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2.2.3 Verbs
Verb is the word which explains an action. The following quotation is suitable for further understanding about verb.
“The verb is perhaps the most important part of the sentence. A verb or compound verb asserts something about the subject
of the sentence and express actions, events, or states of being. The verb or compound verb is the critical element of the
predicateofasentence
.http:www.writingcentre.uottawa.cahyp ergrammarverbs.html
Furthermore, Saeed 1997:109 classifies verb into two kinds situation as follows: 1.
Stative verb
According to Kreidler, stative verb can be defined as follows: “Stative verb is a verb that expresses some state of affairs rather, than an action or event”
Kreidler, 1998:303 The verb which are grouped into stative verb are be, have, know and love.
For example: Mary loved to drive sport cars. 2.
Dynamic verb
Kreidler also gives a definition about dynamic verb as follows: “Dynamic verb is a type of verb that expresses activity or change of state.” Kreidler,
1998:300 Dynamic verb can also be categorized into several kinds, as follows:
a. Durative punctual
Durative verb describes a situation which will be ended in certain period. Further, Kreidler explains that durative aspect is the expression of
continuance of an action or permanence of a status, example: he kept running; they stayed at home, while punctual verb describes a situation or
activity which happens or ends in a short period or punctually. The
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following example is suitable for further understanding about their differences.
a John slept durative
b John coughed punctual
Sentence a is belonged to durative situation. The verb ‘slept’ will be done by the subject ‘John’ in a certain length of the period, while the
verb ‘cough’ in the sentence b will be done by the subject ‘John’ only in a short time punctual.
b. Telicatelic
Kreidler 1998:206 says that the actions and events that are designated by dynamic predicates may occur within a brief instant or may
stretch out over a longer period of time, and difference may be due to external circumstance or due to nature of the action itseft; a single act of
hitting or falling cannot take long but talking and walking are apt to continue for at least several minute. Some such breaking and arriving may
take a certain amount of time but the act does not ‘happen’ until it is complete.
To know further about the difference of telic and atelic, take a look at the following example:
1. George was waiting
Sandra was holding the baby 2.
Sandra was swimming George was running.
3. George was leaving
Sandra was dying 4.
Sandra was writing a letter. George was cutting the rope.
Sentence 1 are stative and those in 2 are activity. If it is true that George was waiting and Sandra was swimming, for example, then we can
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report that George waited and Sandra swam. The predicates do not have an end or goal; they are atelic.
In contrast, the sentence 3 contains achievement sentence and the sentence 4 are accomplishments. If George was leaving, he did not
necessarily leave; Sandra might be dying for months and yet not die. These sentences do not report events, happenings, but processes moving
towards events. George left, Sandra died report events that occur instantly, however long the process of moving toward that event may be.
Since the events are instantaneous, we can ask “When did George leave?” or “When did Sandra die?” but not “How long did George leave or Sandra
die?” Sentence 4 is also about the processes moving toward completion. If
Sandra was writing a letter but stopped, it would be true that Sandra wrote an activity but not that she wrote a letter an accomplishment.
Similarly, the fact that George was cutting a rope does not necessarily lead to the fact that he cut it. In conclusion, telic means a process of
activity in which the time can be seen whether the activity is still progressing, or will end soon. Atelic means a situation where the process
can be known that activity will progress in a long time. Example: - Harry built a raft. telic
- Harry gazed at the sea. atelic
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c. Events Processes