Next level parts of speech—verbs ! (See the “intro” to verbs episode here!)

Today’s episode about verbs covers the following:

The sneaky cat CLIMBS. 

First three kinds of verbs 

1. Action

2. Being/helping/linking

3. Infinitives

Why action?

1. Forward motion of sentences 

2. What the subject is doing (action)

3. Match in number, person, and tense 

4. Need to help kids see that “action” verbs are all non-being, helping, and linking verbs (ie sleep)

Why BHL? (Being, helping, linking)

1. They can stand alone/show being

2. Beginning of verb phrase—need to match subject!

3. By themselves, they can’t have adverbs. 

4. Teach story writers to get rid of BHL verbs by themselves 

Why infinitives (to+verb)

1. Distinguish between prepositions (to the fair) Vs infinitive (to run, to be)

2. Students need to recognize when a verb phrase ends because there is a prepositional phrase next (has been to the gym) Vs when it continues because there is an infinitive in it (has gone to run)

3. Students need to recognize prepositional phrases to mentally get rid of them and match. 

 (Don’t forget to get your free single parts of speech poster to follow along with this series (and to use with your students!).

Or get the entire 80-piece parts of speech poster and reference ring card set at one of my stores!