Verbs in Review
Verbs carry action in sentences, as well as state of being and existence. In order to use them correctly, it is important for subjects and verbs to agree in number, so that a singular subject is paired with a singular verb and a plural subject with a plural verb. In addition, verb tenses need to match throughout a passage to make the most sense.
Types of Verbs
Three different types of verbs exist in English: action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs. Action verbs show mental action, as well as physical action. For example, in the sentence, “She remembered the poster of the freshman class”, the word remembered is an action verb, but it is mental action. Linking verbs, in contrast, do not show action, but link parts of sentences together. The most common linking verbs are verbs that are forms of to be, such as is, are, and was. The general rule is that if the verb in a sentence can be replaced by a form of to be, the verb is a linking verb. The sentences, “Maria Mitchell became a famous American astronomer” and “Maria Mitchell was a famous American astronomer” express similar ideas and make sense. Helping verbs, also known as auxiliary verbs, are forms of to be, as well as forms of to have, and conditionals such as shall, can, and may.
Verb Agreement
For subjects and verbs to agree, both the subject and verb must be singular or both must be plural. When the subject and verb are close together in the sentence, it is much easier than when they are separated by a phrase. Compare the sentences “The coat of many colors hangs on the boulder” and “The coats hang in the closet.” Compound subjects are a bit more complicated. If compound subjects are joined by the word and, they take a plural verb. The bell and the ball start with the letter b. However, if two singular subjects are joined by the word nor or the word or, they take a singular verb. Neither the coat nor the hat was going to dry.
Verb Tense
Verb tenses come in six different forms that indicate the time when something happens. An action can be in the present, past, or future. In addition, verb forms can take a perfect construction, with either present perfect (the word has plus the past tense of the verb form); past perfect (the word had plus the past tense of the verb form); or future perfect (the word will have plus the past tense of the verb form).
Verb Forms on Standardized Tests
Standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT ask proofreading questions that refer to knowledge of verb usage, verb agreement, and verb tense. Students are given reading passages with one or two verbs missing and asked to choose the correct form from clues given in the passage. For example, if sentences in the beginning of the passage and at the end of the passage refer to actions in the past, the correct missing verb in the middle will need to be in past tense. Similarly, subjects and verbs will need to agree.
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