2. Verbs
words that express action or state of being
Action
Brian wept.
I saw a mighty angel.
He went and took the scroll.
State of being
no one … was able.
You are worthy.
3. Verbs (2)
English verbs are often formed by a
combination of one or more “helping verbs” with
a “main verb.”
The Lion … has conquered.
You were slaughtered.
They will reign on earth.
Helping verbs are an essential part of the
formation of the various voices, tenses, and
aspects of the English verb.
4. Helping Verbs Listed
Common Helping Verbs:
Do, does, did
Has, have, had
Am, are, is, were, was, be, being, been
Modal Helping Verbs
Can, could
May, might
Must
Shall, should, ought [to]
Will, would
5. Verbs: Person and Number
1st Person
Singular: I heal.
Plural: We heal.
2nd Person
Singular: You heal.
Plural: You (Y’all) heal.
3rd Person
Singular: He, she, it heals.
Plural: They heal.
6. Verbs: Voice
Active: The subject of the sentence performs
the action of the verb, often upon one or more
objects.
He went and took the scroll.
They will reign on earth.
Passive: The action of the verb is done to the
Subject of the sentence.
You were slaughtered.
They were baptized by him in the river Jordan.
7. Verbs: Tense
(all examples are in active voice)
Present
Simple: I baptize.
Progressive: I am baptizing.
Past
Simple: I baptized.
Progressive: I was baptizing.
Future
Simple: I will baptize.
Progressive: I will be baptizing.
8. Verbs: Tenses (2)
Present Perfect
Simple: I have baptized.
Progressive: I have been baptizing.
Past Perfect (Pluperfect)
Simple: I had baptized.
Progressive: I had been baptizing.
Future Perfect
Simple: I will have baptized.
Progressive: I will have been baptizing.
9. Verbs: Tenses (Passive
Examples)
Present
Simple: I am baptized.
Progressive: I am being baptized.
Past
Simple: I was baptized.
Progressive: I was being baptized.
Future
Simple: I will be baptized.
Progressive: I will be being baptized. (Not regularly
used.)
10. Verbs: Tenses (Passive
Examples)
Present Perfect
Simple: I have been baptized.
Progressive: N/A
Past Perfect (Pluperfect)
Simple: I had been baptized.
Progressive: N/A
Future Perfect
Simple: I will have been baptized.
Progressive: N/A
11. Verbs: Moods
Indicative: Narrating Facts or Purported Facts
John was baptizing in the Jordan River.
Imperative: Giving Commands
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Subjunctive: Unreal Situations
"If this man were a prophet, he would have known who
and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for
she is a sinner." (Luke 7:39 ESV)
12. Verbal Forms
Infinitives: the bare form of the verb
Present Active (time contemporary with or subsequent to
main verb): “To heal,” “to save,” “to call”
Present Passive: “To be healed,” “to be saved,” “to be
called”
Perfect Active (time prior to main verb): “To have
healed,” “to have loved”
Perfect Passive: “To have been healed,” “to have been
loved”
Stative: “To be,” “to have been”
13. Infinitives: Uses
As a noun:
Subject of verb: “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
(Phil 1:21 ESV)
What is?
Object of verb: “I want to know Christ.” (Phil 3:10
NRSV)
I want what?
14. Infinitive: Uses (2)
As an adjective:
“By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive.”
(Heb 11:11 NRSV)
The infinitive answers the question “what kind of power?”
15. Infinitive: Uses (3)
As an adverb:
“Abraham … obeyed when he was called to go out.”
(Heb 11:8 NRSV)
Supplies more information about the verb “called”
“God is not ashamed to be called their God.” (Heb
11:16)
Supplies more information about the adjective “ashamed,”
perhaps giving the “circumstances”
16. Participles
Active: baptizing
While baptizing by the river, John was arrested.
Passive: baptized
Baptized by John, Peter and Andrew went out to preach.
Participles can form additional voices and
tenses with helping verbs, e.g.:
Perfect Active: having baptized
Having baptized many, John’s reputation spread.
Perfect Passive: having been baptized
Having been baptized by John, the tax collectors
repented.
17. Participles: Usage
Adjectival Participial Clauses: the participles
describes some noun or pronoun
“I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the
throne a scroll written on the inside and on the
back, sealed with seven seals” (Rev 5:1 NRSV)
The participle “seated” introduces a clause that
further describes the “one”; the participles “written”
and “sealed” introduce clauses giving additional
information describing the “scroll.”
18. Participles: Usage (2)
Adverbial Participial Clauses: the participle gives
more information about the action of the main verb
“These all died in faith, not having received the things
promised, but having seen them and greeted them from
afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and
exiles on the earth.” (Heb 11:13 NRSV)
“[not] having received” and “having seen … and greeted” and
“having acknowledged” all describe under what circumstances
“these all died.”
“They were baptized by him in the river
Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Matt 3:6 NRSV)
“Confessing” supplies information about the circumstances
under which the people were being baptized.
19. Gerunds (Participles acting as
Nouns)
The gerund looks like the present participle in
form: baptizing, seeing, healing
As a gerund, however, the word acts as a simple
noun, naming the particular action.
“To me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Phil 1:21
NRSV).
“Living” and “Dying” are both fulfilling the role of
nouns as subjects of the verb “is.”
20. Verbals and their Complements
Participles, Infinitives, and Gerunds can take all
the complements that a normal verb can take:
Adverbs
Direct Objects
Indirect Objects
Adverbial Prepositional Phrases
Predicate Nominatives