VERB TENSES

Find the verb:

The students listened carefully to the teacher during instructions.

• listened

• students

• carefully

Answer explanation

Who? The students

Did what? LISTENED

What type of verb is LISTENED?

• action verb

• linking verb

• helping verb

Answer explanation

An action verb is something you can DO (either physical action or mental action). Listening is a mental action.

Find the verbs:

The students were listening carefully to the teacher during instructions.

• were

• listening

• were listening

Answer explanation

Sometimes we have 2 verbs that work together to tell us what the subject is or was doing.

What is the MAIN verb?

The students were listening during instruction.

• were

• listening

Why is "listening" the main verb?

• Listening is what the children are doing. It's the action verb.

• It tells who the sentence is about.

Say this out loud to yourself:

The students listening carefully.

Does that sound right?

• Yes. Sounds fine to me.

• No way. That sounds weird. That sentence needs some HELP.

What type of verb is "were" in the combination "were listening"?

• main (action verb)

• helping verb

Answer explanation

We already said that listening was the main verb but it didn't sound right by itself. It needed some HELP. In this sentence, "were" is a helping verb.

What's the VERB in this sentence?

Sarah and Ben were excited about taking the math test.

• Sarah

• Ben

• were

• excited

Answer explanation

In this sentence, Ben and Sarah are NOT DOING anything. They are BEING something. They are BEING EXCITED. Excited is not something you can do. It's something you can be.

What type of verb is 'were' in the sentence:

Sarah and Ben were excited.

• linking verb (links the subjects to what they are being)

• helping verb

• action verb

Answer explanation

LINKING VERBS link the subject to what they are BEING after the verb.

Yesterday, Yousif_______ to school.

• walking

• walk

• walked

• will walk

Answer explanation

"Yesterday" is in the past. Many past tense verbs end in "ed."