LEARNING MODULE

ENGLISH 7

VERBS

Bacolod, Hiro
12-00318

1
OVERVIEW
Verbs are a very important part of speech because without them a sentence
cannot exist. They serve several purpose within a sentence. They also help students to
communicate about different events in their lives by combining words into sentences.

Verbs are at the heart of sentences and clauses; they are indispensable to the
formation of a complete thought. A verb can express a thought by itself and be
understood.

This lesson will provide information about verbs and its types which are: Action
Verb, Finite Verb, Non-finite Verb, Linking Verb, and Helping Verb within a two hour
timeframe.

OBJECTIVE
S
Upon completion of this lesson during the first quarter:
 Students will be able to define a verb.
 Students will be able to identify the types of verbs.
 Students will be able to differentiate Linking and Helping verbs.
 Students will be able to appreciate the use of verbs in their daily life.

2
 PRE-TEST
Read and analyze the sentence and choose the correct verb. Encircle the letter of the
correct answer.

1. I _____ watching TV when Paul and Simon arrived.

a. is
b. am
c. was
d. were

2. Do you think he _____ what I said?

a. understanding
b. understood
c. understand

3. She_____ to learn English in Malta next summer.

a. hopes
b. hope
c. hoping

4. I don’t think I’ve ever _____ on that sofa.

a. sat
b. sit
c. sitting

5. Tom _____ tired.

a. looks
b. looking
c. look

6. When I was young I wanted to _____ a vet.

a. be c. is
b. am d. was

3
7. Did you used to _____ with dolls?

a. play
b. playing
c. played

8. I’ve never _____ sushi before.

a. eaten
b. eat
c. ate

9. The window was already _____ when I got here.

a. break
b. broken
c. broke

10. Last night I _____ on the carpet and fell asleep.

a. lie
b. lied
c. lay

4
Verbs

What is a verb?
Verbs are the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is doing.
Along with nouns, verbs are the main part of a sentence or phrase, telling a story about
what is taking place. In fact, without a verb, full thoughts can’t be properly conveyed,
and even the simplest sentences, such as Maria sings, have one. Actually, a verb can be a
sentence by itself, with the subject, in most case you, implied, such as, Sing! and Drive!
When learning the rules of grammar, school children are often taught that verbs
are ‘doing’ words, meaning they signify the part of the sentence which explains the
action taking place: He ran away, she eats chocolate cake on Sundays, the horses gallop
across the fields. Ran, eats and gallop are the ‘action’ parts of those sentences, thus they
are the verbs. However, it can be confusing because not all verbs are easily identifiable
as action: I know your name, Jack thought about it, we considered several applications.
These are non-action verbs, i.e. those that describe a state of being, emotion, possession,
sense or opinion. Other non-action verbs include love, agree, feel, am, and have.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF VERBS

FINITE VERBS
Finite verbs are the actual verbs which are called the roots of sentences. It is a form of a
verb that is performed by or refers to a subject and uses one of the twelve forms of tense
and changes according to the number/person of the subject.
Example:
Alex went to school. (Subject – Alex – performed the action in the past. This
information is evident only by the verb ‘went’.)
Robert plays hockey.
He is playing for Australia.
He is one of the best players. (Here, the verb ‘is’ directly refers to the subject itself.)

NON-FINITE VERBS
Non-finite Verbs are not actual verbs. They do not work as verbs in the sentence rather
they work as nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc. Non-finite verbs do not change according
to the number/person of the subject because these verbs, also called verbal, do not have
any direct relation to the subject. Sometimes they become the subject themselves.

5
The forms of non-finite verbs are – infinitive, gerund, and participle (participles become
finite verbs when they take auxiliary verbs.)
Examples:
Alex went abroad to play (Infinitives)
Playing cricket is his only job. (Present participle)
I have a broken bat. (Past participle)
Walking is a good habit. (Gerund)

ACTION VERBS
Action verbs indicate what the subject of a sentence performs. Action verbs can make
the listener/reader feel emotions, see scenes more vividly and accurately.
Action verbs can be transitive or intransitive.

