Verbs
From UNL Wiki
A verb is a word that in syntax conveys an action (bring, read, walk, run, learn), an occurrence (happen, become), or a state of being (be, exist, stand).
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Natural language
Verbs are normally classified in four different categories:
- Auxiliary verbs (AUX), when they simply convey information on the tense and aspect of the main verb
- Modal verbs (MOD), when they convey information about the modality of the sentence
- Copulas (COP), when they simply link the subject to the predicate
- Verbs (VER), when they convey actions, occurrences or states.
Attributes for Verbs
In many languages, verbs are inflected to encode person, tense, aspect, mood and voice.
Lists of verbs
UNL
Verbs are represented in UNL:
- by attributes, in case of auxiliary, quasi-auxiliary and semi-auxiliary verbs;
- by relations, in case of linking verbs (copula);
- by UWs, otherwise.
Verbs as attributes
- Modal verbs are represented by attributes of modality, such as @ability (can), @desire (wish), @necessity (need), @obligation (must, have to), @permission (may), etc.
- Auxiliary verbs are represented by attributes of tense or aspect, such as @future (will), @present.@progressive (is + gerund), @past.@perfect (had + participle), etc.
Verbs as relations
- Copula verbs are represented as the relation "aoj"
- Peter is beautiful = aoj(beautiful, Peter)
