb in a time tense.

14. Present Past Future Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
Six verb tenses
Present
Past
Future
Present perfect
Past perfect
Future perfect
In conjugating these six tenses, we see that verbs (like pronouns) have person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural).

15. Perfect tenses Perfect comes from Latin perficere, meaning “to finish”
The tenses of things that are finished, either finished in the past, finished in the present, or finished in the future.

16. Conjugating (1) PRESENT TENSE Singular Plural First Person I protest
We protest
Second Person
You protest
Third Person
She, he, it protests
They protest
PAST TENSE
Singular
Plural
First Person
I protested
We protested
Second Person
You protested
Third Person
She, he, it protested
They protested
FUTURE TENSE
Singular
Plural
First Person
I will protest
We will protest
Second Person
You will protest
Third Person
She, he, it will protest
They will protest

17. Conjugating (2) PRESENT PERFECT TENSE Singular Plural First Person
I have protested
We have protested
Second Person
You have protested
Third Person
She, he, it has protested
They have protested
PAST PERFECT TENSE
Singular
Plural
First Person
I had protested
We had protested
Second Person
You had protested
Third Person
She, he, it had protested
They had protested
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
Singular
Plural
First Person
I will have protested
We will have protested
Second Person
You will have protested
Third Person
She, he, it will have protested
They will have protested

18. Progressive forms of the six tenses
Action still in progress
Present progressive
I am protesting.
Past progressive
I was protesting.
Future progressive
I shall be protesting.
Present perfect progressive
I have been protesting.
Past perfect progressive
I had been protesting.
Future perfect progressive
I shall have been protesting.

19. Mood Indicative is the ordinary mood. Imperative is the command mood.
Three moods:
Examples:
Indicative is the ordinary mood.
Imperative is the command mood.
Subjunctive is the IF mood.
I am he.
Be he.
If I were he …

20. Last word on linking and action…
If you can substitute am, is, or are and the sentence still sounds logical, you have a linking verb on your hands.
If, after the substitution, the sentence makes no sense, you are dealing with an action verb instead. Here are some examples:
Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew.
Sylvia is the stew? I don't think so! Tasted, therefore, is an action verb in this sentence, something Sylvia is doing.
The squid eyeball stew tasted good.
The stew is good? You bet. Make your own!
I smell the delicious aroma of a mushroom and papaya pizza baking in the oven.
I am the aroma? No way! Smell, in this sentence, is an action verb, something I am doing.
The mushroom and papaya pizza smells heavenly.
The pizza is heavenly? Definitely! Try a slice!

21. When you write …
Follow these tips!

22. Parallel verb tense
Not parallel
Parallel
When Charles Dickens went to America, he gives many speeches, and feels that his trip was successful. After he returned to England, he begins to lose the spirit he finds in America, and he will descend into melancholy.
When Charles Dickens went to America, he gave many speeches, and felt that his trip was successful. After he returned to England, he began to lose the spirit he found in America, and he will descend into melancholy.

23. Keep parts of speech parallel
John was tall and handsome. (good! )
John was tall and an athlete. (not so good, )
I want shelter, clothes, and to eat. (not so good, )
I want shelter, clothes, and food. (good! )

24. Use verbs that bring life and emotion to your writing!
Strong verbs
Use verbs that bring life and emotion to your writing!

25. Avoid contractions in formal writing
Combination of two or more parts of speech into one word
Don’t, they’re, it’s
Suggest that one is in a hurry
If it shows up in a quote – leave it.

26. Find nouns, Pronouns & adjectives
He was brilliant, fantastic, irresponsible.
Linking Verb
pron.
adj.
adj.
adj.
subj.
pred.
Compound Subject Complement

27. A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
Queequeg swam slowly.
Ahab is too tall.
I like you, too.
He and she swim well.

28. The adverb is not your friend.
Stephen king said:
The adverb is not your friend.

29. Are you using to many?
Though there are wonderful adjective and adverbs, there are also many that are tired and unnecessary.
This shows a weak vocabulary.
For example:
Using “Bright, yellowy green” instead of chartreuse?
Or “very tall, gigantic statue” instead of colossus?

30. What is the difference?
“During the first half of the twentieth century the world greatly changed.”
“During the first half of the twentieth century, the world changed.”
Remove the useless adverb greatly, and you get a strong sentence ending in two stressed syllables.

31. Very, very, very weak When a modifier is overused it backfires.
The adverb very oven has the effect of weakening the sentence by filling it with empty syllables.
Omit the verys and let the adjective stand out strong and clear.
“He was very, very hungry.”
“He was hungry.”

32. Parts of Speech
Verbs and adverbs