Different classifications of the Verb

Since every verb is a word and, hence, a linguistic sing, it may be considered in terms of meaning, form & function, or a combination of these.

Semantic classifications

From the point of view of their meaning all the verbs are classed by M.Y Bloch into verbs of full nominative value (notional) & verbs of partial nominative value (semi-notional & functional; modal, verbid introducers, auxiliary, link-verbs). Notional verbs are further subdivided into 4 classes:

• Actional & statal verbs (act, make, read – be, live, worry); the foundation of this division is ‘the character of the process”.

• Verbs of physical & mental processes (see, hear – think, believe); the foundation of this division is ‘the mode of existence”.

• Limitive & unlimitive verbs. Limitive verbs show the process as potentially limited (arrive, come, leave, find etc.), while unlimitive verbs present the process as unlimited by any border point (move, continue, live, work etc.). The foundation of this division of verbs is their ‘aspective character”. It is important to note that in the existing grammar books these subclasses are termed terminative (предельные) verbs & non-ternimative, or durative, or cursive (непредельные) verbs. Along with two aspective subclasses of verbs, some authors also recognize a third subclass. These are verbs of double aspective nature, capable of expressing either meaning depending on the context (Иванова): She looked at me & threw me a kiss (terminative) – She sat in front of me & looked at me intently all the way home (non-terminative).

• Transitive & intransitive verbs. Transitivity is the ability of the verb to take a direct object, which is immediately affected by the denoted process, e.g. to write a letter (transitive), but to live in Moscow (intransitive). Hence, some linguists call such verbs objective as opposed to subjective, which do not have such ability. The foundation of such division is the lexical-grammatical, namely lexical-syntactic character of the verb (Смирницкий).

We have seen that semantic characteristics of the verb intermingle with its functional (syntactic) characteristics & sometimes can be defined only through the latter (actional-statal, limitive-unlimitive, transitive-intransitive verbs). However, we group these classifications under the heading ‘semantic’ as all of the above features are inherent in the lexical semantics of the verbs & are only realized through syntax. It is semantics that is the basis of classification in the above cases.

Formal (morphological) classifications

The formal approach is concerned with the study of the morphological characteristics of the verb. The English verb can boast (have) the most complicated system of morphological categories expressed both syntactically (by inflections, vowel / consonant change, suppletion, etc.) & analytically.

Judging by the form, on the upper level of classification most linguists recognize two big classes of verbs:

• Regular verbs & irregular verbs, i.e. standard & non-standard verbs. Regular verbs are those which form the past tense & past participle with the help of suffix –d/ed (live-lived, work-worked). Irregular verbs form the past tense & past participle by other means (take-took-taken, make-made, am-is-are, etc.). Further subdivision of regular & irregular verbs were attempted.

Thus Smirnitsky distinguished as many as 22 classes of verbs: one class of regular verbs as opposed to 21 classes of irregular verbs.

On the basis of past tense & past participle formation H. Sweet recognized 4 classes of verbs: consonantal (look-looked), vocalic (write-wrote-written), mixed (show-showed-shown) and anomalous (can, will, need, be, etc).

Further analysis of morphological characteristics of the verb, namely its paradigmatic relations, helped linguists recognize seven morphological categories. These categories are tense, mood, person, number, voice, aspect & phase. It is important to note that all of these categories are syntactically oriented, because they are manifested in the sentence & thus may be called morphosyntactic categories.

Though opinions differ regarding exact definitions, grammatical meaning, & means of expression of the above categories, their existence in the paradigm of the Modern English verb is recognized by the majority of scholars. Now let’s mention the functional classification of English verbs.