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English Language
Syntax
Unit 3
Name: _______________ Level: ________ Teacher: _________________
Major parts of speech: 2) VERBS
Verbs can be subdivided into main and auxiliary verbs. We will treat the various types of auxiliaries, such as may, might, and should, in our
chapter on Minor Parts of Speech and will concentrate here on main verbs, i.e., those which may occur alone in a clause. Traditional grammars
define verbs semantically, e.g., as words that represent activities (grow, kiss, freeze, run) and states of being (be, have, resemble). States are
unchanging situations while activities are situations in which change occurs. The distinction between activity and state verbs correlates with
whether or not a verb can occur in the progressive aspect: activity verbs can (Oscar is growing tall); state verbs cannot (*Oscar is resembling
his father).
Activity 1.
Determine whether the following verbs are states or activities and explain why.
1. Walk _____________ 5. Love _____________
2. Feel ___________ 6. Hate _______________
3. Become _____________ 7. Kick _____________
4. Am/is/are __________ 8. Ride ______________
Formal characteristics of verbs
We must first distinguish formally between main verbs and auxiliary verbs. The main verb can appear by itself in a verb phrase; an auxiliary verb
regularly appears only before a main verb. Consider sentence: (1) The building collapsed onto the streets. In this sentence, collapse is the main
verb; it cannot be removed from the sentence without producing an ungrammatical result (e.g., *The building onto the streets). The main verb
will always be the farthest to the right in any series of English verbs (e.g., The building may have collapsed). In addition, auxiliaries can be
inverted in questions (e.g., Will the building collapse?), while main verbs cannot (e.g., *Collapsed the building?)
Just as we did with nouns, we use formal analytic tests to determine which words are verbs. English verbs potentially allow four inflections:
Analytic test 1. A word may be a verb if it can take some or all of the four types of verb inflections: Vs, Ved, Ving, Ven.
Activity 2:
By adding the Vs, Ved, Ving, and Ven inflections show that each of the following words can be a verb:
Possible verb VS VED VING VEN
Provide
Help
Demonstrate
Outline
Promote
Now, determine what kind of verbs they are (stative or activity)
Provide: ________________
Help: _______________
Demonstrate: ________________
Outline: __________________
Promote: _________________
Principal parts of selected verbs
Analytic test 2. A word may be a verb if it actually ends in a verbal derivational affix.
Activity 3:
Look at the following words (specially at their final morphemes) and decide and write if they are verbs. Use the table as a reference.
 Houses: _________________
 Government: _________________
 Abbreviate: _______________
 Agonize: ______________
 Freedom: ____________
 Accumulate: ____________
 Improvise: ____________
 Modify: _______________
 Notify: ______________
 Shorten: ____________
 Administration: ____________
 Administrate: _____________
 Accumulation: ______________
Analytic test 3. A word may be a verb if it can be immediately preceded by words that typically precede verbs
Activity 4: Write sentences using all the auxiliaries, modals, and to infinitive listed above using the verbs that you want.
1. Auxiliaries:
 Be. _________________________________________________________________
 Have. _______________________________________________________________
 Do. _________________________________________________________________
2. Modals:
 Will. ________________________________________________________________
 Would. ______________________________________________________________
 Can. ________________________________________________________________
 Could. ______________________________________________________________
 May. _______________________________________________________________
 Might. ______________________________________________________________
 Shall. ______________________________________________________________
 Should. ____________________________________________________________
 Must. ______________________________________________________________
3. To:
 To. ________________________________________________________________
Verbs may be (and in dictionaries for native speakers of English, usually are) subdivided into transitive, intransitive, and linking. Transitive verbs
(e.g., see, arrest) require a direct object, which typically takes the form of a following noun phrase (e.g., The police arrested Steve Biko).
Intransitive verbs (e.g., die) do not take a direct object (e.g., He died. Linking verbs (be, become, seem) must be followed by a subject
complement, which may appear as a noun phrase (e.g., He is a nurse)
Activity 5: Write 5 sentences for each function of verbs.
