Auxiliary verbs are a subcategory of English verbs that provide additional semantic or syntactic information about the main verb in the verb phrase such as tense, aspect, modality, and voice. The seventeen auxiliary verbs in English grammar are have, be, do, nine modal verbs, and five quasi-modal verbs. Perfect Have The first auxiliary verb in […] More
Passives are words that express the passive voice. Passives function within verb phrases functioning as predicates. Only one grammatical form can perform the function of passive in English. The one grammatical form that can function as the passive is the verb. Only the verb be, sometimes referred to as the passive be, can function as […] More
Progressives are words that express the progressive aspect including the perfect-progressive aspect. Progressives function within verb phrases functioning as predicates. Only one grammatical form can perform the function of progressive in English. The one grammatical form that can function as the progressive is the verb. Only the verb be, sometimes referred to as the progressive […] More
A verb phrase is a phrase in which a verb functions as the head of the phrase plus any auxiliaries (modals, operators, perfects, progressives, passives), modifiers, complements, objects, particles, and determinatives. The six grammatical forms that appear within the internal structure of English verb phrases are: Auxiliary verbs P-words Prepositional phrases Verb phrases Adverb phrases […] More
Traditional grammars define verbs as words that “describe an action or a state of being.” Auxiliary verbs are a subclass of verbs that add functional or grammatical meaning to the main verb. Auxiliary verbs differ from prototypical verbs in that auxiliary verbs perform a limited set of grammatical functions. In grammar, a passive is a […] More
Traditional grammars define verbs as words that “describe an action or a state.” Auxiliary verbs are a subclass of verbs that add functional or grammatical meaning to the main verb. Auxiliary verbs differ from prototypical verbs in that auxiliary verbs perform a limited set of grammatical functions. In grammar, a progressive is a word that […] More
The English verb system is often considered the most complex system of the English language. The following sections list the five conjugations — base, simple present, simple past, present participle, past participle — of the three auxiliary and twenty most common verbs in English and list the nine full modal verbs and five quasi-modal verbs. […] More
English verbs and verb phrases perform four primary and six nominal functions within English grammar. Auxiliary verbs, however, differ from prototypical verbs in that auxiliary verbs perform a limited set of grammatical functions. The auxiliary verbs in English include the modal verbs and quasi-modal verbs, the do-operator, perfect have, progressive be, and passive be. The […] More
Irregular English verbs are verbs whose conjugations differ from the conjugation patterns of regular verbs. Many common English verbs are irregular in the simple past and the past participle. Irregular verbs are verbs in Germanic languages that express the simple past tense by means of changes to the stem vowel (ablaut). Irregular verbs are also referred […] More
Past participles, or -en participles, are a nonfinite verb form in English that perform verbal and adjectival functions. The following sections explain how to form past participles of irregular English verbs including anomalous and how to use past participles in English and include examples to illustrate form and function. Past participles are also referred to […] More
A predicate is defined as a word or phrase that expresses the action performed by the grammatical subject or the state of the grammatical subject. Within the predicate, individual verbs perform specific grammatical functions. The six grammatical functions performed by verbs within the predicate are: Predicate Progressive Perfect Passive Modal Operator The following sections explain […] More
