Slide and slurp, scratch and burp more about verbs (words are categorical)

Verbs are words like... ClearyIllustrations copyright © 2007 by Millbrook Press, Inc.. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or

b y B r i a n P C l e a r y

i l l u s t r a t e d b y B r i a n G a b l e

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

Verb: A word

that shows action or being

To Isabella

—B.P.C.

by Brian P Cleary

illustrated by Brian Gable

M I L LB RO O K P R ESS / M I N N EA PO L I S

J

s neak and

sni ff ,

sne e z e

an d w hee z e and wh iff

Verbs are words like

Plan t ing carro t s,

getting t rac t ion,

Verbs gi v e sen t ences

their ac tion.

You migh t be exp l oring

the Alps or the A mazon,

They t ell us of scooters

So wrap a package, ti e a knot, clap your hands,

T ri u mp

h , t re mbl e ,

or cry a lot.

you’ll use a v erb

for each example!

Fly t o t he flower shop,

Each sen t ence h as a subjec t —

i t ’s kind of like t he s t ar

It’s what the whole thing’s

Subject s always need a v erb —

it ’s w ha t

ma k e

s fis hes

s w im

and lanter ns li gh t

and writer s write

and clipper s cu t and trim

17

T hey “ link ” ins t ead of “ do ,”

connec t i ng sen t ence part s, as in,

These linking v erbs

I t b ec a m e ridic

ulou

s.

T his play see m s second rate. The cri m e remains a mystery.

21

The forms of “ be ”

are linking verbs,

like, “ A r e your nam

es Mic h

elle? ”

W ere and w as

w ork this way, t oo—

they’re forms of “ be ” as well.

There are times

a form of “ be ”

is all t ha t ’s needed , verbally.

25

Whether you slide

if you’r e making a fraction

or wri t ing a blurb,

because there is action,

you know it’s a verb.

27

say to the chef,

whether you pounce

or pronounce

or pe rt urb ,

I’m here to ann oun ce

that you’re using a verb!

29

So, wha t is a verb?

you k no w ?

31

Text copyright © 2007 by Brian P Cleary

Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Millbrook Press, Inc

All rights reserved International copyright secured No part of this book may

be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by

any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—

without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, except for the

inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review

Millbrook Press, Inc

A division of Lerner Publishing Group

241 First Avenue North

Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A

Website address: www.lernerbooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cleary, Brian P., 1959–

Slide and slurp, scratch and burp : more about verbs / by Brian P Cleary ;

illustrations by Brian Gable

p cm – (Words are categorical)

ISBN-13: 978–0–8225–6207–8 (lib bdg : alk paper)

A BOUT THE A UTHOR & I LLUSTRATOR

BRIAN P CLEARY is the author of the Words Are Categorical™

and Math Is Categorical™ series, as well as Rainbow Soup:

Adventures in Poetry and Rhyme and PUNishment: Adventures in Wordplay He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

BRIAN GABLE is the illustrator of many Words Are Categorical™

books, the Math Is Categorical™ series, and the Make Me Laugh! joke books He lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and two children.