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The Verb Phrase
The Verb Phrase
The verb phrase is the clause constituent that functions as a predicator in the mood structure of
the clause. The verb phrase is the expansion of a verb in the same way that the noun phrase is the
expansion of a noun. As a word class (i.e. in terms of parts of speech), verbs can be divided into
three major classes according to their function in the VP:
- the open class of lexical verbs
- the closed classes of primary auxiliary verbs and modal auxiliary verbs
If there is only one verb in VP, it is a main verb. If there is more than one verb, the final one is
the main verb, the other(s) that come in between are auxiliaries.
c) There is person concord and number concord between the subject of a clause
and the finite verb phrase. Concord is particularly clear with the present tense of the verb
to be. But with most full verbs overt concord is restricted to a contrast between the 3 rd
person singular present and other persons or plural number. With modal auxiliaries there
is no overt concord.
d) Finite VPs have mood which indicates the factual, nonfactual or counterfactual status
of the predication. In contrast to the unmarked indicative mood, we distinguish the
marked moods imperative (used to express commands or other directive speech acts) and
subjunctive (used to express a wish, a recommendation).
A clause with a finite verb phrase as its verbal element is called a finite (verb) clause. Similarly, a
clause with a nonfinite verb phrase as its verbal element is called a nonfinite (verb) clause.
Nonfinite VPs
The infinitive, the ing-participle and the ed-participle are the nonfinite forms of the verb. Hence
any verb phrase in which one of these forms is the first or only word (disregarding the infinitive
marker to) is a nonfinite verb phrase. Such verb phrases do not normally occur as the verb phrase
of an independent clause. The verb phrases in which the first element is a modal auxiliary are
always finite verb phrases. Compare the following:
Finite VPs
He smokes.
Mary is having a smoke.
He must be crazy to smoke 40 a day.
You have been smoking all day.
It is essential that he smoke fewer cigarettes.
Dont smoke so much.
Nonfinite VPs
To smoke like that must be dangerous.
I regret having started to smoke.
The cigars smoked here tend to be expensive.
That was the last cigarette to have been smoked by me.
is realized by verb inflection. Since English has no future inflected form of the verb, the threefold opposition (past-present-future) is reduced to two tenses: the present tense and the past
tense, which typically refer to present and past time respectively.
Tense
Simple present tense for present time
(a) The state present is used with stative verb senses to refer to a single unbroken state of
affairs that has existed in the past, exists now, and is likely to continue to exist in the
future. It includes the timeless present which refers to eternal truths such as
Two and three make five.
or less extreme instances of the timeless present such as
The British Isles have a temperate climate.
It also includes more restricted time spans:
Mary is tall.
We live in Edinburgh.
(b) The habitual present is used with dynamic verb senses to refer to events that
repeatedly occur without limitation on their extension into the past or future. Like the
state present, the habitual present includes the timeless present
Water boils at 100 C.
Whereas the state present always refers to something that applies at the time of speaking or
writing, this is very often not so for the habitual present. We can say
Bill drinks heavily
when Bill is not actually drinking.
It is a characteristic of the habitual present that one can easily add a frequency adverbial (e.g.
often, once a day, every year, etc.) to specify the frequency of the event.
(c) The instantaneous present is used with dynamic verb senses to refer to a single
event with little or no duration that occurs at the time of speaking or writing. It is used
only in certain restricted situations:
- in commentaries: Black passes to Fernandez.
- in self-commentaries: I enclose a form of application.
- With performative verbs to refer to speech acts performed by uttering the sentences: We
acknowledge your letter. I apologize for my behaviour.
There are three additional uses for the simple present that are best seen as extended
interpretations of the basic meanings listed above.
(a) The historic present/vivid present refers to past time and is characteristic narrative
style in familiar conversations.
Just as we arrived, up comes Ben and slaps me on the back as if were life-long friends
It is also used as stylistically marked device in fictional narrative for imaginary events in the
past:
The crowd swarms around the gateway, excitement grows as suddenly the hero makes his
entrance.
