What is a verb?

Thunder "boomed" in the distance, sending my poor dog scrambling under the bed. "Booming" is something that thunder can do.

If you are unsure whether a sentence contains an action verb or not, look at every word in the sentence and ask yourself, "Is this something that a person or thing can do?" Take this sentence, for example: During the summer, my poodle constantly pants and drools.

After receiving another failing grade in algebra, Jose "became" depressed. "Became" connects the subject, Jose, to something said about him, that he wasn't happy.

A three-mile run "seems" like a marathon during a hot, humid July afternoon. "Seems" connects the subject, a three-mile run, with additional information, that it's more arduous depending on the day and time.

Clyde "sneezes" with the force of a tornado. "Sneezing" is something that Clyde can do.

Because of the spoiled mayonnaise, Ricky "vomited" potato salad all day. "Vomiting" is something that Ricky can do—although he might not enjoy it.

Can you during? Is during something you can do? Can you the? Is there someone theing outside the window right now? Can you summer? Do your obnoxious neighbors keep you up until 2 a.m. because they are summering? Can you my? What does a person do when she's mying?

Can you poodle? Show me what poodling is. Can you pant? Bingo! Sure you can! Run five miles and you'll be panting. Can you and? Of course not! But can you drool? You bet

The important thing to remember is that every subject in a sentence must have a verb. Otherwise, you will have written a fragment, a major writing error.

Consider word function when you are looking for a verb.

Know an action verb when you see one.

Dance! Sing! Paint! Giggle! Chew! What are these words doing? They are expressing action, something that a person, animal, force of nature, or thing can do. As a result, words like these are called action verbs. Look at the examples below:

In each of the following sentences, the verb or compound verb is highlighted:

Dracula "bites" his victims on the neck. The verb "bites" describes the action Dracula takes.

Mario "is" a computer hacker. Ising isn't something that Mario can do. "Is" connects the subject, Mario, to additional information about him, that he will soon have the FBI on his trail.

During bad storms, trailer parks "are" often magnets for tornadoes. Areing isn't something that trailer parks can do. "Are" is simply connecting the subject, trailer parks, to something said about them, that they tend to attract tornadoes.

Know a linking verb when you see one.

Linking verbs, on the other hand, do not express action. Instead, they connect the subject of a verb to additional information about the subject. Look at the examples below:

In early October, Carol "will plant" twenty tulip bulbs. Here the compound verb "will plant" describes an action that will take place in the future.

My first teacher "was" Miss Crawford, but I "remember" the janitor Mr. Weatherbee more vividly. In this sentence, the verb "was" (the simple past tense of "is") identifies a particular person and the verb "remember" describes a mental action.

Many words in English have more than one function. Sometimes a word is a noun, sometimes a verb, sometimes a modifier. As a result, you must often analyze the job a word is doing in the sentence. Look at these two examples:

Potato chips "crunch" too loudly to eat during an exam. The "crunch" of the potato chips drew the angry glance of Professor Daniels to our corner of the room.

Godzilla appeared happy to see me. Here, appeared is connecting the subject, Godzilla, to his state of mind, happiness.

Realize that a verb can have more than one part.

I smell the delicious aroma of the grilled octopus. I am the delicious aroma? Not the last time I checked. Smell, in this sentence, is an action verb.

The aroma of the grilled octopus smells appetizing. The aroma is appetizing? Definitely! Come take a whiff!

Chris tasted the crunchy, honey-roasted grasshopper. Chris is the grasshopper? I don't think so! In this sentence then, tasted is an action verb.

The crunchy, honey-roasted grasshopper tasted good. The grasshopper is good? You bet. Roast your own!

The students looked at the equation until their brains hurt. The students are the equation? Of course not! Here, looked is an action verb.

The equation looked hopelessly confusing. The equation is confusing? Without a doubt! You try it.

At restaurants, Carol always "feels" angry after waiting an hour for a poor meal. "Feels" connects the subject, Carol, to his state of being, anger.

The following verbs are true linking verbs: any form of the verb be [am, were, has been, are being, might have been, etc.], become, and seem. These true linking verbs are always linking verbs.

Sylvia always "winks" at cute guys driving hot cars. "Winking" is something that Sylvia can do.

The telephone "rang" with shrill, annoying cries. "Ringing" is something that the telephone can do.

What is a verb?

The verb is perhaps the most important part of the sentence. A verb or compound verb asserts something about the subject of the sentence and express actions, events, or states of being. The verb or compound verb is the critical element of the predicate of a sentence.

Look at the examples below: My grumpy old English teacher smiled at the plate of cold meatloaf. My grumpy old English teacher = stalled subject; smiled = verb. The daredevil cockroach splashed into Sara's soup. The daredevil cockroach = stalled subject; splashed = verb.

Theo's overworked computer exploded in a spray of sparks. Theo's overworked computer = stalled subject; exploded = verb. The curious toddler popped a grasshopper into her mouth. The curious toddler = stalled subject; popped = verb.

Crunch is something that we can do. We can crunch cockroaches under our shoes. We can crunch popcorn during a movie. We can crunch numbers for a math class. In the first sentence, then, crunch is what the potato chips do, so we can call it a verb.

Even though crunch is often a verb, it can also be a noun. The crunch of the potato chips, for example, is a thing, a sound that we can hear. You therefore need to analyze the function that a word provides in a sentence before you determine what grammatical name to give that word.

This substitution will not work for appear. With appear, you have to analyze the function of the verb.

Godzilla appeared in the doorway, spooking me badly. Appear is something Godzilla can do—whether you want him to or not.

You must remember that verbs can have more than one part. In fact, a verb can have as many as four parts. A multi-part verb has a base or main part as well as additional helping or auxiliary verbs with it. Check out the examples below:

Harvey "spilled" chocolate milkshake on Leslie's new dress. Because Harvey is a klutz, he "is" always "spilling" something.

Then you have a list of verbs with multiple personalities: appear, feel, grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, and turn. Sometimes these verbs are linking verbs; sometimes they are action verbs. Their function in a sentence decides what you should call them.

How do you tell when they are action verbs and when they are linking verbs? If you can substitute "am", "is", or "are" for the verb and the sentence still sounds logical, you have a linking verb on your hands.

Recognize a verb when you see one.

Verbs are a necessary component of all sentences. Verbs have two important functions: Some verbs put stalled subjects into motion while other verbs help to clarify the subjects in meaningful ways.