Grammar-Quizzes › Verb Phrases › Verb Groups
Verb Groups
Express tense, aspect and mood with auxiliary verbs
A verb group:
- expresses the action or activity with information about:
- tense— where it is located in time or in a period of time.
- aspect—how it extends over time (ongoing, continuous, repetitive, habitual). He is walking, He has been walking, He had been walking. He will walk later.
- mood—how the speaker feels about it—attitude, opinion, prediction, or inference. He may walk. We should walk. He must have walked.
- voice—what the focus is—the agent (person or thing that causes the action) or the patient (person or thing that is affected by the action.) She walked her dog. (agent) The dog was walked twice a day. (patient)
- functions as the predicate of the clause.
- takes form as one or more auxiliaries and a secondary verb (plain form, -ed, -ing). We will walk. We have walked. We have been walking.
"Main Verb"
- In traditional analysis, the auxiliaries are "helping verbs". The main verb is the one with a "dictionary meaning" and it occurs as (1) plain form, (2) -ing form (progressive) or (3) -ed form (past participle).
- He is a fast walker. ("main verb")
- He walks. ("main verb")
- He is walking. He has walked. He had been walking. ("helping verb" + "main verb")
- He hopes to walk. He enjoys walking. (main verb + infinitive or gerund)
- In linguistics, the analysis is simplified. The main verb is a primary verb, which can be marked for person, number or tense [1]. An auxiliary is the "main verb" if it can be marked for person number or tense [3]. A second auxiliary, next form auxiliary, adds aspect or voice (active/passive) to the verb group. A lexical verb (with a dictionary meaning) is the primary verb [1] if it can be marked for tense and number, or it is a secondary verb [3,4] if it is an infinitive, gerund or past participle form (nonfinite: infinitival, gerund-participle, past participle).
- They are fast walkers. (primary verb–can be marked for person, number and tense)
- He walks. (primary verb–can be marked for person, number and tense, lexical verb–has a dictionary meaning)
- He is walking. He has walked. He had been walking. (primary verb–can be marked for person, number and tense; auxiliary verb–having function but not carrying meaning].
- He hopes to walk. He enjoys walking. (secondary verb–cannot be marked for person or tense)
Also see Modal Auxiliaries for their forms.
The term "concatenative", meaning "linked", is used for verbs such as hopes to go, expects to see, enjoys seeing, helps fix, is going to go.
inference (N) — reasoning or conclusion based on evidence (what you know to be true)
Verb Groups
Verb Group Constituents
Verbs
Diagram that differentiates: Verb, Verb Group, Verb Phrase
Verb Groups
Summary of Practices
Auxiliary Verbs: recognize function and form
Intermediate – Advanced ELL
Practice 1- identify lexical vs. aux.
Practice 2- identify auxiliaries
Practice 3- identify verb form type
Charlie has raised his hand. ("primary verb", inflects.)
Charlie had raised his hand. (marked for tense)
Charlie is raising his hand. (marked for aspect)
Charlie may raise his hand again. (marked for mood)
The question has been asked. (marked for voice)
Negative Word Forms: express absence, doubt, denial, prohibition and more (Negative Word Forms)
Beginning – Advanced ELL
Negativity Expressed in Noun Phrases
Similar but Different Negatives
Practice 1 – identify the word form (MC)
Practice 2 – contrast word forms (MC)
No one / Not anyone has parked illegally.
His inability / disability was clear to us.
He was unsatisfied / dissatisfied.
Do not park there! We do not park there.
He would park there, wouldn't he?
We asked him not to park there.
I doubt that he *never / ever helps.
He is neither optimistic nor pessimistic.
His no nonsense approach to life is refreshing. (expression)
Modal Summary › (mood—opinion, prediction, obligation, degree of certainty, and more)
The summary link above includes multiple practices.
Past Perfect: contrast earlier from later events
Intermediate– Advanced ESL, Native Speakers
Practice 1 – complete the sentence (MC)
Practice 2 – complete the sentence (MC)
After we had ordered from the menu, we began to talk.
First, we ordered from the menu. Then, we began to talk.
We had just ordered from the menu when the electricity went off.
Present Progressive: express activity that is temporary or at the moment (progressive "ongoing")
Beginning ELL
Helen is jogging around the park right now.
Helen is jogging around the park this morning.
