English grammar 2
Verbs as a part of speech in English
Parts of speech in English
• Part of speech = woordsoort
• 10 different parts of speech divided in 2 groups:
- Open parts of speech → new words are added on a regular basis
o Adjectives
o Verbs
o Adverbs
o Nouns
- Closed parts of speech → no new words are added
o Interjections
o Conjunctions
o Determiners
o Quantifiers
o Prepositions
o Pronouns
Verbs as a part of speech
• Verbs are an open part of speech
• Criteria to look at verbs:
- Auxiliary verbs vs main verbs
- Regular verbs vs irregular verbs
- Verbs that have an object vs verbs that have no object
- Etc.
Verb types
• (In)dependent use
- Most verbs can be used on their own = independently
- Some verbs have to be used with other verbs = dependently
- Some verbs can be used dependently and independently
• (Ir)regularity
- Most verbs are regular → they form their (past) forms in regular ways
- A minority of verbs are irregular → they form their (past) forms in irregular ways
- Some verbs can be used regular and irregular, depending on the context
- When new words are added (open part of speech), they are usually regular
• Object vs no object = transitive vs intransitive
- Verbs that are incapable of having an object = intransitive verbs
- Verbs that have 1 object = monotransitive verbs
- Verbs that have 2 objects = ditransitive
- Verbs that have 1 object and an object complement = complex transitive verbs
- Depending on the context, verbs can have objects or not
- Copular verbs are always intransitive
• Verb components
- Verbs that consist of only 1 element = one-word verbs
, - Verbs that consist of more than 1 element = multi-word verbs
- Examples of verb components: to look up, to make out
Verbs and their links with other parts of speech
• Verbs show clear links with other parts of speech:
- Adverbs
- Nouns
- Pronouns
- Prepositions
- Etc.
Verbs – Tenses
Tense system
Present Past Future
Simple Present simple Past simple Future simple
➔ Write/writes ➔ Wrote ➔ Will write
Continuous Present continuous Past continuous Future continuous
➔ Am/are/is ➔ Was/were ➔ Will be
writing writing writing
Perfect Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
➔ Have/has ➔ Had ➔ Will have
written written written
Perfect Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
continuous continuous continuous continuous
➔ Have/has ➔ Had been ➔ Will have
been writing writing been
writing
Use of the present tenses
Use of the present simple
• General truths and facts
• Repeated events/actions
• Series of events/actions
• Other uses
- Narrative device
- Formal speech/writing
- Future reference
Verbs as a part of speech in English
Parts of speech in English
• Part of speech = woordsoort
• 10 different parts of speech divided in 2 groups:
- Open parts of speech → new words are added on a regular basis
o Adjectives
o Verbs
o Adverbs
o Nouns
- Closed parts of speech → no new words are added
o Interjections
o Conjunctions
o Determiners
o Quantifiers
o Prepositions
o Pronouns
Verbs as a part of speech
• Verbs are an open part of speech
• Criteria to look at verbs:
- Auxiliary verbs vs main verbs
- Regular verbs vs irregular verbs
- Verbs that have an object vs verbs that have no object
- Etc.
Verb types
• (In)dependent use
- Most verbs can be used on their own = independently
- Some verbs have to be used with other verbs = dependently
- Some verbs can be used dependently and independently
• (Ir)regularity
- Most verbs are regular → they form their (past) forms in regular ways
- A minority of verbs are irregular → they form their (past) forms in irregular ways
- Some verbs can be used regular and irregular, depending on the context
- When new words are added (open part of speech), they are usually regular
• Object vs no object = transitive vs intransitive
- Verbs that are incapable of having an object = intransitive verbs
- Verbs that have 1 object = monotransitive verbs
- Verbs that have 2 objects = ditransitive
- Verbs that have 1 object and an object complement = complex transitive verbs
- Depending on the context, verbs can have objects or not
- Copular verbs are always intransitive
• Verb components
- Verbs that consist of only 1 element = one-word verbs
, - Verbs that consist of more than 1 element = multi-word verbs
- Examples of verb components: to look up, to make out
Verbs and their links with other parts of speech
• Verbs show clear links with other parts of speech:
- Adverbs
- Nouns
- Pronouns
- Prepositions
- Etc.
Verbs – Tenses
Tense system
Present Past Future
Simple Present simple Past simple Future simple
➔ Write/writes ➔ Wrote ➔ Will write
Continuous Present continuous Past continuous Future continuous
➔ Am/are/is ➔ Was/were ➔ Will be
writing writing writing
Perfect Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
➔ Have/has ➔ Had ➔ Will have
written written written
Perfect Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect
continuous continuous continuous continuous
➔ Have/has ➔ Had been ➔ Will have
been writing writing been
writing
Use of the present tenses
Use of the present simple
• General truths and facts
• Repeated events/actions
• Series of events/actions
• Other uses
- Narrative device
- Formal speech/writing
- Future reference
