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