Progressives: express duration or repetition in mixed time frames
Intermediate – Advanced ELL
Present vs. Progressive (mixed tenses)
Verbs of Short and Long Duration
Situations (states, actions activities, processes)
We have been reading the news online every morning for many years. (indefinite timing)
Yesterday, the four of us were reading the same story on different websites. (definite timing)
As we were sharing details from our websites, we realized that the details differed. (backgrounding)
We fact-checked, discussed and determined how much truth the article presented. (series of events)
"Where did you read that?" he asked. (source, origin question)
Past vs. Past Progressive: refer to earlier occurrences
Beginning– Intermediate ELL
Past vs. Past Progressive (time lines)
Situations Expressed by Verbs in Context
Adverbs—definite v. indefinite timing
Verbs of Short of Long Duration
Practice 1 – multiple choice
Practice 2 – correct / incorrect
Practice 3 – edit sentence
Jack received a speeding ticket on June 16th.
Jack was receiving a speeding ticket when a friend drove by.
Past Progressive: report past temporary, repeated, or background activity
Beginning–Intermediate ELL
Practice – read and complete sentences (MC)
Alison lived in San Francisco after she finished school.
Alison took the train while she was living in San Francisco.
We saw two cars crash.
As we were walking along the sidewalk, we saw two cars crash.
Scheduled Events: refer to planned activities in the future (progressive "about to happen")
Beginning ELL
Far Future vs. Far Future (active timing)
Paragraph 1 – multiple choice
Paragraph 2 – multiple choice
Paragraph 3 – multiple choice
The exhibition returns to the Hall of Science this week. (routine)
The exhibition is returning to the Hall of Science this week. (near future)
The exhibition will return to the Hall of Science next week. (scheduled/ calendar event)
The exhibition will be returning to the Hall of Science next week. (active timing, "Don't miss it!")
We will be walking around while he is playing with the dinosaurs. (future background activity) See Future Progressive (modals).
Duration/ Repetition: express continuous vs. recurring activity
Beginning–Intermediate ELL
Pres. Perf. Non vs. Progressive
Practice 1 – correct – incorrect
Practice 2 – complete the sentence (MC)
Practice 3 – edit
Engineers have been working to save the Tower of Pisa!
Permanent/Temporary: express long- or short-term activity
Beginning–Intermediate ELL
The Tower has stood in this location since 1350.
I have been standing in line to get into the Tower since 10:00 a.m.
Completed / Ongoing: contrast present perfect completed vs. ongoing
Beginning–Intermediate ELL
Pres Perfect Non- vs. Progressive
Practice 1 – complete the sentence
Practice 2 – correct / incorrect
Practice 3 – editing
Engineers have tried to keep the Tower of Pisa from falling.
They have been trying a new method.
Past & Participle Forms 1: Review past and participle verb forms (A – L)
Beginning–Intermediate ELL
awake, beat begin, bite, blow, bring, buy, choose, cost, dig, draw, drive, fall, feel, find, fly, get, go, hang, hear, hit, hold, hurt, know, lay,
Jaycee (spinned, span, spun?) _____the ball on his toe last night.
Past & Participle Forms 2: Review past and participle verb forms (L – W)
Beginning–Intermediate ELL
let, lie, lose, loosen, meet, put, read, ring, run, see, send, shake, shut, sit, slide, spend, stand, stick, swear, swim, teach, tell, throw, upset wear,
Jamie (let) _____the ball drop in yesterday's final play.
Been / Being: contrast the sounds of been and being (Audio Practice)
Beginning–Intermediate ELL
Practice – complete the sentence (MC)
We've been quiet. (present perfect - active)
We're being quiet. (present progressive - active)
We've been seen by Dr. Allen. (present perfect - passive)
We 're being seen by Dr. Allen (present progressive - passive)
Verbal Idioms: express activities with verb-prep combinations ("phasal verbs")
Beginning–Advanced ELL
Practice 1 – multiple choice
Practice 2 – multiple choice
Look up.
Look up the word in the dictionary.
The airplane took off.
He took his coat off.
He took off his coat.
Negatives: express absence, doubt, denial, prohibition and more
Beginning – Advanced ELL
Negativity Expressed in Noun Phrases
Similar but Different Negatives
Practice 1 – identify the word form (MC)
Practice 2 – contrast word forms (MC)
No one / Not anyone has parked illegally.
His inability / disability was clear to us.
He was unsatisfied / dissatisfied.
Do not park there! We do not park there.
He would park there, wouldn't he?
We asked him not to park there.
I doubt that he *never / ever helps.
He is neither optimistic nor pessimistic.
His no nonsense approach to life is refreshing. (expression)