UNIT 38 THE VERB PHRASE-1: LEXICAL, AUXILIARY AND PHRASAL VERBS Structure 38.0 Objective 38.1 Introduction 38.2 Lexical Verbs 38.3 Auxiliary Verbs 38.4 Phrasal Verbs 38.5 Let Us Sum Up 38.6 Suggested Reading 38.7 Answers 38.0 OBJECTIVE In this unit we shall identify the elements of the verbal group (or verb phrase) and note their properties. 38.1 INTRODUCTION The verb can be said to be the most important element of a sentence because the structure of a sentence depends largely on tlie verb. The difference between the sentences He laughed1 and He built a house is mainly that the first sentence has the verb laugh, which needs nothing to complete its meaning, but the second sentence has build, which requires an object to complete its meaning: what did he build?- A house. The difference between Inugh clnd built is lexical which means that the two verbs represent different nieil~iingsor activities. Now look at the sentence: He is building a house. We have once again the item build but it is now preceded by is (a I'orm of be). As you can see tlie meanings of the two sentences. 1) He is building a house. 2) He has built a house. are not tlie same, though they represent tlie same activity. Here the difference is a gra~runaticalone, represented by the structure oftlic verbal group in the two sentences. The difference in the meaning of these two sentences arises from tlie auxiliaries (is, has) and the forms of the verbs (-ing and -en forms) in them. That they also have a common shared meaning, is because they share tlie same lexical verb, build. Thus we can distinguish two ele~iicntsit1 the verbal group; the auxiliary and the lexical verb. A special class of lexical verbs is seen in 3) We shall back you up in your elkrts. Compare it with The Verb Phrase-1: Lexical, Auxiliary and j Phrasal Verbs 4) We shall support you in your efforts. You will notice that the two sentences mean tlie same; the only difference is that while (4) has the lexical verb support, (3) has the combination back up, which means much the same as support. Combinations like back up (where the verbal meaning I is given by a combination of more than one element) are called phrasal verbs. This unit is organized as follows: in Section 38.2 we shall take a brief look at lexical i verbs; in 38.3 we shall study the auxiliaries, and in 38.4 look at phrasal verbs. I 1 38.2 LEXICAL- VERBS 1 Lexical verbs are items like build, write, laugh, sleep, etc. They normally indicate various types of activities. Averbal group must have a lexici~lvcrh. Williout a lexical verb no verbal group is possible: cf. the difference between has been and has been I writinglreadingltalking, etc. Write, read, and talk are lexical verbs. Notice also that in the verbal group the lexical verb (Also called tlie full verb in school1 traditional grammars) comes last. (Ex. Has written, willlshall have written, has been writing) Some lexical verbs require nothing more to complete their meanings. 'l'hese are the intransitive verbs (Ex. cry, laugh, sleep, snore, etc. as in 'They cry, She laughs, Everyone sleeps but Gopu snores) Other lexical verbs must be followed hy some noun phrase to co~npletetheir meanings: He wrote a novel. She told us a story. Write and tell are the transitive verbs. There are literally thousands of transitive verbs. Among transitive verbs, some require two noun phrases to complete tlieir nicanings: Give Mary a book. Usually these verbs have an alternative constructio~iwhere one of the noun phrases appears as a prepositional phrase (Give a book to Mary). The preposition may be to or for, depending on the verb. (She made John a cup of tealshe made a cup of tea for John). Some other verbs are immediately followed by a prepositional phrase: I agree with you; You can depend on John; Congratulations on your success. t Some of the verbs which are followed by a noun phrase can also be followed by a clause: I I know John. I know that he is coming. I am expecting Mary. I expect that Mary will come. The niost important (at least the most frequent) lexical verb in the language (it is also an auxiliary, as we shall see) is be with its different fornls - I~IP, was, were .... Strictly speaking be is neither transitive nor intransitive. Unlike illtransitive verbs it can be followed by a noun phrase but there is a difference. Asentence with a transitive verb as in Tagore wrote Gitanjali. has an alternative construction as in Gitanjali was written by Tagore. Syntax-4: (This alternative construction is said to be a passive.) But no passive is possible with The Noun Phrase and