Grammar Lesson: Full Verbs
Introduction
Full verbs are
words that express an action or a state of being, such as admit,
build, choose, write. They are different from modal verbs
like can and will, which are function words that modify the
meaning of other verbs. The primary verbs be, have, and do
can act as both full verbs and auxiliaries (helping verbs). Full verbs are the
main part of the clause and they can change their form to show different
meanings. In this grammar lesson, we will look at the morphological, syntactic,
and semantic features of full verbs.
Morphological features
Morphology
is the study of how words are formed. Full verbs can have different forms to
indicate tense (present and past), aspect (perfect, progressive),
and voice (active and passive). For example, the verb lexeme write
has five forms:
|
Form |
Example |
|
base |
They write about their family. |
|
third person present (-s form) |
He writes page after page about tiny details. |
|
past tense |
They wrote about Venus being a jungle paradise. |
|
ed-participle (or past
participle) |
He has written to an old journalist friend. |
|
ing-participle (or
present participle) |
I wonder if you are writing any more songs. |
Some
full verbs have a complex form with more than one morpheme. These are called
multi-word verbs or derived verbs. For example:
- bring up
- rely on
- look forward to
- hyphenate
- itemise
- soften
Syntactic features
Syntax
is the study of how words are arranged in sentences. Full verbs can occur on
their own, as a single-word verb phrase acting as the main part of the clause.
For example:
- He [writes] page after
page about tiny details.
Full
verbs can also occur in the final or main verb position of verb
phrases. For example:
- He [has written] a
letter.
- He [will be writing]
tomorrow.
Semantic features
Semantics
is the study of what words mean. Full verbs denote actions, processes, and
states of affairs that happen or exist in time. They also define the role of
human and non-human participants in such actions, processes, or states. For
example:
- [You] [ate] [Chinese
food].
In
this example, ate expresses the action performed by you on
the Chinese food.
Conclusion
Full verbs are powerful words that convey what happens or
exists in the world. They can adapt to different situations by changing their
form, position, and meaning. They are not just simple words, but complex
structures that interact with other elements in the sentence. Full verbs are
essential for expressing yourself clearly and effectively in English.
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