© Oxford University Press 2008 The Ingredients of Language The Ingredients of Language: VERBS and...

© Oxford University Press 2008

The Ingredients of Language

The Ingredients of Language:

VERBS and ADVERBS



A verb expresses an action or mental or physical state:

I ate a sandwich as I felt hungry.

As a general rule, if you can put ‘–ing’ after it, it is a verb.



Remember that most sentences contain a verb or verbs.

The verb lets you know what the subject of the sentence is doing or being:

The artist painted as the model sat and thought about her holiday!



The infinitive is otherwise called the ‘to’ form of the verb.For example,To rideTo jumpTo smileTo be

Note that the infinitive does not tell us about tense or when an action is happening, nor does it tell us who is performing the action.



Activity: Think of some more infinitive verbs and write them down.Remember that verbs can tell you about actions and mental and physical states.• To• To• To• To• To



Verbs may also be classified into finite and non-finite verbs.The finite forms of a verb are the forms where the verb shows tense, person or singular/plural. In other words, a finite verb shows who is performing the action and when it was performed.For example:I am, She was



Non-finite verb forms have no person, tense or number and usually combine with a modal, auxiliary or infinitive.For example:I will be goingThey might goI want to go



Like nouns, English verbs can be sub-divided into two main classes:Strong verbs - form the past tense by changing the

vowel of the base form, andWeak verbs - form the past tense by adding ‘–ed’ to

the base formUse the table which accompanies this presentation to familiarize yourself with these classes of verbs.



There are also different types of verb which perform different jobs.Main or lexical verbs express the main action or state within the sentence.For example:I was walking to the station.

Write your own sentence which has a main verb.



Here is another type of verb which has a supporting role!Auxiliary verbs are found in front of the main verb and can tell us about tense. For example:I must have been going the wrong way!

Notice that going is the main verb of this sentence.Have and been are the auxiliary verbs.



The most important auxiliary verbs are different forms of the following base forms:BeHaveDo

Write your own sentences which contain a main verb and some auxiliary verbs.Remember to indicate the different types of verb.



Modal verbs are another type of helping verb which express the possibility or probability of an event happening:Can/CouldWill/WouldShall/ShouldMay, Might and Must

You will just have to learn these!



Modal verbsConsider the difference between the following:I can go to the cinema tonight.I should go shopping tonight.I will go to the ball.

Try to put these modal verbs in order of probability.



Adverbs give us additional information about the verb . . .How - mannerWhen - timeWhere - place

Think of some ways of using adverbs in sentences.

© Oxford University Press 2008 The Ingredients of Language The Ingredients of Language: VERBS and...

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