verbs and verb phrases ed mccorduck english 402--grammar suny cortland

Verbs and Verb Phrases

Ed McCorduckEnglish 402--GrammarSUNY Cortland http://mccorduck.cortland.edu

Recall from slides 6 and 7 of my chapter 2 “Form Classes” lecture that English verbs are described as having five distinct forms (also known as principal parts). However, there are some verbs that are so irregular that they either don’t have all five forms or have more than five.

slide 2: five forms of verbs

English 402: Grammar

The verb be, for one, is the only verb that has three “present tense” forms:

•am – first person singular (i.e., when the subject is I)

•are – first person plural (i.e., when the subject is we), second person singular and plural (i.e., when the subject is you), and third person plural (i.e., when the subject is they or a plural noun phrase)

•is – third person singular (i.e., when the subject is he, she or it or a singular noun phrase; in other words, this is an irregular “-s form”)

slide 3: irregularity of be’s present-tense forms


The verb be also is the only verb that has two past or –ed forms:

•was – first person singular and third person singular

•were – all other persons and numbers

slide 4: irregularity of be’s past-tense forms


In addition, have is the only verb (besides be) that does not always form its “present tense” by simply adding –s to the base form:

•has – third person singular

•have – for all other persons and numbers

slide 5: irregularity of have’s present-tense forms


As for the verb phrase in English, we’re going to say it has the following structure (or in other words this is how we’d define the structure of the “predicating verb” in every sentence):

predicating verb (pred vb)

auxiliary main verb (MV)

slide 6: overarching structure of the verb phrase


Furthermore, we will employ a verb-expansion rule phrase which we will say underlies the structure of the predicating verb for all English sentences:

T (M) (have + -en) (be + -ing) MV

The list of elements that make up this rule—or the actual words that replace the elements in real language—is called a string.

slide 7: the verb-expansion rule


In this rule, we are following the standard practice in linguistics of using parentheses to set off elements that are optional, i.e., that may or may not actually occur in a string, which has the corollary that elements that don’t have parentheses are required, that is, they must appear for the string to be grammatical. As an illustration, if we have a string rule X (Y) (Z) this indicates that the following and only the following combinations of the elements in the string are possible:

slide 8: indication of required and optional elements in the verb-expansion rule


In this rule, we are following the standard practice in linguistics of using parentheses to set off elements that are optional, i.e., that may or may not actually occur in a string, which has the corollary that elements that don’t have parentheses are required, that is, they must appear for the string to be grammatical. As an illustration if we have a string rule X (Y) (Z) this indicates that the following and only the following combinations of the elements in the string are possible:

•X

•X Y

•X Z

•X Y Z

slide 9: indication of required and optional elements in the verb-expansion rule illustrated


Here is an explanation of the elements in the verb-expansion rule:

•T – tense, which is always one of these two:

opres (for present)

opast

•M – modal auxiliary (a.k.a. “modal verb” or “modal”)

can could may might must shall should will would

slide 10: the T and M elements in the verb-expansion rule


•(have + -en) – the auxiliary have with the –en inflection (this ending is attached to the verb that follows this auxiliary)

Do not confuse the auxiliary have with the main verb have, whose most common meanings are ‘possess’ and ‘own’. Compare the following examples of the use of forms of have as both an auxiliary and a MV:

slide 11: the (have + -en) element in the verb-expansion rule


main verb auxiliary

I have a headache. They had come too late.

We had a good time. I have stayed too long.

(I’ve stayed too long.)

She has had three DWIs at one time. She has had three DWIs at one time.

slide 12: have as a main verb and as an auxiliary


•(be + -ing) – the auxiliary be with the –ing inflection (this ending is attached to the verb that follows this auxiliary)

Do not confuse the auxiliary be with the main verb be. Compare the following examples of the use of forms of be as both an auxiliary and a MV:

slide 13: the (be + -ing) element in the verb-expansion rule


main verb auxiliary

I am king. I am washing the dishes.

(I’m king.) (I’m washing the dishes.)

They were mad as hell. They were breaking up the place.

The boss is being a hard-ass. The boss is being a hard-ass.

slide 14: be as a main verb and as an auxiliary


As mentioned above in slide 7, the verb-expansion rule indicates that at minimum a verb phrase has two elements: T (tense) and MV (main verb). In these cases, the T and MV elements combine, i.e., the main verb appears in either a “present tense” form (i.e., the –s form if the subject is a singular noun or third person singular pronoun or otherwise the base form) if T is “pres” or the main verb appears its past (-ed) form if T is “past”:

T – pres T - past+ +MV – cry (base form) MV – walk (base form)

I cry. /He cries. He walked.

T – past+MV – fly (base form)

He flew.

slide 15: combination of the T and MV elements to get a tensed verb


If the auxiliaries be or have are present in the verb phrase string, T combines with the first auxiliary, not the main verb. The inflection accompanying be or have, namely –ing or –en, respectively, is combined with the main verb:

T – pres T - past

+ +

have have

-en -en

+ +

MV – die MV – die

He has died./They have died. He/They had died.

slide 16: combination of the T element with auxiliary be and have


If a modal auxiliary is included in the verb phrase string, it combines with T even if have and/or be is present. For the purposes of combination with T, we say that the modal auxiliaries (except for must which is always considered a present-tense form) fall into present/past pairs so if T is “pres” the present-tense form will be used and if T is “past” the past-tense form will be used. Here is how the modal auxiliaries are grouped in terms of their tense forms:

present past

can couldmay mightmustshall shouldwill would

slide 17: present-tense and past-tense forms of modal auxiliaries


So, for example, here is the derivation of He may cry and We would sing:

T – pres T - past

+ +

may will

MV – cry MV – sing

He may cry. We would sing.

slide 18: derivation of a verb phrase with a modal auxiliary


It should be emphasized that this analysis of modal auxiliaries is based on forms and not meaning. In fact, there is very often a disconnect between the use of present and past tense forms and their actual reference to time:

It will rain tomorrow. (pres + will + rain)

future meaning

I would appreciate a hug. (past + will + appreciate)

present meaning (i.e., I want a hug now)

slide 19: conflict between form and meaning with modal auxiliaries


He may have stolen it. (pres + may + have + -en + steal)

past meaning

She might cry. (past + may + cry)

future meaning

They might be nuts. (past + may + be)

present meaning

slide 20: conflict between form and meaning with modal auxiliaries (continued)


verbs and verb phrases ed mccorduck english 402--grammar suny cortland

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