Mastering Verb Teamwork

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I don’t remember the plot of the movie, but there are movies that stay in memory like an old photograph, remembered through a single scene. The most memorable scene from the movie “Dead Poets Society” is when Mr. Keating stands on the desk. Mr. Keating is willing to engage in unusual actions if it serves teaching the children. The following is a scene where he teaches the students to see the world from various perspectives, asking why he is standing on the desk.

John Keating: Why do I stand up here? Anybody?

Charlie Dalton: To feel taller?

John Keating: No. Thank you for playing, Mr. Dalton. I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way. You see, the world looks different from up here. You don’t believe me? Come see for yourselves. Come on.

John Keating: Just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way. Even though it may seem silly or wrong, you must try.

Now when you read, don’t just consider what the author thinks. Consider what you think. Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. The longer wait to begin, the less likely you’ll find it at all. Thoreau said, “Most men live lives of quiet desperation.” Don’t be resigned to that. Break out!

In English, the subject and verb are stated first, and then additional expressions that the subject and verb alone cannot fully convey are added. However, sometimes the verb is not clearly visible because, unlike in English, verbs do not work alone. In Korean, the verb itself changes, creating infinite expressions like “see”, “let’s see”, “should see”, “look”, “watch”, etc. But in English, verbs only undergo simple changes for tense and person, not transforming as they do in Korean. Therefore, to mimic even a portion of Korean expressions in English, different methods must be used.

Unlike in Korean, English creates its variety of expressions not through the verb itself changing but with the help of modal verbs, adverbs of frequency, and prepositions, essentially through teamwork. We want to collectively call all these team members the “verb avengers”. This is not a suggestion for a new grammatical term but rather a means for easier understanding and recall.

The “Verb Avengers” comprises:

<Modal Verb + Adverb of Frequency + Main Verb + Adverb + Preposition>

There’s a potential confusion with existing grammatical terms like phrasal verbs and verb phrases. A verb phrase refers to several words coming together to serve the role of a verb, similar to other phrases. A phrasal verb combines a verb with a preposition or adverb to form an idiomatic expression, understood or perceived as a single verb. For example, adding “out” to “look” to form “look out” or “for” to make “look for”.

Although these concepts are similar, there’s a distinction. In “I will look it up,” “will look” is a verb phrase, and “look up” is a phrasal verb. Our “verb avengers” could simply be called a verb phrase too. However, to emphasize teamwork, order, and a distinct pattern, we prefer to call it the “Verb Avengers”. In summary:

• Verb Phrase: Several words come together to act as a verb
• Phrasal Verb: Verb + Preposition/Adverb forming an idiomatic expression
• Verb Avengers: <Modal Verb + Adverb of Frequency + Verb + Adverb + Preposition>
  

Our “Verb Avengers” consist of the main verb and its helpers: modal verbs, adverbs of frequency, adverbs, and prepositions, working together in the order of <Modal Verb + Adverb of Frequency + Main Verb + Adverb + Preposition> to perform the role of a verb, effectively becoming a ‘de facto verb’. Not all team members need to participate every time.

A great example can be found in “Dead Poets Society,” where Mr. Keating tells his students, “We must constantly look at things in a different way.” The modal verb “must,” the adverb of frequency “constantly,” the main verb “look,” and the preposition “at” come together to form a more precise expression: “We must constantly observe things from a different perspective.”

1. Do

A quintessential auxiliary verb would undoubtedly be ‘do’, which corresponds to the Korean verb ‘하다’ (to do). In Korean, attaching ‘하다’ to any noun turns it into a verb, such as ‘study’, ‘love’, ‘farm’. It’s conceivable that in English, verbs were originally formed by attaching ‘do’ to every noun, like ‘I do study’, ‘I do love you’, ‘I do farm’. This idea isn’t baseless; there are remnants in old English where current verbs were recognized as nouns and preceded by ‘do’.

This memory might be why today ‘do’ is used as an auxiliary for negative and interrogative sentences and to emphasize the verb itself.

