Thinking about inflections

1. Thinking about inflections How to find verb inflections (Part of Dick Hudson's web tutorial on Word Grammar)

2. Finding verbs • Verbs are most easily defined by their inflection: • If its lexeme can have a tense (past or present), it’s a verb. • So it’s a verb if • it is itself past or present • OR if its lexeme could be past or present.

3. … if it is itself past or present (1) He stood on the table. • stood must be a verb because it is past • Evidence: you can make it present, without changing anything else. • Try it! (2) What’s the matter? • ’s must be a verb because it’s present • Evidence: you can make it past.

4. … or if its lexeme could be past or present (3) He was standing on the table. • standing must be a verb because • its lexeme is STAND • STAND can be past or present (as in (1)). (4) He’s been very naughty. • been must be a verb because • its lexeme is BE • BE can be past or present (as in (2)).

5. Finding finite verbs Reminder: A finite verb is one which itself: • EITHER has a tense, • i.e. it is either present or past (run/runs, ran) • and could change tense without changing the rest of the sentence • OR is imperative • i.e. it’s a command, invitation, etc. (Run!) • its realized by the bare stem • (typically) its subject is ‘understood’ as you.

6. Why finiteness is important • A finite verb may be the only verb in a sentence. • A non-finite verb must be ‘supported’ by other verbs in the sentence. • i.e. it’s always ‘subordinate’ or ‘dependent’ (5) She is watching TV. • is is finite, and needs no support. • e.g. Yes, she is. • watching is non-finite, supported by is. • but not: *Yes, she watching.

7. Finite or non-finite? • The first verb in a sentence is typically finite, and later ones are often non-finite. (6) She hasbeen trying to understand. • But a verb ending in {ing} is always non-finite. (7) Understanding grammar maybe hard.

8. Classifying finite verbs • Remember: finite verbs are: • either tensed (e.g. They run. He runs. He ran.) • ending possible to show tense • next to a ‘subject’ noun • or imperative (e.g. Run!) • no ending • no ‘subject’ noun • ‘IMperative’ is abbreviated to ‘m’

9. Classifying tensed verbs • Remember: Tensed verbs are by default ‘present’ (e.g. run, are). • abbreviated as ‘t’ for ‘Tensed’. • But exceptionally they may be: • either ‘past’ (e.g. ran, was/were): ‘a’ • or ‘singular’ (e.g. runs, is): ‘s’ (8) Remember you said you think he likes you. V,m V,a V,t V,s

10. Classifying non-finite verbs • Remember: Non-finite verbs are always supported by some other word. • which is often relevant to the classification • Perfect (e.g. has been): ‘f’ • always supported by HAVE. • Infinitive (e.g. I want to be; I may be): ‘n’ • morphology: always the bare stem • often supported by to • or by a verb such as MAY or MUST

11. More non-finite verbs (9) I mustadmit I havetried to simplify. V,n V,f V,n • Gerunds (e.g. by working): ‘g’ • morphology: always contain {ing} • supported like a noun • Participles (e.g. people applying/selected): ‘p’ • supported like an adjective

12. Participles, active or passive • Participles are verbs ‘used like adjectives’. • By default, they: • contain {ing} • have their lexeme’s usual syntax. • But exceptionally, they are passive: ‘e’ • morphology: always the same as perfect, e.g. written • syntax: the normal ‘object’ is used as ‘subject’ • possibly with the normal ‘subject’ after by: (10) essays written by students studying grammar V,e V,p

13. Verb abbreviations summarised Mnemonic: Many students fear English participles (8) Remember you said you think he likes you. V,m V,a V,t V,s (11) I mustadmit I havesimplified by using examples .. V,n V,f V,g … containing few words and specially written. V,p V,e

14. Conclusions • Spotting inflections is complicated • you have to think about syntax as well as morphology • you have to think about the lexeme as well as the form. • But it gets easier with practice!