Unit 1. The verb. General classification

In this unit you are:

• to learn the following terms:

Verb Simple verb Derivative verb Compound verb Composite verb Terminative verb Durative verbs Actional verbs

Statal (stative) verbs Transitive verbs Intransitive verbs Notional verbs Functional verbs Link verbs Auxiliary verbs

• to be able to:

1) to classify verbs according to their morphological composition;

2) to identify its main grammatical categories;

3) to differentiate between functional and notional verbs;

4) to use statal and dynamic verbs.

Part a. Theoretical Material

The Verb. The Morphological Composition

Most verbs denote actions or states.

According to their morphological composition verbs can be divided into simple, derivative, compound, and composite (phrasal verbs).

Simple verbs consist of only one root morpheme: ask, build, go.

Derivative verbs are composed of one root morpheme and one or more derivational morphemes (prefixes and suffixes). The main verb forming suffixes are: -ate, -en, -fy, -ize as in: organize, justify, blacken, decorate. The most widely spread prefixes are: de-, dis-, mis-, re, un-, as in: decompose, dislike, misunderstand, rewrite, and unpack.

Compound verbs consist of at least two stems: overgrow, undertake.

Phrasal verbs consist of verbal stem and a particle. Particles change the meaning of the verb with which they are associated. Thus there are phrasal verbs whose meaning is different from the meaning of their components:

e.g. to give up – to give in to do up – to do away to put up with – to put out

There are other phrasal verbs in which the original meaning is preserved: to stand up, to sit down, to come in, to take off, to put on.

Classifications of the Verb

1. Verbs are words denoting actions, e.G. To play, to write, or state, e.G. To suffer, to stand. Semantically, all verbs can be divided into two groups – terminative and durative verbs.

Terminative (предельные) verbs have a final aim in view. These are such verbs as sit down, come, fall, stop, open, close, shut, begin, recognize, refuse, find, etc.

Durative (непредельные) verbs imply that the actions expressed by these verbs may go on indefinitely. These are such verbs as run, carry, stand, sit, sleep, know, live, suppose, talk, speak, etc.

But as most verbs in English may be polysemantic they may be terminative in one meaning and durative in another. Here belong such verbs as see, hear, know, write, read, translate.

Compare: Can you read? (durative) − He longed to read his stories to Ruth. (terminative)

I’ll see you to the door. (terminative) – Can you see well? (durative)

2. English verbs can be classified from the semantic and the syntactic point of view.

From the semantic point of view, verbs can be divided into the following classes: actional verbs, which denote actions proper (do, go make, write, etc.) and statal verbs, which denote state (be, exist, lie, sit, stand, know etc.) or relations (belong, fit, match, have, cost, etc.). It is very important to know that statal and relational verbs have no passive voice and generally are not used in the continuous and perfect continuous tenses.

From the syntactic point of view verbs may be subdivided into transitive (переходные) and intransitive (непереходные) ones.

Transitive verbs can take a direct object, i.e. they express an action which passes on to a person or a thing directly. These are such verbs as give, take, send, make, see, show, bring, love, etc. Transitive verbs may be followed:

a) by one direct object: Jane is helping her sister;

b) by a direct and an indirect objects: Jane gave her sister an apple (her sister is an indirect object, an apple is a direct object);

c) by a prepositional object: Jane looks after her sister.