The Verb Phrase

UNIT 3 THE VERB PHRASE

Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Forms of the Verb
3.3 Types of Verbs
3.4 Types of Verb Phrases – Finite and Non-Finite
3.5 Three Features of Verb Phrases
3.6 Structure of the Verb Phrase
3.7 Meanings of Modal Auxiliaries
3.8 Let Us Sum Up
3.9 Suggested Readings
3.10 Answers

3.0 OBJECTIVES
In this unit you will refresh your understanding of the English verb and also
learn about its features. You will also learn how verbs are classified, what various
types of the English verb are and how the verb phrase is structured. More
importantly, you will learn about two important features of the verb – tense and
aspect. This may help you further clarify your understanding of how various
tense forms are used in English.

3.1 INTRODUCTION
There is a general fear about English verbs – particularly various tense forms of
them – in the minds of Indian learners of English. There is also a widespread
misconception that English verbs are very irregular and do not follow set patterns.
This may be only marginally true. English has only a small number of irregular
verbs, while a large number of verbs do follow predictable patterns. In the
traditional grammar verbs were defined as the words which denoted action. We
now understand that such definition cannot properly explain the verb. In the
modern grammars usually the verb is not defined, but described in terms of its
forms and features. You will agree that this is a much easier and more logical
way of understanding the verb. In the next section you will read about the five
forms of the verb and their uses, while in the subsequent sections you will read
about the types and features of the verb.

3.2 FORMS OF THE VERB

In general English verbs have five different forms performing the following
functions:

1) The base form, like pull, sing, work, which is used to denote the following:
• the present tense (except third person singular): I pull the cart. They
sing beautifully. 27
Sentence Type: Form and • imperative: Pull the cart! Sing again!
Function
• the bare infinitive: We wanted to pull the cart. They try to sing.
2) The –s form, like pulls, sings, works, which is used to denote third person
singular present tense:
He pulls the cart. She sings beautifully.
3) The past form, like pulled, sang, worked, which is to denote the past
tense:
He pulled the cart. They sang beautifully.
4) The –ing form, like pulling, singing, working, which is used to denote

• the progressive aspect of verbs (with forms of ‘be’): I was pulling

the cart. She is singing beautifully.

• in participle clauses: Pulling the cart uphill, I sweated heavily. Singing

beautifully, she managed to impress the audience.

This form is also sometimes called the gerund or present participle form.

5) The –ed/-en form, like pulled, sung, worked, which is used to denote

• the perfective aspect (with forms of ‘have’): I have pulled the cart.
We had sung beautifully. She has written a story.

• the passive voice (with forms of ‘be’): The cart was pulled uphill.
These songs have been sung by thousands. The story was written in
1857.

• in participle clauses: Pulled recklessly, the cart was badly damaged.

Sung in a male voice, the song seemed very different. Written during
the war, the story was deeply affected by the wartime experiences.
This form is also sometimes called the past participle form.

3.3 TYPES OF VERBS

English verbs can be broadly classified into two classes – lexical verbs and
auxiliary verbs (sometimes called helping verbs or assistant verbs). Lexical
verbs can be further grouped into regular and irregular verbs, while auxiliaries
can be further classified into primary and modal auxiliaries. Schematically this
can be shown as below:

28
The class of auxiliaries is a closed set, i.e. it contains a limited (and small) number The Verb Phrase
of words, and the set is stable (i.e. no new auxiliaries are being added to this set).
So it is possible to list all the auxiliaries. In their University Grammar of English
Quirk and Greenbaum give the following list of auxiliaries:
Primary: do, have, be
Modal: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to, used
to, need, dare.
There are differences among grammarians regarding this list. For example, many
grammarians do not like to include the last four in the list of auxiliaries. Even
Quirk and Greenbaum admit that some auxiliaries in their list – like ‘used to’,
‘need’ and ‘dare’ – are different from other ‘full’ auxiliaries. They call these as
‘marginal’ auxiliaries. The auxiliary ‘used to’ occurs only in past form. ‘Dare’
and ‘need’ as auxiliaries occur mainly in interrogative and negative sentences.
The use of these auxiliaries has become quite rare now.

There are some important points of difference between lexical verbs and
auxiliaries:

• Lexical verbs are ‘full’ verbs in the sense that they can occur independently
in a sentence. Auxiliaries are not independent; they always come together
with a lexical verb.

