Grammar in EAP

Verbs and Verbal Groups

Introduction

Verbal Group

A verbal group is typically a group with a verb as its Head. That verb is likely to be modified either before the verb (pre-modification) with auxiliary verbs or after the verb (post-modification or qualification) or both. An example is "has been eaten".

Verbal Groups can be finite or non-finite. Possible finite verbal groups are - not all are common in EAP:

 

Negative
±

Past
±

Modal
±

Phase
±

Aspect
±

Voice
±

Lexical VERB
+

Verbal Group

0 - - - - - -

take

take

1 + - - - - -

take

do not take

2 - + - - - -

take

took

3 + + - - - -

take

did not take

4 - - + - - -

take

will take

5 + - + - - -

take

will not take

6 - + + - - -

take

would take

7 + + + - - -

take

would not take

8 - - - + - -

take

have taken

9 + - - + - -

take

have not taken

10 - + - + - -

take

had taken

11 + + - + - -

take

had not taken

12 - - + + - -

take

will have taken

13 + - + + - -

take

will not have taken

14 - + + + - -

take

would have taken

15 + + + + - -

take

would not have taken

16 - - - - + -

take

is taking

17 + - - - + -

take

is not taking

18 - + - - + -

take

was taking

19 + + - - + -

take

was not taking

20 - - + - + -

take

will be taking

21 + - + - + -

take

will not be taking

22 - + + - + -

take

would be taking

23 + + + - + -

take

would not be taking

24 - - - + + -

take

have been taking

25 + - - + + -

take

have not been taking

26 - + - + + -

take

had been taking

27 + + - + + -

take

had not been taking

28 - - + + + -

take

will have been taking

29 + - + + + -

take

will not have been taking

30 - + + + + -

take

would have been taking

31 + + + + + -

take

would not have been taking

32 - - - - - +

take

is taken

33 + - - - - +

take

is not taken

34 - + - - - +

take

was taken

35 + + - - - +

take

was not taken

36 - - + - - +

take

will be taken

37 + - + - - +

take

will not be taken

38 - + + - - +

take

would be taken

39 + + + - - +

take

would not be taken

40 - - - + - +

take

have been taken

41 + - - + - +

take

have not been taken

42 - + - + - +

take

had been taken

43 + + - + - +

take

had not been taken

44 - - + + - +

take

will have been taken

45 + - + + - +

take

will not have been taken

46 - + + + - +

take

would have been taken

47 + + + + - +

take

would not have been taken

48 - - - - + +

take

is being taken

49 + - - - + +

take

is not being taken

50 - + - - + +

take

was being taken

51 + + - - + +

take

was not being taken

52 - - + - + +

take

will be being taken

53 + - + - + +

take

will not be being taken

54 - + + - + +

take

would be being taken

55 + + + - + +

take

would not be being taken

56 - - - + + +

take

have been being taken

57 + - - + + +

take

have not been being taken

58 - + - + + +

take

had been being taken

59 + + - + + +

take

had not been being taken

60 - - + + + +

take

will have been being taken

61 + - + + + +

take

will not have been being taken

62 - + + + + +

take

would have been being taken

63 + + + + + +

take

would not have been being taken

 

+(do) not

+ed

+ M

have +en

be +ing

be +en

VERB

 ± = you have a completely free choice whether or not to choose this
Modal = will, may, can, shall
Modal+ed = would, might, could, should
+en = + past participle (third form)
+ing = + present participle (-ing form)be = be, is, are
be+ed = was, were
be+en = been
be+ing = being
have = have, has
have+ed = had
have+en = had

Exercise

Try this exercise: Verbal Group Exercise

And these exercises: Identifying Verbal Groups: Exercise & Correcting Verbal Group

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