(3) Verb14 | Verb | Perfect (Grammar)

VERBS -Semantic classes - Form

May be regarded as :  central element of a sentence  determining the character of the situation that is being talked about  may also regarded as determining what other elements may or must accompany it  not only representative of a situation type but also creates a situation or “scene” which containing persons who do things, persons or things that have something done to them, etc

Tenses :  Simple present             

 timeless situations, present states, commentary, permanent habit, narrative, future. Simple past  definite past Present progressive  present action/events, temporary present habit, future Past progressive Definite past period, future-in past Present perfect  pre-present, state/habit up to present, indefinite past (possible with current relevance) Past perfect  past-in-past, state/habit up to past point Present Perfect progressive  state/habit up to present ( + limited duration) Past Perfect progressive  state/habit up to past point (+ duration) Used to + main verb  past habit or state Will + main verb  future Will +present Perfect  past in future Be going to +main verb  future, future in past Be about to + main verb  post- present, post past Would + main verb  future in past

Semantic Classes • Refer to situation type : – State: quality, temporary, private, stance (be, seem, have, believe, like, hear, ache) – Event: goings-on, process, momentary, transitional (breathe, fall, become, arrive, float, shine, die) – Action: activity, accomplishment, momentary, transitional (sing, laugh, decide, push, clean, throw, encourage)

• A verb word may belong to more than 1 subclasses: – Quality

: This soup tastes of garlic

– Perception

: I can taste the garlic in the soup

– Action, activity

:

Would you kindly taste the soup

– Goings-on

:

Every new machine would not work

– Activity

: He worked for me for 2 years

– Transitional event

: The tractor stopped

– Transitional act

:

– Activity

: I write very little and very quickly

– Accomplishment

: I wrote letters for some of the illiterates

He stopped working

• Determines the participants that are required to occur with the verb

Finite verb forms • Almost every verb – 2 present tense (work, works) & 1 past tense (worked)

• Present forms are distinguished by person and number – ‘person’: person/thing doing an action or undergoing an event or being in a state – ‘number’ : one person/thing (singular), more (plural)

• Past tense : regular & irregular

Non- finite Form • 3 non-finite forms :  Infinitive (to) take  Present participle taking  Past participle taken

• Infinitive form usually occurs as to –infinitive (to take) but may as well as ‘bare’ -infinitive (take) when identical with present form (base form)

• Modal ( can, may, will, shall, must) is an exception.  No to infinitive, no present participle, have irregular past tense form

Verb Patern • [L] linking verb (SVC) • [T] verb with one object (transitive verb) (SVO)

• [V] verb with object +verb (+…)(SVOV…) • [D] verb with two objects (ditransitive verbs) (SVOO) • [X] verb with object and object complement (SVOC)

• [I] verb without object or complement (intransitive verbs) (SV)

Combinations of Verbs • Basic rules :    

(A) Modal : He can type quite well. (B) Perfective : He had typed several letters. (C) Progressive : He was typing when the telephone rang. (D) Passive : Several letters were being typed by him.

• Combinations:         

(A) +(B) : He may have typed the letter himself. (A) +(C) : He may be typing at the moment. (A) +(D) : The letters may be typed by Mrs Anderson (B)+(C) : He has been typing all morning. (B)+(D): The letters have been typed by Ann. (C)+(D): The letters are being typed, so please wait a moment. (A)+(B)+(C): He must have been typing the letters himself. (A)+(B)+(D): The letters must have been typed by the secretary. etc

Referensi • Jackson H, Grammar and Meaning: A Semantic Approach to English Grammar, Longman, NY 1990

• G Leech & J Svartvik, A Communicative Grammar of English, Longman, Singapore 1992