Let's Get Verb-al

So yesterday I wrote about subject and object--today I will talk about verbs. Pretty elementary, but bear with me. No good grammar discussion can occur without going over the basics. Besides, there are so MANY different kinds of verbs that it makes ones head spin! Add that to the fact that in order to be a complete sentence, every sentence needs a verb, and you can see why this needs covering.
Today we will talk about the basic, simple, garden variety action verbs. Easy peasy, right?
Well, kind of.
You have your basic, straightforward action verbs: jumped, kicked, hit, (wow these are all violent! Think I live with small kids or what?). Action verbs are easy work. They are easily distinguishable. They stand out. They breath life into a sentence. They make it move. They MAKE the sentence.
Verbs also have another important aspect to them--they have to fit the subject, as well as the time frame, and this is where the trouble begins.

Simple Tenses

• Maude jumps out of the tree. (Present tense.)
• Maude jumped out of the tree. (That wasn't so bad, right? Maude exited the tree in the past.)
• Maude will jump out of the tree to get a cookie. (Future. She will be jumping, but right now she is lounging.)

So those forms are pretty straight forward. Subject (Maude) performing an action (jumping) with the verb giving a sense of time of when the action happens (now, yesterday, tomorrow). Seems pretty straight forward...especially with action verbs.
Then we start getting fancy with the tenses.

Progressive Tenses

• Maude is jumping out of the tree. (Right now! She is moving right now! Present Progressive. This tense is formed by using am/is/are with the verb form ending in -ing.)
• Maude was jumping out of the tree when she spotted the cat. (Past progressive. Action was occurring when something else happened. She was jumping when she saw the cat. This tense is formed by using was/were with the verb form ending in -ing.)
• Maude will be jumping out of the tree as soon as the bee comes close. (Future progressive. She will be doing something. This tense is formed by using will be or shall be with the verb form ending in -ing.)

Perfect Tenses

• Maude has climbed the tree since they moved in. (Present Perfect. Her behavior began in the past and continues into the present. This tense is formed by using has/have with the past participle of the verb.)
• By the time Maude arrived at the house, Grandma Rose had disappeared. (Past perfect. The tense describes an action that took place in the past (Maude arrived) before another past action(Grandma Rose disappeared). This tense is formed by using had with the past participle of the verb.)
• By the time Maude makes it to seventh grade, she will have solved a mystery. (Future perfect tense. It describes an action (Maude making it it to seventh grade) that will occur in the future before some other action(solving a mystery). This tense is formed by using will have with the past participle of the verb.

Still with me? My eyes are glazing over too. Let's leave it there for now and we will rejoin verbs tomorrow. This one kind of snuck up on me. I thought--ah, verbs. Actions verbs--what could be easier? Apparently I was wrong!
I am generously borrowing information from this site today. They explain everything pretty straightforwardly.

Also, I am really excited to mention that I checked out four more books on grammar from the library, so Mignon and Strunk might not be my only gurus. So far I am LOVING "Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies" by June Casagrande. She is FUNNY!

So, watch a movie or something to unglaze your eyes. This post was a doozy!