Thinking about inflections

How to find verb inflections

(Part of Dick Hudson's web tutorial on Word Grammar)

Finding verbs

• Verbs are most easily defined by their inflection:– If its lexeme can have a tense (past or

present), it’s a verb.

• So it’s a verb if– it is itself past or present– OR if its lexeme could be past or present.

… if it is itself past or present

(1) He stood on the table.

• stood must be a verb because it is past – Evidence: you can make it present, without

changing anything else.– Try it!

(2) What’s the matter?

• ’s must be a verb because it’s present– Evidence: you can make it past.

… or if its lexeme could be past or present

(3) He was standing on the table.

• standing must be a verb because – its lexeme is STAND– STAND can be past or present (as in (1)).

(4) He’s been very naughty.

• been must be a verb because – its lexeme is BE– BE can be past or present (as in (2)).

Finding finite verbs

Reminder: A finite verb is one which itself: • EITHER has a tense,

– i.e. it is either present or past (run/runs, ran)– and could change tense without changing the

rest of the sentence

• OR is imperative– i.e. it’s a command, invitation, etc. (Run!)– its realized by the bare stem– (typically) its subject is ‘understood’ as you.

Why finiteness is important

• A finite verb may be the only verb in a sentence.• A non-finite verb must be ‘supported’ by other

verbs in the sentence.– i.e. it’s always ‘subordinate’ or ‘dependent’

(5) She is watching TV.• is is finite, and needs no support.

– e.g. Yes, she is.

• watching is non-finite, supported by is.– but not: *Yes, she watching.

Finite or non-finite?

• The first verb in a sentence is typically finite, and later ones are often non-finite.

(6) She has been trying to understand.

• But a verb ending in {ing} is always non-finite.

(7) Understanding grammar may be hard.

Classifying finite verbs

• Remember: finite verbs are:– either tensed (e.g. They run. He runs. He

ran.)• ending possible to show tense• next to a ‘subject’ noun

– or imperative (e.g. Run!)• no ending• no ‘subject’ noun

– ‘IMperative’ is abbreviated to ‘m’

Classifying tensed verbs

• Remember: Tensed verbs are by default ‘present’ (e.g. run, are).– abbreviated as ‘t’ for ‘Tensed’.

• But exceptionally they may be:– either ‘past’ (e.g. ran, was/were): ‘a’– or ‘singular’ (e.g. runs, is): ‘s’

(8) Remember you said you think he likes you.

V,m V,a V,t V,s

Classifying non-finite verbs

• Remember: Non-finite verbs are always supported by some other word.– which is often relevant to the classification

• Perfect (e.g. has been): ‘f’– always supported by HAVE.

• Infinitive (e.g. I want to be; I may be): ‘n’– morphology: always the bare stem– often supported by to– or by a verb such as MAY or MUST

More non-finite verbs

(9) I must admit I have tried to simplify.

V,n V,f V,n

• Gerunds (e.g. by working): ‘g’– morphology: always contain {ing}– supported like a noun

• Participles (e.g. people applying/selected): ‘p’– supported like an adjective

Participles, active or passive

• Participles are verbs ‘used like adjectives’.• By default, they:

– contain {ing}– have their lexeme’s usual syntax.

• But exceptionally, they are passive: ‘e’– morphology: always the same as perfect, e.g. written– syntax: the normal ‘object’ is used as ‘subject’

• possibly with the normal ‘subject’ after by:

(10) essays written by students studying grammar V,e V,p

Verb abbreviations summarised

Mnemonic: Many students fear English participles

(8) Remember you said you think he likes you. V,m V,a V,t V,s

(11) I must admit I have simplified by using examples ..

V,n V,f V,g

… containing few words and specially written. V,p V,e

Conclusions

• Spotting inflections is complicated– you have to think about syntax as well as

morphology– you have to think about the lexeme as well as

the form.

• But it gets easier with practice!