Please select the answer choice that identifies a verb in each sentence.
1. The little girl’s inflated toy seal was rapidly carried away by the ocean waves.
- Inflated
- Carried
- Away
- Rapidly
2. The researchers conducted many clinical trials of the new drug.
- Conducted
- Clinical
- Of the
- Drug
3. Mary set the table with fine china, crystal, and sterling.
- The
- Table
- Set
- Fine
4. They were still in the same conversation as before when I got back.
- Still
- Same
- Before
- Were
5. A great many sweeping reforms were implemented by the President’s legislation.
- Implemented
- Reforms
- By
- Legislation
6. The children played with blocks as toddlers.
- The
- Play
- With
- Blocks
7. The suggestion in this report was that the agency was not doing its job.
- In
- Not
- Doing
- Its
8. The teacher didn’t intend to hurt your feelings with his comments.
- Feelings
- Comments
- With
- Intend
9. The worn clothes were laid on the pile of charity donations.
- Worn
- Clothes
- Laid
- On the
10. Multiple alternatives for the proposal were suggested by the committee.
- Alternatives
- Suggested
- For
- By
Answers – Identifying Verbs
1. B: “Carried” is the past participle of the verb “carry;” the past perfect tense in the passive voice is formed with the auxiliary verb “was.” “Inflated” (A), though it is also past perfect verb form, is used in this sentence as an adjective modifying the noun “seal.” “Away” (C) is an adverb indicating where or direction and modifying the verb “carried.” “Rapidly” (D) is another adverb, indicating how or manner and also modifying the verb.
2. A: “Conducted” is the past tense of the verb “to conduct.” “Clinical” (B) is an adjective modifying the plural noun “trials.” “Of the” (C) is a prepositional phrase consisting of a preposition (of) and a definite article (the). “Drug” (D) is a noun.
3. C: “Set” is the verb here. This verb is spelled the same in the infinitive (to set), imperative (set, please set, you set, etc.), and past tense (set) as in this sentence. If it were present tense, in this sentence it would be “Mary sets the table.” “The” (A) is a definite article modifying the noun “table” (B). “Fine” (D) is an adjective modifying the nouns “china,” “crystal,” and “sterling.”
4. D: “Were” is the plural past tense of the verb “to be.” “Still” (A) is an adverb modifying the verb and indicating time. “Same” (B) is an adjective modifying the noun “conversation.” “When” (C) is an adverb, used here as a subordinating conjunction to introduce the dependent clause.
5. A: “Implemented” is the past participle of the verb “to implement.” In this sentence, it is used with the auxiliary verb “were” to form the past perfect tense in the passive voice. “Reforms” (B) is a plural noun and the sentence subject. “By” (C) is a preposition. “Legislation” (D) is a singular noun.
6. B: “Played” is the verb in this sentence. “The” (A) is a definite article modifying the plural noun and sentence subject, “children.” “With” (C) is a preposition. “Blocks” (D) is a plural noun and is the indirect object of the verb “play.”
7. C: “Doing” is the progressive participle of the verb “to do.” “In” (A) is a preposition. “Not” (B) is an adverb modifying the verb and indicating negation. “Its” (D) is a possessive singular impersonal pronoun modifying the noun “job.”
8. D: “Intend” is a verb. “Feelings” (A) is a plural noun and is the direct object of the verb “hurt” (not an answer choice). “Comments” (B) is a plural noun. It is the object of the preposition “with” (C) and is modified by the third-person singular possessive pronoun “his.”
9. C: “Laid” is the past participle of the transitive verb “to lay” and is used here in a past perfect, passive voice construction, formed using the auxiliary “were.” “Worn” (A) is the past participle of “to wear” but is used here as an adjective modifying the plural noun “clothes” (B). “On the” (D) is a prepositional phrase.
10. B: “Suggested” is the past participle of the verb “to suggest,” used here in the passive voice and past perfect tense, formed with the auxiliary verb “were.” “Alternatives” (A) is a plural noun. “For” (C) and “by” (D) are prepositions introducing the prepositional phrases “for the proposal” and “by the committee.”