• Lexical verbs have all the five forms described above. Auxiliaries do not
have all the five forms. Auxiliaries (except the primary auxiliaries) have
usually only two forms – the present and the past. So we do not have forms
like *maying or *cans or *shalled*shallen.

• In the present tense, lexical verbs have singular and plural forms to agree
with the singular or the plural subject. (He sings, They sing, etc). Auxiliaries
(except the primary) have only one present tense form. (He may…, they
may…, etc.)

Among the lexical verbs, there are some differences between regular and
irregular lexical verbs:

• In case of regular verbs we can predict all the forms of a verb from its base
form. For example, from the base form ‘call’ we can predict all its other
forms (calls, called, calling, etc), because the forms follow a regular pattern.
In irregular verbs we do not find such a predictable pattern. For example,
the irregular verb speak has spoke as the past form and spoken as the –ed
(past participle) form, while cut has the same unchanged cut form as the
past and –ed forms.

• Both regular and irregular lexical verbs have similar –ing and –s forms.
The difference is in their past tense and participle forms. Regular verbs
have the same past tense and -ed (past participle) forms, ending in /d/ or /t/
sounds and usually spelled -d, -ed, -t, etc. (e.g. called, peeped…). Irregular
verbs often have different past and participle forms. (e.g. drank, drunk;
wrote, written…)

29
Sentence Type: Form and • Whenever new verbs are added, whether by fresh coining or by borrowing
Function
from other languages, these new verbs follow the pattern of regular verbs.
(e.g. programme – programmed – programmed, radio – radioed – radioed,
…)

Similarly, there are also important differences between primary and modal
auxiliaries:

• The three primary auxiliaries ‘do’, ‘have’ and ‘be’ have a dual role. They
can also perform as lexical verbs. Modal auxiliaries are just auxiliaries.

• The primary auxiliaries have different forms, like lexical verbs, for singular
and plural subjects. (He does….; They do….,etc.) Moreover, the auxiliary
‘be’ has in all eight forms for different numbers, persons and tenses. Modal
auxiliaries have only two forms – present and past. (may–might, shall–
should, etc.) Some auxiliaries like ‘must’ or ‘ought to’ have only one form.

• Primary auxiliaries have only grammatical (or structural) sense. They do

not add any additional meaning to the meaning of the ‘main’ lexical verb
apart from this grammatical sense. For example, forms of ‘be’ suggest only
the progressive aspect, forms of ‘do’ work as ‘dummy’ elements for
questions or negative sentences. Modal auxiliaries carry additional
meanings. For example, ‘may’ or ‘can’ denote possibility or permission.
‘Must’ denotes necessity or compulsion. (e.g. You may go. She can speak
ten languages. He must go to a doctor.)

3.4 TYPES OF VERB PHRASES – FINITE AND

NON-FINITE
Verb phrases can occur in one of the two forms – finite and non-finite. Finite
verb phrases are those in which the verb phrase has some tense attached to it,
either past or present. In non-finite forms verb phrases are used in their tenseless
forms. The clauses containing finite verbs are called finite clauses, while the
clauses with non-finite verbs are called non-finite clauses.
Look at the sentences below:
1) They have a lot of free time this week.
2) Amitabh decided to join the film industry.
3) He found his keys lying under the table.
4) They brought the box home broken in three places.
In sentence 1 ‘have’ is in present tense form. So it is a finite verb. In sentence 2
‘decided’ is in past tense form, so it is also a finite verb. But ‘to join’ is an
infinitive, and tenseless, form. So this verb phrase is non-finite. In sentence 3
‘found’ is again finite, because it is in past form. But ‘lying’ is non-finite, as it
does not carry any tense. In the same way, in sentence 4 ‘brought’ is finite, while
‘broken’ is non-finite.

This shows that there are at least two important differences between finite and
non-finite verb phrases:

30
• Finite verb phrases carry some tense, past or present. Non-finite verb phrases The Verb Phrase
are tenseless.

• Finite verbs show a concord (agreement) with the subject. This means that
they agree with the subject in person and number (singular/ plural, first/
third person, etc). Non-finite verb phrases do not show such an agreement.

Non-finite verbs are either infinitives (e.g. ‘to join’, ‘to dance’) or participle
forms (e.g. joining, waiting, broken, danced, etc).
Check your progress 1
I) Classify the following lexical verbs into regular and irregular verbs:
watch, produce, run, create, give, read, want, agree, buy, break, drive, attract,
force, compel, desire, hide, hurry, linger, manage, try, supply, remember,
comment, come, expect.

