Verbs

This educational video from Khan Academy explores the concept of the "Simple Aspect" in English grammar. The narrator, David, breaks down the often-confusing term "aspect" by defining it as a way to situate verbs more precisely in time—described metaphorically as "tenses for tenses." Using a visual timeline, the video demonstrates that the simple aspect is essentially the "bare tense" of a verb, devoid of complex helper verbs that might indicate whether an action is ongoing or completed. The video focuses on three primary examples plotted on a timeline: the past ("I walked"), the present ("I walk"), and the future ("I will walk"). Key themes include distinguishing between tense and aspect, recognizing verb conjugations, and identifying helper verbs (or the lack thereof). The content emphasizes that the simple aspect is the most basic form of expression required to convey an idea in a specific timeframe. For educators, this video serves as an excellent tool for demystifying abstract grammatical terminology. It moves beyond simple rote memorization of tenses to help students understand the *function* of verb forms. The visual timeline provides a concrete scaffolding for visual learners to grasp abstract temporal concepts. It is particularly useful for bridging the gap between elementary grammar (identifying verbs) and middle school grammar (analyzing verb structures and nuancing writing).

This video provides a clear and visual explanation of the progressive aspect in English grammar, often referred to as continuous tenses. The narrator distinguishes the progressive aspect from the simple aspect by using a timeline to demonstrate that progressive verbs describe actions that are "ongoing" or happening continuously within a specific moment. The lesson covers how to conjugate verbs into the present progressive ("I am walking"), past progressive ("I was walking"), and future progressive ("I will be walking"). Key grammatical themes include the structure of verb phrases using the auxiliary verb "to be" combined with a main verb ending in "-ing." The video emphasizes that while the main verb form remains constant (e.g., "walking"), the helping verb changes to reflect the time of the action. A mnemonic device—"Always Be Conjugating" (ABC)—is introduced to help students remember the necessity of the "be" verb and the "-ing" ending. For educators, this resource is an excellent tool for visualizing abstract grammar concepts. The use of a color-coded timeline helps students spatially understand the difference between a completed action and an ongoing one. It effectively demystifies the technical term "aspect" by connecting it to the familiar concept of "tense," making it a practical addition to lessons on verb forms, narrative writing, and sentence structure.

This concise animated video introduces the concept of verbs as a fundamental part of speech in English grammar. Using a simple "digital chalkboard" aesthetic, the narrator explains that while verbs serve many functions, their primary role is to express or show action. The lesson uses a recurring character—a sketched bear—to demonstrate how verbs function within sentences. The video explores key grammatical themes including the definition of a verb, the relationship between verbs and actions, and the essential rule that every complete sentence must contain at least one verb. The narrator provides clear, isolated examples of action verbs like "roars," "runs," and "sleeps" to illustrate how these words bring subjects to life. For educators, this resource serves as an excellent introductory hook for grammar lessons in early elementary grades. Its visual simplicity focuses student attention directly on the concept of "action words" without distraction. Teachers can use the video's examples to launch activities like "verb charades" or sentence-building workshops, helping students identify verbs in their own reading and writing.

This educational video dives deep into the most unusual and unpredictable irregular verbs in the English language—verbs that don't follow even the standard patterns of irregularity. The narrator, David, categorizes these "truly irregular" verbs into four distinct groups: those ending in "-ught," those with a vowel shift plus a "d" sound, verbs that do not change at all between present and past tense, and the unique modal auxiliary verbs. The video systematically breaks down confusing verb transformations like "teach" to "taught" and "flee" to "fled," while clarifying the pronunciation quirks of words like "said." It also highlights a fascinating group of verbs where "time does not exist" (like "bet" and "hurt"), and explains the silent "l" found in modal verbs like "could," "should," and "would." For educators, this resource is an excellent tool for tackling the rote memorization required for these specific verbs. It provides a logical framework for grouping otherwise random words, making them easier for students to recall. The humorous and encouraging tone helps demystify complex grammar rules, making it perfect for upper elementary students mastering past tense or English Language Learners refining their mechanics.

This educational video clarifies the distinction between physical action verbs and mental action verbs through clear examples and engaging whiteboard animations. It begins by reviewing physical verbs that can be seen, such as "bounce" or "hop," before introducing the concept that not all actions are visible to the eye. The narrator explains that actions performed by the brain—like thinking, dreaming, or remembering—are just as valid as physical movements, providing a crucial bridge for students moving from concrete to abstract grammatical concepts. The content explores key themes in grammar and parts of speech, specifically focusing on the relationship between nouns and verbs. It emphasizes that a noun (even a superhero) cannot function without a verb to provide action. The video lists common mental action verbs including "understand," "believe," "discover," and "love," and demonstrates how to identify these invisible actions within sentences by visualizing the scenario and asking what is happening inside the subject's mind. For educators, this video serves as an excellent tool to deepen student understanding of verbs beyond simple movement words. It is particularly useful for helping students identify verbs in more complex sentences where the action isn't physically demonstrated. Teachers can use this resource to support lessons on sentence structure, help students expand their writing vocabulary with more precise internal verbs, and clarify misconceptions that verbs must always be movements you can see.

