ENGLISH VERB
A) a clause / sentence element
(= verb phrase)
B) a word class
ENGLISH VERB
= a word or phrase that desciribes an action,
condition or experience
= one of the clause elements like S (subject),
O (object), C (complement), A (adverbial)
= a member of a word class like a noun or an
adjective
VERB PHRASE
- consists of one or more verbs, eg. travel,
am travelling, have been travelling,
travelled, might be travelling, can travel, …
- functions as the verb in a clause
CATEGORIES OF VERB
1.Intransitive verbs (no obligatory element)
2.Transitive verbs (require object)
3.Copular verbs or copulas (do not require
object, but only adverbial or complement

Please, see your notes on clause types
and verb classes from the first seminar.
CATEGORIES OF VERB
1)full verbs
2)primary verbs
3)modal auxiliary verbs = modals

verb as a WORD CLASS

the OPEN class of FULL = LEXICAL verbs

CLOSED classes of PRIMARY verbs and
MODAL AUXILIARY verbs
Examples, please.
CATEGORIES OF VERB

full verbs
most verbs in English, e.g. go sit, speak,
read, watch, like, sip, grin,...

primary verbs
be, have, do

modal auxiliary verbs = modals
can-could, may-might, must, shall-should,
will-would
CATEGORIES OF VERB
1)main verbs
2)auxiliaries

If there is only one verb in the verb phrase,
it is the MAIN verb.

If there are more than one verb in the verb
phrase, the final one is the MAIN verb and
the one or more verbs that come before it
are AUXILIARY verbs.
CATEGORIES OF VERB
1)main verbs
2)auxiliaries
Example: She might be leaving soon.

might be leaving = verb phrase

might + be = auxiliaries

leaving = main verb
CATEGORIES OF VERB
1)main verbs
2)auxiliaries

FULL verbs can act only as MAIN verbs

MODAL AUXILIARIES can act only as
AUXILIARIES

PRIMARY verbs can act either as MAIN
verbs or as AUXILIARIES.
CATEGORIES OF VERB

regular verbs

irregular verbs
Morphological verb forms

Regular full verb:
1) base form = dictionary entry form
(uninflected)
2) -s form = 3rd person singular presens
3) -ing form = -ing participle = present
participle, active participle, gerund
4) -ed form = past simple, past participle,
passive participle
Morphological verb forms

Regular full verb:
Provide an example in all forms,
please.
Morphological verb forms

Regular full verb:
1) base form = dictionary entry form (uninflected)
CALL
2) -s form = 3rd person singular presens CALLS
3) -ing form = -ing participle = present participle, active
participle, gerund CALLING
4) -ed form = past simple, past participle, passive
participle CALLED

Do not forget to study spelling rules and
exceptions of regular verbs for the credit test !!!
Morphological verb forms

Irregular verbs have a different number of
verb forms.
Provide some examples, please. How many forms
do they have? More or less than regular verbs?
Morphological verb forms

Irregular verbs have a different number of
verb forms.

cut – 3 – cut, cuts, cutting

speak – 5 – speak, speaks, speaking, spoke,
spoken

be – 8 – be, am, is, are, being, was, were, been

Do not forget to study the irregular verb forms for
the credit test as you will certainly need them!!!
Finite and non-finite verb
forms

Finite: S-V concord = S-V agreement
Which forms of English verbs are finite?

Non-finite = not finite
Which forms of English verbs are non-finite?

Base form
Is base form finite or infinite? Provide examples.
Finite and non-finite verb
forms

Finite: S-V concord = S-V agreement
1.-s form
2.-ed form in the past tense

Non-finite = not finite
1.-ed participle (perfect, passive, participle clause)
2.-ing participle (continuous, participle clause)
3.infinitive

Base form
Sometimes finite, sometimes not.
Finite and non-finite verb
forms

Provide examples of participle clauses,
please (both with -ed participle and with
-ing participle).

Which uses of base form are finite and
which are non-finite?
Finite and non-finite verb
forms

Participle clauses:
e.g. Seen from the distance, it looked lovely.
Seeing him I said hello.

Base form
1.bare infinitive (without “to”): NF
2.to – infinitive: NF
3.present tense (except 3rd
person sg.): F (I often
go there.)
4.imperative: F (Go there!)
5.subjunctive: F (They suggest that she go there.)
Verb forms X verb phrases

verb forms = single verbs within a verb phrase

verb phrase = coinsisting of either a single verb
form or a group of verb forms

the verb forms have various functions (either finite or
non-finite) in verb phrases

if the first verb form or the only verb form within a
verb phrase is a finite verb, then the whole verb
phrase is FINITE; the rest of the verb forms are nonfinite
even within the finite verb phrase

in a NON-FINITE verb phrase all verb forms (=
verbs) are non-finite
Please, provide examples of (non-)finite VPs.
Finite and non-finite verb
phrases

Finite:
She has been learning English for five
years now.

Non-finite:
Having been called early, he felt tired all
day.
Called early, he ate a quick breakfast.
Finite and non-finite verb
phrases

FINITE verb form/verb phrase
− has tense contrast
− has person concord and number
concord
− has mood (indicative, imperative,
subjunctive)

NON-FINITE verb form/verb phrase
− a verb form/phrase which is not finite:
infinitives, participles
Tense and aspect system in
English

TENSE = grammatical category realized by
verb inflection.

Since there is no verb inflection for future
time, the threefold semantic oposition
(present, past, future) is reduced to two
tenses: the present tense and the past
tense, both typically referring to present
and past time respectively.

Future meaning is expressed by various
means, including, for instance the present
tense. (Tomorrow is Saturday.)
Tense and aspect system in
English

ASPECT = grammatical category reflecting the
way in which the action of a verb is viewed with
respect to time;

the form of a verb which shows how the meaning
of a verb is considered in relation to time,
typically expressing whether an action is
complete, habitual or continuous.

English is often considered to have two aspects:
the PROGRESSIVE (I am/was speaking to
John), which stresses action in progress or
incomplete action; and the PERFECT (I have
spoken to John), which stresses completed
action.
Tense and aspect system in
English

Over the years, the distinction between tense
and aspect has become blurred. Thus, English
has been said to have 12 “tenses”.

The two aspects may combine in a complex verb
phrase and are marked for present or past
tenses (and possibly future time), we can also
add “simple” (sometimes called “zero”) aspect.

The traditional 12 “tenses” are in fact 12
combinations of tense and aspect. They are
named by combining a tense with an aspect or
aspects.
Tense and aspect system in
English
ASPECT: simple
-
progressive
be + -ing
perfect
have + -ed
perfect
progressive
have + been + -ing
TENSE:
Present go/goes
walk/walks
simple
present
am/is/are going
am/is/are walking
present
progressive
have/has gone
have/has walked
present perfect
have/has been going
have/has been walking
present perfect
progressive
Past went
walked
simple
past
was/were going
was/were walking
past
progressive
had gone
had walked
past perfect
had been going
had been walking
past perfect
progressive
Future will go
will walk
simple
future
will be going
will be walking
future
progressive
will have gone
will have walked
future perfect
will have been going
will have been walking
future perfect
progressive
Tense and aspect system in
English

Do not forget to revise the practical
use of tense and aspect system,
exceptions and irregularities for the
credit test!!!
Verb patterns and phrasal
verbs

Do not forget to study verb patterns
and phrasal verbs for the credit test
as you will certainly need them!!!

For phrasal verbs try for example
http://www.englishclub.com/
vocabulary/phrasal-verbs-list.htm