Chapter 4 Verbs
What are verbs:
Verbs show action or state, it also can show past or present tense. Past, present, future. A verb is a doing word, an action word. Verbs can express mental or physical action. There are several sub-categories of verbs
In medical terminology, many standard verbs are not often seen in standard English. Verbs like -edem (to swell) or -lysis (to break apart).
Subcategories of verbs
o Action verb: expresses a physical or mental action (walking)
o Intransitive verbs: does not act on a direct object, or it is done to someone or something (walk)
o Transitive verbs: requires more than one subject (like)
o Compounds: A compound verb is a single verb made up of more than one word, there are 4 kinds:
· Prepositional: always follow the preposition — to rely on/to bow out / as take after in
· Phrasal: made up out of more than one word to work out/to take away
· Verb with auxiliaries: verbs that add function to a meeting will be considering/was running
· Compound single-word verb: to babysit/to flyby
o Stative Verb: express a state rather than an action
Verb phrase: help a verb, they explain the verb’s tense, mood, and voice= The patient could eat. The patient wants to eat. The patient will eat.
Verb tense: tells you when (in time) a person did something: past, present, future
Paul went. Paul is going. Paul will go.
Subject-verb agreement: that the correct verb goes with the proper subject (conjugate correctly). This is difficult for the non-native English speaker (English is difficult), and there are pitfalls to avoid as well. Pitfalls not covered here.
A sentence is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate, which is a verb or verb phrase. It expresses a complete thought; so therefore, it is called an independent clause.
The subject is the star of the sentence, what or who the sentence is about. It can be a noun or a pronoun.
The predicate is the action, or what the subject is doing. It can also tell the subject’s state of being. It contains a verb, verb phrase, or linking verb. Simple sentence examples are: Sally ran. Jose slept.
Most verbs show action, like run, taste, fly, jump, crawl, or hit. Verbs link a word to the subject and are called linking verbs. These do not refer to an action, they express a state of being. For example: am, are, was, were, has been, etc. Other linking verbs are: seem, appear, become, taste, stay, and feel.
Some verbs can pull double duty and be active or linking depending on their use. Here is an example:
Active — Would you like to stay the night? Linking — I want you to stay sweet forever.
Active — I can taste the salt in this. Linking — This tastes gross.
Defining a Phrase
A phrase is a group of words that have a function in a sentence, but do not have a subject and verb. If it had a subject and a verb, it would be a clause.
Phrases can function in the sentence like nouns, adverbs, or adjectives.
Four of the main kinds of phrases are infinitive, participle, prepositional, and gerund. Here are definitions and examples.
Infinitive: These phrases start with an infinitive plus a simple form of a verb. They can act like a noun, adjective, or adverb. Here is an example: She wanted to show off her new dress. The whole phrase is what she wanted, so it is acting like a noun.
Participle — This phrase will act as an adjective and begins with a participle. A participle is an adjective that has been made from a verb, like talked or swimming. Here’s an example: We have to replace the window broken by the hail. The phrase modifies the noun “window”, so it is functioning like an adjective.
Prepositional — These phrases start with a preposition and have an object of that preposition. They function as adjectives or adverbs. Example: The plane will fly over the clouds. The phrase tells where the plane will fly, so it is acting like an adverb.
Gerund — These phrases act like a noun and start with a verb ending with an “ing”. They can be subjects or objects. An example is: Lying to the IRS is never a good idea. The phrase acts as the subject in this sentence.
