1/25/2021

LECTURE 2
VERBS AND VERB PHRASES

* Verbs

* Verb phrases

* Tense – Aspect – Mood - Voice

1. How are verbs realized?

- Verb is part of predicate. A verb denotes an action,
activity or state.
- Verbs can be realized by the ending like “-ize”,
“-fy”, “-en”, ….
- Verbs can be realized by their positions in the
clause.

2. Classifications of English verbs

classified Functions of items

Verbs according to

Complementation

Possibility of admitting
progressive aspect

Structure

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2. Classifications of English verbs

Classification 1: According to the functions of items

classified Functions of items

Verbs according to

Lexical verbs Auxiliary verbs

2. Classifications of English verbs

Classification 1: According to the functions of items

classified Functions of items

Verbs according to

Lexical verbs

Regular E.g.: book, booked, booked

Irregular E.g.: teach, taught, taught

2. Classifications of English verbs

Classification 1: According to the functions of items

classified Functions of items

Verbs according to

Auxiliary verbs

Primary

Modal

Marginal
modal auxiliary

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2. Classifications of English verbs

Classification 1: According to the functions of items

classified Functions of items

Verbs according to

Auxiliary verbs

Primary
• include: do, have, be
• change meaning when becoming a
full verb
E.g.: I am a student. vs. I am reading.

2. Classifications of English verbs

Classification 1: According to the functions of items

classified Functions of items

Verbs according to

Auxiliary verbs

• include:
Can – could
May – Might Modal
Shall-should
Will-would
Must
Ought to

2. Classifications of English verbs

Classification 1: According to the functions of items

classified Functions of items

Verbs according to

Auxiliary verbs

Marginal
• include: used to, dare, need modal auxiliary

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2. Classifications of English verbs

Classification 1: According to the complementation of the (lexical) verb

classified Complementation
Verbs according to

Intensive verbs Extensive verbs

2. Classifications of English verbs

• Classification 2: According to the complementation of the
(lexical) verb.

Intensive SVA/ SVC

VERBS
Intransitive SV
Extensive
Transitive

Mono-transitive Di-transitive Complex-transitive

SVO SVOO SVOC/ SVOA

2. Classifications of English verbs

classified Possibility of admitting

Verbs according to progressive aspect

Stative verbs Dynamic verbs

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2. Classifications of English verbs

• Classification 3: According to the possibility of admitting
progressive aspect.
= verbs that show the
condition or status
and do not accept the
Stative progressive aspect
VERBS

Dynamic verbs that show the action or

the change of status and admit the
progressive aspect:
do, run, listen…

2. Classifications of English verbs

Classification 4: According to the structure of verbs

classified Structure
Verbs according to

One-word verbs Multi-word verbs

3. Verb phrases

• The structure of a verb phrase.

Prehead + Head + Post head
Auxiliary verb Verb - preposition
- particle
lexical verb/ main verb - particle +
preposition
Modal perfective progressive passive
modality aspects voice
Eg. should have been being done

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3. Verb phrases
Finite and non-finite Verb Phrase
Finite verb phrase Non-finite verb phrase
- Has tense distinction - Has no tense distinction
- Subject is always present - Subject can be absent
- Has concord with subject - Has no concord with subject
in terms of person & number
- Expresses mood - A non finite verb phrase takes
the form of: -ing participle
-ed
particle
to-
infinitive
bare
infinitive

4. Verbal forms

• Base form:
Bare infinitive go
To – infinitive to go
• - s form goes
• Past form went
• - ing participle going
• - ed participle gone

4. Verbal forms
• Base form (V) is used for:
- All simple present tense except 3rd person singular
- Imperative: Go home now!
- Subjunctive: I suggest you be here tomorrow.
- Infinitive: I want to have a break now.
Let him go.

• -s form: is used for third person singular

She hates chatting.

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4. Verbal forms
• Past form: is used for past tense
He saw his wife chatting everyday.
• -ing participle: is used in
Progressive aspect: He is getting furious.
-ing clause: Coming home, she found him in the kitchen.
• -ed participle is used for:
+ Perfective aspect
He has left her for another girl.
+ Passive voice
She was left alone.
+ In –ed participle clause
Left alone at home, she felt depressed.

5. Tense – Aspect – Mood – Voice

• Difference between “Time” and “Tense”: Present

Future
Past

Tense: is the correspondence Time: is a universal,

between the form of the verb and non-linguistic concept
our concept of time, tense is with three divisions:
language – specific. past, present and
future

Past tense Present tense

Aspect: is the manner

in which the verbal action
is experienced or regarded.

The progressive aspect The perfective aspect

shows that the verbal show that the verbal
action is experienced action is experienced
as in progress as completed

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5. Tense – Aspect – Mood – Voice

• The relationship between tense and aspect:
Tense and aspect can’t be considered separately from each other
by tense. The English language has simple, progressive and
perfective aspects. In other words, when we consider a verbal
action, the form of the verb tells us the point of the time. When
the action takes place and at that point of time, the verbal action
is complete (perfective aspect) incomplete or in progress
(progressive aspect) or none of the above.

5. Tense – Aspect – Mood – Voice

- Mood: is a set of contrasts which is shown by the form of the

verb which is used to express the speaker’s attitudes towards
what is denoted by the verb, or in other words, mood relates the
verbal actions to such conditions as certainty, possibility.
- Marked = mood unmarked = non-mood

5. Tense – Aspect – Mood – Voice

• There is an inflectional system of mood, which consists of
indicative, imperative and subjunctive.

Traditional view of mood

Indicative Imperative
Subjunctive

Subjunctive
Mandative Formulaic
“Were”:

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5. Tense – Aspect – Mood – Voice

• The mandative subjunctive:
+ Form: bare infinitive + attitude: comments, recommendations.
• The formulaic subjunctive:
+ Verb form: bare infinitive
+ Speaker’s attitude: Consolidation
• Subjunctive: “Were”

DISCUSSION

• Classifications of verbs and verb forms