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 | |
0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | take | take |
1 | + | – | – | – | – | – | take | do not take |
2 | – | + | – | – | – | – | take | took |
3 | + | + | – | – | – | – | take | did not take |
4 | – | – | + | – | – | – | take | will take |
5 | + | – | + | – | – | – | take | will not take |
6 | – | + | + | – | – | – | take | would take |
7 | + | + | + | – | – | – | take | would not take |
8 | – | – | – | + | – | – | take | have taken |
9 | + | – | – | + | – | – | take | have not taken |
10 | – | + | – | + | – | – | take | had taken |
11 | + | + | – | + | – | – | take | had not taken |
12 | – | – | + | + | – | – | take | will have taken |
13 | + | – | + | + | – | – | take | will not have taken |
14 | – | + | + | + | – | – | take | would have taken |
15 | + | + | + | + | – | – | take | would not have taken |
16 | – | – | – | – | + | – | take | is taking |
17 | + | – | – | – | + | – | take | is not taking |
18 | – | + | – | – | + | – | take | was taking |
19 | + | + | – | – | + | – | take | was not taking |
20 | – | – | + | – | + | – | take | will be taking |
21 | + | – | + | – | + | – | take | will not be taking |
22 | – | + | + | – | + | – | take | would be taking |
23 | + | + | + | – | + | – | take | would not be taking |
24 | – | – | – | + | + | – | take | have been taking |
25 | + | – | – | + | + | – | take | have not been taking |
26 | – | + | – | + | + | – | take | had been taking |
27 | + | + | – | + | + | – | take | had not been taking |
28 | – | – | + | + | + | – | take | will have been taking |
29 | + | – | + | + | + | – | take | will not have been taking |
30 | – | + | + | + | + | – | take | would have been taking |
31 | + | + | + | + | + | – | take | would not have been taking |
32 | – | – | – | – | – | + | take | is taken |
33 | + | – | – | – | – | + | take | is not taken |
34 | – | + | – | – | – | + | take | was taken |
35 | + | + | – | – | – | + | take | was not taken |
36 | – | – | + | – | – | + | take | will be taken |
37 | + | – | + | – | – | + | take | will not be taken |
38 | – | + | + | – | – | + | take | would be taken |
39 | + | + | + | – | – | + | take | would not be taken |
40 | – | – | – | + | – | + | take | have been taken |
41 | + | – | – | + | – | + | take | have not been taken |
42 | – | + | – | + | – | + | take | had been taken |
43 | + | + | – | + | – | + | take | had not been taken |
44 | – | – | + | + | – | + | take | will have been taken |
45 | + | – | + | + | – | + | take | will not have been taken |
46 | – | + | + | + | – | + | take | would have been taken |
47 | + | + | + | + | – | + | take | would not have been taken |
48 | – | – | – | – | + | + | take | is being taken |
49 | + | – | – | – | + | + | take | is not being taken |
50 | – | + | – | – | + | + | take | was being taken |
51 | + | + | – | – | + | + | take | was not being taken |
52 | – | – | + | – | + | + | take | will be being taken |
53 | + | – | + | – | + | + | take | will not be being taken |
54 | – | + | + | – | + | + | take | would be being taken |
55 | + | + | + | – | + | + | take | would not be being taken |
56 | – | – | – | + | + | + | take | have been being taken |
57 | + | – | – | + | + | + | take | have not been being taken |
58 | – | + | – | + | + | + | take | had been being taken |
59 | + | + | – | + | + | + | take | had not been being taken |
60 | – | – | + | + | + | + | take | will have been being taken |
61 | + | – | + | + | + | + | take | will not have been being taken |
62 | – | + | + | + | + | + | take | would have been being taken |
63 | + | + | + | + | + | + | take | 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