Verb phrases

Main reference:Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum, A University Grammar of English, Longman:

London, 1973. (3.23 – 3.55)

How many elements?

A noun phrase has the potential to be extremely long

A verb phrase will never have more than 6 elements Those naughty children might have been being

told off

This kind of verb phrase is RAREA verb phrase may be simple and consist of

just a lexical verb

Tense, aspect and mood

Time is a universal, non-linguistic concept with three divisions: past, present and future. By tense we understand the correspondence between the form of the verb and our concept of time. Aspect concerns the manner in which the verbal action is experienced or regarded (for example as completed or in progress), while mood relates the verbal action to such conditions as certainty, obligation, necessity, possibility. (Quirk: 40)

Tense

It is a grammatical ending on a verb stem NOT a semantic reference to a particular time

There is no future tense in English The expression of future is closely bound up

with mood. The expression of time present and past

cannot be considered separately from aspect.

I … with a special pen

Present TIMELESS simple present

I (always) write with a special pen LIMITED present progressive

I am writing (on this occasion) with a special pen (since I have mislaid my ordinary one)

INSTANTANEOUS simple or progressive Watch carefully now: first I write with my ordinary pen;

now I write with a special pen As you see, I am dropping the stone into the water

An action in the past may be seen

1. As having taken place at a particular point in time; or

2. over a period; if the latter, the period may be seen as

a. extending up to the present, or

b. relating only to the past; if the latter, it may be viewed as

i. having been completed, or as

ii. not having been completed

1

2a

2bi

2bii

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

Examples

1 I wrote my letter of 16 June 1972 with a special pen

2a I have written with a special pen since 1972

2bi I wrote with a special pen from 1969 to 1972

2bii I was writing poetry with a special pen

1

2a

2bi

2bii

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

PRESENT perfect

In relation to 2a it is not the time specified in the sentence, but the period relevant to the time specified that must extend to the present. John lived in Paris for ten years John has lived in Paris for ten years

Through its ability to involve a span of time from earliest memory to the present, present perfect has an indefiniteness which makes it an appropriate verbal expression for introducing a topic of discourse.

But where is John now?

John lived in Paris for ten years entails that the period of residence has come to an end and admits the possibility that John is dead

John has lived in Paris for ten years entails that John is still alive but permits the residence in Paris to extend either to the present (the usual interpretation) or to some unspecified date in the past.

Past Perfect

What has been said in the previous slides applies to past perfect as well, BUT

The point of current relevance to which the past perfect extends is a point in the past:

PAST PRESENTFUTURE

Relevant point in the past

Tense and aspect

Tense is ALWAYS marked on the first element of the verb phrase

Progressive aspect = primary auxiliary BE

+ -ing form Perfect aspect = primary auxiliary HAVE

+ -ed participle

The first element of the VP

If the VP contains a modal auxiliary, tense will be marked on the modal.

Each auxiliary dictates the form which the following element takes Jane likes music Jane *might likes music Jane *might liked music Jane might like music

BASE FORM

Table 5.1 and 5.2

Shows that each element (from left to right) triggers the next one.

5.2 > pay attention to the primary auxiliary verb BE, which can trigger both the –ing form and the –ed form, depending on what be marks (either progressive aspect or passive voice)

Voice (active /passive)

voice: deals with the relationship between the VP and the NP as subject

voice: the contrast between active (voice) and passive (voice)

> active e.g. Tom eats an apple > passive e.g. An apple is eaten by Tom

Voice (active /passive)

The passive phrase contains an additional auxiliary from the primary verb to be

When be marks the progressive, it triggers the –ing form

When be marks the passive voice, it triggers the –ed form

Compare tables 5.1 and 5.2: the passive voice always has one extra verb form.

Finite and non-finite verb phrases Finite verb phrases have tense distinction

He

Finite verb phrases occur as the verb element of a clause. There is person and number concord between the subject and the finite verb

She readsThey read

studies

studiedEnglish

the paper every morning

Finite and non-finite verb phrases

The non -finite forms of the verb are the infinitive (to call), the -ing participle (calling) and the –ed participle (called) > See p. 109-110

Finite verb phrases Non-finite verb phrases

He smokes heavily To smoke like that must be dangerous

He is working I found him working

He had been offended before

Having been offended before, he was sensitive

What will a VP comprise?

A lexical verb + any auxiliary

There’s an exception:

When an adverb interrupts the verb phrasehave certainly been told off

Homework

Ex 2 and 4-6 p 177-8 Read p. 101-111 (5.3) Revise tenses on your grammar book (Inside

Grammar pages 30-33 and 68-71)