Download Lesson #4: Other inflections on verbs

Lesson #4: More on verbs
Operators; negation; a slightly
expanded definition of verb phrase;
yes/no questions; the subject of the
verb.
Negation
Negation is an important process to understand.
Any verb can be made negative.
Examples:
I am teaching. > I am not teaching.
He is the President. > He is not the President.
You will be given a ride. > You will not be given a ride.
He likes long boat rides. > He does not like long boat
rides.
Operators
To understand how negation works, we
first must understand operators.
Finding the Operator
• An operator is a part of a verb phrase.
In a verb phrase with more than one verb (e.g. with an auxiliary) the
operator is the first verb on the left. I can understand operators.
In a verb phrase with just one lexical verb (and no auxiliaries), in
which the lexical verb is formed with “be”, the operator is the
lexical verb. Operators are part of the verb phrase.
In a verb phrase with just one lexical verb formed with a verb other
than “be,” there is no operator. The operator is formed by adding
a form of “do.”
Examples of Operators
• All whales are mammals. (only a lexical verb,a form of BE)
• The whales are playing in the shallows. (a verb phrase with
more than one verb)
• The whales have been playing for hours. (a verb phrase with
more than one verb)
• Whales will suckle their young for years. (a verb phrase with
more than one verb)
• The whales play in the sunlight. (only a lexical verb,not a form of
BE >>>no operator)
The Basic Negative Rule
English verb phrases are made negative
by adding the word “not” AFTER the
operator in the verb phrase. If there is
no operator (as in the case of a single
lexical verb that is not a form of BE), we
have to create an operator using a form
of “do.”
Negations with Operators
•
•
•
•
•
•
The whale was swimming along. >>
The whale was not swimming along.
The whale is a blue whale.>>
The whale is not a blue whale.
The whale has fed its calf. >>
The whale has not fed its calf.
Negation without Operators
Whales mature slowly.
1.
2.
3.
There is no operator because there is just a single lexical verb
that is not a form of BE.
AN OPERATOR MUST BE CREATED. Create an operator
by inserting a form of the verb “do” in front of the verb. The
form of “do” must be the same person, number, and tense as
the lexical verb. Example:
Whales do mature slowly.
Check to be sure that the lexical verb is in the base form (since
the person,number, tense are only carried on the first verb in the phrase)
4.
Add the word “not” after the newly formed operator. Example:
Whales do not mature slowly.
Before We Go On
A student wrote: Christopher doesn’t gets jokes.
There are many ways to mark this:
Neg = problem with negative.
Vb = problem with verb form.
But as we have discussed -- just marking isn’t enough.
Discuss with a partner: what does this student need to learn?
Another Grammar Error
• Another student wrote: The people
don’t are happy with the ceasefire.
What do you think has happened in this
sentence? What does the student
need to understand about the negative?
How might you go about sorting this
out?
Revising the Definition of Verb
Phrase
This is the definition we started with:
A verb phrase is a group of words that consists of a
lexical verb and all its auxiliaries if there are any. If
there are any adverbs between the lexical verb and
the auxiliaries, they are part of the verb phrase.
A revised definition
• A verb phrase is a group of words that
consists of a lexical verb and all its auxiliaries
if there are any. If there are any adverbs
between the lexical verb and the auxiliaries,
they are part of the verb phrase. Features of
the negative are also part of the verb phrase.
EXAMPLE: Whales are not fish.
More on Operators
You can use an operator to find the
subject of the verb.
The subject can be found by making a
yes/no question with an operator.
Yes/No Questions
• Yes/No Questions are questions that
can be answered with either a “yes” or a
“no.”
Are whales mammals? Yes.
Do you like whales? Yes.
Are those whales playing? No.
Making a Yes/No Question
• Start with a clause:
Whales are mammals.
You like whales.
Those whales are playing.
• Move the operator before the subject. If
there is no operator, make one using
“do” (just as you did for negatives). Add
a question mark.
EXAMPLES:
Are whales mammals?
Do you like whales?
Are those whales playing?
The Subject and the Yes/No
Question
• The subject of the verb is the part of the
clause that comes AFTER the operator
and BEFORE the rest of the verb
phrase in a question (if there is more
verb phrase).
Are whales mammals?
Do you like whales?
Are those whales playing?
An ESL Exercise
Directions: Look at these samples of student writing. There are problems
with s-v agreement, verb phrase structure AND question formation.
Analyze these sentences to determine what the problems are.
1. Does he needs a car inspection?
2. Do your credit card have an expiration date?
3. Does you and your cousin wants lunch this
Saturday?
4. Does you watch TV?
5. Does he wakes up early?
6. Does your parents live with you?