This educational video provides a clear and concise explanation of the Perfect Progressive aspect in English grammar. The narrator, David, builds upon previous knowledge of the simple, perfect, and progressive aspects to explain how this fourth aspect functions as a combination of the latter two. He defines the specific utility of this aspect—expressing actions that have been ongoing for a duration or were ongoing until a certain point—and visually demonstrates its placement on a timeline. The video breaks down the grammatical formula for constructing the perfect progressive: using the auxiliary verb "to have" (which changes based on tense), combined with "been," and followed by the main verb with an "-ing" ending. Through specific examples set in the past, present, and future tenses, the video illustrates how the structure shifts slightly while maintaining the core meaning of continuous action over time. For educators, this resource serves as an excellent tool for demystifying complex verb structures. The use of a visual timeline helps students conceptualize abstract temporal relationships, while the humorous example of "eating cookies" makes the repetitive drill of verb conjugation more engaging. It is particularly useful for visual learners who struggle to understand when to apply complex verb phrases versus simple tenses.

This educational video introduces and defines three specific vocabulary words: "examine," "resource," and "pollution." Using a "blackboard" style visual approach with colorful handwritten text and simple illustrations, the narrator breaks down each word by identifying its part of speech (verb or noun), providing a clear definition, and explaining its etymology or morphological structure (such as the suffix "-tion"). The video explores the meanings in depth before showing them in context. For example, it connects "examine" to the familiar concept of taking an "exam," expands the definition of "resource" from natural materials to school libraries, and breaks down "pollution" as the act of dirtying the environment. Each segment concludes with an illustrated sentence that demonstrates the word being used correctly in a real-world scenario. Teachers can use this video as a versatile tool for both English Language Arts and Science instruction. It serves as an excellent model for how to learn new vocabulary—by defining, connecting to known words, and using in context. Additionally, the specific words chosen bridge nicely into science units regarding scientific observation (examining), natural resources, and environmental stewardship (pollution).

This educational video provides a clear and engaging guide to mastering two sets of frequently confused words: "hear" vs. "here" and "accept" vs. "except." The narrator, David, breaks down these homophones (or near-homophones) by defining their parts of speech and meanings, ensuring students understand not just how to spell them, but how they function grammatically within a sentence. The video explores key themes of spelling, grammar, and mnemonic strategies. For each word pair, the narrator provides specific memory aids: finding the word "ear" inside "hear," rhyming "here" with "near," linking the "ex" in "except" to "exclude," and connecting the "ac" in "accept" to "access." These cognitive hooks are designed to help learners permanently distinguish between the spellings. For educators, this video is an excellent resource for strengthening vocabulary and writing skills. It directly addresses common pitfalls in student writing and offers practical, visual tools for self-correction. The content is versatile enough to be used as a flipped classroom assignment, a review before a spelling test, or a reference tool for editing workshops, empowering students to proofread their work with greater confidence.

This educational video provides a clear and engaging guide to understanding parallel structure in writing. Hosted by David, Rosie, and Paige, the lesson distinguishes parallel structure as a stylistic choice rather than a strict grammatical rule, emphasizing how it creates harmony and flow in sentences. Through handwritten visual examples on a blackboard, the instructors demonstrate how to align items in a list—whether they are nouns, verbs, or phrases—to ensure they match in form.

In this engaging grammar tutorial, David introduces students to the future tense, focusing specifically on how to use the auxiliary verb "will." The video uses a blackboard-style animation to visually demonstrate how sentences change from the present tense to the future tense. Through humorous examples involving cupcakes and triceratops, the narrator simplifies the concept of time in language, distinguishing between what happens now versus what happens later.

This educational video provides a clear, step-by-step guide to understanding, identifying, and using helping verbs (also known as auxiliary verbs). It begins by reviewing action and linking verbs before introducing helping verbs as words that support the main verb to indicate time, mood, or tone. The video acknowledges that memorizing a list of verbs can be overwhelming and instead offers a logical three-step process for identifying them within sentences: find the subject, find the main verb, and look at the words in between. Through illustrated examples, the narrator demonstrates how changing or removing helping verbs drastically alters the meaning of a sentence. For instance, the difference between "Sam cleaned his room" and "Sam should have cleaned his room" is explored to show how helping verbs convey obligation and past tense. Similarly, the difference between playing games and "might" play games illustrates the concept of uncertainty. This resource is highly valuable for elementary and middle school language arts instruction. It moves beyond simple definition to practical application, helping students understand not just what helping verbs are, but why they matter in communication. The visual "hand-drawn" style keeps students engaged, while the repetitive application of the three-step identification method provides a scaffolded learning experience ideal for grammar lessons.

This engaging educational video introduces students to action verbs by defining them as "words that tell you what nouns do." It begins by reviewing the concept of nouns (person, place, or thing) to build a solid foundation before introducing verbs. Through clear narration and animated examples, the video demonstrates how specific nouns like a teacher, a gas station, and an alarm clock perform actions like "teaches," "fuels," and "rings." The video progresses from animated diagrams to real-world photographic examples, asking viewers to identify the action in pictures of a rat eating, a dog running, a woman reading, and a man swimming. This visual scaffolding helps move students from abstract definitions to concrete recognition of actions in the real world. The pacing is deliberate and enthusiastic, designed to keep young learners focused. Finally, the video features an interactive "Action Verb Game" where simple sentences are displayed, and students are challenged to identify the action verb before the answer is revealed. This interactive component makes the video an excellent tool for direct instruction or review in the classroom, allowing for immediate formative assessment as students call out or write down their answers.