INTRANSITIVE VERBS
A transitive verb expresses an action directed towards a person, place or thing. The
action expressed by a transitive verb passes from the doer or the subject to the receiver
of the action. Words that receive the action of a transitive verb are called objects.
Example:
I painted the car. (The verb ‘paint’ demands an object to be painted)
She is reading the newspaper. (The verb ‘read’ asks the question “what is she reading?”
– the answer is the object)
Other example sentences of Transitive Verbs.
The teacher praised the pupil.
She is eating a pear.
They are playing football.
Dennis bought a bicycle.

INTRANSITIVE VERBS
A verb which does not need an object to make complete sense is called an intransitive
verb. An intransitive verb expresses action (or tells something about the subject)

6
without the action passing to a receiver or object. It can stand alone in the predicate
because its meaning is complete.
Example:
She smiled. (The verb ‘smile’ cannot have any object since the action of ‘smiling’ does
not fall upon anything/anyone)
I wake up at 6 AM. (No object is needed for this verb)

Other example sentences of Intransitive Verbs.

Mr. Becker jogs every day.
The wicked hunter was hiding.
Anne looks very beautiful.
Mr. John speaks loudly.

LINKING VERBS
A linking verb adds details about the subject of a sentence. In its simplest form, it
connects the subject and the complement — that is, the words that follow the linking
verb. It creates a link between them instead of showing action.
Often, what is on each side of a linking verb is equivalent; the complement redefines or
restates the subject.
Generally, linking verbs are called ‘be’ verbs which are - am, is, are, was, were. However,
there are some other verbs which can work as linking verbs. Those verbs are:
Act, feel, remain, appear, become, seem, smell, sound, grow, look, prove, stay, taste, and
turn.
Some verbs in this list can also be action verbs. To figure out if they are linking verbs,
you should try replacing them with forms of the be verbs. If the changed sentence makes
sense, that verb is a linking verb.
Examples:
She appears ready for the game. (She is ready for the game.)
The food seemed delicious. (The food was delicious.)
You look happy. (You are happy.)

7
Other verbs may be linking verbs in some cases and action verbs in others:

To appear To feel To look To remain To stay To smell

To taste To continue To grow To prove To sound To turn

AUXILIARY VERBS
Auxiliary verbs are also called helping verbs. An auxiliary verb extends the main verb by
helping to show time, tense, and possibility. The auxiliary verbs are – be verbs, have,
and do.
They are used in the continuous (progressive) and perfect tenses.
Linking verbs work as main verbs in the sentence, but auxiliary verbs help main verbs.
Do is an auxiliary verb that is used to ask questions, to express negation, to provide
emphasis, and more.
Examples:
Alex is going to school.
They are walking in the park.
I have seen a movie.
Do you drink tea?
Don’t waste your time.
Please, do submit your assignments.
MODAL VERBS
Modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are used to express abilities, possibilities,
permissions, and obligations.

Example:
He can shoot a three-point shot easily.
They must play their best game to win.
I may want to talk to you again.

8
HELPING VERBS
Helping verbs are used before action or linking verbs to convey additional information
regarding aspects of possibility (can, could, etc.) or time (was, did, has, etc.). The main
verb with its accompanying helping verb is called a verb phrase.

Examples:
Teju is (helping verb) going (main verb) to Florida.
The trip might (helping verb) be (main verb) dangerous.

The following words, called modals, always function as helping verbs:

can may must shall will

could might ought to should would

Examples:
Tanya could learn to fly helicopters. (Could help the main verb, learn.)
Janine will drive to Idaho tomorrow. (Will helps the main verb, drive.)

In addition, the following forms of the verbs to be, to do, and to have sometimes serve as
helping verbs. (Note: In other cases, they may serve as action or linking verbs.)

am be being do had have was

are been did does has is were

HELPING: Jana is moving to a new house.

