Grade 1 Grammar: Verbs printable worksheets - Lets Share Knowledge - Free Printable

Let's solve the task step by step.

Task:

Underline the main verb in each sentence.

The goal is to identify the main verb (also called the *predicate verb*) in each sentence. The main verb expresses the action or state of being of the subject.

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Step-by-step Analysis:

We will go through each sentence and identify the main verb.

1. He borrowed my story book.
- Subject: He
- Main verb: borrowed
→ *Borrowed* is the action he performed.

2. Cathy broke my new pencil case.
- Subject: Cathy
- Main verb: broke
→ *Broke* is the action she did.

3. The housekeeper is changing sheets.
- Subject: The housekeeper
- Main verb: is changing
→ This is a present continuous tense. The main verb is changing, but "is" is an auxiliary (helping) verb. The main verb is changing.

4. I closed the tap for my younger brother.
- Subject: I
- Main verb: closed
→ *Closed* is the action performed.

5. The kids danced to music.
- Subject: The kids
- Main verb: danced
→ *Danced* is the past tense of dance, the main action.

6. Uncle John was driving a van.
- Subject: Uncle John
- Main verb: was driving
→ In this case, "driving" is the main verb; "was" is auxiliary. So the main verb is driving.

7. The tiger was hunting for something to eat.
- Subject: The tiger
- Main verb: was hunting
→ Again, "hunting" is the main verb; "was" is helping. So underline hunting.

8. I was sleeping on the black couch.
- Subject: I
- Main verb: was sleeping
→ The main verb is sleeping.

9. Todd was teaching him to read.
- Subject: Todd
- Main verb: was teaching
→ Main verb: teaching

10. She punched him very hard.
- Subject: She
- Main verb: punched
→ Simple past tense. Main verb: punched

11. Rita was telling us stories.
- Subject: Rita
- Main verb: was telling
→ Main verb: telling

12. I was thinking about you.
- Subject: I
- Main verb: was thinking
→ Main verb: thinking

13. Uncle Joe snores very loudly.
- Subject: Uncle Joe
- Main verb: snores
→ Present simple tense. Main verb: snores

14. He lay on the floor.
- Subject: He
- Main verb: lay
→ Note: "Lay" here is the past tense of "lie" (to recline), not "lay" as in placing something. It's a main verb.
→ Main verb: lay

15. Boys were watching an animated movie.
- Subject: Boys
- Main verb: were watching
→ Main verb: watching

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Final Answer:

Now, let’s write out the sentences with the main verbs underlined:

1. He borrowed my story book.
2. Cathy broke my new pencil case.
3. The housekeeper is changing sheets.
4. I closed the tap for my younger brother.
5. The kids danced to music.
6. Uncle John was driving a van.
7. The tiger was hunting for something to eat.
8. I was sleeping on the black couch.
9. Todd was teaching him to read.
10. She punched him very hard.
11. Rita was telling us stories.
12. I was thinking about you.
13. Uncle Joe snores very loudly.
14. He lay on the floor.
15. Boys were watching an animated movie.

> ✔ Note: In sentences 3–12 and 15, the verb phrases include auxiliary verbs (like *is*, *was*, *were*), but the main verb is the one that shows the actual action (e.g., *changing*, *driving*, *hunting*, etc.). So we underline the full verb phrase if it's part of a progressive form, but the core main verb is the one doing the action.

However, since the instruction says "underline the main verb", and in grammar, the main verb is the lexical verb (not the auxiliary), we should underline only the main verb, not the auxiliary.

So let's revise accordingly:

Corrected Underlining (Main Verb Only):

1. He borrowed my story book.
2. Cathy broke my new pencil case.
3. The housekeeper changing sheets. *(But wait — “changing” needs “is” to be grammatical)*
→ Actually, in context, the full verb phrase is “is changing”, but “changing” is the main verb.

But since the sentence has "is", which is a helping verb, the main verb is changing.

So:

3. The housekeeper is changing sheets. → Main verb: changing → So underline changing
But the sentence structure is: "is changing" — so we need to determine what to underline.

In most educational contexts, when asked to underline the main verb, even in progressive tenses, students are expected to underline the entire verb phrase (especially at elementary levels). But strictly speaking, the main verb is only the lexical verb.

To clarify:

- In "is changing", "changing" is the main verb.
- But in many worksheets, they ask for the verb phrase.

Given that the worksheet says "main verb", we should underline the main verb only — the core action word.