Regular verbs: .....................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................

Irregular verbs: ...................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................

II) Identify the main verb and the auxiliary in each of the following verb phrases.
Also state whether the auxiliary is primary or modal. List your answers in
the table below.
1) Some children were playing in the rain.
2) Nobody could solve the tough riddle.
3) Our parents have agreed on an interesting plan for the picnic.
4) The numbers in the box have been arranged in a simple sequence.
5) Trespassers shall be prosecuted.
6) Perhaps the doctors may know something about her health.
7) You may be telling a lie!
8) Scientists will have solved the mystery by that time.
9) This may be the last bus to our town.
10) They should have informed the police about the accident.
S. No. Verb Phrase Main Verb Auxiliaries
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
31
Sentence Type: Form and
Function 7)
8)
9)
10)

3.5 THREE FEATURES OF VERB PHRASES

Finite verb phrases have three important features – tense, aspect and mood.
Tense is a grammatical feature related to expressions of time. Many people believe
that there is a direct equation between time and tense. They assume that past
tense always shows past time, and present tense always shows present time. But
this is not so. ‘Time’ is a concept related to our living world, representing an idea
about the flow of events, sequence of happenings, etc. We divide time for our
convenience into present, past and future time. On the contrary, ‘tense’ is the
grammatical feature used for indicating different times in a language. Though
‘tense’ is a grammatical system of talking about time, there is no simple one-to-
one relation between them like present tense = present time. ‘Time’ is divided in
the same way all over the world, but all languages do not have the same three-
way system of ‘tenses’ to show time. Some languages have six different tense
forms to express time, while some other languages like English have only two
tense forms – the past and the present. There are even languages which do not
have any tense at all, and use some other ways to denote time.

Having only two tense forms in English does not create any problem, because
these two forms can be used to denote any time. In fact, in any language there is
no one-to-one correspondence between tense and time. The relationship between
tense and time is quite flexible in most languages. Past tense forms can indicate
present time, present tense can show past or future time, and so on. Every language
has its own way of using tense forms to denote time. In English only two tenses
– past and present – are used to indicate all kinds of time.

This is done with the help of another feature – the aspect. Tense and aspect
together give us a complete expression of time. ‘Aspect’ shows the manner in
which the action (denoted by the verb) is experienced or considered – whether
the action is regarded as complete or continuous, repetitive, frequent or ‘one-
time’, and so on. English verbs have three main aspects – progressive, perfect
and passive. The progressive aspect is also called ‘continuous’, while the
perfective is sometimes called ‘perfect’.

Tense in English

• The present tense is shown by the –s form (plays, writes, sleeps, etc) for
third person singular subjects, and by the base form (play, write, sleep, etc)
for all other persons;

• The past form is formed by adding –ed, –d or –t to the base form for regular
verbs (e.g. played prepared, slept, etc) or in different ways (like changing
the base vowel) for irregular verbs (e.g. wrote, sang, found, etc).

32
Aspects in English The Verb Phrase

• The progressive aspect is formed by the combination of a form of ‘be’ and

the –ing form of the following verb. (is coming, was being, are playing, be
doing, etc)

• The perfective aspect is formed by the combination of a form of ‘have’ and

the –ed/–en participle form of the verb. (has taken, have decided, had
written, has been, etc)

• The passive aspect is formed by the combination of a form of ‘be’ and the
–ed/–en participle form of the verb. (was taken, is decided, are written,
were beaten, etc)

It is possible that a verb phrase may have two or three aspects together. For
example, the phrase ‘has been waiting’ has both perfective and progressive
aspects, while the phrase ‘have been killed’ has perfective and passive aspects.
The phrase ‘had been being corrupted’ has all the three aspects. It is also possible
that a verb phrase may not contain any aspect at all. This is usually called the
‘simple’ form of the verb phrase.

The feature of ‘mood’ relates to such conditions as certainty, possibility, necessity,

obligation, capability, and so on. These can be expressed through modal auxiliaries
as well. In English many grammarians talk of five major ‘moods’ – declarative,
interrogative, imperative, exclamatory and subjunctive. We must remember that
these terms refer to the forms (i.e. structure) of sentences and not their meanings.
For example, “Could you please pass that book to me?” is an interrogative
sentence, though it is not a question, but a request. “I request you to give me the
book.” is again a request, and not a statement, but its structure tells that it is a
declarative sentence.

