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VERBS - Introduction

What is a Verb? It is to do.Verbs are action words. They are the engines of your sentences.

Verbs are words that express action or doing, state or condition of 'being'. Some verbs describe ownership. A single verb consists of one word. Compound verbs have two parts. Verbs are the only words that change according to tense - the time that an action takes place.

A verb becomes a verb only if it performs an action in a sentence. A verb in one sentence can be a noun in another

Brett lights the fire because it is cold. (Lights is a verb)
Dean switched the lights on because it was dark. (Lights is a noun. Switched is the verb.)

The verb 'to be'.
Some verbs do not appear to perform an action at all.

The books were all damaged in the fire.
Karen was home alone all morning.
Julie had no phone calls Thursday.

Am, is, are, has, have, had, be, will be, shall be, was and were.
They are all forms of the verb 'to be'.
To be remembered.

Three Tenses
Verbs tell the time when an action takes place. This time is called the tense.
There are three main times when an action can take place.

1. Past (Action is now finished)

Julie cooked dinner last night.

The cooking is finished

2. Present (Action is occuring)

Julie cooks dinner while Dean studies.

The flying is in progress at the moment.

3. Future (Action not yet begun)

Julie will cook dinner tomorrow night.

The flying will take place in the future.

Verbs in the present tense either end with 's' or nothing at all. Most verbs in the past tense end with 'ed' and require the word 'will' for the future.

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