3. The verb: subclassification of verbs

Morphological subclassification:

1. Simple (go, take)

2. Derived (befriend)

3. Compound (white-wash)

4. Phrasal (go on, have a smoke)

5. Regular (work)

Irregular (go)

Semantic subclassification:

1. of mental perception (know, forget)

2. denoting mental activities (think, note)

3. of physical perception (see, hear)

4. of physical perceptional activity (look, listen)

5. of ingression (begin, start)

6. of termination (finish, end)

7. of duration (continue, prolong)

8. terminative / dynamic (action is completed) (arrive, stop)

9. non- terminative /stative

(live, continue)

10. of lie

11. denoting fear

12. of motion (движение)

Functional classification

1. notional

a) actional (do, act)

b) statal (be, live)

c) processual (consider)

2. semi- notional

& functional

a) auxiliary (be, have)

b) modal

c) semi- notional verbid (non-finite verbs) (try, fail, manage)

d) link verbs (be, seem, appear, look, feel)

4. Structural syntax

In structural analyses the sentence is treated as a system, i.e. a complicated object which consists of some elements, united by certain synt. relations. The main notion of this analysis is the structure of the sentence (model, or pattern of a S.):

1) the structure is the abstract scheme of relations among lexical elements constituting a sentence;

2) it's an abstract pattern by which minimal free sentences or utterances are produced.

Basic (minimal, kernel) Sentence Structures

The Basic (minimal, kernel) Sentence Structure is a structure consisting only of obligatory elements.

Some pretty college girl of 17 enjoys doing what you call funny tricks. (girl enjoys tricks - obligatory)

Obligatory sentence elements are such the omission of which ruins the sentence structurally or semantically or both.

Optional sentence elements are such the omission of which doesn't ruin the sentence structurally or semantically.

There is no general agreement among linguists about which structures should be considered kernel and which not. Here are only 2 of the various classifications of basic sentence structures, one is by R. Quirk, the other by N.F. Irtenieva.

European tradition (R. Quirk):

Subject (S), Verb (V), Adverb (A), Complement (C), Object (0)

1. SVA: Mary is in the house.

2. SVC: Mary is kind; Mary is a nurse.

3. SVO: Somebody caught the hull.

4. SVOA: I put the plate on the table.

5. SVOC: We have proved him a fool (wrong).

6. SVOO: She gives me expensive presents.

7. SV: The child laughed.

American tradition (N.F. Irtenieva 1969):

Verbs of be-type, have-type, become-type, give-type, take-type, put-type, look-at-type;

Noun Phrase (NP), Verb (V), Attribute (A), Adverb (D), Preposition (prep).

1. NP V (is) A: The joke is funny.

2. NP V (is) NP: The man is an engineer.

3. NP V (is) prep.NP: This book is of interest.

4. NP V (is) D: Half the group is out.

5. NP V (have) NP: My nephew resembles his father.

6. NP V (become) A/NP: She turns white / We got tired of it\ my friend remained a pilot.

1. NP V (intr.) (D): I run (every morning).

8. NP V (take) NP (D): She took the tray off the table.

9. NP V (give) NP NP (D): She gave me the book.

10. NP V (put) NP D: The visitor put the stick in the corner.

1 I. NP V(lookat...)NP(D): You approved of the plan.

A complement is a word (words) added to a verb in order to complete the meaning of the verb.

The objective complement of a transitive verb is a substantive (noun) required to complete the meaning of that verb, it re-identifies the direct object (or acts as its equivalent) of the verb:

Ex. The President appointed Mr. White an associate justice.

The subjective complement (predicate noun or predicate adjective) completes the meaning of a linking verb and at the same time refers to the subject:

Ex.: A soldier is brave.