Structure of the VERB phrase

The structure of the verb phrase is: [Verb phrase] = [Conjugated verb] + [Verb complements] In unProfesor we explain it to you in detail and we give you examples,

Surely throughout your studies you always find yourself with the same dilemma: the verb phrase It is not explained in detail, unlike other phrases, such as the nominal, the adjectival, the adverbial or the prepositional. The verb phrase is included within the predicate, assuming that we all understand its structure and know how it works within a sentence.

In this lesson from a TEACHER we do not want to take anything for granted, but we want to explain the concepts to you from the beginning, so that you can better understand the difficulties of the Spanish language. That is why we have dedicated this entire lesson to explaining What is the structure of the verb phrase? Let's go there!

Index

1. What is the verb phrase
2. What is the structure of the verb phrase?
3. Verb Phrase Examples
4. Verb phrase exercise
5. Solutions to the verb phrase exercise

The verb phrase is a grammatical structure which is made up of a conjugated verb and, optionally, other elements that complement it. The verb is the nucleus of the verbal phrase, that is, its most important part, and it is the one that indicates the action or state that is being expressed.

The verbal complements They can be of different types, such as direct and indirect objects, circumstantial complements, predicates, among others. These plugins add information about the action being described and help to specify it better.

For example: Juan eats an apple every day in the park

The verb phrase in this sentence is "eat an apple every day in the park." We can see that "eat" is the conjugated verb and "an apple every day in the park" is the verb complement that includes the direct object "an apple", the circumstantial object "every day" and the circumstantial object of place "in the park".

In unProfesor we discover what are the Differences between Verb Phrase and Noun Phrase.

The structure of the verb phrase is quite simple., although it is often complicated in parsing by plugins. The verb phrase is formed by the conjugated verb (which functions as the nucleus of the verb phrase) and, optionally, by the verb complements that accompany it. These plugins can be of different types:

• Direct complement
• Indirect compliment
• Attribute
• circumstantial complements
• diet supplement
• agent plugin

Therefore, the basic structure of the verb phrase would be the following:

[Verb Phrase] = [Conjugated Verb] + [Verb Complements]

• For example: She studies in the library with her friends every day.

The verb phrase in this example is "He studies in the library with his friends every day.". In this case, the conjugated verb is "study" and the verb complements are "in the library", "with her friends" and "every day". "In the library" is a circumstantial complement of place, "with her friends" is another circumstantial complement of company, and "every day" is a circumstantial complement of time.

If you have understood the structure of the verb phrase well, the time has come to see how this essential fragment of the sentence is put into practice. To achieve it, we are going to leave you some examples of sentences that contain a verb phrase and we will mark it in bold, so that you can identify it quickly and be able to grasp this lesson the first time. Prepared?:

• empathy he has saved more than one person.
• The writer He published eight novels in his lifetime.
• The man he heard that they called him from the mountain.
• the postal worker he handed her the letter without looking up.
• The thief he was captured by police forces.
• Her friend she is going to her house to accompany her in this hard moment.
• Caring for water It is a responsibility of all the inhabitants of the planet.
• Mother she got angry with her children because they don't obey her.
• The passengers They emerged unharmed from the accident.
• The corridor he won the race without much difficulty.
• The patient he'll get better when he's out of the post-op.
• the fire in the fireplace she heated the whole room.
• Let's get out of here immediately!
• A person you never know what fate will bring you.
• The poet wrote a long poem dedicated to friendship.
• Heavy rain last night They have flooded the entire region.
• The players of the selection they had a day off.
• The street she is deserted.
• The young man he did well on the final exam of his degree.
• the mountaineers they will run out of supplies at any moment.
• The collective effort has reaped its fruits.
• the young she does not stop thinking about her lover from the very moment she met him.
• The architect he will draw up the plans for the building.
• The crowd He moved to the airport to acclaim his idol on his arrival in the country.
• The cat he meows non-stop because he is hungry.
• The chef he prepared the most delicious delicacies for the guests at the banquet.

If you have come this far, it means that you have read all the theory and examples related to the verb phrase and, if not, we recommend that you go back. Now comes the good part, the time to put into practice all the concepts you have learned, to see if your mind has been able to understand and strengthen them.

In this exercise, we propose that find the verb phrase of each sentence and mark the nucleus of this, that is, the verb:

• The plane landed at the airport
• I bought a shirt
• Maria is nice
• The fire was put out by firefighters
• the worker is tired

we leave you with the solutions of the previous exercise, so you can check if the answers you have given are correct. We have indicated the verb phrase in bold and we have written, next to each sentence, its nucleus:

• The plane landed at the airport - landed
• I bought a shirt - bought
• Maria she is nice - is
• The fire was put out by firefighters - was turned off
• The worker is tired - this

We hope this lesson has helped you understand the everb phrase structure and how this works in sentences. If you are interested in learning more about this topic or something similar, do not hesitate to take a look at our grammar and linguistics section.

If you want to read more articles similar to Verb phrase structure, we recommend that you enter our category of Grammar and Linguistics.

• James, M. (2016). Verb Phrase. In Encyclopedia of Hispanic Linguistics (pp. v2-51). Routledge.
• Crying Ore, K. Q. (2021). Verb phrase analysis.