Red: I do believe those first two years were the worst for him, and I also believe that if things had gone on that way, this place would have got the best of him. <The Shawshank Redemption>

2. Will & Shall
‘will’ and ‘shall’ are modal verbs that help convey the future.

MAXIMUS: Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next. <GLADIATOR 2000>

While ‘shall’ is mostly replaced by ‘will’ today and rarely used, it is sometimes employed to strongly express the speaker’s will. This difference between ‘will’ and ‘shall’ can be somewhat felt in the following quote by President Nixon in <Forrest Gump>.

Richard M. Nixon: Therefore, I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice president Ford will be sworn into office at that hour in this office. <Forrest Gump>

3. Can, May, Must

The most commonly used modal verb ‘Can’ signifies ‘able to’, ‘allowed to’, and in questions, it suggests speculation ‘Could it be?’.

Steven Spielberg: And that’s the essence of what this story is that one individual can change things <Schindler’s List>

‘Must’ is often used to express necessity, obligation, or duty, as in Mr. Keating’s quote, “We must constantly look at things in a different way.” However, it can also mean ‘undoubtedly is’, as in the following dialogue.

Drill Sergeant: Gump! What’s your sole purpose in this army?

Forrest Gump: To do whatever you tell me, drill sergeant!

Drill Sergeant: God damn it, Gump! You’re a god damn genius! This is the most outstanding answer I have ever heard. You must have a goddamn I.Q. of 160. You are goddamn gifted, Private Gump <Forrest Gump>

“Must” can be substituted with “have to/has to/had to” or “ought to,” and its future form is “will have to,” while its past form is “had to.”

JEFF BAILEY: You know, maybe I was wrong, and luck is like love. You have to go all the way to find it. <OUT OF THE PAST, 1947>

INDIANA JONES: Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes? <RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, 1987>

“Must + have + past participle” can express a strong past assumption that something definitely happened.

Hans Gruber: I must have missed 60 Minutes. What are you saying? <Die Hard>

Additionally, “May” is a modal verb meaning “is allowed to.” Its past form is “might.”

John Keating: “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” The Latin term for that sentiment is Carpe Diem. Who knows what that means? Meeks: Carpe Diem. That’s “seize the day.” <Dead Poets Society>

“Ye” is a word used mainly in poetry, meaning “you all.” Thus, when permission is granted, it means “you all may gather rosebuds.” “May” is also used to express wishes or hopes.

Gracchus: He enters Rome like a conquering hero. But what has he conquered?

Falco: Give him time, Gracchus. He’s young, he may do very well.

Gracchus: For Rome? Or for you? <Gladiator>

4. Would, Should, Could, Might

The past forms of “will, shall, can, may” are “Would, Should, Could, Might,” respectively. These can also be used independently in the present tense to express speculation, expectation, or assumption. For example, “would” is primarily the past form of “will” but is often used to express a person’s will or as a polite and indirect way to make requests.

AURORA GREENWAY: Would you like to come in?

GARRETT BREEDLOVE: I’d rather stick needles in my eyes. <TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, 1983>

“I’d rather” is an abbreviation of “would rather,” used to express a preference or wish. A similar expression, “had better,” advises or recommends a better action.

Diana Christensen: This network doesn’t have one show in the top twenty. This network is an industry joke, and we‘d better start putting together one winner for next September. <The Network>

“Should” indicates duty or propriety, and its negative form, “should not,” denotes prohibition.

SAM CRAIG: Women should be kept illiterate and clean, like canaries. <WOMAN OF THE YEAR, MGM, 1942>

Specifically, “Should + have + past participle” expresses regret or something that should have been done.

John McClane: You should have heard your brother squeal when I broke his neck. <Die Hard>

The past form of “can,” “could,” is also used in the present tense to include speculation or possibility in its meaning.

Elliot: You could be happy here. I could take care of you. We could grow up together, ET. <E.T.>

RUFUS T. FIREFLY: I could dance with you until the cows come home. On second thought, I’d rather dance with the cows until you came home. <DUCK SOUP, 1933>