(b) The simple present is optionally used to refer to the past with verbs of communication
and/or reception of communication to suggest that the information communicated is still
valid:
Jack tells me that the position is still vacant.
I hear that you need an assistant.
I understand that the game has been postponed.
(c) In main clauses, the simple present typically occurs with time-position adverbials to
suggest a future event is certain to take place:
The plane leaves for London at 8 oclock tonight.
The use of the simple present for future time is much more common in subordinate clauses,
particularly in conditional and temporal clauses.
Hell do it if you pay him
Ill let you know as soon as I hear from her
Somewhat akin to the other optional uses of the simple present for past time is its use in
reference to writers and their works.
Dickens draws his characters from the London underworld of his time.
(a) The event past is used with dynamic verb senses to refer to a single definite event in
the past. The event may take place over an extended period (e.g. The Normans invaded
England in 1066) or at a point in time (e.g. The plane left at 9 a.m.). The definite time
may be conveyed by a previous or subsequent time expression, in the linguistic context,
for instance by a time adverbial such as in 1066. It may also be presupposed on the basis
of knowledge shared by speaker and hearer. Your brother was at school with me
presupposes as common knowledge that a specific period of time is spent at school.
(b) The habitual past is used with dynamic verb senses to refer to past events that
occurred repeatedly.
We spent our holidays in Spain when we were children.
(c) The state past is used with stative verb senses to refer to a single unbroken state of
affairs in the past.
I once liked reading novels.
The habitual and state meanings of the past can be paraphrased by used to.
Aspect
Aspect is a grammatical category that reflects the way in which the meaning of a verb is viewed
with respect to time. There are two aspects in English, the perfect and the progressive which may
combine in a complex verb phrase and are marked for present and past tense:
- present perfect
present progressive
- past perfect
past progressive
-
The past perfect has special uses similar to those for the simple past.
(a) In indirect speech constructions it indicates a backshift into the more remote
past. I told her the parcel had not arrived.
(b) The attitudinal past perfect refers more politely than the simple past to a
present state of mind.
I had wondered whether you are/were free now.
(c) The hypothetical past perfect is used in certain subordinate clauses
especially if-clauses to imply that the situation did not occur.
If I had been there, it would have not happened (>> I wasnt there )
Progressive aspect
The progressive aspect focuses on the situation as being in progress at a particular time.
Therefore it may imply that the situation has limited duration and that it is not complete.
(a) Generally, verbs with stative senses do not occur in the progressive, since
states of affairs cannot be viewed as being in progress.
*I am liking your system.
* He was knowing English.
When verbs that are ordinarily stative occur in the progressive, they adopt
dynamic meanings. They may indicate a type of behaviour with limited duration:
Your are being obstinate.
Verbs expressing emotion or attitude, which are generally stative, indicate
tentativeness when they occur in the progressive:
Im hoping to take my exam soon.
I was wondering whether you could help me.
(b) The event progressive is used with dynamic verb senses to refer to an event
that has duration and is not completed.
(1) I was reading an economics book last night.
(2) One of the boys was drowning, but I dived in and saved him.
The progressive in (1) suggests that the book was perhaps not finished. In contrast
the simple past in (3) indicates that I had finished reading the book.
(3) I read an economics book.
The simple past drowned could not replace the past progressive was drowning in
(2) because it would not be compatible with the report that the boy was saved.
The present progressive is more commonly used that the simple present for events
in present time because present events are usually regarded as having some
duration.
What are you doing? Im writing a letter.
(c) The habitual progressive is used with dynamic verb senses to refer to events
that repeatedly occur with the implication that they take place over a limited
period of time:
Shes writing some short stories.
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STATIVE
1States of being and having: be, contain, depend, have, resemble.