We can summarise this description diagrammatically as below:

Check Your Progress 2

Identify the tense and the aspect of the verb phrases in the following sentences:
1) She was driving her car along a hilly road.
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: _______________________
2) Some guests have arrived early in taxis.
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: ______________________

33
Sentence Type: Form and 3) You could have asked for our advice.
Function
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: _______________________
4) These questions have been asked so many times by the media.
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: _______________________
5) The striking workers were shifted to a different venue.
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: _______________________
6) Who can explain the meaning of this strange word?
Tense: _________________ Aspect/s: _______________________
7) None of the students was given a chance to speak.
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: _______________________
8) We are looking forward to our vacations so eagerly!
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: _______________________
9) The car has run out of fuel.
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: _______________________
10) The final plan is still lying on his table for approval.
Tense: ________________ Aspect/s: _______________________

3.6 STRUCTURE OF THE VERB PHRASE

The verb phrase in a sentence may consist of just one word (the main verb), or
may have several words in it. So there are different kinds of verb phrases possible.
Let us now see what kinds of elements can occur in the verb phrase. Some of
these elements are obligatory, while some others are optional.

The obligatory element of a verb phrase is the tense. Every finite verb phrase
carries either past or present tense. Thus, in any verb phrase there will be at least
two elements – the main verb and its tense.
e.g. 5) Tigers killed several animals in this forest. (kill + past)
6) Every child likes to play with toys. (like + present)
7) Thousands of tourists visit this spot every year. (visit + present)
Some phrases may contain auxiliaries in addition to the main verb. In this case,
auxiliaries occur before the main verb and they carry the tense.
e.g. 8) Nobody can hate a sweet smiling child. (can + present + hate)
9) His parents should listen to him first. (shall + past + listen)
10) It might rain tomorrow. (may + past + rain)
Some phrases may contain forms of progressive aspect (be + -ing) or perfective
aspect (have + -ed/-en) or both. If both aspects are present, then the perfective
comes before the progressive. In addition, a verb phrase may also have the passive
aspect.

34
e.g. 11) People are waiting for better times. [progressive (are + -ing)] The Verb Phrase

12) She has taken a long leave for some reason. [perfective (has + -en)]
13) Guests have been talking too loudly. [perfective (have + -en) +
progressive ( be + -ing)]
14) This music was composed by Rahman. [passive (be + -en)]
From all these examples we should notice the following important points:

• Verb phrases have two obligatory elements – the main verb and the tense.

• There can be some other optional elements. These include modal auxiliaries,
progressive aspect markers, perfective aspect markers, etc.

• There may be any number of elements in a verb phrase, but always the first
element carries the tense.

• The main verb is always the last element in the verb phrase.

• The obligatory and optional elements in a verb phrase follow a certain

sequence. It can be shown as below. The elements in brackets are optional
elements.

Verb phrase →Tense – (modal) – (perfective) – (progressive) – (passive) –

Main verb.

The structures of some verb phrases are given below as examples.

have killed: VP → present – perfective – kill
can be arranged: VP → present – modal – passive – arrange
should be writing: VP → past – modal – progressive – write
would have been damaged: VP→ past – modal – perfective –passive – damage
Check Your Progress 3
Write the structure of the verb phrases in the following sentences:
1) Every year many water birds are killed in this area.
.....................................................................................................................
2) Groups of people were fighting for space in the old town.
.....................................................................................................................
3) A glass of cold drink may help you in this hot afternoon.
.....................................................................................................................
4) Several engineers had been wasting their energy for years on the track.
.....................................................................................................................
5) His diabetic father should have avoided anything sweet.
.....................................................................................................................
6) Wonderful pictures are being displayed every moment around us.
.....................................................................................................................
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Sentence Type: Form and 7) A small airplane could be arranged as a special case.
Function
.....................................................................................................................
8) Hindi films would have been ruling the cine-world by then.
.....................................................................................................................
9) Simple puzzles may give useful ideas to young children.
.....................................................................................................................
10) The game of cricket was being used to settle some personal disputes.
.....................................................................................................................

3.7 MEANINGS OF MODAL AUXILIARIES

You will remember that, as said above, modal auxiliaries have their own shades
of meaning. In a verb phrase, modal auxiliaries add some extra sense to the basic
meaning of the main verb. Let us now look at some important meanings implied
by different modal auxiliaries.

