V E R B P H R A S E

Predicate suatu kalimat bisa terdiri dari hanya satu verb, terutama kalimat-kalimat yang menggunakan present dan past tense. Namun demikian suatu kalimat yang mempunyai predicate yang terdiri lebih dari satu unsur; dengan kata lain predicate-nya berupa suatu phrase, tergantung pada jenis tenses yang digunakan dalam kalimat tersebut.

Empat (4) Konstruksi sederhana dalam Verb Phrase:

1.      Modal (can, may, must, shall/ will)  + Vo

2.       To have (have, has, had) + V3 – sudah, belum

3.      To be (am, is, are, was, were) + V-ing --sedang

4.      To be (am, is, are, was, were) + V3 –di, ter (passive)

Present tense = V1/s/es     kebiasaan, fakta, dilakukan berulang-ulang

Past Tense      =   V2           dilakukan/terjadi di waktu lalu/telah lewat

Konstruksi yang pertama (modal + Vo) digunakan untuk menyatakan kemungkinan, keharusan, nasihat, larangan, spekulasi, waktu yang akan datang, dan lain-lainnya. Konstruksi ke tiga (to be + V-ing) digunakan untuk menyatakan bahwa suatu kejadian tengah berkangsung.  Konstruksi ke dua ( to have + V3 ) digunakan untuk menyatakan bahwa suatu kejadian telah selesai. Sedangkan konstruksi keempat (to be + V3) digunakan untuk menyatakan pengertian passive.

Examples:

1.      The lawyer will take the case to court.

2.      As good citizen we should obey the laws.

3.      The judge has sentenced the criminal to death.

4.      The trial had finished before the TV reporter arrived.

5.      The convict was listening to the prosecution…..

6.      The visitors stood up when the Judge was Entering the Courtroom.

7.      The criminal was taken back to the prison.

8.      The suspect was proved innocent.

Konstruksi-konstruksi tersebut bisa dikembangkan dengan cara menggabungkan dua atau tiga konstruksi menjadi satu. Proses penggabungan tersebut bisa digambarkan sebagai berikut:

1. She + to have + V-3   +    

   To be + V-ing =

     She  +  has   +   been  +  writing

2. We + to be + V-ing  +

To be + V-3 =

     We  +  are  +  being  +  followed

3. She  + will + Vo

                                  to have + V-3      +

                                               to be + V-ing =

        She +  will  +  have   +  been  +  living

Exercise : Underline the predicate of the sentence

1.      The whole body of Roman law was not organized until about AD 530.

2.      Life, liberty, and property must be protected.

3.      Today law enforcement has reached a crisis all over the world.

4.      Certain federal laws have been discarded.

5.      The FBI National Academy was founded in 1935.

6.      Increase in the number of automobiles and better highways have resulted in traffic problems.

7.      A trial is frequently called a search for truth.

8.      A witness for the defense might say the man was with him at the time and could not have stolen the money.

9.      If he had been proved guilty, he would have been sent to prison.

10.   After the accusation is filed with the court, the defendant is called in with his lawyer to answer it.