2. Before you begin
• The definition of “verb phrase” we use in this
exercise is fully conjugated verb phrases.
• Open the grammar editing worksheet that we
use in this class:
• https://sites.google.com/site/esllinksandmate
rials/Home/learning-resources/the-grammar-
page
3. Examples
• Fully conjugated verb phrases are in green.
Notice they show tense and, in present
tensecases (and some past tenses), s-v
agreement!
• He argues that a huge evolution of birds had
been going on and that they evolved from
four-legged forest reptiles that were living
millions of years ago.
4. Verbals
• For purposes of this first lesson, do not
consider “verbals” as verb phrases. Infinitives
(to do), and stand-alone –ing forms (doing)
that are either gerunds or participles are
verbals. So are past participle forms of the
verb used alone. These are all examples of
verbals:
• I told the dog to sit.
• I saw the dog sitting.
• I fed the dog left on the road by his owner.
5. Step 1: Isolate VPs
• Underline the complete verb phrases as you
understand them.
• Draw [____] marks around the verb phrases.
• Overstress [will causes] memory problems.
6. Step 2: Check form (VPP1)
• Check the verb phrases forbasic form errors.
• Remember that every verb has these basic forms:
• Infinitive (to + simple): to clean
• Simple (dictionary form): clean
• -ing participle: cleaning
• Past tense form: cleaned
• Past participle form: cleaned
• -s form: cleans
• NOTE: The verb “be” also has THREE present tense forms!
7. Verb Forms: The Building Blocks of
Verb Phrases and Verbals
• We combine these verb forms in many ways to create verb phrases and
verbals. In verb phrases, we use forms of the verbs “be” “have” and “do”
to create auxiliary verbs that come before the main verb of the verb
phrase.
• The intense heat was taking a heavy economic toll requiring immediate
action (verb phrase: past tense form of “be” followed by –ing participle of
“take”; verbal – ing participle of “require”).
• Half the world’s people live in countries where aquifers are being
depleted (present tense form of “be” followed by –ing participle of “be”
followed by past participle form of “deplete).
• The US coal industry has suffered one setback after another (-s form of
“have” followed by past participle of “suffer”).
• China has enough wind energy to raise its energy consumption 16 fold
(verb phrase: - s form of “have”; verbal: --- infinitive “to raise”).
8. VERB PHRASE FORM ERRORS: The AFTER Rules
1. After a modal (can, will, etc.): use only a SIMPLE
FORM. She willgo crazy.
2. After a form of “to have”: use only a PAST
PARTICIPLE FORM. She musthavegone crazy.
3. After a form of “to be”: use
only an –ING FORM if the verb is intransitive;
an –ING FORM or the PAST PARTICIPLE FORM if the verb is
transitive (depending on whether it is active or passive).
She musthavebeengoing crazy (active) . She must have
been told the truth (passive).
9. Example 1: AFTER RULE 1
• MISTAKE: Use of tense and agreement-marked
verbs as well as verbals after modals: Can, could,
might, may, must, should, will, would and shall.
• MARKED WITH: VPP1
• EX:could happened; will goes; might to see.
• RULE: Only SIMPLE VERB FORMS can follow
modals! This rule is NOT negotiable.
• FIX:could happen/ will go/ might see
10. Example 2: AFTER RULE 2
• MISTAKE: Use of –ing forms or past tense forms
after forms of “to have.”
• EX: have being; hassinging; had went
• MARKED WITH: VPP1
• RULE: ONLY PAST PARTICIPLE FORMS can
happen after forms of “to have.” Again --- not
negotiable.
• FIX: have been; has sung; had gone.
11. Example 3: AFTER RULE 3
• MISTAKE: Use of forms OTHER than the –ing form (in the
active) or the past participle form (in the passive) after a
form of “to be.”
• EX: Was came; has been went; is cooks.
• MARKED WITH: VPP7 (because it’s often related to the
passive)
• RULE:
• IF THE MAIN VERB IS INTRANSITIVE: ONLY –ing forms
• IF THE MAIN VERB IS TRANSITIVE: USE –ING forms (in the active) or
past participle forms (in the passive) after a form of “to be.”
• EX: INTRANSITIVES: was coming/came; has been going/
goes; TRANSITIVES: is cooking (active) or is cooked (passive)
12. Transitivity
• This is an important concept. All meanings of
all verbs in English fall into three groups:
• Transitive (requiring an object)
• Intransitive (those with no object)
• Linking (requiring a complement)
• The dictionary marks all meanings of a verb
for transitivity.
13. ANOTHER FORM ERROR: (NOT AN
AFTER RULE)
• MISTAKE: Use of a stand-alone –ing form in a clause. This
often occurs in clauses that start with the word “who” or
“which.”
• MARKED WITH: VPP8
• EX: The man who cleaning the dishes is my husband. The
dishes which needing to be cleaned are on the table.
• RULE: Clauses that start with “who” need a fully conjugated
verb phrase. These verbs generally need to be made into fully
formed progressive verb phrases or maybe a simple present
tense formwith a form of “be” in front of them.
• FIX: The man who is cleaning the dishes is my husband. The
dishes which need to be cleaned are on the table.
14. Fix Form First!
• Overstress [will causes] memory problems.
• Result: There is a verb form error --- an–s
form of the verb after a modal. The simple
form is needed: will cause.
15. Step 3: Check Subjects
• Try to find a clear subject for each verb
phrase.
• Remember:
• A subject cannot be the object of a prepositional
phrase.
• A subject cannot be the object or complement of
another verb phrase.
16. Check!
• There [are] a lot of animals [live] in the forest.
• Results:
• The subject of “are” is “there” but the subject of “live” cannot
be “a lot of animals” because “a lot of animals” is the
complement of “there are.”
• This is a fuse (you have fused two clauses together and they
are sharing the subject). There are two different markings
for this: SLP3 OR VPP2.
• I use VPP2 when the specific fuse is formed with “there is/
there are” --- and for all other forms of fuses I used SLP3.
17. Fix Subjects Second!
• Rewrite/reconsider the sentence so that every
verb phrase has a clear subject:
• There [are] a lot of animals that [live] in the
forest.
18. Step 4: SV AGR
• Now check the s-v agreement of all the verb
phrases!
20. Fix S-V agreement Third!
• Remember --- if you can replace the subject
with “it” --- the verb is singular. If you can
replace the subject with “they” --- it’s plural.
• It make me. . > it makes me.
• Thus: The information about heat waves
[makes] me scared for the future.
21. Review
• Four steps
• Isolate and clearly mark each verb phrase.
• Check the form.
• Check the subject.
• Check the subject-verb agreement.
