Classifications of the Verb.

Verbs can be classified by meaning, form, and function

1. Morphological classification (the classification by forms).

The verb forms of the past tense or the past participle (regular or irregular verbs) are built by means of suffixation or by means of sound-interchange. Sound-interchange is more productive way (to feed – fed – fed) than the change of stress (export – to export, record - to record). The most productive way of forming verb lexemes is conversion: (a book – to book, a lock - to lock). Composition is of low productivity in the class of verbs.

In accordance with their stem-structure verbs, like other parts of speech, fall under the following groups

– Simple verbs (live, hate, know, love)

– Derived verbs (rewrite, organise, overestimate, underestimate)

– Compound blackmail, kidnap.

2. Semantic classification ( the classification by meaning).

According to this classification, according to the character of lexical meaning, the verbs may be classified into:

a) notional which mean verbs possessing an independent individual meaning;

b) auxiliary verbs which have no lexical meaning and only help to form analytical forms of the verb (to be, to have, shall, will);

c) Semi-auxiliary verbs possessing a generalized meaning; they include: link-verbs (remain, get, become); aspective verbs (begin, start – stop, finish); modal verbs (must, ought, should, can may); group verbs (to lose sight of, to put on weight, to lose weight).

A semi-auxiliary verb has no independent function in the sentence. It is used as part of a predicate (nominal or verbal). The main lexical meaning is comprised in the second element of the predicative which is expressed by a noun, adjective or verbal. However, a semi-auxiliary verb has an important syntactical function: it is used in a finite form and expresses the predicative categories of person, number, mood, tense. It may be used as a link verb and as part of a compound verbal or nominal predicate.

Eg: She didn’t seem to be tired. (auxiliary and link verb)

It was growing (getting) dark outside (link verb)

Eg: He must have seen her. (compound verbal predicate)

I can carry it quite easily. (compound verbal predicate)

Semi-auxiliary verbs such as modal verbs besides their primary meaning have generalized meaning. Group verbs contain a verb as the first element and a noun or an adjective as the second part: to lose sight (weight), to put on weight, to get angry.

The meaning of the verb is very vague here, very close to auxiliary as the first element loses its meaning.

3) The classification into subjective and objective verbs.

In this respect verbs are classified according to the lexical meaning and the syntactical setting. “A verb which denotes an action associated only with its subject is called a subjective verb³”. All subjective verbs are intransitive and have no category of voice. Subjective verbs name actions the realization of which depends only on the agent.

Eg: Florence came in and sat down on a chair by the window.

Objective verbs express an action connected not only with their subjects but also with objects. Objective verbs may be transitive and intransitive.

Eg: I’ve just received a letter from my sister.

Look after yourself.

Objective verbs name actions which depend on 2 things:

– the agent and

– the object of the action

Eg: to take, to give, to make, to throw, to read.

As objective verbs may be transitive, they have the category of voice. As the English verb is poly-semantic, you can find cases when the verbs may be subjective in one meaning and objective in another one.

Eg: He walked very slowly. (subjective)

He walked his dog up and down the beech. (objective)