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Unit 1 (continue)

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5. Verb phrase: a group of one or more than one verbs in

which there is a verb as a head.
5.1 Classification of a verb phrase
 Structurally, there are 2 kinds of verb phrases

Finite verb phrase

Verb phrase
Nonfinite verb phrase
Infinitive nonfinite verb phrase
Bare Infinitive nonfinite verb phrase “To” infinitive nonfinite
verb phrase
-Ing participle NFVP

-Ed participle NFVP

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5.1.1 Finite verb phrase: a verb phrase whose verb

element agrees with the subject in person and number.
He is a student.

I have learnt English.

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5.1.2 Non – finite verb phrase: a verb phrase whose verb

element does not agree with the subject in person and number.
Infinitive nonfinite verb phrase:
- “To” infinite nonfinite verb phrase:

- Bare infinitive nonfinite verb phrase:

 -Ing participle NFVP:

 -Ed participle nonfinite verb phrase:

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 COMPARE FINITE AND NON FINITE VERB PHRASES

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Finite VPs Non-finite VPs

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5.2 Categories of verbs (classification)

5.2.1. According to their functions of these items in the

same verb phrase: auxiliary (grammatical) and lexical verb
(semantic) verbs.

I shall have been being followed.

Lexical verbs (semantic verbs)

V
Auxiliary verbs (grammatical verbs)

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 Lexical/semantic verb: carries full dictionary meaning / that

denotes action or state.
 Auxiliary verb: help complete the meaning of the verb phrase
(that has grammatical function in the verb phrase)
shall =>
have =>
been =>
being =>
 Grammatical device

Kinds of auxiliary verbs:

- Primary auxiliary verbs: be, do, have
- Modal auxiliary verbs: 10 modal verbs
- Semi-modal auxiliary verbs: dare, need (modal, lexical)

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Syntactic features of primary auxiliaries:

•Their forms:
  Periphrastic: Do Perfect: Have Progressive: Be Passive: Be

Present do/does have/ has (be+) am/is/are am/is/ are

Past did had was/ were (+been) was / were
(been & being)

•Forms of the verbs following them:

do + V lexical have + V-ed2 of be +V-ing of be +V-ed2 lexical
lexical/ auxiliary lexical/auxiliary

He does like coffee. She’s been here. We’re talking. This was done.
They don’t go out often. It was being built. It has been finished.

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 Used as operator:

They didn’t go there. She hasn’t done it. She isn’t coming. He wasn’t in formed.
Why did she come late? What has she got? Where was it going ? How was it done ?

 Used as proform ( pro-verb)

She went there but I Have you finished? Are they coming? Was she chosen?
didn’t. Yes, I have. I’m sure they are. Certainly, she was.

 Only ‘Do’ can be used as emphatic auxiliary:

Do come in and sit down.
He did go there last Sunday.

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Modal auxiliaries: their syntactic features

List of items: - can, may, must, shall, will, ought to
- dare, need
Their own forms:
Present: can, may, shall, will, must, ought to, need, dare
Past: could, might, should, would
Form of the verb following them:
Modal + V (base) of the lexical / auxiliary verb following it.
You can go. They must have gone out.
She shouldn’t be prompted. He can’t be arriving.
Used as operator:
She can't do it now. He couldn't swim.
What must we do now? Why shouldn't they have taken photographs
then?

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Used as pro-form:
You must go there but they mustn't (needn’t).
Note:
‘Dare’ and ‘need’ are modals when they are used as
operator:
She needn't attend the lecture.
Dare you go out with him now?
Otherwise, they are lexical verb:
We don’t need to take care of him.

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Semantic features of modal verbs

a. Ability (mental/ physical) ( be able to V)
Present: They can swim across the river.
Past: He could play the guitar when he was three.
b. Possibility (be possible)
Theoretical: The roads can be blocked now.
Practical: He knew that the road might be blocked then.
c. Permission (be allowed + to V)
Formal + polite:
May I borrow your car, sir.
Might I come in, sir?
Casual: Can I smoke in here?
d. Obligation:
Subjective: ( be obliged + to V)
You must keep silent now.
She mustn't do it (prohibition).
Objective: They had to attend four lectures.
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e. Necessity: ( be necessary)
She has to be very careful.
We needn’t go there now.
f. Advisability: ( be advisable)
You should do as you are told.
She ought to be very cautious.
Suggestion: Shall we go there with him now?
Why shouldn’t they ask for permission to go?
h. Habituality:
Past: They would sit there and welcome him home then.
Present/ Future: She will always say good bye to him at 4 o’clock.
i. Volition (willingness): He’ll go there and welcome her of his own accords.
j. Prediction: Water will boil at 90oC at this height.
There’ll be strong wind and cold weather.
k. Futurity: They’ll go there the other day.
We shall try our best. Exercise 1

