• What is a Verb?

Unit 2 – Presentation 1

The most interesting word of the sentence. It can show action, imply different ways of doing things, add verve to speech or writing, denote states or occurrences, be static, link or separate sentences, etc. • What does ‘Verb’ mean?Coming from Latin ‘verbum’, meaning ‘word’, which in turn comes from Greek rhema<rhesis (speech), it means: sth said.

How many forms does the English Verb have?

Why do we need different verb forms and how do we use them?

Infinitives Participles

1) form the grammatical tenses

2) link sentences together

All 3 Verb Formsshorten speech to stop us using subordinate clauses all the time

Κύρια Ή Κλιτά Ρήματα= are the backbone of the sentence and are limited by number, person, voice, mood and tense.

e.g. come, belong, appear, etc

Main OR Finite Verbs

Δευτερεύοντα Ή Βοηθητικά Ρήματα= are the aids of Main verbs in forming the tenses, thus producing verbal phrases.

They are: BE, HAVE, DO.

Auxiliary OR Helping Verbs

Βοηθητικά/ Εγκλιτικά Ρήματα= further aids of both Main and Auxiliary ones but also responsible for changing Moods within a sentence.e.g. COMPARE: Strange as it sounds, I’ll look into it AND Strange as it may sound, I’ll look into it.

They are:

Modal Verbs

will/ would must (ought to)shall/ should (need)can/ could (dare)may/ might

Μεταβατικά Ρήματα= are those that take an object. Usually action verbs, where the effect of that action is passed on to the object after them.

e.g. They systematically neglect their duties.

Transitive Verbs

Αμετάβατα Ρήματα= are those that do not take an object. Usually verbs of motion, position or state but there could be others.

e.g. “Are you coming?” – “No, thanks, I’m staying”.

Note: Sometimes, verbs can be both transitive and intransitivee.g. burn: The troops burnt the compound before deserting it BUT The compound burnt down in seconds.

Some intransitive verbs can have transitive uses e.g. leak: The water pipes are leaking again BUT He has been leaking information to the enemy.

Intransitive Verbs

Δίπτωτα Ρήματα= are the transitive verbs that take two objects, usu. a thing and a person.

Usually found in two possible constructions:

Verb + sth + to/ for + sbe.g. They sent the goods to us

OR Verb + sb + sthe.g. They sent us the goods.

Double-Object Verbs

• In English, a verb’s number is made obvious only by the person preceding it and, on occasion, by the ending of either the verb itself, or its auxiliary.

e.g. I go – we go, he goes – they go, does he go – do we go.

Number

A verb’s person is very important & must appear before it! By ‘person’, or subject, in grammar we mean:

i) any proper or common noun, e.g. Mount Everest is the top of the Himalayas.

ii) a pronoun, e.g. It used to be considered the highest of summits.

iii) a gerund, e.g. Getting there was strenuous as well as risky.

iv) a noun clause, or e.g. What climbers were really after was the adventure.

v) a noun phrase in the nominative case.e.g. The fact that most died getting there only added to the excitement.

Person

• The voice a verb is in shifts the focus of the sentence. • Two main voices in English:

Active & Passive. • An active sentence focuses on the subject (who/ what

does sth) e.g. The robber closed the circuit.

• whereas a passive one focuses on the object and the action itself.

e.g. The circuit was closed (by the robber) .• There is also a kind of Middle voice.

e.g. The circuit closed (by itself).

Voice

By using the Reflexive (-self) Pronouns

How else can you form the Middle Voice?

What do you know about the Moods?

See Unit 10

And about the Tenses?See the next Unit (No. 3)

• You have been learning Irregular Verbs for as long as you have been studying English. Do you know what the three Columns do?

An Irregular-Verbs List for Advanced Students

Ρήματα με δύο τύπους μετοχής= the verbs that have two participles:

one that forms the perfect and passive tenses, e.g. The great man was struck down with a single

blow

and

one that is only used as an adjective, predicate or suffix in compound adjectives.

e.g. The war-stricken country could only take so much!

Double Participle Verbs

• from work: wrought (instead of worked)• from drink: drunken (instead of drunk)• from load: laden (instead of loaded)• from get: gotten (instead of got)• from rot: rotten (instead of rotted)• from knit: knit (instead of knitted)• from sink: sunken (instead of sunk)• from shave: shaven (instead of shaved)• from shrink: shrunken [instead of shrunk]• from strike: stricken (instead of struck)• from clothe: clad (instead of clothed)• from light: lighted (instead of lit)• from swell: swollen (instead of the less common

swelled)

The most common Double Participle Verbs are:

Spelling Considerations 1

Pronunciation Considerations 1

-s/z/ /s/ /iz/

Rule Verb’s last sound p, k, f, t

Verb’s last sound s, ss, sh, ch, dʒ, x

Spelling Considerations 2

Pronunciation Considerations 2

-ed/d/ /t/ /id/

Rule Verb’s last sound p, k, f, s

Verb’s last sound

t, d

Spelling Considerations 3