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 |
|
|
+(do) not |
+ed |
+ M |
have +en |
be +ing |
be +en |
VERB |
||
|
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 64 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 |
- + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + |
- - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + - - + + |
- - - - + + + + - - - - + + + + - - - - + + + + - - - - + + + + - - - - + + + + - - - - + + + + - - - - + + + + - - - - + + + + |
- - - - - - - - + + + + + + + + - - - - - - - - + + + + + + + + - - - - - - - - + + + + + + + + - - - - - - - - + + + + + + + + |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + |
take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take take |
take do not take took did not take will take will not take would take would not take have taken have not taken had taken had not taken will have taken will not have taken would have taken would not have taken is taking is not taking was taking was not taking will be taking will not be taking would be taking would not be taking have been taking have not been taking had been taking had not been taking will have been taking will not have been taking would have been taking would not have been taking is taken is not taken was taken was not taken will be taken will not be taken would be taken would not be taken have been taken have not been taken had been taken had not been taken will have been taken will not have been taken would have been taken would not have been taken is being taken is not being taken was being taken was not being taken will be being taken will not be being taken would be being taken would not be being taken have been being taken have not been being taken had been being taken had not been being taken will have been being taken will not have been being taken would have been being taken would not have been being taken |
± = 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: Identifing Verbal Groups: Exercise & Correcting Verbal Group
