Instructions: Read, study, and learn this lesson. Then do the exercise.  When you are satisfied that you understand the lesson, take the test.

Linking verbs occur in two general structures

1. In the first linking-verb structure, the verb is followed by an adjective, as in “She is bad.” or “It tasted good.”

Verbs such as .seemed., .looked., .tasted., .smelled., .became., .sounded., turned, and various others can be used as linking verbs.

2. In the second linking-verb structure, a noun following the verb refers to the subject, as in “She .is. my sister”; “He .became. president”; and “She .seemed. an exciting candidate for the job.”

The only verbs commonly used in the second construction are .be., .become., .remain., and .seem.

The verb be: is, am, was, were, be, being, and been.

Using Irregular Verbs

1. Using beat and beaten:

• Always use a helping verb with beaten.

Today I beat.  Yesterday I beat.  Often I have beaten.

2. Using become:

•  Always use a helping verb with the past participle become

•  Never use a helping verb with became.

 Today I become.              Yesterday I became.              Often I have become.

3. Using catch and caught:

• Use the same form for the past and the past participle. 

• Never use catched.

 Today I catch.              Yesterday I caught.              Often I have caught.

Exercise, Lesson 14

 What to learn about linking verbs:

Instructions: Read, study, and memorize the key teaching points regarding this lesson.  When you can recall and discuss the information with understanding, take the test.

1. In the first linking-verb structure, the verb is followed by an adjective, as in “She is bad.”

Verbs such as seemed, looked, tasted, smelled, became, sounded, turned, and various others can be used as linking verbs.

The only verbs commonly used in the second linking-verb construction are be, become, remain, and seem.

The verb “be” consists of the following: is, am, was, were, be, being, and been.

Lesson 14, Test

 Instructions: Write the sentences on a separate sheet of paper and answer all of the questions.

 Linking verbs occur in two general structures:

1. What are the two structures of linking verbs?

2. Write two sentences showing the two structures.

3. Which verbs can be used as linking verbs?

4. What are the common verbs used in the second construction?

5. What are the be verbs?

6.  Write two sentences using beat and beaten:

7.  Write two sentences using become and became.

8.   Write two sentences using catch and caught.

Identify the verbs in the Following Sentences

Instructions: Identify the correct verb in parentheses by drawing a line through the incorrect answer.

1. Our chess club was (beaten, beat) by Central’s club.

2. Pat (beat, beaten) Peter to the punch.

3. His record was (beat, beaten) by several seconds.

4. Greg (beaten, beat) George in the first race.

5. The moth has (become, became) a butterfly.

6. What (become, became) of the hot dogs?

7. The escaped prisoner might have (become, became) dangerous.

8. The sky (became, become) cloudy.

9. He (catched, caught) the winning pass.

10. I will (catch, caught) the bus to work.

12. I will (caught, catch) the game on TV.

Using Irregular Verbs

1. Using sink, sank, and sunk

Never use a helping verb with sank.

Today I sink.              Yesterday I sank.              Often I have sunk.

2. Using spring, sprang, and sprung:

Never use a helping verb with sprang.

 Today I spring.              Yesterday I sprung.              Often I have sprung.

 3. Using swear, swore, and sworn:

Today I swear.              Yesterday I swore.              Often I have sworn.

Test 1

 Instructions: Identify the correct verb in each sentence by drawing a line through the incorrect answer.

 1. The boat had (sank, sunk).

2. The sun (sank, sunk) behind the clouds.

3. Has the bottle (sank, sunk) in the river.

4. Many houses have (spring, sprung) up in town.

5. New businesses have (spring, sprung) up in town.

6. One of the cats (sprung, sprang) at the visitor.

7.The team had been (swear, sworn) to silence.

8. The soldier was (swear, sworn) in by his commander. 

9. The board members have (sworn, swear) to be loyal.

  Using Irregular verbs

1. Using tear (tar), tore, and torn:

Always use a helping verb with torn; never use one with tore.

