The "Verb Patterns and the 'Be' Patterns" lecture I delivered in my English 402--Grammar course at the State University of New York College at Cortland.

1. Verb Patterns
and
the Be Patterns
Ed McCorduck
English 402--Grammar
SUNY Cortland
http://mccorduck.cortland.edu

2. Our analysis of sentence structure will be based on the
assumption that there exist certain specific sentence patterns.
The pattern of any given sentence will be said to derive from
whatever its main verb is, i.e., each verb requires the sentence
that it “anchors” to be in a specific pattern.
slide 2: verbs and sentence patterns
English 402:
Grammar

3. There are a limited number of sentence patterns, and these
patterns can be grouped into four main sentence pattern
categories:
• be patterns
• linking verb patterns
• intransitive verb pattern
• transitive verb patterns
slide 3: four sentence pattern categories
English 402:
Grammar

4. the be patterns
Pattern I
NP be ADV/TP
(subj) (pred vb) (adverbial of time or place)
Stated plainly, sentences of this pattern feature a noun phrase subject,
any form of the verb be functioning as a “predicating verb” and an
element that serves as an adverbial of time or place.
Note: All the patterns and the accompanying codes/abbreviations used
in describing them come directly from our textbook Understanding
English Grammar. As in our text, “(subj)” stands for the subject role and
“(pred vb)” means that the verb (in this pattern be, under which the code
occurs) functions as a predicating verb.
slide 4: the be patterns: Pattern I
English 402:
Grammar

5. exx
(words/phrases serving as the elements of this pattern are separated by |)
George | is | early.
The books | were | in the library.
Our team’s games | have been | on Fridays.
slide 5: examples of Pattern I sentences
English 402:
Grammar

6. slide 6: Reed-Kellogg diagram of a Pattern I sentence
English 402:
Grammar
Here is a Reed-Kellogg diagram of George is early
showing how in sentences of this pattern the adverbial of
time or place is placed below the verb as a modifier on a
slanted line:

7. slide 7: prepositional phrases
English 402:
Grammar
The example sentence The books were in the library
features a prepositional phrase (a.k.a. a PP). Prepositional
phrases are headed by a preposition, i.e., a little word like
in, at or through, that governs a noun phrase. In Reed-
Kellogg diagrams, a prepositional phrase is diagrammed
as a unit in which the preposition is on a slanted line
below the predicate part of the main line, and this slanted
line connects to a line parallel to the main line on which is
placed the headword of the noun phrase, and any
modifiers of the head noun go below it on slanted lines.
For example, following is the diagram of The books were
in the library in which in the library is a prepositional
phrase serving as an adverbial of place:

8. slide 8: Reed-Kellogg diagram of a Pattern I sentence with a PP ADV/TP
English 402:
Grammar

9. Pattern II
NP be ADJ
(subj) (pred vb) (subj comp)
“(subj comp)” is subject complement
slide 9: the be patterns: Pattern II
English 402:
Grammar

10. exx
George | is | dorky.
The teacher | will be | very annoyed.
The art world | has been | in a tizzy.
slide 10: examples of Pattern II sentences
English 402:
Grammar

11. slide 11: Reed-Kellogg diagrams with complements
English 402:
Grammar
In Reed-Kellogg diagrams, complements go on the main
line after the predicating verb and are separated from it by
a slanted line. Here is the diagram of George is dorky
where the adjective dorky functioning as a subject
complement (i.e., it refers to the subject of the sentence
George) comes after the verb is:

12. slide 12: prepositional phrases as subject complements
English 402:
Grammar
When the subject complement is a prepositional phrase
as in the example The art world is in a tizzy, the
prepositional phrase is put on top of a vertical line with a
“forked tail” (I think the thing looks like a rocket) which
connects to the main line and comes after a slanted line
like any other complement. To illustrate, here is the
diagram of The art world is in a tizzy where in a tizzy is a
prepositional phrase functioning as subject complement:

13. slide 13: Reed-Kellogg diagram of a sentence with a PP subj comp
English 402:
Grammar

14. Pattern III
NP1 be NP1
(subj) (pred vb) (subj comp)
NP1 means that the noun phrase refers to the same entity as some
other noun phrase in the same sentence, which is also designated
NP1.
slide 14: the be patterns: Pattern III
English 402:
Grammar

15. exx
Peter | is | the village idiot.
That chick | was | a babe.
Members of the gang | had been | fugitives
slide 15: examples of Pattern III sentences
English 402:
Grammar

16. slide 16: NP1s vs. NP2s
English 402:
Grammar
compare
Professor Mendez is my math teacher.
NP1 NP1
Professor Mendez killed my math teacher.
NP1 NP2
i.e., in the second sentence the noun phrases Professor
Mendez and my math teacher cannot refer to the same
person, these NPs therefore having different “indexes”

17. slide 17: Reed-Kellogg diagram of a Pattern III sentence
English 402:
Grammar
Noun phrase subject complements are diagramed like
other complements, namely after slanted lines on the
main line after the verb. As an example, here is the
diagram of Peter is an idiot: