Question

What is a compound verb and some examples?

Answer 1

Hint: The word “compound” means made of two or more. A verb is a word in a sentence that describes the action or situation of the subject of the sentence. When a verb is used in a sentence it is necessary that it has an agreement with the subject, called the subject-verb agreement.

Complete answer:
In linguistics, a compound verb or complex predicate is a multi-word compound that functions as a single verb. There must be at least one verb for each subject in a sentence. That isn't to say that a topic can only have one verb.
When a subject has two or more verbs, the subject is said to have a compound verb.
There are different types of compound verbs in a sentence:

i) A prepositional verb : When a preposition is applied to the end of a verb, it may give it a slightly different or even completely different meaning.
Examples:
I will think about the problem.
In this example, "about the problem" is a prepositional phrase, so "about" is a preposition.

ii) With a Phrasal Verb : If you pair a verb with an adverb or a preposition, you get a phrasal verb. When looking at the two words separately, the meaning of the compound verb isn't always clear. The adverb or preposition may also be placed after the object and still make sense.
Examples:
I will stand in tomorrow
In this example, there is no prepositional phrase, so "in" is classified as the particle. The word particle means "nothing in particular."
Some of the grammarians classify particles in phrasal verbs as adverbs.

iii) With Auxiliaries : A compound verb is formed when a verb is preceded by an auxiliary verb. The most popular auxiliaries are variations of "to be," but other auxiliaries are often used as well.
Examples:
By the time Sarah had walked to the store, it had started to rain.
In this example, “had” is an auxiliary verb, and “walked” and “started” are the past participles (of “to walk” and “to start”).

iv) Single-word Compound Verbs : You may make a compound verb by combining two separate words, one or both of which may or may not be verbs on their own, whether or not they are connected with a hyphen.
Examples:
Jessica babysits Carson and his sister Stella on Saturday nights.
In this example, “babysits” is the verb that connects in the sentence.

Note: One of the types of compound verbs are single-word compound verbs. We should not get confused by the name ‘single-word’, because compound verbs generally do not come as a single word, but this is a special case. Also note that single-word compound verbs often act as adjectives. An example where it becomes an adjective is; when we use “water-proof” as an adjective for the subject “watch”.