Today I tear.              Yesterday I tore.              Often I have torn.

2. Using shake, shook, and shaken:

Always use a helping verb with shaken; never use one with shook.

 Today I shake.              Yesterday I shook.              Often I have shaken.

 3. Using shrink, shrank, and shrunk:

Never use a helping verb with shrank.

 Today I shrink.              Yesterday I shrank.              Often I have shrunk.

Instructions: Identify the correct verb in each sentence. Line through the incorrect answer.

1. I have (tore, torn) my green shirt.

2. The girls (tear, tore) their dresses playing on the slide.

3.  A page has been (torn, tear) from the telephone book.

4. The liquid had been (shook, shaken) too much.

5. The oranges were (shook, shaken) from the tree.

6. We had (shrink, shrunk) back into the hallway.

7. Will has never (shrunk, shrank) from his duties.

8. Why don’t the two of you (shook, shake) hands?

9. The fox must have (shrink, shrunk) back into its den.

Using Irregular Verbs

 1. Using attack and attacked:

Use attacked for both past and past participle.

Today I attack.              Yesterday I attacked.              Often I have attacked.

Use burst for all three principal parts.  Never use busted.

Some balloons burst today.

Yesterday one balloon burst.

Often several balloons have burst.

3. Using drown and drowned:

Use drowned for both past and past participle.

The radio can drown out the noise.

Yesterday their voices drowned out the radio.

Many times their voices have drowned out the speaker’s voice.

 Test 3

 Instructions: Mark the following sentences.

1. The balloon must have (busted, burst) from too much air.

2. The crowd (busted, burst) through the barricades.

3. We plan to (attack, attacked) at daybreak.

4. They should have (attack, attacked) the position sooner.

5. No one has ever (drown, drowned) in a sea of sand.

6. One girl nearly (drowned, drown) in our pool.

Problem Verbs

• Use the verb lie in sleeping and resting:

lie, lay, lying, lain

1. Please lie down and rest.

2. You lay down for two hours yesterday.

3. Your brother was lying on the couch.

4. Has he lain there very long?

• Use the verb lie in “to tell an untruth”:

lie, lying, lied

 1. He told a lie to protect his friend.

2. We knew he was lying.

3. He had lied before.

 Problem Verbs Review

 1. The verbs lie, lay, lying, lain are used in sleeping and resting:

2. The verbs lie, lied, lying are used in not telling the truth.

 Test 4

Instructions: Draw a line through the incorrect verb.

I want my dog to (lie, lay) down.

My puppy (sits, sets) up and begs.

I (laid, lay) my book on the table.

I (laid, lay) on the sofa ten minutes this morning.

You are (setting, sitting) in the teacher’s chair.

When he (rise, rose), I could not see the movie.

He had (lain, laid) in that position for a long time.

The cost of potatoes is (raising, rising).

They were (lying, laying) strips along the edge

They (rose, raised) the price of oil last week.

I will (set, sit) the pies in a cool spot.

The sun will soon (raise, rise).

I was (sitting, setting) next to the door.

The fog was (raise, rising).

You will get tired of (sitting, setting) up.

(Lie, Lay) down and rest for a while.

I (rised, rose) and went into the kitchen.

They were still (laying, lying) in bed when I left.

He is (laying, lying) the boards next to the house.

I was (setting, sitting) where I could see the parade.

It was (laying, lying) on the desk.

Where were you (setting, sitting)?

I have always (set, sat) there.

No, I did not (lay, lie) down.

We could have (laid, lain) there longer.

The letter (lay, laid) on the table all day.

She (set, sat) there and watched it.

You should not (lay, lie) on the floor.

Please (sit, set) the chair next to the table.

His house (lies, lay) on the right side of the road.

(Set, Sit) here and eat your lunch.

He was (laying, lying) awake.

They should have (set, sat) inside.