I) WILL

1) Prediction/ Simple futurity – ‘Will’ in some sentences indicates

reference to the future time.
e.g. 15) It will rain very soon.
16) He will kill his enemies.
2) Willingness – In some sentences the use of ‘will’ indicates willingness
to do something.
e.g. 17) I will do this for you.
18) Who will come forward to take on this challenge?
3) Request/ order/ invitation – In many cases ‘will’ implies request, order
or invitation.
e.g. 19) Will you stand up now?
20) Will you do me a favour?
21) Will you come with me?
4) General facts – Just like the simple present, ‘will’ can be used to state
general facts.
e.g. 22) Hot weather will cause perspiration.
23) A cat will always land on its feet.
5) Insistence – Sometimes ‘will’ is used for showing insistence. In such
cases ‘will’ is always said as ‘will’ and never contracted to ‘’ll’ (like
I’ll, he’ll, etc). ‘Will’ is also pronounced with stress.
e.g. 24) He will do it, whatever you say.
25) I will go there, come what may.

36
II) WOULD The Verb Phrase

1) Willingness – Like ‘will’, ‘would’ also suggests willingness. But use

of ‘would’ implies certain tentativeness.
e.g. 26) I would do this for you.
27) She would send you her car.
2) Request – ‘Would’ can also be used for making requests in interrogative
form. In requests ‘would’ seems more polite than ‘will’.
e.g. 28) Would you kindly come with me?
29) Would you do me a favour?
3) Habit/ Characteristic – In some cases ‘would’ suggests habitual or
characteristic feature, particularly in the past. In this sense it can be
replaced by ‘used to’.
e.g. 30) Their children would always be naughty.
31) He would come here and lie on the grass for hours.
4) Probability – ‘Would’ also indicates probability in some cases.
e.g. 32) That would be a good choice.
III) SHALL

1) Prediction/ simple futurity – The use of ‘shall’ to refer to the future

has become very restricted. In its place ‘will’ has become quite
common now. ‘Shall’ is used with only the first person (I, we) to refer
to the future.
e.g. 33) I shall go there tomorrow.
34) We shall come to you very soon.
But even this use is not very common.
2) Intention – Used with the first person, ‘shall’ may imply intention on
the part of the speaker.
e.g. 35) I shall give you some money.
36) We shall overcome.
3) In legal language – In the language of laws and the judiciary, ‘shall’ is
used with any person, and denotes obligation or injunction.
e.g. 37) No person shall enter this area.
38) Trespassers shall be prosecuted.
IV) SHOULD

1) Obligation or necessity – This sense is similar to the meaning of ‘ought

to’.
e.g. 39) She should listen to your advice.
40) Doctors should be careful about patients’ feelings.
37
Sentence Type: Form and 2) In conditional expressions – ‘Should’ can have the sense of ‘in case’
Function
or ‘if’.
e.g. 41) Should you decide to join, let us know immediately.
42) Should anything unpleasant happen, we are free to leave
the hall.
3) ‘Putative’ use – after expressions like “It is strange that…”, “I am
surprised that…”, “It is odd that…”, “I am sorry that…”, etc.
e.g. 43) It is strange that you should have joined this group.
44) I am sorry that this should have happened.
V) CAN

1) Ability – ‘Can’ indicates ability in the sense of ‘know how to’ or ‘be
able to’.
e.g. 45) He can drive any four-wheeler.
46) She can’t cook any non-veg dishes.
2) Permission – ‘Can’ implies permission in some cases in the sense of
‘be allowed/ permitted to’. ‘May’ also denotes permission, but ‘may’
is more formal than ‘can’.
e.g. 47) Can I use my mobile phone here?
48) You can write your answers in blue or black ink.
3) Theoretical possibility – Sometimes ‘can’ suggests a theoretical
possibility.
e.g. 49) Anybody can make mistakes.
50) Even a good plan can fail to work for simple reasons.
(Compare this with ‘may’ which suggests factual possibility – “He
may make mistakes”.)

