Daniel Kies Department of English College of DuPage
Modern English Grammar English 2126		Contact Form

The Verb

Note: Labels of the clause-level functions have changed. These pages use both

• the terminology of Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., and Svartvik, J. (1985) Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, Longman. (CGEL)

and

• the teminology of the most recent version of that grammar — Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., and Finegan, E. (2021) Grammar of Spoken and Written English, John Benjamins. (GSWE)

since many textbooks and school grammars currently use either one set of terminology or the other.

In these pages, I will place the GSWE labels in square brackets after the CGEL labels, as in subject complement [subject predicative] and SC [SP].

Mapping clause function labels between CGEL and GSWE
CGEL (1985)	GSWE (2021)
Subject[S]	Subject[S]
Verb[V]	Verb[V]
Direct object[DO]	Object	Direct object[DO]
Indirect object[IO]		Indirect object[IO]
Subject complement[SC]	Predicative	Subject predicative[SP]
Object complement[OC]		Object predicative[OP]
Adverbial[A]	Adverbial	Optional adverbial[OpA]
Adverbial complement[AC]		Obligatory adverbial[ObA]

Current work:   Days remaining this term: Notes: Add Note |  Log in? | Privacy | Change Name & Email Mail this page to a friend

The function of verb is the least ambiguous in English since only one category (the verb phrase) fills this function. Nonetheless, the verb is recognizable by a combination of formal and functional properties. These are form, position, agreement, tense, modality, aspect, and voice.

Form. The verb is composed of a main verb with or without auxiliaries.

Frank reads (V) quickly.

Frank must have been reading (V) quickly.

Position. The verb usually occurs after the subject in the indicative mood, around the subject in the interrogative mood, and at the beginning of the clause in the imperative mood.

Sandy fell (V) asleep. [indicative mood]

Did I win (V)? [interrogative mood]

Go (V) home! [imperative mood]

Agreement. The verb corresponds in number (singular or plural) with the subject in finite clauses.

Liz (S) works (V) hard. [singular, third person]

Emily and Liz (S) work (V) hard. [plural]

Tense. The verb of a finite clause is marked for tense (present or past).

Mike likes (V) Nintendo. [present]

Mike liked (V) Nintendo. [past]

Modality. The verb can be marked as predicating something other than simple fact (modal).

Paul might do (V) it. [modal]

Paul ought to do (V) it. [semi-modal]

Aspect. The verb can be marked as completing or continuing the process indicated by the main verb (perfect and/or progressive).

Paul has done (V) it. [perfect]

Paul is doing (V) it. [progressive]

Paul has been doing (V) it for a long time. [perfect and progressive]

Voice. The verb is marked for voice (active or passive).

Emily likes (V) Liz. [active voice]

Liz is liked (V) by Emily. [passive voice]

REFERENCES

Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., and Finegan, E. (2021). Grammar of Spoken and Written English. John Benjamins.

Curme, G. (1931). A Grammar of the English Language, 2 volumes. D. C. Heath and Company.

Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). Introduction to Functional Grammar, 2nd ed. Edward Arnold.

Quirk, R., S. Greenbaum, G. Leech, and J. Svartvik. (1985). A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. Longman.

^Take Note! | Table of Contents | Syllabus | eForum | Search

The HyperTextBooks | The English Main Page | College of DuPage