the Verb Phrase a sentence containing be. He is a surgeon. * A surgeon is been by him. There are other properties of be which make it quite different from all other verbs. Similar is the case with have (which is also both a lexical and an auxiliary verb). Raju has a computer. * A computer is had by Raju. The properties distinguished above are properties in respect of what can follow a verb. As for the verb itself, the lexical verb in English llas six forms. Ex. The six forms for the verb wait are. 4) 1) Stem wait 2) Stem + s waits 3) Stem + ing waiting 4) Stem + ed waited 5) Stem + en waited 6) To + stem to wait The stem form is also called 'base' or 'dictionary' form. (It is the form in which the verb is entered in the dictionary). The stem + s form is the present tense form (in the third person singular). The stem + ing form is also known as the 'present participle' form. The stem + ed is the form of the verb in the past tense.(A majority of the verbs have this form in the past tense.) Hence '-ed' is used as a symbol for past tense. Actually a few verbs have the base form for the past also (e.g. cut, put, cost) or show a diffesent pattern of change (writewrote, go-went, speak- spoke, etc). The stem + en form is also called the 'past participle' form. (Here again verbs like cut and put shoiv no change; wait itself shows the same form as in the past.) But again the majority of verbs do have this form: speak- spoken, writewritten. (On ~zrbmorpllology, see also Unit 15 in Block 3. The last form (to + stem) is the infinitival form (You will find Illore on this below). Here again, sometimes the base form is used Ibr the infinitive. (e.g. We can say either I helped her to wash the clothes1 or without using to: I helped her wash the clothes. Note, however that this optional use of to is possible with only a few lexical verbs). Lexical verbs generally but not always have these six forms. However, phrasal verbs (being a sub-class of lexical verbs) also generally have all the six forms. Finite and Non-finite Of the forms of the verb, some are called finite and some non-finite. Finite forms are those which make predication: that is, a statement about a subject e.g. Wait here/Time waits for .,one11 waited for you at the station. The forms waiting, to wait cannot make predication: to wait for the budwaiting for the bus. These expressions require so~llcothcr Iinite vcrb to makc predication. I have to wait for MaryIWe were waiting outside the hall. Have, were are finite forms and help make the sentences complete in meaning. Forms which cannot, in themselves, make predication are calletl non-finite forms. The Verb Phrase-1: Lexical, Auxiliary and The non-finite forms are: the infinitive (e.g. to wait), the present participle (e.g. waiting) Phrasal Verbs and the past participle (e.g. waited). Since the past form of wait is the same as its past participle, we can take a verb like break to see that the past participle is a non-finite form and cannot make predication. He broke the chair, but not *He broken the chair. The finite form of the verb can make predication because it contains tensc: either present or past. In contrast the non-finite forms dc not contain tense. (See the example above.) Finally, the finite for111 shows 'agreement' with the sub-ject. This can be seen in I am learning French. We are learning Spanish. He is learning English. learning (a non-finite form) remains the same in all the three sentences. But the forms of be are different in each sentence, depending on the subject. Only the forms am, are, is show 'agreement' with the subject. The finite form always comes first in the verbal group. The rest ofthe verbal elements, if any, are all non-finite. 5) He has been working on a research project. (Has is the only finite verb here: it is the third person singular form in the present tense of the verb have; been = be + en (past participle); working = work + ing (present participle); both are non-finite forms. Check Your Progress 1 1) In the following passage list all tlie finite lexical verbs. (1) With some positive action before them, a little of the tension died. (2) Ralph said no more, did nothing, stood looking down at the ashes around his feet. (3) Jack was loud and active. (4) He gave orders, and, whistled, threw remarks at the silent Ralph - remarks that did not need an answer, and therefore could not invite a snub; and still Ralph was silent; (5) No one, not even Jack, woi~ldask him to move and in the end they had to build the fire three yards i away and in a place not really as convenient.