Verb to be - ESL worksheet by Sue. - Free Printable

Let's solve the worksheet step by step.

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Part 1: Circle the verbs

We are given a list of words, and we need to circle only the verbs (action words).

Here is the list:

- added
- camel
- mixed
- pulled
- took
- apple
- decide
- orange
- ran
- tuned
- arranged
- finished
- painted
- stopped
- used
- begin
- helped
- picks
- story
- union
- climbed
- liked
- practice
- furnished
- zipper

Now, identify which ones are verbs (words that describe actions):

✔ Verbs:
- added – action
- mixed – action
- pulled – action (already circled in image)
- took – action
- decide – verb (present form)
- ran – past tense of "run"
- tuned – past tense of "tune"
- arranged – past tense of "arrange"
- finished – past tense of "finish"
- painted – past tense of "paint"
- stopped – past tense of "stop"
- used – past tense of "use"
- begin – verb (present form)
- helped – past tense of "help"
- picks – present tense of "pick"
- climbed – past tense of "climb"
- liked – past tense of "like"
- practice – verb (present form)
- furnished – past tense of "furnish"

✘ Not verbs:
- camel – animal/noun
- apple – fruit/noun
- orange – fruit/noun
- story – noun
- union – noun
- zipper – noun

So, the verbs to circle are:

> added, mixed, pulled, took, decide, ran, tuned, arranged, finished, painted, stopped, used, begin, helped, picks, climbed, liked, practice, furnished

(You already have "pulled" circled — good!)

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Part 2: Use the verbs to complete the sentences

Now, fill in each blank with an appropriate verb from the list above. We’ll go sentence by sentence.

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1. The sailor ________ on the ropes and the task extended.

→ "pulled" fits here. He pulled on the ropes.

✔ pulled

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2. The firefighters put on their suit, drove to the fire and ________ the tail ladders.

→ They would climb the ladders.

✔ climbed

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3. The hair stylist ________ his scissors to cut the woman’s hair.

→ He used his scissors.

✔ used

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4. The baker ________ the flour and the water together before adding the eggs.

→ He mixed them.

✔ mixed

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5. The florist cut the flowers and ________ them into a nice bouquet.

→ He arranged them.

✔ arranged

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6. The chef stirred his soup carefully, then ________ more salt.

→ He added salt.

✔ added

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7. The artist ________ a beautiful portrait of his subject.

→ He painted it.

✔ painted

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8. The bus driver ________ to let more people on the bus.

→ He stopped the bus.

✔ stopped

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9. The doctor ________ her patient’s pulse before listening to his heart.

→ He took the pulse.

✔ took

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10. The coach ________ the players learn a new strategy.

→ He helped them learn.

✔ helped

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11. Every time the secretary ________ up the phone, the line cuts off.

→ She picks up the phone.

✔ picks

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12. The musician ________ her guitar before she began to play.

→ She tuned the guitar.

✔ tuned

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✔ Final Answers:

Part 1: Verbs to circle
> added, mixed, pulled, took, decide, ran, tuned, arranged, finished, painted, stopped, used, begin, helped, picks, climbed, liked, practice, furnished

Part 2: Sentences completed

1. pulled
2. climbed
3. used
4. mixed
5. arranged
6. added
7. painted
8. stopped
9. took
10. helped
11. picks
12. tuned

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🔍 Explanation:

This worksheet tests two key skills:
- Identifying verbs (action words) among nouns and other parts of speech.
- Using verbs correctly in context, choosing the right verb form (past, present, etc.) based on the sentence.

For example:
- “pulled” is past tense, so it fits in sentence 1.
- “picks” is present tense, so it fits in sentence 11 where it describes a repeated action.
- “tuned” is past tense, fitting sentence 12 (a completed action).

Always check the subject and time frame to choose the correct verb form.

Let me know if you'd like this turned into a printable answer sheet!