Below are explanations for the two Main Verb Phrase Samples:

Main Verb Phrases from The Brothers Karamazov

He completely abandoned the child of his marriage with Adelaïda Ivanovna, not from malice, nor because of his matrimonial grievances, but simply because he forgot him.

As the interactive exercise instructs, the first step is to highlight any words that could be a main verb phrase:

He completely abandoned the child of his marriage with Adelaïda Ivanovna, not from malice, nor because of his matrimonial grievances, but simply because he forgot him.

There appears to be two main verb phrases in this sentence:

1. ABANDONED: past + ABANDON - simple past
2. FORGOT: past + FORGET - simple past

Challenge Sample from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

When Dorothy was standing in the doorway, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. The sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it. Even the grass was not green, for the sun has been burning the tops of the long blades for decades, until they were the same gray color to be seen everywhere.

Again, the first step is to highlight any words that might be a main verb phrase:

When Dorothy was standing in the doorway, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. The sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it. Even the grass was not green, for the sun has been burning the tops of the long blades for decades, until they were the same gray color to be seen everywhere.

For this sample, there appears to be six main verb phrases in this passage:

1. WAS STANDING: past + BE + [-ing] + STAND - past progressive
2. COULD SEE: present + Modal (COULD) + SEE - simple present - Modals are always present tense
3. HAD BAKED: past + HAVE + [-en] + BAKE - past perfect
4. WAS: past + BE - simple past (singular)
5. HAD BEEN BURNING: past + HAVE + [-en] + BE + [-ing] + BURN - past perfect progressive
6. WERE: past + BE - simple past (plural)

Tips to Keep in Mind

The KEY MARKERS for main verb phrases are always TENSE and MAIN VERB. Both have to be there for it to be a main verb phrase. For example, as we will discuss later in this section in non-finite verb phrases, there are three verbs in this passage that are NOT main verb phrases: PLOWED, RUNNING, TO BE SEEN. There is no tense. The most difficult one is PLOWED, which appears to have a past tense inflection. Instead, this is a past participle inflection, and the word is modifying the noun LAND, rather than denoting action. Another KEY MARKER that would tell you this is not a main verb phrase is that it appears between a definite article and a noun, a position normally reserved for adjectivals. Always analyze in context!

If you have questions about these sample analyses, please contact your instructor or start a conversation in your work group.