- •Lecture 4 topic: the verb
- •The verb : its general characteristics. The main verbal subdivisions.
- •4.1.1. General characteristics of the verb as a part of speech
- •4.1.2 The main verbal subdivisions
- •4.2.The main verbal properties: valency, transitivity, objectivity, predicativity.
- •4.3. The main verbal categories and oppositions.
- •The main verbal oppositions
- •4.4. The problem of the category of aspect. The Interrelation of the categories of tense and aspect
- •Interrelation between the category of aspect and the category of tense
- •The general characteristics of the verbal forms
- •4.5.General characteristics of the category of voice. The problem of the number of voices. Peculiarities of English passive constructions.
- •The opposition on the category of Voice
- •. ₪ The point to clarify:
- •5. Can all English verbs be characterized from the point of the category of Voice? The Problem of the Middle Voice
- •The main points of views towards the Middle Voice
- •4.6. The problem of the number of mood in English. The problem of the Imperative Mood. The problems of the Subjunctive Mood
- •Appendix 1 The general characteristics of the verbal forms
Interrelation between the category of aspect and the category of tense
Aspect tense
|
Indefinite |
Continuous |
Perfect |
Perfect Continuous |
Present |
- |
+ |
+ |
+ |
Past |
- |
+ |
+ |
+ |
Future |
- |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
Pure tense form |
The processual contents |
The processual limit |
The processual contents which leads to the processual limit |
The general characteristics of the verbal forms
№ |
CATEGORY |
VERBAL FORMS |
DESCRIPTION |
1. |
FINITUDE |
Finite
Non-finite |
characterized by all other categories
the Verbals (don’t have categorical characteristics) |
2. |
TENSE |
Present
Past
Future
|
the action takes places at the moment of speaking the action proceeds the moment of speaking
the action follows the moment of speaking
|
3. |
ASPECT |
Simple
Continuous
Perfect
Perfect Continuous |
—
The processual contents
The processual limit
The processual contents which leads to the processual meaning |
4. |
VOICE |
Active
Passive
|
|
5. |
MOOD |
Indicative
Imperative
Subjunctive
|
the action taken by the speaker as the real fact
the inducement to fulfilling some action taken by the speaker as not real but desirable.
The action taken by the speaker as supposed or possible. |
6. |
PERSON |
1 2 3 |
In most case the forms correspond to each other but the present forms (+past cont) where the 3rd person singular is characterised by obtaining either specific forms (am, is, has, was) or specific s(es) inflexions in the 3rd person singular. |
7. |
NUMBER |
Singular Plural |
Above |
4.5.General characteristics of the category of voice. The problem of the number of voices. Peculiarities of English passive constructions.
The Category of Voice is the verbal category which expresses the direction of the process as regards the participants of the situation reflected in the syntactic construction.
They distinguish the Active Voice and the Passive Voice. Some linguists find the grounds to distinguish the third voice as well the Middle Voice (verb+ reflective pronoun).
The Active Voice expresses the actions performed by the doer or source of the action. The forms of the Predicate clearly show that the action comes from the Subject.
The Passive Voice expressed the action directed to the person or objected presented by the Subject.
C.f. He told me a story.(действие направлено от подлежащего)
I was told a story. (действие направлено на подлежащее).