Definition: You learned earlier in this module that the tense of a verb indicates when an action occurred, but each verb also has a mood that tells us how the action is viewed or perceived by the speaker. It indicates whether something is a fact, opinion, command, suggestion, request, wish, hypothetical (imaginary) situation, or uncertainty. Moods are as important in writing as they are […]
n this lesson you’ll learn that to be is used as either a linking or helping verb. Since to be is an irregular verb, let’s do a quick review of its forms before diving into the material. To Be: Present and Past Tenses Person and Number Present Past First person singular (I) am was First person plural (we) are were Second person singular […]
Definition: If you are active, you are doing something. In active voice sentences, the subject of the sentence is doing the verb. You’ve already studied this type of sentence without knowing it—most of the lessons in this module use active voice sentences. The lady plays the piano.The driver drove the car. Hint:You’re using active voice whenever you use any of the tenses you learned about in this module. […]
Before You Start: Prepositions In this lesson you’ll be learning about phrasal verbs, but before we get started, it’s important to learn a little bit about prepositions. Definition: A preposition shows a relationship of some kind. You use prepositions all the time even though you may not realize it. They typically answer questions such as which one, what kind, how much, how […]
Before You Start: Direct Objects In this lesson you’ll be learning about transitive and intransitive verbs. Before we get started, though, you’ll need to learn about direct objects. Definition: A direct object is a noun or pronoun that directly receives the action of a verb. Dante threw the ball. In this sentence, the verb is threw and the direct object is ball. The ball […]
Can You Identify a Tense Shift? Take a look at this short story and see if you notice a problem with the verbs: One day a princess went into the forest to play. She threw her golden ball into the air and almost caught it. It falls into the pond, and she starts to cry. A frog hops onto a lilypad and asks her what is wrong. The princess told him that she had […]
Definition: In the last lesson you learned how to use different tenses to make affirmative statements, which tell us that something is true. Karen swims every morning before school.I ate ten donuts yesterday. Definition: Negative statements tell us that something is not true. She does not like broccoli.He did not come to school today. Present and Past Tense Negative Statements In negative present and past statements, you […]
Definition: Earlier in this module you learned that verbs are action words. Verbs have multiple forms called tenses that tell us when an action occurs. In this lesson you’ll learn about the simple, progressive, and perfect tenses. Simple Tenses The present, past, and future tenses are called simple tenses. Simple Tenses Present Past Future walk(s) walked will walk Simple Present […]
Definition: In Lesson 5 you learned about the regular past forms, which always end in -ed. Irregular verbs don’t follow this pattern. Most of the time, verbs are irregular only in their past tense and past participle forms, but there are a handful of verbs that have one or more irregular present tense forms. This lesson is going to cover the […]
Spelling Changes with the Four Principal Parts When adding an ending to a verb, you sometimes have to change the spelling. Do change the spelling in the following situations: Base Verb Spelling Spelling Change Single syllable1 verb ending in a consonant2 Double the consonant when adding an -ing or -ed ending.shop + -ing = shoppingshop + -ed = shopped Ends in a single vowel […]
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