Two essential components of a sentence are the subject and the verb. As we have seen, the subject is simply what the sentence is about. The verb tells what the subject did (or does or will do) or indicates the state of being of the subject

Verbs can be divided into three categories.

1. Action Verbs

Action verbs express an action - that is, anything a subject can do, even if no motion is involved: run, walk, go, jump, eat, study, sleep, think.

Example: The child ran across the road.

The verb is ran.

These verbs do not express an action; they express a state of being. They serve to link the subject with a word which describes or identifies the subject. The most common example of such a verb is the verb be, which has the following forms in English:

Simple Present Tense: am, is, are

Simple Past Tense: was, were

Other Forms: be, been, being

(Since the simple present and simple past forms of the verb be do not look like be - and do not even look like verbs - it is important to memorize these forms.)

Example: The woman was hungry after her long climb up the mountain.

In the sentence above, the verb was (a past tense form of the verb be) has been used to link the subject woman with the word hungry, which describes the woman.

Here, the verb is (a present tense form of the verb be) has been used to link the subject John with the word cousin, which identifies John.

Sometimes we use one or more verbs to help another. Then we end up with a verb that consists of two or more words; such a verb is called a verb phrase. The following twelve verbs can be used as helping verbs:

be (am, is, are; was, were; be, been, being)

do (did, do, does)

have (had, has, have)

can, could

Examples:             The dog was chasing its tail.

                                All of the work has been completed.

                                Her accomplishments will never be forgotten.

(In the last example, never is an adverb, not a part of the verb phrase. It is quite common to find adverbs in the middle of verb phrases; one adverb that you will often see in this position is the adverb not.)

It is important to remember that, while two or more verbs can be used together to form a verb phrase, a verb is never found in a prepositional phrase.

Bracket any prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Underline the subject of each sentence with a single line; underline the verb with a double line. (Remember: a prepositional phrase cannot contain a subject or a verb.)

1. I attended a party at Alison's house on Friday night.
2. Everybody had a great time.
3. My boyfriend and I danced all evening to the latest music.
4. After the party, we went out for pizza with a group of friends.
5. I was very hungry after so much dancing.
6. I ate four pieces of pizza.
7. My boyfriend drove me home from the restaurant.
8. We talked in the car for a while.
9. He left at 3:00 in the morning.
10. Of course, I fell asleep right away and slept until noon on Saturday.

Bracket any prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Underline the subject with a single line and the verb or the verb phrase with a double line. (Remember: a prepositional phrase cannot contain a subject or a verb.)

1. This morning, Mark and I are working on our research projects for English.
2. We have been surfing the Net for two hours.
3. At this point, Mark has found only two web sites with useful information.
4. I am unhappy with the results of my search, too.
5. We will go to the library during the afternoon for more research material.
6. The library has a lot of different reference materials on all kinds of topics.
7. We will have no trouble finding information on the topic of euthanasia.
8. Once, our English instructor assigned that topic to another class.
9. Unfortunately, one student did not understand the teacher.
10. Instead of euthanasia, she wrote on youth in Asia!

In the first two exercises, the verbs were fairly straightforward. However, it is important to keep certain points in mind when you are looking for the verb in the sentence:

The verb may be compound (that is, it may consist of two or more verbs or verb phrases joined by and, or, or nor).

The verb may come before the subject or on either side of the subject (as in questions, or with the words there or here).

Certain words or phrases may look like verbs but are not. A word ending in ing is not a verb (going, seeing, being) unless it has a helper in front of it (was going, am seeing, are being). Also, a verb preceded by the word to is an infinitive, not a verb (to go, to see, to be). Do not confuse an infinitive (to plus a verb: to go, to run) with a prepositional phrase (to plus a noun or pronoun: to Ottawa, to me).

If the verb is a command (Come in. Sit down. Open your books at page 123.) , it may not appear to have a subject. That is because the subject you is implied, but not actually expressed in the sentence.

Review the tips in Chapter 4 of your textbook before trying the next exercise.

Bracket any prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Then underline the subject of each sentence with a single line; underline the verb or verb phrase with a double line. (Remember: a prepositional phrase cannot contain a subject or a verb. Also, don’t mistake an infinitive - such as to go - for a verb or for a prepositional phrase.)

I have decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle. For one thing, I intend to change a lot of bad habits. I will quit smoking. I will not eat junk food. I will stop staying up until the early hours of the morning. For another thing, I am planning to start an exercise program. Every day, I will exercise with weights for a half-hour. On Saturday and Sunday, I am going to walk or jog for an hour. In addition, I will learn to eat healthier foods. Already, I have been thinking about ways to improve my diet. I will enjoy more fruits and vegetables. I am also going to eat less red meat. I will reduce my fat intake to a healthy level, as well.

When shall I start this plan? Umm . . . tomorrow might be a good time. On second thought, should I wait a little longer? After all, I still have not eaten the five chocolate bars and the two giant bags of chips in the cupboard. It would be wrong to waste that food. And there is still a carton of cigarettes in my bureau drawer. I should finish that. And maybe too much sudden exertion would be bad for my health. After a little reflection, I can see the truth. I should certainly wait for another week, at the very least. Wish me luck with my self-improvement plan!

ANSWERS

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