This document defines and provides examples of different types of verbs: action verbs, linking verbs, main verbs, and helping verbs. It explains that action verbs show what people or things can do, linking verbs connect the subject to words in the predicate, main verbs show the action in a verb phrase, and helping verbs show the time of the action and come before the main verb in a verb phrase. Examples of each verb type are given throughout the document.

1. Verbs: Action, Linking, Main, and
Helping
Ms. Ghio’s 3rd grade

2. Types of Verbs
• Action verbs
• Linking verbs
• Main verbs
• Helping verbs

3. Action Verbs
• An action verb tells what people or things can do.
• These are some action verbs:
• play
• write
• scream
• dance
• Pick
• Can you think of any?

4. Linking Verbs
• A linking verb connects (links) the subject to
words in the predicate.
• These are some linking verbs:
• am
• is
• was
• were
• seem

5. Verb Phrases: Main Verbs
• A phrase is a group of words.
• A verb phrase is a verb that has more than one
verb in it.
• The Main Verb shows the action.
helping verb + main verb = verb phrase
has + jumped = has jumped
Has jumped is the verb phrase.
Jumped is the main verb in the phrase.

6. Verb Phrases: Helping Verbs
• Helping verbs show the time of the action.
– Past (was, were, has, have, had), present (am, is, are), and
future (will)
• It comes before the main verb in a verb phrase.
• These are some helping verbs (in a verb phrase):
• have skied
• has studied
• will make
• am cooking
• Can you think of some verb phrases? Which verb is the
helping and which is the main verb?

7. Which type of verb is it?
Action, Linking, Helping, Main
Which type of verb is in each sentence?
1. The dog has a purple collar.
2. She is going to school on Monday.
3. My uncle will sing at mass.
4. The boy ran faster than anyone else.
5. We have played soccer for three
years.
6. The race car driver drove slowly.