3.
Verb and the verb phrase: morphological categories of verb
Verb
- open word class, can be characterized:
A. morphologically – morphological categories: person, number, tense, aspect, mood, voice,
- if a verb form demonstrates person, number, tense → finite verb form: She works.
- if not → non-finite verb forms:
infinitive: It´s fun to work with you.
gerund: Working with him is fun.
present participle: I am working with you.
past participle: I have worked with you.
The morphological means of the realization of the categories:
- Synthetic → inflectional suffixes (=bound grammatical morphemes): she work-s/work-ed
- analytical → auxiliary verbs (=free grammatical morphemes): she is working
- other → pronouns (as sentence subject) – I work, you work, we work ...
- In English, pronouns have a grammatical function, are obligatory:
person/number
prac uj
prac uj
prac uj
prac uj
prac uj
prac uj
e
e
e
e
m
š
e
me
te
ú
I
you
s/he
we
you
they
work
work
work s
work
work
work
B.syntactically – the syntactic function of the verb (phrase) is the sentence predicator
C.semantically - basic denotational meaning = „processuality“
Verb forms – the six-member paradigm of „normal“ English verb:
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––symbol
name
construction:
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
V
base
present tense, imperative, subjunctive, bare infinitive
Vi
infinitive
infinitive
Vs
s-form
3rd person sg. present tense
Ved (Ved1)
past tense
past tense regular verbs
Ven (Ved2)
past participle
perfective aspect, passive voice
Ving
ing-form/present participle
progressive aspect
gerund
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Classification of verbs:
1.morphological
A.lexical verbs - open WC, have own lexical meaning, are the MV in VP, have all
paradigmatic forms
B.auxiliary verbs – closed WC, have little or no independent meaning, are Uux in VP
a. primary verbs:
have, be - aspectual (perfective/progressive)
do
– periphastic
be
- passive
Note. They can be used as lexical verbs
b.modal verbs:
central (9): can/could, may/might, shall/should, will/would, must
marginal: used to, ought to, dare, need
C.Lexical-auxiliary verbs - are transitional between auxiliary and lexical verbs
a. semi-modal (modal idioms): had better/would rather
b.semi-auxiliary
BE type: be able/about/going/supposed/certain to, be
HAVE type: have (got) to
other: come (=happen) to, fail to, get to, tend to, appear
2.syntactic
A.Intensive (copulative, linking) verbs
- semantically are almost empty,
- function: - predicating feature to the subject: The tea is good.
- realizing gramatical categories (person, number,tense, aspect, mood)
BE type: be, look, feel, smell, sound, seem, appear, prove, turn out
remain, stay, keep, continue, rest
BECOME type: turn, grow, get, go, come, fall, make (Your button is coming undone.)
HAVE type: have (have a rest), give (give a chuckle), make, get, put, pae, bear, draw
B.Extensive verbs
- intransitive: sleep
- transitive
a.monotransitive: kiss, get, pass, set
b.ditransitive: give, ask
c.complex transitive: consider, put
3.semantic - verbs denote:
- processes He grew up quickly.
- activities
He was walking fast.
- acts
The dog jumped over the fence.
- events
He arrived late
- states
I understand what you mean.
The verb phrase
VP occupies the central position within a clause, viz. its PREDICATOR:
Sentence element:
Subject
Predicator
Complement Object
NP
VP
AjP
I
´m
the youngest child
in my family.
Jason.
Adverbial
Type of phrase:
Example:
My brother´s name
He
I
is
works
AvP
PP
in a factory near St.
Alban´s.
my cousins very often.
don´t see
The structure of the Verb phrase:
General stucture:
VP({Aux}{Aux}{Aux}{Aux}
Auxiliary category:
Realization:
({Mod}{Perf}{Prog}{Pass} Mv)
Example
I
I
I
It
I
modal
verb
have
beprog bepass
Mv)
lexical
verb
saw
seeing
written
written
written
am
have
is
could have
you here before.
my dentist now.
my homework.
in my notebook.
it more neatly.
Requirements on the form of the next verb within the VP:
Auxiliary category
Mod Perf
Next-verb form:
Vi
Prog Pass
Mv
Ved2 Ving Ved2
Major types of verb phrase:
- simple vs. complex:
- finite (F) vs. non-fnite (NF):
I enjoy it. - I´m enjoying every minute of it.
I want it. - I want to do it.
Verb phrase and finiteness:
Simple VP
Complex VP
→ Mv is finite
VP(F {NF}{NF}{NF}{NF}) → Mv is non-finite, (1st) Aux is finite
VP(F)
Grammatical verb phrases in English (with up to 4 auxiliary verbs):
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-–––
Mod
Perf
Prog
Pass
Mv
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-––
1. 0 Aux (1)
Mv
write
2. 1 Aux (4)
Mod Mv
could write
Perf Mv
have
written
Prog Mv
was
writing
Pass Mv
was
written
3. 2 Aux (6)
Mod Perf
Mod Prog
Mod Pass
Perf Prog
Perf Pass
Prog Pass
could
could
could
-
have
have
have
-
be
been
was
be
been
being
written
writing
written
writing
written
written
4. 3 Aux (4)
Mod Perf Prog
Mod Perf Pass
Mod Prog Pass
Perf Prog Pass
Mod Perf Prog Pass
could
could
could
could
have
have
have
have
been
be
been
been
been
being
being
being
writing
written
written
written
written
5. 4 Aux (1)
Task 1. Identify the uses of the verb “be”:
a) Do you know when the end of the school year is?
b) What are speakers doing with their utterances?
c) The chance of being caught was almost zero.
d) This problem is a very complex one.
Task 2. Identify the uses of the verb “have”:
a) He’ll have had the results by now.
b) We have many orders coming in.
c) Are you having your mother for the weekend?
d) You don’ t have to knock, just walk in.
Task 3. Identify the uses of the verb “do”:
a) Do shut up!
b) We did not do our best, did we?
c) Don’ t worry, I did do it!
d) I don’ t speak Dutch and neither do my parents.