LINKING: Jana is ready to go.
HELPING: Dustin did eat his vegetables!
ACTION: Dustin did his homework last night.

9
 POST- TEST

I. Answer the following questions.

What is a verb?

Differentiate Linking and Helping verbs.

II. Circle the verbs in the following sentences.

1. The band performed in the auditorium.

2. Johnny wanted a puppy for his birthday.
3. Mr. Jones bakes and sells delicious home-made bread.
4. That math class is one of the hardest classes.
5. I need a new pair of shoes.
6. I walk, run, and bike each day.
7. Some songs have been banned from radio play lists.
8. Sarah wished for a new friend at school.
9. In the old days, students always walked to school.
10. Our house is the newest one on the block.
11. Jake was saving his money because he needed a new bike.
12. We have been baking, cooking, and cleaning all day long!
13. The mechanic worked on our car for several hours.
14. Sally brought a cake to the party.
15. All of these chairs are busted.
16. Tom could have passed the class if he had studied harder.
17. She knits and sews very well.
18. The baby is learning to crawl.
19. I can help you with that assignment.
20. That silly cat lies in the sun all day long.

10
III. Select the answer from the choices given for each question.

1. A verb is defined as:

a. a word that shows action.

b. a word that links word in the sentences together.
c. a word that helps add a connection.
d. all of the above.

2. The verb set “has been” is an example of

a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

3. The verb set “are” is an example of

a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

4. The verb set “walks” is an example of

a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

5. The verb set “have been” is an example of

a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

6. The verb set “is” is an example of

a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

11
7. The verb set “run” is an example of
a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

8. The verb set “could have” is an example of

a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

9. The verb set “were” is an example of

a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

10. The verb set “sings” is an example of

a. linking verb
b. helping verb
c. action verb
d. none of the above

IV. Write the LINKING VERB in the space provided before the number.

__________1. Your clothes are filthy.

__________2. The large barking dogs were scary

__________3. That is a delicious pie.

__________4. Those jackets are too small for Billy.

__________5. I am the fastest runner in the team.

12
V. Write the HELPING VERB in the space provided before the number.

__________1. People had used elevators for many years.

__________2. I am learning to play the piano.

__________3. She has helped young children all day.

__________4. James and Kenny were going to the movies.

__________5. Amy and Josh will start piano lessons tomorrow.

VI. State whether the verbs in the following sentences are Transitive or Intransitive and
write it on the space provided before each number.

_____________1. She advised me to consult a doctor.

_____________2. Let’s invite your cousins as well.

_____________3. I waited for an hour.

_____________4. I received your letter in the morning.

_____________5. I am going to send her some flowers.

_____________6. He has changed a lot since he got married.

_____________7. Suddenly he child woke up.

_____________8. The loud noise woke me.

_____________9. Let’s discuss your plans.

_____________10. I heard a lovely song in the morning.

13
PRE-TEST KEY TO CORRECTION
1. was
2. understood
3. hopes
4. sat
5. looks
6. be
7. play
8. eaten
9. broken
10. lay

POST-TEST FEEDBACK AND EVALUATION

II.
1. performed 11. was saving, needed
2. wanted 12. have been baking, cooking, cleaning
3. bakes, sells 13. worked
4. is 14. brought
5. need 15. are
6. walk, run, bike 16. could have passed, had studied
7. have been banned 17. knits, sews
8. wished 18. is learning
9. walked 19. can help
10. is 20. lies

III. IV. VI.

1. D 1. Are 1. Transitive
2. B 2. Were 2. Transitive
3. A 3. Is 3. Intransitive
4. C 4. Are 4. Transitive
5. B 5. Am 5. Transitive
6. A V. 6. Intransitive
7. C 1. Had 7. Intransitive
8. B 2. Am 8. Transitive
9. A 3. Has 9. Transitive
10. C 4. Were 10. Transitive
5. Will

14