Verb Classification: Lexical vs Auxiliary

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Questions and Answers

Which type of verb is 'play'?

  • Primary (correct)
  • Modal
  • Auxiliary
  • Semi-auxiliary

How many forms do many English verbs typically have?

  • Four
  • Six
  • Five (correct)
  • Seven

What is the term used for the verbs 'put', 'puts', and 'putting' that have different forms?

  • Regular lexical verbs
  • Primary verbs
  • Defective auxiliaries
  • Irregular lexical verbs (correct)

Which category do verbs like 'could' and 'should' belong to?

<p>Modal (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of semantic relation do 'had better' and 'tend to' have in the verb phrase?

<p>Semi-auxiliary (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which form are modal auxiliaries defective in?

<p>Infinitive (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Types of Verbs

  • Verbs can be classified based on their function in the verb phrase, distinguishing between lexical verbs and auxiliary verbs.
  • Lexical verbs include primary verbs such as walk, write, play, beautify, etc.
  • Auxiliary verbs are a closed system and can be subdivided into primary and modal auxiliaries.

Auxiliary Verbs

  • Modal auxiliaries include can, may, shall, will, could, might, should, would, must, ought to, used to, need, and dare.
  • Some modals have different inflectional and syntactic behavior, and are referred to as 'marginal'.
  • Semi-auxiliaries include expressions like had better and tend to, which have a similar semantic relation in the verb phrase to the modals.

Verbal Forms

  • English verbs typically have five forms: base, -S form, past, -ing participle, and -ed participle.
  • Regular lexical verbs have the same -ed inflection for both the past tense and the -ed participle.
  • Irregular lexical verb forms vary from three (e.g., put, puts, putting) to eight (e.g., be, am, is, are, was, were, being, been).
  • Modal auxiliaries are defective, lacking infinitive, -ing participle, -ed participle, or imperative forms.

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