In phrase structure grammars such as generative grammar, the verb phrase is one headed by a verb. It may be composed of only a single verb, but typically it consists of combinations of main and auxiliary verbs, plus optional specifiers, complements (not including subject complements), and adjuncts.he third example presents three elements, the main verb gave, the noun Mary, and the noun phrase a book, all which comprise the verb phrase. Note, the verb phrase described here corresponds to the predicate of traditional grammar.
In Reply to: Origin of phrase waiting for the other shoe to drop posted by C Pfeil on October 26, 2001.
While the rhyme derives from sometime during the Victorian era, its origin dates back to the 1600s, when the Lord of the Manor would present brides with silver coins, and often they would be sixpence coins. Putting a sixpence coin in a brideâs shoe is intended as a symbol of her future financial security and wealth.