Morphosyntax 3 – Lecture 2 – Verbs II
Lexical Verbs – grammatical categories
 Tense – present + past
 Person – first + second + third
 Number – singular + plural
 Aspect – perfect + progressive
 Voice – active + passive
 Mood – indicative + imperative + subjunktive
Tense, Person, Number
all verbs except be have two forms for the present: the -s form and the base form, one
past form
Be has three forms for the present tense, two forms for the past
The two tenses (present and past) are related to distinctions in time, but they do not
correspond precisely to the difference between present and past in the real world.
Aspect
- a grammatical category referring to the way that the time of a situation is viewed by
the speaker or writer
- perfect and progressive aspect
perfect = a form of the auxiliary have + -ed participle
- Present perfect (a situation set in some indefinite period that leads to the present) and
past perfect (a situation earlier than another situation set in the past)
progressive = a form of the auxiliary be + -ing participle
- It indicates that the situation is in progress. It may therefore also imply that it lasts for
only a limited period and that it is not ended
- present and past progressive
Voice
active and passive
- passive = a form of the auxiliary be + –ed participle
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Some -ed participle forms may be used as adjectives! (She was annoyed with them.)
- criteria to decide: modification by very (very annoyed)
possibility to use another linking verb instead of be (became
worried)
possibility to be linked with another adjective (angry and worried)
Mood
- expresses the attitude of the speaker to what is said
1. Indicative - in declarative, interrogative, and exclamative sentences
2. Imperative - has the base form
3. Subjunctive – the present subjunctive and the past subjunctive
 The present subjunctive has the base form, it is used in:
a) that-clauses after the expression of such notions as demand or request (We demand
that he take the witness stand.)
- the negative sentence need not have an operator (We demand that he/they not take the
witness stand.)
- Often we use should followed by the base form, instead of the subjunctive:
We demand that he should take the witness stand.
- Another possibility, when the verb is not be, is the indicative:
We demand that he takes the witness stand.
b) certain set expressions (Long live the Republic!; Be that as it may, . . .)
 The past subjunctive were is used chiefly to convey that the speaker is not sure
that the situation will happen or is happening (If he were to be appointed, I would
leave.)
but except in formal style, indicative was is commonly used in place of the past
subjunctive in the first and third persons singular (If he was to be appointed, I would
leave.)
Classification of verbs according to Verb senses – stative and dynamic verbs, stance
verbs are intermediate between stative and dynamic verbs
Stative – generally do not appear in the progressive
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States of 'being' and 'having'
Intellectual States
States of emotion or attitude
States of perception
States of bodily sensation
Stance: lie, live, sit, stand - either the progressive or the nonprogressive
Dynamic - durative (taking place over a period of time)
- Activities performed by inanimate forces
- Activities performed by animate agents
- Processes
- Accomplishments
- punctual (with little or no duration)
- Momentary events and acts
- Transitional events and acts
Verbs - finite X non-finite
- A finite verb is a verb that carries a contrast in tense between present and past, and
may also be marked for person and number
- The non-finite verb forms:
1. the infinitive, often introduced by to: (to) phone
2. the -ing participle: phoning
3. the -ed participle: phoned
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