Learning Objectives
Teacher Framing:
This lesson develops verb phrases as action, state and modality units. Lesson 132 introduced verbs as individual words expressing actions, states, processes and possibilities. Lesson 143 now shows that verbs often operate in phrases built around a main verb and supported by auxiliary or modal verbs. A verb phrase can show tense, aspect, certainty, obligation, possibility, completion or ongoing action. Students do not need a full advanced grammar of every verb form, but they should learn that “ran,” “was running,” “might have run” and “was being watched” create different meanings. In analysis, verb phrases matter because they shape how an action or state is presented: complete or ongoing, certain or uncertain, active or passive, chosen or imposed. This lesson should connect carefully to Unit 12X tense and Unit 13X verbs while staying focused on phrase construction.
Student Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
- identify verb phrases;
- distinguish the main verb from auxiliary or modal verbs;
- and explain how verb phrases shape time, certainty, completion or agency.
Core Knowledge:
A verb phrase is a group of words built around a main verb. It may include auxiliary verbs such as “is,” “was,” “has,” “have,” “do” or “did.” It may also include modal verbs such as “might,” “must,” “could,” “should” or “will.” The main verb carries the central action or state, while the supporting verbs change how that action is understood. “ran,” “was running” and “might have been running” all focus on running, but they do not mean exactly the same thing.
Key Ingredients:
Key Vocabulary:
- Verb phrase: a phrase built around a main verb.
- Main verb: the verb that carries the central action, state or process.
- Auxiliary verb: a helping verb such as be, have or do.
- Modal auxiliary: a helping verb such as might, must, could, should or will that shows possibility, obligation or certainty.
- Aspect: how an action is shown as ongoing, completed or repeated.
- Passive voice: a construction where the subject receives the action rather than doing it.
Key Sentence Stems:
- The verb phrase is…
- The main verb is…
- The auxiliary verb helps show…
- The modal verb suggests…
- The verb phrase presents the action as…
- This verb phrase affects meaning because…
Key Thinking:
A verb phrase is not always one word. In “The window was being repaired,” the main verb idea is “repaired,” but the full verb phrase is “was being repaired.” The supporting verbs show that the repair is ongoing and that the window receives the action.
Models
Non Literary Warm Up:
Imagine being asked to play a game of football. Well, you need a number of things for that to work; a football is the most important part, but so too are teams, goals, boundaries, rules, referees… it wouldn’t work without these things. The football itself is like the headword, and everything else is needed for it to be used.
Specifically for verb phrases, it’s words which tell us when the game happens and the certainty it will happen – The students [will probably being playing football].
Literary example – :
The door [was shaking], and someone [had been knocking] for several minutes.
The writer uses verb phrases to make the action feel ongoing. “was shaking” suggests that the door is moving continuously, while “had been knocking” shows that the knocking began before this moment and has continued. These verb phrases make the scene feel tense because the disturbance is not brief or finished.
By lunchtime, the rumour [had spread] through every classroom. Teachers [were trying to keep] lessons normal, but students [could be heard whispering] in corridors and [checking] their phones [beneath] desks. The announcement [should have been made] in assembly, but the headteacher [was still waiting for confirmation] from the council. Until then, nobody [would be told] officially.
The writer uses verb phrases to show uncertainty and delay. The phrase “had spread” presents the rumour as already established across the school, while “were trying” shows teachers making an ongoing effort to keep control. The modal phrase “could be heard whispering” suggests that student anxiety is noticeable, even if nobody openly addresses it. The phrase “should have been made” implies that the announcement was expected earlier, so the delay seems significant. Finally, “would be told officially” keeps the information in the future and in the passive voice, making students seem dependent on authority. The verb phrases therefore shape the reader’s understanding of confusion, control and withheld information.
Now Apply To This To Our Text:
Students should now read the material chosen by the teacher and complete the following sequence:
- underline five verb phrases;
- identify the main verb in each;
- mark any auxiliary or modal verbs;
- choose two verb phrases that affect time, certainty, completion or agency;
- write one analytical paragraph explaining how verb phrases shape the reader’s understanding of action or state.
Exit Question:
Can you build around the verb “to jump” and give it tense and certainty?
- is going to jump
- will be forced to jump
- might have to be made to jump
Homework:
Choose a short paragraph and copy out five verb phrases. Identify the main verb and any auxiliary or modal verbs. Then rewrite two verb phrases to change certainty, completion or agency and explain how the meaning changes.