1. Main Verb Phrases
Traditional grammar categorizes verbs by tense, then equates tense with real world time
In reality, there are three grammatical concepts indicated in the main verb phrase
Tense, Modality, and Aspect

2. Main Verb Phrases
These concepts overlap real-world time, but are not the same thing
Why three categories?
The three categories occur as distinct forms
In other words, they are marked in three different ways in the main verb phrase

3. Main Verb Phrases
The Main Verb Phrase consists of the main verb, plus all the forms that show its tense, modality, and aspect
Tense
For our purposes, tense is a grammatical concept

4. Main Verb Phrases Tense determines the form of the verb
For historical reasons buried in the past, English is inflected for only two tenses: past and present
We show future, but in other ways

5. Main Verb Phrases Examples: “I walked my dog” (action in the past)
“I walk my dog every day” (indicates habitual action)
“Her plane leaves in three hours” (indicates future event)

6. Main Verb Phrases
“Then I say , then she says , they I say” ( indicates past event)
Tense must occur in a verb phrase serving as a predicate
A verb that exhibits tense is said to be finite

7. Main Verb Phrases
A verb that does not exhibit tense is said to be non-finite
This is also called the base form

8. Main Verb Phrases Modality
We also classify sentences in English according to purpose
Indicative – makes statements
“Polynesians ruled Hawaii until 1788”

9. Main Verb Phrases Interrogative – asks questions
“Why does cancer frustrate microbiologists?”
Imperative – gives commands
“Turn in your homework by noon on Friday”

10. Main Verb Phrases Conditional - indicates possibility
“Women athletes can compete against men in most sports”
Normally we make the conditional by adding certain words called modal auxiliaries
Page 195 of your book has the list – also on page 106

11. Main Verb Phrases
If a modal auxiliaries occurs, it is always at the beginning of the main verb phrase
Since they concern possibility, they have come to be associated with expressing futurity

12. Main Verb Phrases Aspect
Indicates that the action of a verb is either completed or continuing
Aspect occurs in two forms:
Perfect
Progressive

13. Main Verb Phrases Perfect Indicates completed action
It is indicated by the auxiliary HAVE followed by a PAST PARTICIPLE
Please note that HAVE = have, has, had, having (page 106)

14. Main Verb Phrases Examples:
“The astrologist had predicted an earthquake in May”
This is known as the PAST PERFECT
“Political relationships have unraveled on almost every continent”

15. Main Verb Phrases This is known as the PRESENT PERFECT
Note that both sentences refer to completed actions

16. Main Verb Phrases
Therefore, you must understand that the word “past” in PAST PARTICIPLE does not refer to real-world time, but only to the form of HAVE

17. Main Verb Phrases To construct the PAST PARTICIPLE
For regular verbs, add –ed
For some, add –n or –en
Driven
Some don’t change
Become - become

18. Main Verb Phrases Another way to think about it:
A PAST PARTICIPLE is the form of the verb that can follow HAVE

19. Main Verb Phrases Progressive Refers to continuing action
It is indicated by auxiliary BE followed by a PRESENT PARTICIPLE
BE = be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being (page 106)

20. Main Verb Phrases Examples: “John Travolta was dancing in Brooklyn”
This is known as the PAST PROGRESSIVE
“Beth is crying”
This is known as the PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

21. Main Verb Phrases
Again the words “past” and “present” refer only to tense form, not real-world time
The PRESENT PARTICIPLE is always -ing (no exceptions to this rule)

22. Main Verb Phrases Please note – don’t be fooled by form
“Princess Diana was charming”
Here, “charming” is an adjective
vs.
“The Pope was charming his American audience”
Here, “charming” is a PRESENT PARTICIPLE

23. Main Verb Phrases
Page 193 has a table listing the traditional names of English verb forms, along with examples of each
We will now use this table to diagram the 12 different traditional English verb forms