This document discusses various aspects of verbs and verb phrases in English. It covers topics such as tense, aspect, classes of verbs including full verbs, primary verbs and modal auxiliaries. It also discusses contrasts that can be expressed in verb phrases such as tense, aspect, mood, finiteness, voice, questions, negation and emphasis. Key classes of verbs are defined, including full verbs, primary verbs like be, have and do, and modal auxiliaries. Finite and nonfinite verb phrases are also explained.

1. THE VERB PHRASE
DISCURSIVE PRACTICES OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION 1
2020
BEATRIZ CASTIÑEIRA

2. TOPICS
• Time and Tense – and aspect
• Verb: function / category
• Major verb classes and the verb phrase
• Full verbs
• Finite and nonfinite
• Primary verbs
• Modal auxiliaries
• Contrasts

3. Time and Tense
TIME
Universal
TENSE
Grammatical
Past and Present
Aspect
• Progressive (Example: They are
swimming)
• Perfect (Example: They have
spoken)

4. Major verb classes and the verb phrase
• Full verbs (Lexical verbs). Examples: go, think, stand.
• Primary verbs. Examples: be, have, do.
• Modal auxiliary verbs
The verb phrase
• 1 verb = Main verb. Example: They sing.
• 2 or more verbs The last verb is the main verb. Examples: They are singing / They have been singing.
All the previous verbs are auxiliary verbs. Example: They are singing / They have been singing.

5. Full verbs
Regular verbs Irregular verbs
• Base form, e.g. describe; point
• -s form, e.g. describes; points
• -ing participle, eg. describing; pointing
• -ed form, e.g. described; pointed
Up to five forms
Examples
• Cut: cut, cuts, cutting
• Speak: speak, speaks, speaking, spoke,
spoken

6. Finite and Nonfinite verb phrases
Rule
• -s form and past form are always finite.
• -ing participle and –ed participle are always non-finite
• The base form can be finite or nonfinite.
Are the verbs in these sentences finite or nonfinite?
1. They play football every afternoon.
2. They have studied all day.
3. She writes poems every now and then.
4. I will do it now.
5. He is reading a wonderful book.
6. I saw her two weeks ago.
7. To move like that must be difficult.
8. The exercisess done in this class are rather complex.

7. Primary verbs: be, do, have
BE HAVE DO
• Main verb (copular)
e.g. She am a star!
• Auxiliary (progressive)
e.g. She is dancing.
• Auxiliary (passive)
e.g. She was awarded a prize.
• Finite (e.g. They are charming)
and nonfinite (e.g. I want to be
a space traveler).
• Eight forms: be, am, is, are,
being, been, was, were.
• Main verb
e.g. I have a new computer.
• Auxiliary (perfect)
e.g. I have never been to China.
• Main verb (also, pro
form)
e.g. I do gym every morning.
We clean the house in the
morning. They never do it early in
the day. They do the cleaning in
the afternoon.
• Auxiliary
e.g. I don’t fancy chocolate.
I do enjoy a cup of tea once in a
while.

8. Modal auxiliaries
Modal auxiliaries
Can, could, may, might, shall, should, will (‘ll), would (‘d), must
Marginal modal auxiliaries
Used to, ought to, dare, need
Modal idioms
Had better, would rather, have got to, be to
Semi-auxiliaries
Be able to, be bound to, be going to, be supposed to, be about to, be due to, be likely to, have to.

9. Contrasts expressed in the verb phrase
• TENSE I study. / I studied
• ASPECT She has studied. / She is studying.
• MOOD (indicative; imperative; subjunctive) I look./ Look. / I insist that you look.
• FINITENESS I am reading. / Reading is great for you.
• VOICE (active; passive) Crystal wrote the article./ The article was written by Crystal.
• QUESTIONS You should go. / Should you go?
• NEGATION I can’t go. / I don’t go.
• EMPHASIS I can do it. / I do like it.
Other
Concord (Person and number / subject – finite verb)

10. Source:
Greenbaum, Sidney, and Randolph Quirk. A Student's Grammar of the English Language. , 1990.