Identifying Action Verbs

Draw a line under the action verb in each sentence.

  1. Long ago, medieval knights fought battles atop powerful horses.
  2. Lighter horses carried lords and ladies on fox hunts.
  3. Travelers sometimes rode horses on long journeys.
  4. Later, the wealthy traveled in horse-drawn carriages.
  5. Farmers also relied on horses in the past.
  6. American farms had more than 20 million horses and mules in 1900.
  7. Today, many persons keep horses.
  8. Children especially love shaggy, bright-eyed ponies.
  9. Gentle Shetland ponies delight young children.
  10. Shetland stand only four hands (21 inches) high!

Recognizing Transitive and Intransitive: Draw two lines under each action verb. Circle each direct object. Write T in the blank if the verb is transitive or I if the verb is intransitive.

  1. _____ Wilbur and Orville Wright built the first successful airplane.
  2. _____ They built their machine in Ohio.
  3. _____ They took it to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, for its first flight.
  4. _____ Orville Wright flew the first airplane on December 17, 1903.
  5. _____ The winds at Kitty Hawk blew steadily that day.
  6. _____ The twelve-horsepower engine sputtered.
  7. _____ Soon it lifted the 750-pound plane into the air for a flight of 120 feet.
  8. _____ Orville’s brother, Wilbur ran alongside.
  9. _____ Few newspaper carried news about the first flight.
  10. _____ The brothers made improvements on their airplane and their flight techniques.

Recognizing Linking Verbs: Draw two lines under each verb. Place a check in the blank next to each sentence that contains a linking verb. *Remember some verbs may seem to be linking verbs, but they are actually action verbs. Identify the predicate adjective and predicate nominative.

  1. _____ The grass became brown and dry during the drought.
  2. _____ The delicious desert was cherry cobbler.
  3. _____ Karen asked for that book for her birthday.
  4. _____ His answer annoyed me.
  5. _____ The exterior of the new auditorium appears stately.
  6. _____ Cally looks hot and weary after mowing the grass.
  7. _____ The wonderful train ride became an impressive memory.
  8. _____ My younger sister played Tiny Tim in the play.
  9. _____ The auctioneer of the old property was Alice’s father.
  10. _____ The annual school choral production was a success.

Identifying Helping Verbs: Underline the complete verb phrase in each of the following sentences. Include all parts of the helping verbs.

  1. Uncle Bob should have reached Boston by now.
  2. Have you ever wanted to sky at Mount Washington?
  3. She had carefully arranged her plans a week in advance.
  4. Sailboats are often seen on the lake in summer.
  5. She probably would have given you her phone number later.
  6. Traders would often exchange tools, weapons, and utensils for pelts of fur.
  7. That book has been on the best-seller list for ten weeks.
  8. Do you know the name of the first state?
  9. You should not even have attempted that difficult somersault.
  10. Those plants have not been watered in more than a week.