Verb Phrase

     Every sentence must have a verb. To depict doable activities, writers use action verbs. To describe conditions, writers choose linking verbs.

Sometimes an action or condition occurs just once—pow!—and it's over. Read these short sentences:

-Offering her license and registration, Selena sobbed in the driver's seat. Officer Carson was unmoved.

     Other times, the activity or condition continues over a long stretch of time, happens predictably, or occurs in relationship to other events. In these instances, a single-word verb like sobbed or was cannot accurately describe what happened, so writers use multipart verb phrases to communicate what they mean. As many as four words can comprise a verb phrase.

     

     A main or base verb indicates the type of action or condition, and auxiliary—or helping—verbs convey the other nuances that writers want to express.

Read these three examples:

-The tires screeched as Selena  mashed  the accelerator.

-Selena  is  always disobeying  the speed limit.

-Selena should have been driving with more care, for then she would not have gotten her third ticket this year.

     In the first sentence, screeched and mashed, single-word verbs, describe the quick actions of both the tires and Selena.

     Since Selena has an inclination to speed, is disobeying [a two-word verb] communicates the frequency of her law breaking. The auxiliary verbs that comprise should have been driving [a four-word verb] and would have gotten [a three-word verb] express not only time relationships but also evaluation of Selena's actions.

Cherry Orange Smoothie

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large banana, frozen
• 1 cup pitted cherries, frozen
• 1/2 container frozen orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the frozen banana into two pieces and add it to the carafe of your blender. Add in the frozen pitted cherries and the frozen orange juice concentrate and pulse briefly several times until the majority of the frozen orange juices concentrate and frozen fruit are broken down into smaller pieces.
2. Drizzle in the lemon juice, vanilla and Greek yogurt, and then turn the speed on the blender to low. Blend until a swirling vortex occurs in the center of your blender carafe. If ever the smoothie binds up, and the mixture stops blending, turn the power off and wait for an air bubble to break the surface of the smoothie before continuing.
3. Once the swirling vortex in the center of your smoothie happens, slowly turn the speed to medium and blend for a full two minutes until smooth.
4. Pour your smoothie evenly into two glasses and enjoy!