Grammar in EAP
Verbs and Verbal Groups: Exercise
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“.
Complete the table by adding the missing finite Verbal Groups.
Negative: +(do) not
Past: +ed
Modal: +M
Phase: have +en
Aspect: be +ing
Voice: be +en
Lexical Verb:VERB
| Negative ± |
Past ± |
Modal ± |
Phase ± |
Aspect ± |
Voice ± |
Lexical VERB + |
Verbal Group | |
| 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | write | write |
| 1 | + | – | – | – | – | – | write | do not write |
| 2 | – | + | – | – | – | – | write | wrote |
| 3 | + | + | – | – | – | – | write | |
| 4 | – | – | + | – | – | – | write | will write |
| 5 | + | – | + | – | – | – | write | will not write |
| 6 | – | + | + | – | – | – | write | |
| 7 | + | + | + | – | – | – | write | would not write |
| 8 | – | – | – | + | – | – | write | have written |
| 9 | + | – | – | + | – | – | write | |
| 10 | – | + | – | + | – | – | write | had written |
| 11 | + | + | – | + | – | – | write | had not written |
| 12 | – | – | + | + | – | – | write | will have written |
| 13 | + | – | + | + | – | – | write | |
| 14 | – | + | + | + | – | – | write | would have written |
| 15 | + | + | + | + | – | – | write | would not have written |
| 16 | – | – | – | – | + | – | write | is writing |
| 17 | + | – | – | – | + | – | write | |
| 18 | – | + | – | – | + | – | write | was writing |
| 19 | + | + | – | – | + | – | write | was not writing |
| 20 | – | – | + | – | + | – | write | will be writing |
| 21 | + | – | + | – | + | – | write | will not be writing |
| 22 | – | + | + | – | + | – | write | would be writing |
| 23 | + | + | + | – | + | – | write | |
| 24 | – | – | – | + | + | – | write | have been writing |
| 25 | + | – | – | + | + | – | write | have not been writing |
| 26 | – | + | – | + | + | – | write | had been writing |
| 27 | + | + | – | + | + | – | write | had not been writing |
| 28 | – | – | + | + | + | – | write | |
| 29 | + | – | + | + | + | – | write | will not have been writing |
| 30 | – | + | + | + | + | – | write | would have been writing |
| 31 | + | + | + | + | + | – | write | would not have been writing |
| 32 | – | – | – | – | – | + | write | |
| 33 | + | – | – | – | – | + | write | is not written |
| 34 | – | + | – | – | – | + | write | was written |
| 35 | + | + | – | – | – | + | write | |
| 36 | – | – | + | – | – | + | write | will be written |
| 37 | + | – | + | – | – | + | write | will not be written |
| 38 | – | + | + | – | – | + | write | would be written |
| 39 | + | + | + | – | – | + | write | would not be written |
| 40 | – | – | – | + | – | + | write | have been written |
| 41 | + | – | – | + | – | + | write | have not been written |
| 42 | – | + | – | + | – | + | write | |
| 43 | + | + | – | + | – | + | write | had not been written |
| 44 | – | – | + | + | – | + | write | will have been written |
| 45 | + | – | + | + | – | + | write | will not have been written |
| 46 | – | + | + | + | – | + | write | would have been written |
| 47 | + | + | + | + | – | + | write | would not have been written |
| 48 | – | – | – | – | + | + | write | is being written |
| 49 | + | – | – | – | + | + | write | |
| 50 | – | + | – | – | + | + | write | was being written |
| 51 | + | + | – | – | + | + | write | was not being written |
| 52 | – | – | + | – | + | + | write | will be being written |
| 53 | + | – | + | – | + | + | write | will not be being written |
| 54 | – | + | + | – | + | + | write | would be being written |
| 55 | + | + | + | – | + | + | write | would not be being written |
| 56 | – | – | – | + | + | + | write | |
| 57 | + | – | – | + | + | + | write | have not been being written |
| 58 | – | + | – | + | + | + | write | had been being written |
| 59 | + | + | – | + | + | + | write | |
| 60 | – | – | + | + | + | + | write | will have been being written |
| 61 | + | – | + | + | + | + | write | will not have been being written |
| 62 | – | + | + | + | + | + | write | would have been being written |
| 63 | + | + | + | + | + | + | write | would not have been being written |
± = 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
Try these exercises: Identifing Verbal Groups: Exercise & Correcting Verbal Group
Back to Grammar in EAP Exercises Verbs
