The Verb Person and Number Other Categories of

The Verb: Person and Number. Other Categories of the Verb. 1. The Category of Person. 1. The Category of Number. 1. Other categories of the Verb: a) Negative Forms; b) Interrogative Forms; c) Emphatic do-forms.

1. The Category of Person § Present Tense – 3 peculiar subsystems of person expression: § must § shall 1. The first subsystem includes the § will, modal verbs that have no personal § ought inflexions § need § The category of person is wholly neutralized with these verbs in the § dare formal sense. § The category of person is wholly § can neutralized with these verbs in the formal sense § may

§ The second subsystem – the unique verbal lexeme be. 1 st person singular — am 3 rd person singular — is 2 nd person (without distinction of number) Plural (without distinction of person) — are

§ The third subsystem – normal expression of person with the multitude of the English verbs § the normal personal type of the verb conjugation is one-personal; § the personal mark is confined here to the third person singular -(e)s; § the other two persons (the first and the second) remain unmarked. § the -s-inflection in verbs conveys 4 meanings: 1) 3 rd person 2) singular number 3) present tense 4) indicative mood

Archaic Verbal Conjugation § The modal conjugation is distinguished by the second person: canst, may(e)st, wilt, shalt, shouldst, wouldst, ought(e)st, need(e)st, durst. § The personal be-conjugation is complete in three explicitly marked forms, having a separate suppletive presentation for each person: am, art, is. § The archaic conjugation of the rest of the verbs: § the third and second persons, are positively marked § the first person remains unmarked § e. g. comes -comest – come § blows - blowest – blow § stops - stoppest -stop

Future Tense Person Expression § British English § oppositional use of shall-will marking the first person (voluntary and nonvoluntary future) § - I shall go to the conference. § - I will go to the conference. § oppositional use of will-shall marking the second and third persons together (mere future and modal future) § The boy will learn he is wrong. § The boy shall be taught a lesson.

Past Tense Person Expression § A trace of person distinction is presented in the past tense with the archaic form of the second person singular. § Thou hadst horses. § Thou wert with us.

Semantics of the Category of Person § 1 st person singular — the speaker § 2 nd person singular —one person spoken to § 3 rd person singular — one person or thing (neither speaker nor spoken to) § 1 st person plural — the speaker and another person or other persons § 2 nd person plural — more than one person spoken to § 3 rd person plural — more than one person or — thing (neither speakers nor spoken to)

2. Number § Distinct morphemic featuring of the category of number can be seen only with the archaic forms of the unique be: § am – are § art – are § was (the first and the third persons, i. e. non-second person) – were § wast (second person) – wert. § With the rest of the verbs the blending of the morphemic expression of the two categories is complete.

Semantics of the Category of Number § 1 st person singular — one speaker § 2 nd person singular — one person spoken to § 3 rd person singular — one person or thing (neither speaker nor spoken to) § 1 st person plural — the speaker and another person or other persons belonging to the same background § 2 nd person plural — more than one person spoken to plus other persons referring to the same background § 3 rd person plural — more than one person or — thing (neither speakers nor spoken to)

Junctional Character of the Person and Number Expression § The universal indicator of person and number of the subject of the verb will be the subject itself. § Cases of subject-wanting predicative units: § Seemed sporting enough to me though while we were doing it. § Gave him every chance. § Looks strange. § Native expression of person-number: She looks beautiful. § Junctional expression of person-number: They come home late.

Notional Concord of the Predicate with the Subject § Finite verb + a collective noun: My family is large. My family are all gathered here. § Predicative lines with the subject modified by a numeral: Three hours is a long time. Three hours have passed in worry and distress. § Predicative lines with the subject expressed by a coordinative group: My heart and soul belongs to you. Me, myself and I have got to do some figuring out. § Finite verb in the relative clauses: I who am practically unacquainted with the formal theory of games can hardly suggest an alternative solution

3. Other Categories of the Verb a) Negative Forms (the category of quality / affirmation – negation) § has come – has not come (use of negative particle) § understand- don’t / doesn’t understand (use of auxiliaries) b) Interrogative Forms (the category of statement – question) § takes – do / does … take?

Interrelations of Negative and Interrogative Forms Non-interrogative Non-negative Negative takes does not take Interrogative does. . . take? does. . . not take?

c) Emphatic do-forms (the category of emphasis) § He does know = He really knows § She did go = She really went § Only found in the finite verb form § Other ways to express emphasis: stress, intonation