VI) COULD
1) Past Ability – ‘Could’ denotes ability in the past.
e.g. 51) At that time he could shoot a flying sparrow.
52) I could not cook anything then.
2) Permission – Like ‘can’, ‘could’ also implies permission. However,
sentences with ‘could’ seem more polite. This use of ‘could’ is more
common in interrogative form.
e.g. 53) Could I use your car this weekend?
54) Could we miss the last session today?
3) Making requests – ‘Could’ is also used, again in interrogative forms,
to make requests. Requests with ‘could’ seem more polite.
e.g. 55) Could someone please hold this thing for me?
38 56) Could you help me in arranging this room?
 4) In conditional sentences – ‘Could’ is often used in the main clause of The Verb Phrase
a conditional sentence.
e.g. 57) If we had more time, we could go swimming.
58) You could have beaten her, if you had used your brains.
VII) MAY

1) Permission – Like ‘can’, ‘may’ also implies permission. But in this

use, ‘may’ is more formal than ‘can’.
e.g. 59) You may go now.
60) Passengers may smoke now if they want.
2) Factual possibility – Both ‘can’ and ‘may’ suggest possibility. But ‘can’
suggests theoretical possibility, while ‘may’ usually suggests factual
possibility.
e.g. 61) It may be raining now in Delhi.
62) That dog may bite you.
3) Good/ Bad wishes – In a very restricted way, ‘may’ is used to express
one’s good or bad wishes for someone or something. Such examples
are formal, very limited and rare.
e.g. 63) May he rot in hell!
64) May your enterprise be a grand success!
VIII) MIGHT

1) Permission – In rare cases ‘might’ can be used to imply permission. It

seems more formal.
e.g. 65) Might I join in?
66) They might use our library.
2) Possibility – Most commonly ‘might’ indicates possibility.
e.g. 67) We might go away next year.
68) This might be a useful book.
IX) MUST

1) Obligation or compulsion – ‘Must’ indicates obligation or compulsion.

It is used only in the present tense form. For the past or future reference,
we use ‘had to’ or ‘will have to’ with the same meaning.
e.g. 69) This letter must be sent immediately.
70) You must take rest for a week at least.
2) Logical necessity – ‘Must’ also implies logical necessity of something.
It implies that something need to be there.
e.g. 71) There must be a solution to this problem.
72) Somebody must have broken this window.
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Sentence Type: Form and X) OUGHT TO
Function
‘Ought to’ is used in the same way as ‘must’. In the above examples we can
substitute ‘ought to’ in place of ‘must’ with the same sense. ‘Ought to’ also
denotes obligation as well as necessity. However, ‘must’ and ‘have to’ are
more categorical than ‘ought to’.
e.g. 71a) There ought to be a solution to this problem.
72a) Somebody ought to have repaired this window.
XI) DARE and NEED

Both ‘dare’ and ‘need’ have very restricted use as compared to other
auxiliaries. Firstly both occur as auxiliaries only in negative form.
e.g. 73) I dare not do such a thing.
74) You needn’t worry about the tickets.
In positive forms, they become complete lexical verbs, may take auxiliaries
and are followed by infinitives in such sentences.
73a) I (can) dare to do such a thing.
74a) You (may) need to worry about the tickets.
Secondly, only ‘dare’ can be used in the past tense. (cf. “I dared not do such a
thing.”) But ‘need’ is not used as auxiliary in the past tense. The meanings of
these auxiliaries are obvious. ‘Dare’ (not) implies lack of courage to do something,
while ‘need’ (not) implies lack or absence of necessity.

3.8 LET US SUM UP

• Verbs in English have five forms: the base form, the –s form, the past form,
the –ing form and the –ed/–en form.

• Verbs are of two types: lexical verbs and auxiliary verbs. Lexical verbs can
be further classified into regular verbs (which follow regular patterns of
forms) and irregular verbs (which do not follow predictable patterns).
Auxiliary verbs are sometimes called assistant or helping verbs. They can
also be classified into two groups – primary and modal auxiliaries.

• Verb phrases can be finite or non-finite. Verb phrases which carry some
tense are finite, while verb phrases which do not carry any tense are non-
finite.

• Verb phrases have three features – tense, aspect and mood. Tense is a
grammatical system of expressing time, while aspect is mainly related to
indicating the nature of the action denoted by a verb. Mood is related to the
expression of conditions like possibility, certainty, necessity, etc.

• English has two tenses – present and past. There are three kinds of aspect –
progressive, perfective and passive. A verb phrase may contain no aspect,
or may have one, two or all the three aspects.

40
• All finite verb phrases have at least two compulsory elements – tense and The Verb Phrase
the main verb. In addition, they can also contain some optional elements
like aspect and modals. The structure of the verb phrase can be shown by
the following equation, where the bracketed elements are optional:

Verb phrase →Tense – (modal) – (perfective) – (progressive) – (passive)

– Main verb.

