Home »English verb phrase generator

English verb phrase generator

Use the filters below to choose your search criteria. You can select multiple terms with CTRL + left click. After running a search, you can click on the links in the Read more column to find more detailed explanations on each construction.

Modal WILL Perfect HAVE Continuous BE Passive BE Main verb Read more
Past perfect active had written Past perfect

* Verb phrases with the modal will + bare infinitive are, strictly speaking, not considered to be tenses. (You can read more about this here and here.) Finite verb phrases also include modal constructions formed with modals other than will, which are not listed here.

** There are two aspects: the continuous and the perfect aspect. Verb phrases which are not marked for either aspect are called simple. Verb phrases which are marked for both aspects are called perfect continuous.

The order of auxiliaries in the verb phrase:

  1. modal auxiliary (e.g. will) + base form
  2. perfect auxiliary have + past participle
  3. continuous auxiliary be + present participle (verb-ing)
  4. passive auxiliary be + past participle