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Verb Chaining

Basics

Consider these two sentences:
(A) I ride a bicycle.
(B) I can ride a bicycle.

When we add can, it appears that ride does not change. By the same method, many learners of English make this error:
(C) He rides a bicycle.
(D) **He can rides a bicycle.

Sentence (D) is wrong. The words ride in sentence (A) and rides in sentence (C) are the simple non-past of the verb ride. The word ride in sentence (B) is the infinitive of the verb ride. Sentence (D) should also use the infinitive: its correct form would be:

He can ride a bicycle.

Details

Where several verbs exist in a chain, only the first verb in the chain is finite. This finite auxiliary governs another verb, which is non-finite.

Non-finite verbs have a single form, and do not change for thing like tense or person.

Subject verb 1 verb 2 object
I can do it.

finite non-finite

Here the second verb do looks the same as in the sentence I do it. But it is not the same. This is an infinitive. So it is an error to change it to a third-preson form:

Error Correct form
**He can does it. He can do it.

Equally, it is an error to change it to a past form:

Error Correct form
**I could did it. I could do it.

Types of non-finite verbs governed by other verbs

1. The auxiliary verb governs an infinitive without to: The infinitive is identical in form with the verb root, as is the non-3S simple non-past. So it appears that the forms are the same:

Subject verb object
I do it.

Finite
Subject auxiliary verb main verb object
I can do it.

finite infinitive



2. The auxiliary verb governs an infinitive with to: Again, the infinitive appears identical in form with the verb root, but now can be recognised buy the marker to:

Subject verb object
I do it.

Finite
Subject auxiliary verb main verb object
I want to do it.

Finite Infinitive with to

3. The auxiliary verb governs an event-noun: The event-noun is formed from the verb root with the suffix -ing:

Subject verb object
I do it.

Finite
Subject auxiliary verb main verb object
I keep doing it.

Finite Event-noun

Many verbs can be added one in front of another, forming a long verb chain:

Subject auxiliary 1 auxiliary 2 auxiliary 3 main verb object
He has to stop trying to do it.

finite fnfinitive with to event-noun infinitive with to


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