So:

✔ Final Answer (with main verb underlined):

1. He borrowed my story book.
2. Cathy broke my new pencil case.
3. The housekeeper changing sheets. → Wait — this is incomplete without "is". But the sentence is "is changing", so we must consider the full verb phrase.

Actually, in standard grammar, "changing" is the main verb, and "is" is auxiliary. So we underline changing.

But in practice, students often underline the whole verb phrase.

To avoid confusion, let's follow standard grammar rules:

> The main verb is the action verb in the sentence, regardless of tense or auxiliary.

So:

1. borrowed
2. broke
3. changing (though "is" is required, "changing" is the main verb)
4. closed
5. danced
6. driving
7. hunting
8. sleeping
9. teaching
10. punched
11. telling
12. thinking
13. snores
14. lay
15. watching

But note: in sentence 3, the sentence is "The housekeeper is changing sheets."
So the main verb is changing, and is is auxiliary.

Therefore, we underline changing.

Similarly, in 6: driving, 7: hunting, etc.

But again, some teachers expect the entire verb phrase underlined.

Since the instruction says "main verb", we underline the main verb only.

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✔ Final Answer (Main Verb Underlined):

1. He borrowed my story book.
2. Cathy broke my new pencil case.
3. The housekeeper changing sheets. → ✘ This is incorrect because "changing" alone isn't correct without "is".

Wait — we cannot underline just "changing" if it's not standalone.

This suggests that the main verb includes the auxiliary in some contexts.

But no — the main verb is changing, even though "is" is needed for grammar.

So in writing, we would underline changing in "is changing".

For example:
"The housekeeper is changing sheets."
→ Underline changing as the main verb.

Similarly:
"Uncle John was driving a van." → underline driving

So final answer:

1. He borrowed my story book.
2. Cathy broke my new pencil case.
3. The housekeeper is changing sheets. → changing is the main verb → underline changing
4. I closed the tap for my younger brother.
5. The kids danced to music.
6. Uncle John was driving a van. → underline driving
7. The tiger was hunting for something to eat. → underline hunting
8. I was sleeping on the black couch. → underline sleeping
9. Todd was teaching him to read. → underline teaching
10. She punched him very hard.
11. Rita was telling us stories. → underline telling
12. I was thinking about you. → underline thinking
13. Uncle Joe snores very loudly.
14. He lay on the floor.
15. Boys were watching an animated movie. → underline watching

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✔ Final Answer (with main verbs underlined):

1. He borrowed my story book.
2. Cathy broke my new pencil case.
3. The housekeeper is changing sheets. → changing
4. I closed the tap for my younger brother.
5. The kids danced to music.
6. Uncle John was driving a van. → driving
7. The tiger was hunting for something to eat. → hunting
8. I was sleeping on the black couch. → sleeping
9. Todd was teaching him to read. → teaching
10. She punched him very hard.
11. Rita was telling us stories. → telling
12. I was thinking about you. → thinking
13. Uncle Joe snores very loudly.
14. He lay on the floor.
15. Boys were watching an animated movie. → watching

But how to show underlining?

In text, we use bold to indicate underlining.

So the final solution is:

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✔ Solved Worksheet:

1. He borrowed my story book.
2. Cathy broke my new pencil case.
3. The housekeeper is changing sheets. → changing
4. I closed the tap for my younger brother.
5. The kids danced to music.
6. Uncle John was driving a van. → driving
7. The tiger was hunting for something to eat. → hunting
8. I was sleeping on the black couch. → sleeping
9. Todd was teaching him to read. → teaching
10. She punched him very hard.
11. Rita was telling us stories. → telling
12. I was thinking about you. → thinking
13. Uncle Joe snores very loudly.
14. He lay on the floor.
15. Boys were watching an animated movie. → watching

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📝 Explanation:

- The main verb is the primary action or state of being in a sentence.
- In simple sentences (e.g., "He borrowed"), the main verb is the past tense of the action.
- In progressive tenses (e.g., "was driving"), the main verb is the present participle (driving, hunting, etc.), while the auxiliary (was, is, were) helps form the tense.
- We underline the main verb — the actual action word — even if it’s part of a verb phrase.

Thus, the main verbs are:
1. borrowed
2. broke
3. changing
4. closed
5. danced
6. driving
7. hunting
8. sleeping
9. teaching
10. punched
11. telling
12. thinking
13. snores
14. lay
15. watching

✔ All correctly identified.