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5.2.2 According to these abilities to be used in the

progressive form (aspect), verbs are classified in
2: stative and dynamic.

a. Stative: a verb that expresses state, experience,

condition . . . It has no continuous forms, expressing:
- Feelings and emotion:
admire hate mind adore detest loathe
desire respect fear care for like
dislike appreciate
- Thinking and believing:
argue mean realise see assume
know recall suppose believe forget
think expect feel remember
understand recollect
- Wants and preferences: prefer, want, wish

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- Perception and senses:

perceive, recognize, see, hear, feel, taste
- Being, seeming, having, owning:
be appear possess become
seem look have owe
sound belong own
- States and conditions:
concern contain hold consist
keep matter signify

b. Dynamic: indicates an action or single event, has

continuous form.
Deliberate action State
I’m weighing myself. I weigh 50kg.
I’m tasting the soup. It tastes salty.

Exercise 2
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5.2.2 According to the relationship between the verb element

and other elements in the clause: intensive and extensive
(classification in terms of their complementation)

INTENSIVE
V intransitive
EXTENSIVE monotransitive
transitive ditransitive
complextransitive

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a. Intensive verbs: take Cs or A.

Current intensive: be , appear, feel, look, smell, seem,
sound, remain, keep, stay
He appeared tired.

Resulting intensive: become, come, get, go, grow, turn,

keep, turn into, prove
Her dream came true.

- All these intensive verbs are intransitive verbs.

- With intensive complementation: sentence types SVC
and SVA.
b. Intransitive verbs: With zero complementation
He arrived.
- With intranstive complementation: sentence type SV.

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c. Montransitive verbs: take one object:

He wrote a letter.
- Sentence pattern: SVO
d. Ditransitive verbs: take two objects
He gave me his book.
- With ditransitive complementation: sentence type SVOO.
e. Complex transitive verbs: take Od Co or Od A
- SVOC type:
I think life to be thus.
I have my hair cut.
- SVOA type: put, place, stand, hang
They put him in a good position.
They hit him on the head.
With complex transitive complementation: sentence types
SVOC and SVOA.

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Intensive: SVCs, SVA

Stative
Extensive: Transitive: SVOd – mono-
V
Intensive: SVCs, SVA
Dynamic intransitive
Extensive
monotransitive
transitive ditransitive
complextransitive

Ex: 3, 4

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5.3 The form of verbs

Base form -s form - ing form -ed form -ed/ -en

participle
be is/ am/ are being was/ were been

put puts putting put put

give gives giving gave given

work works working worked worked

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5.3.1. Base form:

- Imperative form: Be quiet.
Give me your book.
- All the present tenses, except the third person singular:
They work hard.
- After modal auxiliary verb: I can cook.
- As object complement:
He made me cry.

- In subjunctive sentences:
He orders that we be here at 7.
5.3.2. -s form: The third person singular present tense:
He goes to work every day.

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5.3.3. -ing form:

- Progressive aspect: He is reading my letter.
-Ing participle clause: Going home, I did some shopping.


5.3.4. V-ed form (past form – P1): simple past tense

I went to the dentist yesterday.

5.3.5 -ed/-en participle form (P2):

- Perfective aspect: I have finished my work.
- Passive voice: He’s called John.
- -Ed participle clause: Given a present, she was happy.


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5.4 The grammatical categories of verbs

5.4.1 Tenses
- Tense is the correspondence between the form of the verb
and our concept of time. There are 2 tenses: present and
past:
can – could will – would
work – worked put - put
- Time is a universal non-linguistic concept of the verb
phrase with 3 divisions: past, present and future.
Tense is grammatical device.
Time is a concept of time.
He came here yesterday.
Tense: ; time:
He has done his homework.
Tense: ; time:
It might rain tomorrow.
Tense: ; time:
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5.4.2. Aspects: Aspect concerns the manner in which the

verbal action is experienced, in each verb may occur in 4
aspects:
a, Simple aspect (unmarked for aspect)
He plays tennis.
He stays at home.
b, Progressive aspect:
He is staying at home.
He will be playing tennis.
c, Perfective aspect:
He has played 2 games of chess.
He has finished his homework.
d, The perfect progressive aspect:
He has been playing tennis for half an hour.

