رحمه حميد الصبحي

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The Verb Phrase

Rahmah Hmeed Alsobhi

089014

Instructor : Shadia Banjar

What a verb phrase can consist of

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3. VP V + ( NP ) V + ( AdvP ) V + PP

e.g. reads the booksnores loudly / snores very loudlylooks up

• Six CLASSES of a verb:

1.Transitive2.Intransitive3.Ditransitive4.Intensive5.Complex – Transitive6.Prepositional 7. Imperative

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• Transitive Verb

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Example:

This girl likes that dog.

• A transitive verb: a transitive verb normally has to have a direct object to be complete. •(1) * This girl likes

• Think of your own transitive verb in a sentence.

•The tree diagram for the following sentence is shown as:

•Kate hugged the baby

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transitive

•The functions of the various constituents are the same as outlined before

•(4a) Kate hugged the baby

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S P dO

transitive

Intransitive Verb

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Example:

(5a) Ken snores

• An intransitive verb: an intransitive verb is a class of verb which does not take an object. In fact an intransitive verb requires nothing else to complete the verb phrase. • Think of your own intransitive verb in a sentence.

•The tree diagram for the following sentence is shown as:

•p. 39 (5a) Ken snores.

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V

NP VP

N

Ken snores

S(6a)

Intransitive Verb / p. 39

intransitive

•The functions of this class of verb is as follows.

•(6b) Ken snores.

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S P

V

NP VP

N

Ken snores

S

Intransitive Verb

intransitive

Intransitive Verb

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Can a constituent occur after an intransitive verb? • There are other constituents which can occur with this class of verb.• However, such constituents are optional rather than obligatory. • Those constituents are adverbials (e.g. AdvP and PP).

• Examples: (7a) Ken snores very loudly.

(7b) The baby cried in the night.

S P A

S P A

Intransitive Verb

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• There is a difference in form, but not in function.

intransitive

Intransitive Verb

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Think of your own intransitive verb with an adverbial.

•Examples: p. 40 (7a) Ken snores very loudly.

(7b) The baby cried in the night.

• There is a difference in form, but not in function.

S P A

S P A

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Ditransitive Verb

Example:

(8) Ray told the children a story.

• A ditransitive verb: a ditransitive verb requires two objects. ‘Di’ meaning ‘two’. One of these objects is a direct object dO and the second one is an indirect object iO . • Think of your own ditransitive verb in a sentence.

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•The tree diagram for this type of structure is: •(9a) Ray told the children a story.

Ditransitive Verb

ditransitiveNP

DET N

story

S P iO dO

children a

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• The tree diagram for this type of structure is:• In the following sentence, both objects (iO and dO) are obligatory. • p. 42 (10) Sue gave Oxfam a jumper.

Ditransitive Verb

S P iO dO

ditransitiveNP

DET N

jumperOxfam a

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• There is another way of framing the indirect object. • p. 42 (12) Sue gave Oxfam a jumper. • p. 42 (13) Sue gave a jumper to Oxfam.

Ditransitive Verb

S P dO iO

jumper to

ditransitivePP

P N

Oxfam

/ /١٤٤٤ ٠٩ ١٨Areej Al-Awad

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Intensive VerbExample:

(22a) Sally became a doctor. (22b) George is in the garden.(22c) Sue seems unhappy.

• An intensive verb: 1.an intensive verb sometimes referred to as relational, linking, or copular 2.belongs to a small group which include verbs like, be (most commonly), seem, appear, become, look and so on. 3.what these verbs have in common is that what follows the verb in a sentence relates back to what precedes the verb. (i.e. the noun-phrase subject).

•Think of your own intensive verb in a sentence.

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Intensive Verb

• In each of what the above examples what is given after the verb relates back to the subjects, describing their states. • The bit that comes after the verb functions as the SUBJECT COMPLEMENT. Short hand version sC. (22a) Sally became a doctor.

(22b) George is in the garden.

(22c) Sue seems unhappy.

S P sC

S P sC

S P sC

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Intensive Verb

• As seen, the above examples the function is the same. But what about the from?

(22a) Sally became a doctor.

(22b) George is in the garden.

(22c) Sue seems unhappy.

S P sC

S P sC

S P sC

(22a) Sally became a doctor. NP(22b) George is in the garden. PP(22c) Sue seems unhappy.

AP

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Intensive Verb

• An intensive verb requires a sC. • (23a) * Sally became

(23b) * George is(23c) * Sue seems

• Only intensive verbs can appear with just the category AP. The verb be is the only intensive verb which can appear with any of the categories at (22) (i.e. NP, PP, AP). For example:

(24a) Sally is a doctor. (NP)(24b) Sally is in the garden. (PP)(24c) Sally is unhappy. (AP)

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Intensive Verb

• Only intensive verbs can appear with just the category AP. The verb be is the only intensive verb which can appear with any of the categories at (22) (i.e. NP, PP, AP). For example:

(24a) Sally is a doctor. (NP)(24b) Sally is in the garden. (PP)(24c) Sally is unhappy. (AP)

• and we can have: (25a) Sally became a doctor. (NP)(25b) Sally became unhappy. (AP)

• but not: (26a) * Sally became in the garden. (PP)

• or (26b) * Sally seems in the garden. (PP)

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Intensive Verb

• The tree diagrams for the examples at (22) are quite straightforward.

(27a) (27b)

(27c)

doctor

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Intensive Verb• In terms of function the sentence patters are •same.•

(28a) Sally became a doctor.

(28b) George is in the garden.

(28c) Sue seems unhappy.

S P sC

S P sC

S P sC

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Complex – transitive VerbExample:

(29a) The voters elected Mary president.

(29b) Kate thought John a fool.

• A complex – transitive verb: 1.a complex – transitive verb is the type of verb the complement relates to the object, no the subject. 2.the compliment is therefore an OBJECT COMPLIMENT and the shorthand version is oC. 3. with this type of verb, two elements are obligatory to complete the verb phrase, in the above cases, two noun phrases.

•Think of your own complex – transitive verb in a sentence.

S P dO oC

S P dO oC

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Complex – transitive Verb

• The tree diagram for this sentence is:

(29b) Kate thought John a fool.

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Complex – transitive Verb

• Some verbs can belong to more than one verb class. Elected, for instance, can also be classified as a transitive verb:

(29a) The voters elected Mary president.

(31) The voters elected Mary.

S P dO oC

S P dO

• The oC can be any of the 3 categories:

1.NP as in The voters elected Mary president. 2.PP as in Carol put the car in the garage. 3.AP as in John mad Kate angry.

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Prepositional Verb

Example:

(40a) Sally leant on the table.

(40b) * Sally leant

• A prepositional verb: 1.a prepositional verb is one which requires a prepositional phrase in order to be complete. 2.verbs like glance, lean, refer, fall into this class. 3.in fact they are so closely linked with a preposition that it is easy to think of them as verbs consisting of two parts, as in glance at, lean on, refer to.

•Think of your own prepositional verb in a sentence.

S P pO