Verb Patterns

 

Verb Patterns

We can shew thi avoid

What is a Verb Pattern 2

Look at the following sentences

1. My brothers avoid meeting rangers.

2. My parents love entertaining friends.

3. The boys keep asking for sweets.

love

keep

(This means

The verb ho

represent as

This mean

ed with

Here are a

in cách

can fir

Senter

boyp

NP

No

In each of these sentences, there is a finite verb (avoid, love, keep), which is follow immediately by another verb in its-ing form(meeting, entertaining, asking). These three sentences have the same verb-pattern. The term verb pattern is wed describe the part of the sentence which follows the finite verb.

Let us see what happens when we choose a different verb, hope. We can say:

4. My brother hopes to meet the Governor.

But we cannot say:

5 My brother hopes meeting the Governor.

(The asterisk symbol used in front of a sentence indicates that the sentence is not

grammatically correct)

The verb hope cannot be followed by another verb in the -ing form, but it can be followed by verb in the infinitive form, used with to (e.g.. to meet) as in Sentence 4. We say, therefore, the verb hope selects a different verb pattern from the verbs avoid, love and keep. As

shall see, different verbs select different patterns.

We can use a kind of "short-hand" to show which verb-patterns are possible with a certain vet For example, the verb-patterns in Sentences 1,2 and 3(above) can be shown as Vs (whi means that the finite verb is followed by some other verb in the -ing form).

Patterns

we can show this as:

avoid

love

R

Y

keep

}

This means: the verbs avoid love, and keep can be followed by another verb in theme form The verb hope does not fit into this pattern, but it fits into a different pattern which we can represent as:

hope

This means: the verb hope can be followed by another verb in its infinitive form. used with to) Here are a few more sentences, in which different verb-pattems have been used.

6

I find eating ice-cream a great temptation

7 I find the boys eating ice-cream everyday.

8

I find that the boys are eating ice-cream everyday.

In each of these sentences, the finite verb is find. What are the verb-patterns into which this verb

can fit?

Sentence 6 has the pattern V. In Sentence 7, the verb find is followed by a noun phrase the boys), which is then followed by a second verb in the-ing form. This pattern can be shown by:

NP+Ving

Notice that both Sentences 6 and 7 contain Vs. The difference is that in Sentence 7, there is a noun-phrase between the two verbs. The presence of a noun-phrase, after the verb find, is tot "compulsory" - it is optional (in other words, a noun phrase may or may not be present in a sentence between the verb find and the following verb eating.

We show the optional elements in a verb-pattern by putting them in brackets. The verb-

pattern which is common to Sentences 6 and 7, therefore, can be shown as:(NP) V

Now look at Sentence 8. Here the verb find is followed by a subordinate noun clause, beginning with the word that (that the boys are eating ice-cream everyday). Sentence 8 has different verb-pattern, which we show simply as that clause.

The three different verb-patterns into which the verb find can fit may be shown a

find

ii. NP V

in, that clause

(This means: the verb find can be followed by a verb in the -ing form, or a noun-phrase by a verb in the -ing form; or it can be followed by a that clause.)

It is very important to know which verb patterns a particular verb can select, as many common grammatical errors made by learners of English are caused by the use of wrong patterns. A good "Learner's Dictionary of English.. such as the Oxford Advanced Dictionary will tell you which verb patterns are possible with each verb, and you should how to use the dictionary to get this information.

Activity 1: Look at the verbs listed below. They can all be used in the verb-patters V Make sentences with any five of them, using this pattern. A few of the verbs in this le also select verb-patterns with a "that" clause. Can you identify them? (Refer to dictionary if you are not sure of the answer.)

admit

avoid

deny

dislike

finish

imagine

delay

fancy

miss

practise

risk

suggest