Name: ______
VERBS
English 9
Circle the verb(s) in each sentence below. There may be more than one verb in each sentence.
1. The wet dog smelled horrible.
2. The engineer sounded the horn.
3. The chef tasted the casserole.
4. Cocoa can be a very obedient dog.
5. The audience cheered the cast of the play.
6. When she told her story, my how we laughed.
7. Tell the truth, please.
8. The answer is incorrect; try again.
9. I was there when the football team won the game.
10. He felt foolish when he slipped and fell.
11. Suddenly the wind blew and the rain poured down.
12. The baby grew sleepy after he was fed.
13. I am very nervous about my driving test.
14. She shouldn’t have borrowed that necklace.
15. He is leaving for college tomorrow.
16. The fireworks burst in the sky and then scattered to the earth.
17. The child interrupted the teacher by talking out loud.
18. The custodian sweeps and mops the floor; then he washes the chalkboards.
19. Don’t let her bother you!
20. May I please go to the restroom before you begin class?
Distinguishing between Linking Verbs and Helping Verbs
Words such as is, am, are, was, and were can either be a linking verb or a helping verb. However, it is important to remember that linking verbs and helping verbs serve different purposes in a sentence. Briefly review the definitions below to clarify their differences.
Linking: connects the subject to the word that completes the subject, shows a state of being, and sometimes relate to the five senses
Helping: accompanies an action verb or a linking verbto form a phrase showing the verb’s tense
Circle the verb phrase in each sentence. You should be able to find a helping verb as well as the linking or action verb it accompanies. Keep in mind the verb phrase may be “split” with other words in between.
- Did the teacher explain the homework?
- His car was going too fast on the dirt road.
- I am waiting for Helen to arrive.
- Have you met my mother?
- It will be later than you think when the game finally ends.
- Maria is becoming an excellent soccer player.
- If he could read better, he would learn more about his research topic.
- There might have been serious consequences.
- Did you read “For My People” by Margaret Walker?
- We may discover new facts about oxygen during this science experiment.
Each sentence in the following passage contains at least one verb phrase. For each verb phrase, underline the helping verb(s) once and the main verb twice.
Since no one can see the air, some people in the past did not consider it real. The ancient Greek philosopher Anaximenes, however, did not agree with these people. He believed that air must be one of the foundations of all matter.
One evening Anaximenes was walking in the moonlight. While looking up at the sky, he must have seen a rainbow made by the moon. Unlike other Greeks, he did not believe that the rainbow was a goddess. He was not surprised to see the rainbow because he believed that it was made by the effect of light on compressed air.