Verb Phrases

A verb phrase is a group of words that works together as the verb in a sentence. It includes a main verb and one or more helping verbs (auxiliaries). At this level, you will learn about longer verb phrases that use modals and perfect or continuous forms together.

What You'll Learn

How to identify longer verb phrases that contain modals (can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must)
How present perfect continuous verb phrases are formed (has/have been + -ing)
How modal + have + past participle verb phrases work (could have gone, should have eaten)
How to pick out every part of a longer verb phrase in a sentence

When to Use

Actions that started in the past and are still happening: "She has been reading that book all morning."
Past possibilities or missed actions: "We could have taken the MRT instead of the bus."
Giving advice about the past: "You should have brought an umbrella."
Guessing about ongoing actions: "He must have been sleeping when I called."
Talking about things that were expected: "They might have finished their homework by now."

How to Form

Present Perfect Continuous (has/have + been + -ing)

This verb phrase shows an action that started in the past and is still going on, or has only just stopped.

Subject	Helping Verbs	Main Verb (-ing)	Full Verb Phrase
I / You / We	have been	eating	have been eating
He / She / It	has been	running	has been running
The children	have been	playing	have been playing
My brother	has been	studying	has been studying

Modal + Have + Past Participle

This verb phrase talks about past possibilities, missed actions, or things we believe happened.

Modal	+ have	+ Past Participle	Full Verb Phrase	Meaning
could	have	gone	could have gone	it was possible but didn't happen
should	have	eaten	should have eaten	it was the right thing but didn't happen
would	have	helped	would have helped	was willing but didn't happen
might	have	left	might have left	perhaps it happened
must	have	forgotten	must have forgotten	almost certain it happened

Modal + Have Been + -ing (Longest Form)

This combines a modal with the perfect continuous to talk about an action that was probably in progress.

Modal	+ have been	+ Main Verb (-ing)	Full Verb Phrase
must	have been	waiting	must have been waiting
could	have been	sleeping	could have been sleeping
might	have been	practising	might have been practising

Parts of a Verb Phrase

Every verb phrase has one main verb (the action word) and one or more helping verbs. The main verb always comes last.

Verb Phrase	Helping Verb(s)	Main Verb
has been eating	has, been	eating
could have gone	could, have	gone
must have been waiting	must, have, been	waiting
should have finished	should, have	finished

Key Rules

The main verb always comes last: In any verb phrase, the final word is the main verb -- it carries the action. Everything before it is a helping verb. In "has been eating", eating is the main verb.
Modals never change form: Words like "could", "should", "must", and "might" stay the same no matter what the subject is. You say "She could have gone" and "They could have gone" -- the modal does not change.
"Have" follows the modal, not "has": After a modal, always use "have", never "has". Say "He could have gone", not "He could ~~has~~ gone."
"Been" signals continuous or passive: When you see "been" inside a verb phrase, the next word is usually an -ing form (continuous) or a past participle (passive). In "has been eating", "been" tells you the action is ongoing.
Do not split the verb phrase unnecessarily: All the parts of the verb phrase belong together. "She has been eating" -- the verb phrase is "has been eating", not just "eating" by itself.
Adverbs can sit inside a verb phrase: Words like "always", "never", "already", and "just" sometimes appear in the middle of a verb phrase. "She has already been waiting for an hour." The verb phrase is still "has been waiting" -- "already" is an adverb, not part of the verb phrase.

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
She could has gone home.	She could have gone home.	After a modal, always use "have", not "has"
He has been eat his lunch.	He has been eating his lunch.	After "has/have been", the main verb needs the -ing form
They must have went to the park.	They must have gone to the park.	After "have", use the past participle (gone), not the past tense (went)
I been waiting for you.	I have been waiting for you.	"Been" needs "have" or "has" before it
She should have been study all day.	She should have been studying all day.	After "have been", the main verb takes the -ing ending
We might have ate the cake already.	We might have eaten the cake already.	After "have", use the past participle (eaten), not the past tense (ate)

Clue Words

Words that signal present perfect continuous (has/have been + -ing)

since, for, all morning, all day, the whole time, lately, recently

Words that signal modal + have + past participle

could have, should have, would have, might have, must have

Common past participles used in these verb phrases

gone, eaten, taken, done, seen, been, written, spoken, broken, forgotten

Common -ing forms used in these verb phrases

eating, running, playing, waiting, sleeping, studying, reading, practising

Tip: Count the words in the verb phrase. If you see two helping verbs before the main verb (like "has been eating" or "could have gone"), you are dealing with a longer verb phrase. If you see three helping verbs (like "must have been waiting"), that is the longest form you will meet at this level.

Practice Tips

Underline the full verb phrase: When you read a sentence, underline every word in the verb phrase from the first helping verb to the main verb. For example, in "My sister has been practising the piano since morning", underline "has been practising". This trains your eye to spot the whole phrase.
Label the parts: After underlining, write "H" above each helping verb and "M" above the main verb. In "could have gone": H = could, H = have, M = gone. This helps you see the structure clearly.
The "have" check: Whenever you see a modal followed by a verb, ask yourself: "Is the next word 'have'?" If so, the word after "have" must be a past participle (gone, eaten, taken -- not went, ate, took).
Make your own sentences: Pick a modal (could, should, must) and build a verb phrase with "have" + past participle. Then try adding "been" + -ing to make it even longer. Start small and build up: "could go" then "could have gone" then "could have been going".

Quick Reference

Verb Phrase Pattern	Structure	Example
Present perfect continuous	has/have + been + -ing	She has been reading.
Modal + perfect	modal + have + past participle	He could have gone.
Modal + perfect continuous	modal + have + been + -ing	They must have been sleeping.

Key Helping Verbs in Long Verb Phrases

Type	Words	Role in the verb phrase
Modals	can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must	Come first; show possibility, ability, or advice
Have	have, has (after subject) / have (after modal)	Signals perfect form
Been	been	Signals continuous (-ing) or passive
Be forms	is, am, are, was, were	Used in simple continuous phrases

Verb Phrases (P4) (Primary 4)