Semantic and Structural Characteristics Of English Verb Phrases

Abstract

Verb phrases constitute a central component of the sentence in English in particular and in other languages in general. They are used to describe the actions, states and situations associated with the subject. This article analyzes the semantic and structural features of English verb phrases based on data collected from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter và Hòn đá phù thủy) by J. K. Rowling. Within the framework of semantic role theory, the study identifies five major semantic groups of verb phrases (action, mental, communication, perception and possession), and describes the relationship between the syntactic structures of verb phrases and the semantic roles of participants in the clause.