Verb Patterns
Here are some verb patterns. Each pattern is arbitrarily numbered. These patterns apply when two verbs are next to each other in a sentence (v1 + v2). When I use the term “sentence” I mean statements, requests and questions. In some of these patterns there is only v1 not a v1 + v2 pattern.
Pattern 1
This is the most commonly occurring pattern.
Jazmin and Lalo wanted to dance.
v1 = wanted (any tense; affirmative or negative)
v2 = to dance (infinitive)
Pattern 2
Jorge isn’t working.
v1 = isn’t (any tense of “to be”; affirmative or negative)
v2 = present participle
Pattern 3
v1 = (any tense of “to have”; affirmative or negative)
v2 = been (always “been”)
v3 = present participle
He hasn’t been working since the third week of December.
Pattern 4
v1 = If v1 is one of these: avoid, deny, detest, enjoy, hate, like, love, mind, miss, understand. remember, thank you for, sorry for, stop, start, finish, end, to be dissuaded from
v2 = present participle
I hate the smell of cigarettes and marijuana
i.e. I hate smelling cigarettes and marijuana.
Pattern 5
v1 = promise, remind, show, tell, warn (any tense. affirmative or negative)
v1 + SOMEBODY THAT * independent clause.
I promised my children that we would take a trip together.
I didn’t tell my mother that a crazy man threatened me and rammed his car into mine.
Pattern 6
v1 + SOMEBODY + v2
v1 = advise, ask. allow, force, invite, persuade, remind, tell. warn (any tense: affirmative or negative)
v2 = an infinitive
I advise you to get the nicest place that you can afford.
Pattern 7
v1 + (that) + independent clause
v1 = believe, explain, feel, know, realize, see, show, say, sugges,, think
I think that Edwin's faith cannot be extinguished.
NOTE: an infinitive may be affirmative or negative. For example: to be vs not to be; to run vs not to run