2 Intellectual states: believe, know, realize, think, understand.
3 States of emotion and attitude: disagree, dislike, like, want, wish.
4 States of perception: feel, hear, see, smell, taste.
5 States of bodily sensation: ache, feel, sick, hurt, itch, tickle.
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1 Will/shall + infinitive
The most common way of expressing futurity is the construction of will or ll with the
infinitive.
He will be here in half an hour.
No doubt Ill see you next week.
Shall is also sometimes used with the infinitive (especially in Southern BrE) to indicate
futurity with a first person subject
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2 Be going to + infinitive
The general meaning of the constructions of be going to + infinitive is future of the
present. We can further distinguish two specific meanings. The first, future fulfillment
of a present intention is chiefly associated with personal subjects and agentive verbs.
Mary is going to lend us her camera.
Im going to complain if things dont improve.
The other meaning, future fulfillment of a present cause, is found with both personal
and nonpersonal subjects.
Its going to rain.
She is going to have a baby.
Theres going to be trouble. Youre going to get soaked.
3 Present progressive
The general meaning of the present progressive is future arising from present
arrangement, plan.
Im taking the children to the zoo.
The orchestra is playing a Mozart symphony after this.
4 Simple present
The future use of the simple present is frequent only in subordinate clauses:
What will you say if I marry the boss?
At this rate, the guests will be drunk before they leave.
In main clauses, the future use represents a marked future of unusual certainty, attributing
to the future the degree of certainty one usually associates with the present and the past. It
is used for statements about the calendar.
Tomorrow is Thursday.
School finishes on March, 21.
Also to describe immutable events.
When is high tide?
What time does the match begin?
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Like the present progressive, it is used with certain dynamic, transitional verbs (e.g.
arrive, come, leave) to convey the meaning of plan (usually, official) or programme (i.e.
timetable/schedule).
The plane takes off at 2.30 tonight
5 Will/Shall + progressive
The construction of will/shall with the progressive may indicate a future period of time
within which another situation occurs:
When you reach the end of the bridge, Ill be waiting there to show you the way.
Another use denotes future as a matter of course. It avoids the interpretation of volition,
intention, promise, etc. to which will, shall and be going to are liable. A sentence such as:
Well be flying at 30,000 feet
spoken by the pilot of an aircraft to the passengers implies that 30,000 feet is the normal
and expected altitude for the flight. This implication accounts for the use of the
construction to convey greater tact than the non-progressive with will/shall:
When will you be paying back the money?
6 Be (about) to + infinitive
Be to + infinitive
Be to + infinitive is used to refer to a future arrangement or plan, a future requirement
and intention.
Their daughter is to be married soon.
You are to be back by 10 oclock. (You are required to.)
If hes to succeed in his new profession, he must try harder. (If he intends to. )
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7 Modals
Futurity is often indicated by modals other than will/shall.
The weather may improve (tomorrow).
You must have dinner with us (soon).
It is also indicated by verb idioms such as be sure to, be bound to, be likely to.
Modal verb construction with would generally used in literary narrative style
The time was not far off when he would regret this decision.
Be to + infinitive
He was eventually to end up in the bankruptcy court (= it was destined to )
The meeting was to be held the following week arrangement
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The present subjunctive is expressed by the base form of the verb. For the verb be,
the subjunctive form be is distinct from the indicative forms am, is, are. For the other
verbs, the subjunctive is distinctive only in the 3rd person singular.
I insist that we reconsider the Councils decisions indicative or subjunctive
I insist that the Council reconsider its decisions subjunctive
I insist that the Councils decision be reconsidered subjunctive
The past subjunctive (or were-subjunctive) survives only in were as a past form of
be. It is distinguishable from the past indicative of be only in the 1 st and 3rd persons
singular.
If she was there, you would have heard about it indicative
If she were there, you would have heard about it subjunctive
The indicative was is more common in less formal style. Only were is acceptable in as it
were (so to speak). Were is usual in if I were you.
Negation of the present subjunctive does not require an operator.
I insist that we not reconsider the Councils decision.
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