Examples
Most light verb constructions in English include a noun and are sometimes called stretched verbs. Some light verb constructions also include a preposition, e.g.
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- They did the review of my paper first.
- Sam did the cleaning yesterday.
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- Who got such intense criticism?
- Susan is getting much support from her family.
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- I am going to have a nice nap.
- She had a smoke.
- We had a slow, boring conversation.
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- Are you giving a presentation at the conference?
- They gave the kids a hard time.
- Who will give you a hug?
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- Who made such a severe mistake?
- I made the first request.
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- Sam has taken a shower.
- Why is Larry taking a nap?
- We should take a break soon.
- Have you taken advantage of that opportunity.
- I haven't taken that into consideration.
The light verbs are underlined, and the words in bold together constitute the light verb constructions. Each of these constructions is the (primary part of the) main predicate of the sentence. Note that the determiner a is usually NOT part of the light verb construction. We know that it is not part of the light verb construction because it is variable, e.g. I took a long/the first/two/the best nap. The light verb contributes little content to its sentence; the main meaning resides with the noun in bold.
Read more about this topic: Light Verb
Famous quotes containing the word examples:
“Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends.”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)
“No rules exist, and examples are simply life-savers answering the appeals of rules making vain attempts to exist.”
—André Breton (1896–1966)
“It is hardly to be believed how spiritual reflections when mixed with a little physics can hold people’s attention and give them a livelier idea of God than do the often ill-applied examples of his wrath.”
—G.C. (Georg Christoph)