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5.4.3. Moods: Mood relates the verbal action to such

condition as certainty, obligation, necessity, possibility.
There are 3 kinds of moods.
a, Indicate mood: (to make statements or questions)
He knows English.
They are learning English.

b, Imperative mood: (command, invitation, request,

demand)
V Don’t + V

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c, Subjunctive mood
c.1 The mandative subjunctive mood:
- The base form is used to express a wish, a hope or a
prayer
Long live Ho Chi Minh.
God save Queen.
Heaven bless us.
- In subordinate “that” clause, when the main clause
contains an expression of recommendation, resolution,
demand, suggestion
It’s necessary that you be here.
I suggest that he start early.

c.2 The formulate subjunctive mood:

Come what may, we’ll go ahead.
Suffice it to say that, we’ll go ahead.

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c.3 The subjunctive “were” (unreal conditional

sentence): to express unreality, impossibility or doubt
If she were here.
(future): would do: I would come to.
- Wish (present): did/ were: I had a motor.
(past): had done: I had done that object.
- Comparative subjunctive:
(future): would do: I would come to.
…as if/ though (present): did/ were: I had a motor.
If only (past): had done: I had done that object.

He talks as if he was president/ he had been from

Australia.

Exercise 5, 6, 7
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5.5 Complementation of verbs

5.5.1. Zero Complementation
a. Intransitive verbs are often used with complete
zero:
She ’s come.
They are dancing.
b. There may be time/ manner Adjunct after the verb:
They danced beautifully.
She came two hours later.
c. There may also be place Adjunct which seems to be
closely associated with the verbs:
She comes from Leeds.
We’re living in London.

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5.5.2 Intensive Complementation (Cs and A)
a. Cs
- a noun phrase (basic or complex):
She is a teacher of Russian.
They’ll soon become engineers in construction.
- an adj:
She is beautiful.
He is happy to see me again.
*Cadj:
- Pre.P: He’s good at English.
I’m fond of football.
- FCL: I’m sure that you are right.
I’m not certain whether he’ll come or not.
- NFCL: He is happy to see me again.
She’s busy making up all night.
- FCL: My hope is that life will be better.
What I want is what he wants.
- NFCL: My duty is to learn English.
All I did was hit him on the head.
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b, A
- Adv: He’s here.
He’s upstairs.
- Pre.P: He’s in the class.
He’s at the door.
- CL: He’s nowhere to be seen.
They are exactly where they went the other day.
- NP: My birthday is tomorrow.

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Meanings of these adverbials:

- Place (most common):
He was here / in the car.
He is at the door.
- Time:
The meeting will be on next Monday.
He is in time.
- Manner/ Description:
The matter is of great importance.
I’m for/ against you.
- Purpose: This is for your exam.
- Cause: His failure is because of his being late.

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5.5.3 Monotransitive Complementation (Od)

a. O = a noun phrase
We bought this book.
On the way here we met a man with a very large ear.
b. O = a non-finite clause
She wanted to set the house on fire. (to V )
They enjoyed watching the program.
(V-ing part.clause)
c. O = a finite clause
I know that she didn’t go there with him. (that clause)
He didn’t remember whoever had met him first at the
station. (nominal relative clause)

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5.5.4. Ditransitive Complementation (Oi + Od)

a. Oi = NP
Od = NP
We didn’t give him any book.
b. Oi: NP
Od: FCL He gave me what he had. (wh- clause)
They told us that they had won the match. (that clause).
She asked him why he hadn’t come on her birthday. (wh-
inter.cl.)
He didn’t tell her whether he would be able to go there
with her. (yes/no interr.)
You can accuse me of whatever I have done against
you. (nominal rel. cl)
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c. Oi = FCL
Od = NP
He gave who he loved his book.
d. Oi: FCL
Od: FCL
He gave who he loved what he had.
e. Oi: NP
Od: NFCL
She told the criminal to lay down his gun. (to V)
f. Oi: FCL
Od: NFCL
He tells whoever came to his house to answer some
questions.

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5.5.5 Complex transitive Complementation (Od + Co)

a. Od = Np1
Co = NP2
We consider him our younger brother.
b. Od = NP
Co = Adj. P/clause
We painted the door red.
c. Od = NP
Co = NFCL
We wanted him to finish his work in time. (to V)
Her story made them laugh all the time. (V-bare infinitive)
d. Od = NP
Co = FCl (nominal relative clause)
They painted the doors and windows whichever colour
they wanted.

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5.5.6 Complex transitive Complementation (Od + A)

a. Od = NP
A = Adv
I put my bag here.
b. Od = NP
A = Pre.P
She hung the pictures on the wall.
c. Od = NP
A = FCl
You can put it wherever you like.
d. Od = FCl
A = Pre.P
Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

Exercise 8, 9, 10, 11

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