Verbs. What is a verb?

A verb is a word which describes the action in a sentence (the word that is doing doing something)

ExamplesI play football.They skip quickly.We eat spaghetti.Bob is seven today.

Action Verbs v

s. Linkin

g Verbs

An action verbaction verb tells what action someone or something is performing.

Father packed our suitcases. The ship chugged into the harbor. Mr. Fox swallowed the slimy fly larva as

part of a Fear Factor dare.

A linking verblinking verb connects a noun or pronoun with a word that identifies or describes it.

New York is a city. Lucy seems unhappy. Mr. Fox was sick from eating the larva.

Verb Tenses

Verb tenses describe WHEN the action is happening.

PRESENT (it’s happening NOW.) PAST (it’s ALREADY happened.) FUTURE (it’s ABOUT to or WILL happen.)

Present tense to past tense.

The following sentences are written in the present tense. Try changing them to the past tense by putting Yesterday at the beginning of each.

I eat spaghetti. They skip quickly. Bob is seven. I play football.

How have the verbs changed?

How did you do?

Yesterday I ate spaghetti. Yesterday they skipped quickly. Yesterday Bob was seven. Yesterday I played football.

Past to present

These sentences are in the past. Change them to the present by putting today at the front of

each sentence.

Sarah felt hot. The cow jumped over the moon. John sat outside in the garden. The mouse ran up the clock.

How did you do?

Today Sarah feels hot. Today the cow jumps over the moon. Today John sits outside in the

garden. Today the mouse runs up the clock.

The future tense.

The future tense is used to describe what will or could happen. Change these sentences to the future tense by adding tomorrow at the start of each.

Jack and Jill went up the hill. Thomas chased the mouse. Lucy entered the wardrobe. Bo Peep lost her sheep.

How did you do?

Tomorrow Jack and Jill could/will go up the hill.

Tomorrow Thomas could/will chase the mouse.

Tomorrow Lucy could/will enter the wardrobe.

Tomorrow Bo Peep could/will lose her sheep.

Verbs that end in “ ify ”

The suffix “ ify ” changes a noun or adjective into a verb.

Example: Justice (is noun that means that things are fair) Throw the “ ify ” at it and it becomes…..

More ExamplesMore Examples

Humid….Humidify Pure….Purify Simple….Simplify Stupid…._____________ Passive….____________

Modalsand

Semi Modals

(Modal Verbs)

What are They ?

can

could

may might

must

shouldwill

shall

would

ought tohave to have got to

We use Modal verbs to talk about an ability/a duty/ a need /a necessity/wanting...

Modals

What is special about them?

Modal verbs behave very differently from normal verbs. Here are some important differences:

How?1. Modal verbs are always followed by a verb in

its base formbase form.

EXAMPLES:He can speakspeak Chinese.

Compare: I speak Chinese.He speaksspeaks Chinese

You may taketake the book to school. She may taketake the book to school.

Compare: You taketake the books to school.She takes takes the books to

school.

2. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third person in the present simple.

EXAMPLES: He speaksspeaks Chinese. He can  speakspeak Chinese. (NOT- He cans

speak…) She eatseats a sandwich at 9:30 She may eat eat a sandwich at 9:30.

How?

3. You use "not" to make modal verbs negative, even in Simple Present and Simple Past. (We don’t use the helping verb “do”)

EXAMPLES:He should not bebe late.They might not comecome to the party.Compare: I don’t like to be late.I cannot eateat any more cakes.I don’t eateat carrot cakes.

How?

4 .Many modal verbs cannot be used in the past tenses or the future tenses.

EXAMPLES:

He will can go with us.  WRONG

She must studied very hard. WRONG

How?

Many modal verbs cannot be used in all of the English tenses. That's why we need to know their meaning and the substitute for these modal verbs.

Modal Verbs and their substitutes

will- will not - won’t

We use this modal to speak about future actions that we are sure/ convinced about.

Today is Tuesday. Tomorrow will will bebe Wednesday.= I know it because this is a known fact.

