175 lines
6.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
175 lines
6.0 KiB
ReStructuredText
:github_url: https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_uag/src/branch/master/content/verb.rst
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.. _verb:
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Verb
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====
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Summary
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-------
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A verb is the grammatical entity that describes the subject of a
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sentence. A verb can describe either an action that the subject performs
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or the state (or condition) of the subject.
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Article
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-------
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A verb is a word in a sentence that describes either an action by the
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subject of a sentence, or the subject itself. Therefore, the verb is
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often the most important word in understanding a sentence or a clause.
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Form
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----
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In Biblical Aramaic, the root of a verb consists of three consonants,
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sometimes called the tri-literal (meaning "three letters") root. In
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"strong" verbs, the three root consonants always stay the same and are
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easy to recognize, but "weak" verbs have one or more consonants that
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disappear in certain forms.
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Verbs in Biblical Aramaic change form according to both conjugation
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(:ref:`Perfect<verb_perfect>`,
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:ref:`Imperfect<verb_imperfect>`,
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:ref:`Infinitive Absolute<infinitive_absolute>`,
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etc.) and stem formation
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(:ref:`Pe'al<stem_peal>`,
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:ref:`Haphel<stem_haphel>`,
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etc.). Generally speaking, changes in verb forms happen by adding
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prefixes/suffixes, by changing the vowels, or both. These changes in
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form show the
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:ref:`stem formation<stem>`
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of a verb with its conjugation, which includes the person
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(:ref:`first<person_first>`, :ref:`second<person_second>`,
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or
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:ref:`third<person_third>`),
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the gender
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(:ref:`masculine<gender_masculine>`
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or
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:ref:`feminine<gender_feminine>`),
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the number
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(:ref:`singular<number_singular>`
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or
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:ref:`plural<number_plural>`),
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and sometimes the state
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(:ref:`absolute<state_absolute>`
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or
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:ref:`construct<state_construct>`).
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The person, gender, and number of a verb always agree with the subject.
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Unlike English (but similar to other languages like Spanish), verbs in
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Biblical Aramaic do not require a separate :ref:`personal pronoun<pronoun_personal>`
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if the subject is not identified; this is because the form of the verb
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itself includes the subject. A :ref:`pronominal suffix<suffix_pronominal>`
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attached to a verb can function as its object.
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.. _verb-finite:
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Finite verbs
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~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Finite verbs are verbs that have a subject and do not require any verbal
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complement to form a complete sentence. Their form shows tense as well as person and number.
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Biblical Aramaic has 3 primary finite verb forms: :ref:`Perfect<verb_perfect>`, :ref:`Imperfect<verb_imperfect>`, and
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:ref:`Imperative<verb_imperative>`.
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.. _verb-non-finite:
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Non-finite verbs
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Properly speaking, non-finite verbs are verbal complements that require
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a finite verb to form a complete sentence. The non-finite verb forms in Biblical Aramaic include
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the :ref:`infinitive` and the participles (both
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:ref:`active <participle_active>` and :ref:`passive <participle_passive>`).
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Non-finite verbs can sometimes describe an action or an event in such a
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way that the word functions like a :ref:`noun <noun>`.
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.. note:: In Biblical Aramaic, the non-finite verb forms are sometimes used
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as finite verbs, and the imperfect form is sometimes used as a non-finite verb.
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Types
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-----
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Grammarians often distinguish between different types of verbs. When
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considering the best way to translate a sentence, it is helpful to
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understand what kind of verb is being used in any given instance.
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.. _verb-dynamic:
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Dynamic (or action) verbs
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Dynamic verbs describe a subject performing an action. The subject is
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*doing* something.
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.. _verb-stative:
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Stative (or non-action) verbs
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Rather than describing a specific action, stative verbs describe the
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subject's state of being (the way the subject is). The subject is *not*
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doing anything.
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.. _verb-transitive:
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Transitive verbs
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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A transitive verb is a dynamic verb that requires an object that
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receives the verbal action. A sentence with a transitive verb is not
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complete without the object. Stative verbs are never transitive.
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The phrase "And they lifted up" is unclear without an object.
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They lifted up...\ *what?*, for example:
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The phrase "[you must] keep" is unclear without an object.
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You must keep...\ *what?*, for example:
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.. _verb-intransitive:
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Intransitive verbs
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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An intransitive verb is a verb that does NOT require an object to
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receive the verbal action. A sentence with an intransitive verb is
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complete without an object. Dynamic verbs can be either transitive or
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intransitive, but stative verbs are always intransitive.
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.. _verb-linking-verbs:
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Linking verbs
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Linking verbs are verbs that link two
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:ref:`noun<noun>`,
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or a noun and an
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:ref:`adjective<adjective>`.
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Aramaic has very few linking verbs, so often a linking verb has to be
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supplied in English.
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.. _verb-helping-verb:
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Helping verbs
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Helping verbs are extra verbs that "help" express the meaning of the main verb. Biblical Aramaic does not use helping verbs,
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but English does. Often, it is necessary to supply a helping verb in English to express the meaning of a Aramaic verb.
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helping verbs in questions and negations
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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The following example in English adds the helping verb "have"
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(not present in the Aramaic text):
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The following example in English adds the helping verb "did"
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(not present in the Aramaic text):
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helping verbs to express possibility or desirability
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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English uses helping verbs to express varying degrees of possiblity or
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desirability of verbs. This includes a vast range from strong
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possibility (*He **can** do this* or *He **would** do this*) to weak
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possibility (*He **might** do this* or *He **could** do this*) or from
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strong desirability (*He **should** do this* or ***Let** him do this*)
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to weak desirability (***May** he do this* or *He **wants** to do
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this*). In Biblical Aramaic, this sense of possibility or desirability is
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implied by the context and already present in the form of the verb
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itself.
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The following examples in English add the helping verb "may"
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(not present in the Aramaic text):
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