Verbs Introduction

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In one strip of Calvin and Hobbes, the creepily eloquent little boy Calvin and his even more creepily eloquent stuffed tiger are walking in the woods.

"I like to verb words,"says Calvin. After explaining what he means, he says "Verbing words weirds language."

We do not condone verbing words…or weirding language. Especially in English class.

If you want to weird language, go talk to Gertrude Stein. In this section, we're about making language less weird—but no less fun.

Verbs are words that express action or state of being. A grammatically complete and thoroughly awesome sentence always has at least one verb in it.

Verbs have different types, forms, moods, and tenses, and, just like your great-grandpa, they can even be irregular. Journey further into Verblandia to fill your noggin with information about each of 'em.

Quiz Yourself on Verbs

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Choose the answer that correctly describes the mood of the verb listen in the following quote from Ernest Hemingway:

When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.

(A) indicative, indicative
(B) imperative, indicative
(C) imperative, subjunctive
(D) subjunctive, indicative

Which of these sentences contains a split infinitive?

(A) In her wedding vows, my sister promised to never add chives to her potato salad.
(B) In return, her husband vowed to always leave the toilet seat down.
(C) Though my sister and her fiancé intended them to be funny, most of the wedding guests were too surprised by these vows to laugh.
(D) Both A and B

While we're talking about verbs that require direct objects, let's throw another one your way. This next question tests your ability to differentiate between the verbs sit and set. It's pretty basic. Set requires a direct object, but sit does not.

So… which sentence is grammatically incorrect?

(A) Juliet often sits in the park, reading a book of love letters, waiting for her Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet.
(B) All she wanted was for a tall, dark, and handsome man to set down next to her with a picnic basket and a longing for love.
(C) One day, her dreams came true, and she found herself sitting next to the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
(D) The man poured a glass of raspberry lemonade, set it next to her hand, and winked at her shyly when she looked at him.

Fill in the blanks:

I _____ help my mom address invitations for her Pampered Chef party tomorrow, although I'd rather poke my eye out with a sharp stick. Or I _____ hit the slopes with my friend Rock.

(A) might, may
(B) may, might
(C) might, might
(D) may, may

Fill in the blanks to complete the following passage:

Mom, _______ we hike to the top of Lookout Hill on Saturday? You _____ see all the way to Kansas from there!

(A) can, can
(B) may, can
(C) may, may
(D) Both B and C

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