We will not bewill not be in the office tomorrow. = I know it because he is going on vacation.

will- will not(=won’t)

Can – Could –Be able to

We use these modals to express: General ability/ disability possibility / impossibility opportunity Permission request

Can

I cancan walk.

= I have the general ability to dothe action of walking.

I can’tcan’t hear you, it is too noisy.

=I don’t have the ability to hear what you are saying because of the noise.

Can

I have some free time. I cancan help her now. =I have the opportunity to help her.

I can'tcan't help her  now because I don't have any time. =I don’t have the opportunity to help her.

Can Could

In the past, can changes to could.

He couldcould speak only Hebrew whenhe was a kid. He couldn’tcouldn’t speak tohis neighbor who speaks only English.

(General ability)

Practice time-can/could

may

=future possibility/get permission

I maymay choose to wear the red dress to the party. =I have two dresses. There is a chance that I will choose

to wear the red dress and not the blue one.

Today, he maymay come on time. =Although usually he comes late,

There is a possibility that today he will come on time.

may

MayMay I come to visit you at 5 o’clock? =I want to come to you but I’m not sure that you want

me to come/that you will be at home/that you will let me enter .

You maymay take only one candy. =Although there are more candies, I permit you to take

only one of them!

may

might

=possibility

We may may come on time, but if you miss the bus, we mightmight be late. =I plan to come on time and this is why I I want to catch

the 7:15 bus.

If I catch the 7:30 bus, I can come on time or not, I’m not sure.

If you advertise on the Internet you mightmight get a lot of spam to your e-mail box.=Although you don’t want to get spam, there’s a risk

that you will get it.

might

should

= advice or a strong suggestion.

If you want to be a champion you shouldshould practice every day.=You don’t have to practice but then, you will

not get better.

When you make a cheese cake, you shouldshould first check that you have cheese. -or else, it will not be a cheese cake

must - mustn’t

Must – very strong advice/ obligation

Mustn't – things you're not allowed to do. אסור

She is sick. She has high fever. She mustmust take a pill.= very strong advice/ obligation

You mustn’tmustn’t ride your bike without a helmet!= you're not allowed to do.ס

Semi modals

have to - has to had to – will have to

= it is necessary=shows obligation and giving advice.

have to/has to –in the present/near future

had to –in the past

will have to –in the future

I have tohave to clean my room. (My mother forces me to do it.)

She has tohas to finish the test before the bell rings.

(After the bell rings, you can’t go on answering the questions.)

Gail Devers had tohad to take radiation therapy for her decease.

(…to get well.)

At the end of the 8th grade we will have to will have to leave our school.

(…and go to high school.)

don’t have to doesn’t have to

Don't have to / Doesn't have to = it isn't necessary

Practice time-have/has to

Ought to – be supposed to – be allowed to

Ought to be supposed to we expect him/her to

be allowed to = permission someone will let/permit him do it.

That’s a great movie. You oughtought to see it! (or You mustmust see it.)

The teacher is supposed tois supposed to base the grades on the tests and assignments.

On Friday, the students in our school don’t have have toto wear the school uniform. They are allowed toallowed to wear any color they want. (They are permitted toare permitted to / They cancan even wear a pink shirt with yellow stripes.)

(be) able tobe able to show an ability.

-I don’t know when I will be ready. I will be will be able toable to give you an answer later.

-Is he able toable to do it? Yes, he knows how to do it and has time to do it.

(=CanCan he do it?)

negative contractions (short form)

http://www.english-zone.com/spelling/cont-02.html

Many modal verbs cannot be used in all of the English tenses. That's why we need to know their meaning and the substitute for these modal verbs.

Modal Verbs and their substitutes

Practice time Exercise on modal verbs and their substitutes

Exercise - modal verb or substitute

Exercise on 'must not' and 'need not' (for soccer fans)

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-1/

exercise-english-476.php

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-1/

exercise-english-443.php

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/auxiliary-verbs/

exercises

http://www.agendaweb.org/verb/modals.html