Transitive:
1. ___________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________
Intransitive:
1. ___________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________
Linking
1. ___________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________

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1BGU Booklet Unit 3.docx

  • 1. English Language Syntax Unit 3 Name: _______________ Level: ________ Teacher: _________________
  • 2. Major parts of speech: 2) VERBS Verbs can be subdivided into main and auxiliary verbs. We will treat the various types of auxiliaries, such as may, might, and should, in our chapter on Minor Parts of Speech and will concentrate here on main verbs, i.e., those which may occur alone in a clause. Traditional grammars define verbs semantically, e.g., as words that represent activities (grow, kiss, freeze, run) and states of being (be, have, resemble). States are unchanging situations while activities are situations in which change occurs. The distinction between activity and state verbs correlates with whether or not a verb can occur in the progressive aspect: activity verbs can (Oscar is growing tall); state verbs cannot (*Oscar is resembling his father). Activity 1. Determine whether the following verbs are states or activities and explain why. 1. Walk _____________ 5. Love _____________ 2. Feel ___________ 6. Hate _______________ 3. Become _____________ 7. Kick _____________ 4. Am/is/are __________ 8. Ride ______________ Formal characteristics of verbs We must first distinguish formally between main verbs and auxiliary verbs. The main verb can appear by itself in a verb phrase; an auxiliary verb regularly appears only before a main verb. Consider sentence: (1) The building collapsed onto the streets. In this sentence, collapse is the main verb; it cannot be removed from the sentence without producing an ungrammatical result (e.g., *The building onto the streets). The main verb will always be the farthest to the right in any series of English verbs (e.g., The building may have collapsed). In addition, auxiliaries can be inverted in questions (e.g., Will the building collapse?), while main verbs cannot (e.g., *Collapsed the building?) Just as we did with nouns, we use formal analytic tests to determine which words are verbs. English verbs potentially allow four inflections:
  • 3.
  • 4. Analytic test 1. A word may be a verb if it can take some or all of the four types of verb inflections: Vs, Ved, Ving, Ven. Activity 2: By adding the Vs, Ved, Ving, and Ven inflections show that each of the following words can be a verb: Possible verb VS VED VING VEN Provide Help Demonstrate Outline Promote Now, determine what kind of verbs they are (stative or activity) Provide: ________________ Help: _______________ Demonstrate: ________________ Outline: __________________ Promote: _________________
  • 5. Principal parts of selected verbs Analytic test 2. A word may be a verb if it actually ends in a verbal derivational affix.
  • 6. Activity 3: Look at the following words (specially at their final morphemes) and decide and write if they are verbs. Use the table as a reference.  Houses: _________________  Government: _________________  Abbreviate: _______________  Agonize: ______________  Freedom: ____________  Accumulate: ____________  Improvise: ____________  Modify: _______________  Notify: ______________  Shorten: ____________  Administration: ____________  Administrate: _____________  Accumulation: ______________ Analytic test 3. A word may be a verb if it can be immediately preceded by words that typically precede verbs
  • 7. Activity 4: Write sentences using all the auxiliaries, modals, and to infinitive listed above using the verbs that you want. 1. Auxiliaries:  Be. _________________________________________________________________  Have. _______________________________________________________________  Do. _________________________________________________________________ 2. Modals:  Will. ________________________________________________________________  Would. ______________________________________________________________  Can. ________________________________________________________________  Could. ______________________________________________________________  May. _______________________________________________________________  Might. ______________________________________________________________  Shall. ______________________________________________________________  Should. ____________________________________________________________  Must. ______________________________________________________________ 3. To:  To. ________________________________________________________________
  • 8.
  • 9. Verbs may be (and in dictionaries for native speakers of English, usually are) subdivided into transitive, intransitive, and linking. Transitive verbs (e.g., see, arrest) require a direct object, which typically takes the form of a following noun phrase (e.g., The police arrested Steve Biko). Intransitive verbs (e.g., die) do not take a direct object (e.g., He died. Linking verbs (be, become, seem) must be followed by a subject complement, which may appear as a noun phrase (e.g., He is a nurse) Activity 5: Write 5 sentences for each function of verbs. Transitive: 1. ___________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________________ 4. ___________________________________________________ 5. ___________________________________________________ Intransitive: 1. ___________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________________ 4. ___________________________________________________ 5. ___________________________________________________ Linking 1. ___________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________ 3. ___________________________________________________ 4. ___________________________________________________ 5. ___________________________________________________