• Different modal auxiliaries add different shades of meaning to the meaning

of the main verb.

REVISION EXERCISE
I) Complete the following table by identifying the tense and the aspect of the
given verb phrases:

S. No. Verb Phrase Tense Aspect

1) can be bought
2) will declare
3) am studying
4) could be punished
5) has been spent
6) should be willing
7) expressed
8) does not need
9) are cancelled
10) shall be required
II) Match the verb phrases in Column A with the structures in Column B:

Column A Column B
1) have created a) past – modal – V
2) might be leaving b) present – modal – perfective – V
3) would propose c) present – perfective – V
4) shall have recovered d) past – modal – perfective – passive – V
5) could have been mistaken e) past – modal – progressive – V

III) Which modal(s) can you use for the given sense? Write in the following
table:

S. No. Sense/ Meaning Modals

1 Capacity
2 Permission
3 Possibility
4 Necessity
5 Compulsion
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Sentence Type: Form and
Function 3.9 SUGGESTED READINGS
Cowan, R. 2009. The Teacher’s Grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.

Leech, G. & J. Svartik. 1994. A Communicative Grammar of English. Harlow,

Essex: Longman.

Leech, G. et al. 1982. English Grammar for Today. Hampshire: Macmillan.

Quirk, R. et al. 1972. A Grammar of Contemporary English. London: Longman

Quirk, R. & S. Greenbaum. 1995. A University Grammar of English. Harlow,

Essex: Longman.

Swan, M. 1996. Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

3.10 ANSWERS
Check your progress 1
I) Regular verbs: watch, produce, create, want, agree, attract, force, compel,
desire, hurry, linger, manage, try, supply, remember, comment, expect.

Irregular verbs: run, give, read, buy, break, drive, hide, come.

II)

S. No. Verb Phrase Main Verb Auxiliaries

1) were playing play were (primary)
2) could solve solve could (modal)
3) have agreed agree have (primary)
4) have been arranged arrange have, been (both primary)
5) shall be prosecuted prosecute shall (modal), be (primary)
6) may know know may (modal)
7) may be telling tell may (modal), be (primary)
8) will have solved solve will (modal), have (primary)
9) may be be may (modal)
10) should have informed inform should (modal), have (primary)

Check Your Progress 2

The tense and the aspect of the verb phrases:
S. No. Verb Phrase Tense Aspect
1) was driving Past (was) Progressive (be + ing)
2) have arrived Present (have) Perfective (have + ed)
3) could have asked Past (could) Perfective (have + ed)
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 The Verb Phrase
4 have been asked Present (have) Perfective (have + en) +
Passive (be + ed)
5 were shifted Past (were) Passive (be + ed)
6 can explain Present (can) No aspect
7 was given Past (was) Passive (be + en)
8 are looking Present (are) Progressive (be + ing)
9 has run Present (has) Perfective (have + en)
10 is lying Present (is) Progressive (be + ing)
Check Your Progress 3

Structure of the verb phrases:

1) are killed VP → present – passive – kill
2) were fighting VP → past – progressive – fight
3) may help VP → present – modal – help
4) had been wasting VP → past – perfective – progressive –
waste
5) should have avoided VP → past – modal – perfective – avoid
6) are being displayed VP → present – progressive – passive –
display
7) could be arranged VP → past – modal – passive – arrange
8) would have been ruling VP → past – modal – perfective –
progressive – rule
9) may give VP → present – modal – give
10) was being used VP → past – progressive – passive – use
Revision Exercise
I) Tense and aspect of the given verb phrases:
S. No. Verb Phrase Tense Aspect
1) can be bought Present Passive
2) will declare Present No aspect (simple)
3) am studying Present Progressive
4) could be punished Past Passive
5) has been spent Past Perfective + Passive
6) should be willing Past Progressive
7) expressed Past No aspect
8) does not need Present No aspect
9) are cancelled Present Passive
10) shall be required Present Passive

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Sentence Type: Form and II) Matching the verb phrases with the structures:
Function
1 – c; 2 – e; 3 – a; 4 – b; 5 – d.
III) Which modal(s) can you use for the given sense? Write in the following
table:
S. No. Sense/ Meaning Modals
1) Capacity can
2) Permission can, could, may, might
3) Possibility can, could, may, might
4) Necessity need
5) Compulsion should, must, ought to

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