Today, we’ll explore two important types: progressive verb-phrases and emphatic verb-phrases. Knowing how to use different verb-phrases can really help make your writing more interesting and clear! By the end of this blog, you’ll know how to use them to make your writing shine.

What Are Verb-Phrases?

Now you are probably asking: what is a verb phrase? A verb-phrase is like a team of words that show action or being.

♦ Example: She is running.

In this sentence ‘is running‘ is the verb-phrase. It comprises the verb ‘run‘ and the helper verb ‘is.’

Progressive Verb Phrases

Besides the basic tenses, verbs also have progressive forms. A progressive form shows the action of the verb as continuing at the time mentioned. In other words, actions that are happening right now, were happening in the past, or will happen in the future.

Progressive verb-phrases show.

♦ Example: I ate my dinner. (Simple past tense)
♦ Example: I was eating my dinner. (Past progressive tense)

Both ‘ate‘ and ‘was eating‘ are in the past tense. However, ‘ate‘ simply shows that the action happened in the past, while ‘was eating‘ shows that the action was ongoing at that pastime.

Related Reading: Exploring Adverbs: Types, Examples, and Uses 

Forming Progressive Verb Phrases

The progressive form is a verb phrase created by adding a form of the verb ‘to be‘ to the present participle (the -ing form of the verb). Here’s how we form progressive verb-phrases:

♥ Present Progressive: ‘am/is/are + verb-ing’ (e.g., I am running)
♥ Past Progressive: ‘was/were + verb-ing’ (e.g., They were playing)
♥ Future Progressive: ‘will be + verb-ing’ (e.g., She will be studying)

We can use these for.

♥ Ongoing Actions: Use present progressive for actions happening right now. Example: He is eating dinner.
♥ Parallel Actions: Use past progressive for actions that were happening at the same time. Example: I was reading while she was cooking.
♥ Future Plans: Use future progressive for actions that will happen in the future. Example: We will be traveling next week.

Progressive Forms and Tenses

We use progressive forms with active and passive voice.

Active Voice

In active voice, we can use several tenses.

Present Tense

Other Tenses

♦ Past: I was striking, etc.
♦ Future: I will be striking, etc.
♦ Present Perfect: I have been striking, etc.
♦ Past Perfect: I had been striking, etc.
♦ Future Perfect: I will have been striking, etc.

Passive Voice

When we use the passive voice, progressive forms are only for present and past tenses.

Present Tense

Examples:

♦ I am being struck, etc.
♦ He is being helped by his brother.
♦ I am being trained by Arthur Ray.

Past Tense

♦ Example: I was being struck, etc.
♦ Example:When I called, tea was being served.

Related Reading: Unlocking the Power of Nouns in Writing

Subordinate Clauses in Progressive Phrases

In subordinate clauses, people often leave out the verb ‘is’ (or its various forms) with its subject in progressive phrases.

Examples:

♦ While waiting for the train, I bought a newspaper. (Meaning: While I was waiting.)
♦ Though swimming vigorously, he could not stem the tide. (Meaning: Though he was swimming.)
♦ When reading, I like to have the light shine over my left shoulder. (Meaning: When I am reading.)

Emphatic Verb-Phrases

You can add emphasis to a verb in the present or past tense by using a verb phrase with ‘do‘ or ‘did’ and the base form of the verb (without ‘to‘). This is called the emphatic form.

♦ Example: I do see you (emphasizes I see you)
♦ Example:I did go (emphasizes I went)

These sentences are basically the same, just with a different emphasis.

‘Do see’ is when you really want to stress that you’re telling someone to see something, and ‘did go‘ is when you really want to stress that you went somewhere in the past.

In questions and negative statements, we use the emphatic forms without adding emphasis:

♥ Did you go? (Question)
♥ I did not go. (Negative statement)

Note: Sometimes, ‘do’ replaces another verb that has just been used:

♥ Jack swims better than I do (meaning Jack swims better than I swim).
♥ You looked as tired as she did (meaning You looked as tired as she looked).

Forming Emphatic Verb Phrases

Emphatic verb-phrases are used to give emphasis to the action or to make a sentence more forceful. Here’s how we form emphatic verb-phrases:

♥ Present Emphatic: ‘do/does + base form of the verb’ (e.g., I do like this book.)
♥ Past Emphatic: ‘did + base form of the verb’ (e.g., She did finish her homework.)

We can use these for.

♥ Emphasis: Use emphatic verb-phrases to emphasize something. Example: ‘I do want to go to the party!’
♥ Contradiction: Use them to contradict something. Example: ‘He does know the answer, despite what you think.’
♥ Questions and Negatives: Use them to make questions and negatives stronger. Example: ‘Did you see that?’ or ‘I did not forget your birthday.’

Comparing Progressive and Emphatic Verb-Phrases

So what are the differences and similarities and how do we know when to use which one?

Related Reading: Understanding Verbs: The Action Words of Language

Practice Exercises

For each sentence, identify the verb phrase and whether it is progressive or emphatic.

1. She is writing a letter.
2. I do believe you.
3. They were playing soccer.
4. He did finish his homework.
5. We are watching a movie.
6. She does sing beautifully.
7. I am learning Spanish.
8. He did call you yesterday.
9. They are building a new house.
10. I do want to help you.
11. She was painting all afternoon.
12. You do need to study more.
13. We were walking in the park.
14. He does like pizza a lot.
15. I am being followed.
16. They did win the game.
17. She is being very quiet today.
18. We do appreciate your help.
19. He was being honest.
20. I do remember your birthday.

Key Takeaways

Using Progressive Verb-Phrases

1. Highlight Ongoing Actions: Use the present progressive (am/is/are + verb-ing) to emphasize actions happening right now.
2. Show Future Plans: Use the future progressive (will be + verb-ing) to talk about planned actions in the future.
3. Describe Parallel Actions: Use the past progressive (was/were + verb-ing) to describe actions that were happening at the same time in the past.
4. Use for Temporary Actions: Use progressive forms to indicate actions that are temporary.
5. Indicate Repeated Actions: Use progressive forms to emphasize repeated actions, often with ‘always’ or ‘constantly.’

Using Emphatic Verb-Phrases
1. Add Emphasis: Use ‘do/does’ for present and ‘did’ for past to add emphasis to your statements.
2. Use in Negative Statements: Use emphatic forms in negatives to strengthen the statement.
3. Form Strong Questions: Use emphatic forms in questions for emphasis.
4. Express Certainty: Use emphatic forms to express certainty or strong feelings.
5. Clarify Contradictions: Use emphatic forms to contradict a previous statement.

Last Words on Progressive and Emphatic Verb-Phrases

So we’ve discussed progressive and emphatic verb phrases and how they help you describe actions clearly. Don’t be afraid to experiment with these verb-phrases in your sentences.

Happy writing!

Linda

Liked this post? Pin this image! It’s a huge help for my blog. Thank you!

Feature Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay.