The compound verbal predicate

The compound verbal phasal predicate

The compound verbal phasal predicate denotes the beginning, duration, repetition or cessation of the action expressed by an infinitive or a gerund. It consists of a phasal verb and an infinitive or a gerund, Accordingly its first component may be a phasal verb of:

1.Beginning:

to begin, to start, to commence, to set about, to take to, to fall to, to come.

Andrew and he began to talk about the famous clinic.

Jack started training out at Hogan’s health farm.

2. Duration:

to go on, to keep, to proceed, to continue.

The talk kept running on the possibility of a storm.

As we continued to laugh his surprise gave way to annoyance.

3. Repetition:

would, used (denoting a repeated action in the past).

Alfredo used to talk to me about it.

During her small leisure hours she would sit by the window or walk in the fields.

4. Cessation:

to stop, to finish, to cease, to give up, to leave off.

The band had ceased playing.

Give up smoking.

The compound verbal modal predicate

The compound verbal modal predicate consists of a modal part and an infinitive (or a gerund).

The modal part may be expressed by:

1. A modal verb.

You must forget it.

He can’t say a word, he can’t even apologize.

2. A modal expression of nominal nature:

to be able, to be allowed, to be willing, to be going, to be anxious, etc.

You are going to attend the college at Harvard, they tell me.

Are you able to walk another two miles?

З. Аn attitudinal verb such as to like, to hate, to attempt, to expect, to hope, to intend, to mean, to plan, to try, to have a mind, to wish, to want followed by an infinitive denote the attitude of the person expressed by the subject to the action denoted by the infinitive.

The predicate of this type may be called a compound verbal attitudinal predicate.

He hoped to see them the next day.

I mean to find out the truth.

The compound verbal predicate

of double orientation

The compound verbal predicate of double orientation consists of two parts. The first part is a finite verb which denotes the attitude to, evaluation of, or comment on, the content of the sentence expressed by the speaker or somebody not mentioned in the sentence. The second part denotes the action which is (was/will be) performed by the person/non-person expressed by the subject.

Philip Bosinney was known to be a young man without fortune ———> They knew that Philip Bosinney was a young man without fortune.

He is said to be looking for a new job. (Говорят, что он ищет новую работу)

The Predicates belong to one of the following verb groups:

1. Intransitive verbs ofseeming orhappening with the general meaning of evaluation in the active voice:

to seem, to appear, to prove, to turn out, to happen, to chance.

He seemed to understand everything I said.

Money just doesn’t happen to interest me.

2. Some verbs in the passive voice:

a) Verbs of saying:

to say, to declare, to state, to report, to rumour.

This country is said to be rich in oil.

The rocket is reported to have started its night at 6.30.

b) Verbs of mental activity:

to believe, to consider, to expect, to find, to know, to mean, to presume, to regard, to suppose, to think, to understand

Mr. Sharp was always expected to say he preferred cold meat.

He has never been known to lose his temper before.

c) Verbs of perception:

to feel, to hear, to see, to watch.

My dog was heard to bark in the yard.

The lady was seen to leave the house.

3. Phrases with some modal meaning:

to be (un) likely, to be sure, to be certain.

The adjectives likely, unlikely, sure and certain indicate the speaker's attitude to the future:

The weather is not likely to change.

If you don’t post the letter at once, it is unlikely to arrive in time.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 1093