Hints for finding out if a word is a verb:

 1.   Add –ing or –ed to the word.  Can the word make sense?

For example:  I color the world blue.  Find the word to which you could add –ing or –ed.

2.   Make the sentence negative with "did not" or "didn't." What word or words follow "did not" or "didn't?"

For example:  The storm gods rained upon the ungrateful sailors.  Make it negative with “didn’t.”  What word follows “didn’t”?

3.   If a word already ends in –ing or –ed, ask yourself if it is acting like an adjective or a noun instead of a verb.  It may be a type of “verbal” that isn’t really a verb in the sentence.

For example:  Singing loudly, the tailor sewed a Halloween costume.  What part of speech is “Singing” acting like?

   4. Find the subject of the sentence and ask, “________ what?” The answer is usually the verb.

For example:  In the sentence “Custard the Dragon ate the pyrate,” “Custard the Dragon did what?