B Y K A T H E R I N E H A T Z I S

Verbs: Advanced Concepts

Learning Objectives

� Use mood and voice appropriately

�  Identify participles, gerunds, and infinitives

� Use progressive emphasis correctly

Mood

The mood of a verb is determined by the purpose of the sentence: §  To state facts §  To ask questions §  To give orders §  To express demands, wishes, or conditions

contrary to fact

Mood (continued)

� Use indicative mood to ¡  state facts ¡  ask questions

� Use imperative mood to ¡  give instructions and orders ¡  make certain types of requests

� Use subjunctive mood to ¡  express requests, demands, orders, and preferences ¡  refer to future events ¡  express conditions that are “make believe”

Voice

� The verb is in active voice when the subject of the sentence does the action.

� The verb is in passive voice when the subject receives the action.

� Active voice is preferred for most employment-related writing.

� Any sentence written in passive voice can be rewritten in active voice.

Verbals

� Verbals are verb forms that combine the characteristics of verbs with those of several other parts of speech.

� They are like verbs because they express action, may have objects, and may be used in verb phrases.

� They are unlike verbs because they are never used alone as the main verb of a sentence.

Verbals

� Verbals sometimes function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.

� The three verbals are the participle, the gerund, and the infinitive.

Participles

� A participle is a verb form that can be used as an adjective.

� The two kinds of participles are present participles and past participles.

Present Participles

� Present participles are formed by adding -ing to the present tense of verbs.

� Uses of the present participle: ¡  As an adjective ¡  As part of a verb phrase

Past Participles

� Past participles of regular and irregular verbs are formed differently. ¡  Past participles of regular verbs are formed by adding -d or -ed

to the present tense of verbs. ¡  Past participles of irregular verbs are formed in various ways.

� Uses of the past participle: ¡  As an adjective ¡  As part of a verb phrase

Gerunds

� A gerund is a verb ending in -ing that is used as a noun.

�  In spelling, the gerund is identical to the present participle.

� The gerund can be distinguished from the present participle only by its use.

� The gerund is always used as a noun.

Infinitives

� An infinitive consists of the word to (expressed or implied) followed by a verb or verb phrase.

�  Infinitives are generally used as nouns, but they may also be used as adjectives or as adverbs.

� A split infinitive occurs when a word (or phrase) is inserted between the to and the verb.

� Avoid splitting infinitives unless the split infinitive is less awkward or more understandable.

Progressive Emphasis

� A verb with progressive emphasis indicates that the action expressed by the verb is ongoing at or during a certain time.

� To form verbs with progressive emphasis, use the helping verb to be with the present participle (the –ing form) of the main verb.

� Progressive emphasis is particularly useful if you wish to indicate that one action was occurring when another action occurred.

Three Pairs of Troublesome Verbs: Lie/Lay, Sit/Set, Rise/Raise

Intransitive Verbs (lie, sit, rise) do not have direct objects and cannot be used in the passive voice

Present Tense

Past Tense

Past Participle

lie(s) sit(s) rise(s)

lay sat rose

lain sat risen

Three Pairs of Troublesome Verbs: Lie/Lay, Sit/Set, Rise/Raise

Transitive Verbs (lay, set, raise) have direct objects and can be used in the passive voice

Present

Tense Past Tense

Past Participle

lay(s) set(s) raise(s)

laid set raised

laid set raised

Troublesome Verbs: May and Can

� May should be used: ¡  To offer assistance. ¡  To request or grant permission. ¡  To express possibility.

� Can should be used to make a statement or an inquiry about someone’s ability to do something.

Troublesome Verbs: Bring and Take

� Bring means to convey, lead, or carry something toward the place from which the action is being observed.

� Take means to convey, lead, or carry something away from the place from which the action is being observed.

Troublesome Verbs: Doesn’t and Don’t

� Doesn’t is the contraction of does not. It should be used exactly as does is used—with all third-person singular subjects.

� Don’t is the contraction of do not. It should be used with all subjects except third-person singular subjects.

During this presentation, you learned to:

�  Identify indicative, imperative, and subjunctive moods

� Convert a passive voice sentence to an active voice sentence

� Distinguish among participles, gerunds, and infinitives

�  Form progressive emphasis verbs � Use troublesome verbs and contractions correctly