VERBS

verb (vûrb) n.
A part of speech that expresses existence, action, or occurrence.

Remember question one for identifying subjects? "What's going on (or being described)?" Answer that and you've found your verb. And like a subject, a sentence has got to have one!

Let's look at a few more examples:

1.Lassie ran into the burning building.
2.The beagle stepped on its ears.

Got the idea? Now let's look at verbs that are a little different. Some verbs don't show action. Instead, they link the subject to some other information: these are called, big surprise, linking verbs . Common linking verbs are "to be" forms--such as, is, am, are, was, were--and the verbs appear, become, feel, look, seem.

Examples are:

1.She was fond of her animals.
2.Pierre is a fine beast.
3.She looks like she has been in a fight with a cat.
4.It feels damp in the grass.

In identifying the verb, you also need to look for the helpers, since they are considered part of the verb. The helpers (aka auxiliaries) include: is, am, are, was, were, been, has, have, had, do, does, did, may, can, might, shall, will, should, could, would.

I've marked the complete verb in the following:

1.I was barking before breakfast.
2.He should have let me out of the house.
3.I tried to wait for him to get up.
4.He should not have stayed in bed so long.
5.I barked and waited until. . . .