Verbs

Every complete sentence has a verb.

THE FORMS OF BEEXAMPLES
The words am, is, and are are verbs. They are forms of the verb be. They tell about something that is happening now, or in the present.I am in New York with my mom.
She is here for the first time.
We are excited to see the buildings.
They are amazing!
Forms of the Verb be
PresentPast
I amI was
you areyou were
he, she, it ishe, she, it was
we arewe were
you areyou were
they arethey were
The verbs was and were are also forms of the verb be. They tell about something that happened in the past.I was in Central Park yesterday.
It was beautiful.
We were with some friends.
They were very helpful.
CONTRACTIONS WITH VERBSEXAMPLES
You can shorten the verbs am, is, and are to make a contraction.Today we’re going to Lincoln Center.
Contractions with Verbs

To make a contraction, take out one or more letters and add an apostrophe (‘).

I + Illustration of the letter “a” crossed out in “am” = I’mI’m glad to be in New York.
you + Illustration of the letter “a” crossed out in “are” = you’reYou’re going to meet my brother.
he + Illustration of the letter “i” crossed out in “is” = he’sHe’s staying with my aunt.
she + Illustration of the letter “i” crossed out in “is” = she’sShe’s in a performance at Lincoln Center.
it + Illustration of the letter “i” crossed out in “is” = it’sIt’s a ballet.
we + Illustration of the letter “a” crossed out in “are” = we’reWe’re going to watch a ballet practice.
they + Illustration of the letter “a” crossed out in “are” = they’reThey’re coming to our hotel at 3:00.
ACTION VERBSEXAMPLES
Most verbs are action verbs. They tell what a person or thing does.The dancers hop and spin.Photograph of a dancer leaping
When you tell what another person or thing does, use -s or -es at the end of the verb.The spotlight shines on them.
One dancer twirls around and around.
Then she stretches a leg and leaps gracefully.