Question
How can you identify a verb/verb phrase, and how can you tell if it is present, past, future, pres. perf., past perf., future perf.?
Answers
Writeacher
For action verbs, you can usually identify the verb in a clause or sentence by asking yourself what someone/something is doing. What is the action?
For example, if you ask that question about this sentence -- John hit the baseball -- you should clearly identify "hit" -- it's the action. Nothing else in that sentence is something that anyone or anything could <b>do</b>.
Sometimes, though, there will be linking verbs instead of action verbs.
John hit the baseball. <~~"hit" is the action verb
John is my brother. <~~ "is" is the verb, but there's no action; simply being. The verb "is" is a link between "John" and "brother" and it's rather like an equals sign in a math equation.
Here are some webpages that are LOADED with information. Be sure to take the time to go through them completely:
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/types.html
and
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html
For example, if you ask that question about this sentence -- John hit the baseball -- you should clearly identify "hit" -- it's the action. Nothing else in that sentence is something that anyone or anything could <b>do</b>.
Sometimes, though, there will be linking verbs instead of action verbs.
John hit the baseball. <~~"hit" is the action verb
John is my brother. <~~ "is" is the verb, but there's no action; simply being. The verb "is" is a link between "John" and "brother" and it's rather like an equals sign in a math equation.
Here are some webpages that are LOADED with information. Be sure to take the time to go through them completely:
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/types.html
and
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html