Understanding Verbs and Verb Agreement

Study Notes

Verbs are words that describe actions, occurrences, or states of being
They form the main part of the predicate of a sentence

Verb Agreement

Verb agreement refers to the correspondence in number and person between a verb and its subject
Singular subjects take singular verbs
Plural subjects take plural verbs
Examples: "He eats" (singular) vs. "They eat" (plural)
Certain words such as "each," "every," "everyone," and "nobody" are always singular
When subjects are joined by "or" or "nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it
Collective nouns (e.g., team, family) can be singular or plural depending on whether they act as a unit or as individuals

Verb Present Tense

The present tense indicates an action that is happening now or that happens regularly
Simple present: Describes habits, general truths, and permanent situations (e.g., "I work," "The sun rises in the east")
Present progressive (or continuous): Describes an action in progress (e.g., "I am working")
Present perfect: Describes an action that started in the past and continues to the present or has a present result (e.g., "I have worked")
Present perfect progressive: Describes an action that started in the past and is still in progress (e.g., "I have been working")

Verb Past Tense

The past tense indicates an action that happened in the past
Simple past: Describes a completed action in the past (e.g., "I worked")
Past progressive (or continuous): Describes an action in progress at a specific time in the past (e.g., "I was working")
Past perfect: Describes an action completed before another action in the past (e.g., "I had worked")
Past perfect progressive: Describes an action that had been in progress before another action in the past (e.g., "I had been working")

Verb Future Tense

The future tense indicates an action that will happen in the future
Simple future: Describes an action that will happen in the future (e.g., "I will work")
Future progressive (or continuous): Describes an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future (e.g., "I will be working")
Future perfect: Describes an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future (e.g., "I will have worked")
Future perfect progressive: Describes an action that will have been in progress before a specific time in the future (e.g., "I will have been working")

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs connect the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that describes or renames the subject
They do not show action
Common linking verbs: be (is, am, are, was, were, been, being), seem, become, appear, look, feel, sound, taste, smell, grow, remain
Example: "She is a doctor" ("is" links "she" to "doctor")
Example: "The soup tastes good" ("tastes" links "soup" to "good")

Helping Verbs

Helping verbs (also known as auxiliary verbs) are used with a main verb to form a verb phrase
They help to express tense, mood, or voice
Common helping verbs: be (is, am, are, was, were, been, being), have (has, had), do (does, did), can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must
Example: "I am working" ("am" is the helping verb, "working" is the main verb)
Example: "They have finished" ("have" is the helping verb, "finished" is the main verb)

Action, Linking, and Helping Verbs

Action Verbs: Express physical or mental actions
Examples: run, jump, think, believe
Linking Verbs: Connect the subject to a noun or adjective that describes or renames the subject
Examples: is, are, was, were, seem, become
Helping Verbs: Assist the main verb to express tense, mood, or voice
Examples: am, is, are, was, were, have, has, had, do, does, did, can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must
Some verbs can function as both linking and action verbs, depending on the context
Example: "She looks happy" (linking verb) vs. "She looks for her keys" (action verb)

Description

Explore the role of verbs in sentences, focusing on actions, occurrences, and states of being. Learn about verb agreement, ensuring verbs match their subjects in number and person. Understand present tense usages, including simple present for habits and present progressive for ongoing actions.