Defining & Identifying Verbs

​⭐DEFINING & IDENTIFYING VERBS ⭐

By Caio Gomes

INTRO: WHAT IS A VERB?

• A verb is a word that expresses action or helps express a state of being.

  Examples of action verbs: run, kick, stare, sprinkle

  Examples of state-of-being verbs: is, are, was, were

• Every complete sentence needs a subject (who/what) and a verb (what they’re doing or being).

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a verb?

• guitar

• run

• colorful

• bravery

TWO-WORD SENTENCES

• A sentence can be as short as a noun + a verb.
  Examples:

  • Tanya laughed.

  • Snow melted.

  • Dan sneezed.

  These are complete sentences because they have both a subject and a verb.

Reorder

Reorder the words to form a correct sentence:

• Tanya

• wrote

• silently.

1

2

3

• 1
• 2
• 3

ACTION VS. STATE-OF-BEING VERBS

• Most verbs show action, but some verbs show being instead.

• State-of-being verbs come from the verb “to be”: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been.

  Examples:

  • Henry was shy. (state of being)

  • Genoa kicked the can. (action)

Categorize

Options (14)

walked

run

jump

swim

dance

write

read

play

is

are

was

were

be

being

Drag each verb to the correct category:

Action verbs

State-of-being verbs

FIND THE VERB IN REAL SENTENCES

• Writers often use more than one verb in a sentence.
  Example:
  I smeared peanut butter and sprinkled coconut on top.

• Verbs = smeared, sprinkled

• Some sentences even include helping verbs, like is walking or will go.

Hotspot

Tap all verbs in the sentence:

VERB TENSES

Verbs change depending on when the action happens.

Past

I walked.

Present/Ongoing

I walk / I am walking.

Future

I will walk.

Dropdown

Identify the tense of the underlined verb below: ​

Select answer

"By the time we arrived, she was waiting by the door."

Open Ended

Rewrite the sentence in future tense:

“Henry walked home.”

VERBS CAN BE STRONG & SPECIFIC

• Stronger verbs make writing more vivid:
  Instead of She moved, try → She tiptoed or She sprinted
  Instead of He acted weird, → He twirled, spun, stumbled

• Writers choose verbs that show the exact action.

Drag and Drop

Choose the stronger, more precise verb in the sentence below.

The runner ​

Placeholder

across the finish line.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

sprinted

ran

Drag and Drop

Choose the stronger, more precise verb in the sentence below.

The teacher ​

Placeholder

the directions to the class.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

told

explained

Drag and Drop

Choose the stronger, more precise verb in the sentence below.

The wind ​

Placeholder

through the trees all night.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

moved

howled

Word Cloud

Write down as many verbs as you can remember!