Some Tips about Verbs

In identifying subjects and verbs, it is much easier to find the verb first, then ask yourself who or what performs the verb in order to find the subject, i.e., Who or what has been, came, saw, did?

The following words, although they do not involve action, are always* verbs:

am, are, is, was, were, be, been, has, had, have

do, does, did, done, can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must

*NOTE: If the word to precedes a verb, it is not a verb.
Example: Jo likes to have fruit every day.
likes is the verb, not to have, which is an infinitive.

Just to make things even more confusing, the word to does not always come before an infinitive.
Example: The teacher made me stay after class.
(stay is a bare infinitive, the to having been omitted)

ALSO: -ing forms, or gerunds, (having, walking, etc.) are not counted as verbs unless they are accompanied by one or more of the auxiliary verbs listed above.
Example: Maria has obviously been running today.
(running is part of the verb)
vs.
Maria prefers running over swimming.
(running is a noun, the object of prefers)