The structure of verbal groups in English is rather simple. There are two main kinds of verb, auxiliary verbs and main verbs, and verbal groups very often consist of one each of these verbs, like will eat, is cating, has eaten.
Longer verbal groups are made up of more than one auxiliary verb, and still just one main verb. The main verb of a group always occurs at the end of the group. There are many thousands of main verbs, but only a few auxiliary verbs.
Exercise 22.7
Pick out (a) the verbal groups (b) the main verbs in the following clauses.
. He has gone home.
Bill works all day.
You might have fallen over it. |
Little boys can’t be spoken to like that.
Do you want me?
. That great big dog is very cowardly.
He should be being questioned for another hour or so.
. See those birds all in a row on the clothes line, Mrs Smith is needed in the front lounge.
Lused to be praised for my croquet.
SE SWAP SO ym =
Each main verb has several principal parts, known by such names as infinitive, participle. They are usually inflections of the verb, like walk, walking, walks, walked, but the infinitive is formed by placing to in front of the base or uninflected form. Also a few English verbs are irregular in their inflection. There are not many such verbs, but some of them are very common.
SECTION 22 175
For this chapter we need to have a name for each of the parts of a verb, and a symbol for each name to make the structural statement easier. Table 22.1 gives some examples.
Notes on Table 22.2
1. n-form: often called ‘past participle’, this forra is the same as the d-form in most verbs in English. The ‘regular’ verbs have forms like walk in the table.
2. d-form: the ‘simple past’ or ‘inflected past’ tense.
3. base: sometimes called ‘to-less infinitive’, ‘unmarked form’. The mini- mum form of the verb, also used as the imperative.
4. to-form: the infinitive form of the verb. This chapter avoids calling it the
‘infinitive’ because several other forms can be non-finite, and the reader might get confused.
5. ing-form: the ‘present participle’, formed by regular rules from the base.
6. s-form: the ‘grd person singular present indicative active’ to give it its traditional name.
4. The most important irregularity in English verbs is be which has some extra forms.
to-form | ing-form | base | n-form | d-forms s-form extra forms
tobe being be been was is am are
were
The extra forms am and are take on some of the functions of the base — the finite functions, as we shall see. Am is restricted to occurrence with 1, the distinction between was and were is roughly singular/plural. There is
‘still, however, a trace in English of the old subjunctive mood, whose form is also were. The trace is so slight’ that it should be considered idiomatic rather than grammatical. The idiom is:
‘if + pronoun were ~- —’
(1) If I were you, Pd leave quietly.
(2) Ifhe were to come early, what would we do?
Substituting was for were in these examples would sound stilted to many speakers, particularly in the case of (1).
176 VERBAL AND ADVERBIAL GROUP STRUCTURE
name: | to-form | ing-form base n-form | d-form | s-form
symbol t Q ỉ n d s
to break | breaking break broken. | broke breaks
tocome | coming ô——-come-~——>| came comes
to hit hitting ~—— hỉt ———> hits
towalk | walking walk |<=——walked————>ằ| walèks Table 22.1. Principal Parts of Verbs Concord
The first word in the verbal group has quite a different role from all the others. It is the only place where the d-form and s-form can appear, and it is the only word that has an independent choice of form. All the other words in a verbal group depend for their endings on the word in front.
Examples
ought takes the to-form of the next word.
must takes the base of the next word.
have often takes the n-form of the next word.
be often takes the ing-form of the next word.
Exercise 22.2
Fill out the examples above by looking at the sentences of Exercise 22.1.
What other form follows the verb be?
The verbs have and be offer alternative endings on the next word, along with systematic distinctions in meaning. Let us take them in turn.
(a) have. Table 22.2 contrasts have with the n-form and the to-form. The first is a verb form commonly called the perfect tense, and it has the symbol # in verbal group structure. Compare the to-form with the examples below.
SECTION 22 177
(a) with n-form
1. They have gone now.
2. It’s lovely to have travelled so much.
3. Weall had shown our passports.
(6) with to-form
1. They have to go now.
2. It’s lovely to have to travel so much.
3. Weail had to show our passports.
Table 22,2. Have
(g) They want to go now.
(4) We wanted to show our passports.
Examples (3) and (4) are phase structures (see Section 16, page 124); the have + to-form seems to fit there, in which case have is a main verb and not an auxiliary when it is followed by the éo-form. Its meaning, however, remains different from have as a main verb without the to-form.
(a) main verb -~ . fam your leader.
2. There’s a hole in my bucket.
(b) be + ing-form = . Bill is waiting for you.
2. He was coming a minute ago.
(c) be + n-form 1. The pianist was cheered for several minutes,
2. You're not allowed to smoke.
(d) be + going + to-form = . I’m going to leave this minute.
2. He was going to stay, but he changed his mind.
(e) be + to-form
= . Officers are to assemble at 0600 hours.
2. He was to have paid, | thought.
Table 22.3. Be
178 VERBAL AND ADVERBIAL GROUP STRUCTURE
(5) Thave three cars.
(6) He has a large red nose.
(6) be. With this verb, there is its common use as a main verb, and no less than four auxiliary uses. Table 22.3 gives examples. The ing-form after be signals the continuous tense, as it is. often called. The n-form is of course the mark of the passive voice. The complex form be going to is a future tense in English, where the verb go becomes an auxiliary and, like ought and used, takes the to-form after it.
The meaning of these three forms is discussed in Section 24.
be + to-form is less common than the others; it is a modal verb (see below) which has the meaning of a very strict order.
Exercise 22.3
In the sentences below, the italicized verbs are given in their base-form.
Change them (if they need changing) into grammatically correct groups that fit into the rest of the sentence. If there are alternatives, list them all and note whether or not they fit into the sentence.
Example: Mr Plumtree be play golf yesterday.
Answer: 1 was to play (was-tense goes with yesterday) 2 was playing
3 was going to play
(was played does not fit since play does not have an object in the passive)
. Bill could have go earlier.
. L must wash my hands.
They have all sleep since one o’clock.
Bill be drive to work every morning.
Sit too long in the sun be dangerous.
Do Madge like cherries?
PERO pm
Exercise 22.4
The same instructions as 22.3. After doing the exercise, refer to your answers to 22.2, and bring your list up to date by adding the auxiliaries of the last exercises.
1. We needn't run.
2. Mr Plumtree ought have arrive by now.
g. They'll be come soon.
4. Tt may be announce by the headmaster.