Present Day English How we use and label verbs

Principal Parts of PDE Verbs Verbs in all Germanic languages have few inflections ( except “to be”) –all English verbs have 4 principal parts simple present indicative “ walk” simple past indicative “walked” present participle “walking” past participle “(have) walked” –sample irregular: “lie, lay, lying, (have) lain”

PDE Verbs have Person and Number Three persons –first: I, we –second: [thou], you –third: he, she, it, they Two numbers –singular: I, [thou], you, he, she, it –plural: we, you, they

PDE Verbs have Mood Indicative –statements -- Jane walks the dog. Imperative –commands -- Walk the dog please, Jane! Subjunctive –wishes, prayers, curses -- I wish Jane would walk the dog -- God bless the dog -- Damn that dog! Interogative –questions -- Does Jane walk the dog?

PDE Verbs have Voice In active voice, the subject performs the action of the active verb on the direct object. –John doctored the sick cat. In passive voice, the subject receives the action of the active verb, but the performer of that action need not be named. –Dinner was cooked by my grandmother. –That ink bottle was broken all over the couch.

PDE Verbs haveTense/Aspect: present Simple present: walk, walks Emphatic present: do walk –this is used often in interrogative sentences Present progressive: am/are/is walking –progressive tenses may also indicate ongoing action Present perfect: have/has walked –this indicates “just completed this minute” action, or action completed just before a present action. Present perfect progressive: have/has been walking In OE, all these were fulfilled by one single simple present tense.

PDE Verbs haveTense/Aspect: past Simple past: walked Emphatic past: did walk Past progressive: was/were walking Past perfect: had walked –this indicates an action completed before another action completed in the past: She had done the dishes before she went off to the film. Past perfect progressive: had been walking OE has one simple past tense!

PDE Verbs have Aspect: future Simple future: will walk Future progressive: will be walking –ongoing future action Future perfect: will have walked –a future action that will be completed before another future action: I will have graded 1000 essays before the end of the term. Future perfect progressive: will have been walking OE had no future tense at all. Future was indicated with an adverb of time: “I drive the sheep tomorrow” literally.

Be & Linking verbs vs. Action verbs Be and Linking verbs link the subject to a noun or an adjective in the preposition. –He is my doctor / Amy seems pleased Action verbs describe an action taken by the subject –Peter wrote the essay.

(In)Transitive verbs in PDE A transitive verb is able to take a direct object (a receiver of the action of the verb) –Patricia ate the hamburger. An intransitive verb is never able to take an object. –The baby slept fitfully. Some verbs have both transitive and intransitive meanings. –The baby seldom cried. –The baby cried “Mama.”