Verbs and Verb Phrases

Verbs and Verb Phrases

Step One

• Find the prepositional phrase(s)

• Not every sentence will have a prepositional phrase

Step Two

• Find the verb or verb phrase

• Action verbs and Linking verbs

• Helping verbs will go with action verbs

• Underline the verb or verb phrase twice

• Label each of the verbs appropriately (Action = AV, Linking = LV, Helping = HV)

• Note: Watch for adverbs that may interrupt verb phrases and label them

Substitution Test

• On your SAM sheet, there are some verbs with a dot next to them. This means you need to complete the substitution test with that verb.

• If you can replace the verb with a form of the verb "to be" (is, am, was, were, be, been, or being), the verb in the sentence is a linking verb. If you cannot replace it, the verb in the sentence is an action verb.

• Example: will have been singing = verb phrase

• "will" "have" and "been" are helping verbs

• the main verb, "singing" is an action verb

Adverb Interrupter

• Example: have certainly been given

• Certainly is an adverb interrupter

• There is a list of common adverb interrupters on your SAM sheet

Compound Verbs

• Compound verbs are joined by conjunctions.

• Example: She ate candy and drank a coke.

• Verb = ate; drank

Questions

• When you have a question sentence, change the question into a statement.

• Example: Will he be going with us? = He will be going with us.

• Verb phrase: will be going

Example

1. The man in the blue car was slowly driving toward me.

Multiple Choice

What is the prepositional phrase in the following sentence: The sales clerk felt the soft material of the velvet dress.

• felt the soft material

• of the velvet dress

• there isn't a prepositional phrase

• the sales clerk

Multiple Choice

What is the verb/verb phrase in the following sentence: The sales clerk felt the soft material of the velvet dress.

• sales

• felt

• soft

• of

Multiple Choice

What kind of verb is the verb in the following sentence: The sales clerk felt the soft material of the velvet dress.

• Helping

• Action

• Linking