Verb Phrases

The verb phrase in English has the following forms:

1) a main verb:

 

	Verb
We I Everybody We	are like saw. laughed.	here. it the accident

 
The verb may be in the present tense (are, like) or the past tense (saw, laughed). A verb phrase with only a main verb expresses simple aspect

2) an auxiliary verb (“be”) and a main verb in –ing form:

 

	Auxiliary “be”	Verb (-ing)
Everybody We	is were	watching laughing

 

A verb phrase with “be” and –ing expresses continuous aspect.

3) an auxiliary verb (“have”) and a main verb with past participle:

 

	Auxillary “have”	Verb (past participle)
They Everybody He	have has had	enjoyed worked finished	themselves. hard. work.

 
A verb with “have” and the past participle expresses perfect aspect. A verb with have/has expresses present perfect, and a verb with had expresses past perfect.

4) an auxiliary verb (“have” + “been”) and a main verb in the –ing form:

 

	Auxiliary “have” + “been”	Verb (-ing)
Everybody He	has been had been	working singing	hard

 

A verb with “have” and “been” and the present participle expresses perfect continuous aspect. A verb with have/has expresses present perfect continuous, and a verb with had expresses past perfect continuous.

5) a modal verb (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) and a main verb:

 

	Modal Verb	Main verb
They He	will might	come. come.

 

 

6) We can use modal verbs with the auxiliaries “be“, “have“, and “have been“:

 

	Modal	Auxiliary	Verb
They He She	will might must	be have have been	listening arrived listening