Every sentence must have a verb that gives a command, says what action the subject is involved in or tells the subject's condition or state. A verb may be one word or several, depending on whether helper verbs are needed.

Here are some tips for finding verbs:

Tip 1: The verb will never be part of a prepositional phrase.
        Example:Some people become addicted to the Internet.
Tip 2: When a verb has two or more parts, usually joined with and, or or nor, we call it a compound verb.
        Example: The speaker neither looked at her audience nor spoke clearly.
The jury deliberated for an hour and then made its decision.
Tip 3: The verb in a question will be found before the subject or on either side of the subject.
        Example: How far is the casino from Toronto?
Will you meet me at the cafeteria for lunch?
Tip 4: The verb in a command will often be the first word or follow please.
        Example: Don’t (you) forget to order the office supplies this week.
Tip 5: When Here or There begin a sentence, the verb will be before the subject.
        Example: Here are the missing cheques.
Tip 6: Some words look like verbs, but they are not. One false verb is a word that ends with -ing but doesn’t have a helper verb with it. A second false verb is an infinitive (a verb preceded by to).
        Example: Investing in the black market is a violation of law.
Trying to make a fortune by gambling is not usually profitable.