Verbalphrase

A verbal phrase, often treated as a synonym of verb phrase in English grammar, is a syntactic unit headed by a verb that includes the verb itself along with its auxiliaries, complements, modifiers, and, in many cases, particles. It functions as the predicate of a clause or as part of a larger non-finite clause. Verbal phrases can carry tense, aspect, mood, and voice through their internal structure and auxiliary system.

Finite verbal phrases contain a finite verb form that marks tense and agreement, and may include auxiliary verbs, negation, objects, and modifiers. Examples: "She has been reading a book," where has been are auxiliaries and reading is the main verb; "They will arrive soon" with will as an auxiliary. Non-finite verbal phrases do not mark tense and include several subtypes: to-infinitives as in "to eat lunch," present participle phrases like "running through the park," and past participle phrases such as "built in 1920" or "surprised by the news." Bare infinitives occur in certain constructions, as in "let him go" or "make him apologize." Phrasal verbs also form verbal phrases when a verb combines with a particle, as in "give up" or "look after."

Verbal phrases serve various functions within clauses: they can form the main predicate, appear as complements (as in "They decided to leave"), or function within larger structures as adverbials or modifiers. They are central to expressing action, aspect, and modality, and their structure varies across languages, though the basic idea—an element headed by a verb that governs its complements and modifiers—remains constant.