Verb Phrases (VP)

This chapter discusses verb phrases. A verb phrase functions as a predicate in a sentence or dependent clause. A verb phrase comprises a complete verb, its adverbial modifiers, and any complement(s) required by the verb. There are hundreds of verb complementation patterns in English, the most common involving copular be (the most common main verb in English), which takes a nominal, adjectival, or adverbial subject complement. Also common are verbs whose complement includes a noun phrase or other nominal functioning as a direct object; such verbs are transitive and may be arranged in active or passive voice. Quotative verbs (e.g. say, whisper, tell ) take reported speech as a complement. Phrasal verbs comprise a verb and, at a minimum, one particle; the particle is a word that might otherwise function as a preposition (e.g. beat up ; look down on ). Together, the verb-and-particle combination forms an idiom whose meaning is not simply the sum of its parts. There are thousands of phrasal verbs in English.