To find a verb in the sentence

1. Find the subject-ask who/what is

the sentence about?

2. Find the verb by asking- What about 

the subject? or What happened to the 

subject?

How do verbs help our writing?

1. Normal word order- subject comes 

before the verb. 

Example: Leni hit Jessica in the head.

2. Invented word order-the subject comes after the verb. Example: Here lies a fallen victims of 9/11. 

Type 1- Action Verbs

- Verbs that show hysical or mental action.

- Dave hit the ball over the fence.-physical action

- Don thinks girls like him.- mental action

Verb phares- When a verb consits of more than one word it is called a verb phrase. Dave has been going to the show. The verb phrase is "has been going."

A linking verb links the subject with another word (noun/adj) in the predicate. 

Ex. The boys are handsome. LV= Are(are links the boys to the (Adj.) handsome)

Ex. The teacher was a women. LV=was (was links teacher with the (N) women)

Linking Verbs: be,am,is,are,was,were,Appear,become,continue,feel, grow,look,remain,seem

*If you can substitue is,are,was,were for the berb and not change the meaning,it is a linking verb!!

Appear in verb phrases and are before th main verb. 

Ex. John had been going to class.

"had been" is the helping verb and it is helping the main verb receive the action. The main verb is "going."

* a list of helping verbs that you need to kow i on page 66 in Warriner's or page 120 in World of Language.