What is a serial verb construction?

Definition
	A serial verb construction is a string of verbs or verb phrases within a single clause that
	express simultaneous or immediately consecutive actions have a single grammatical subject have no connective markings, and are marked or understood as having the same grammatical categories, such as aspect modality negativity or positivity, and tense.

Example (Twi)

Kofi de pono no baae

Kofi take_PAST pono the come_PAST

‘Kofi brought the table.’

Source:

Sebba 1987 1

Generic
	A serial verb construction is a kind of
	What is a construction?

Concept module: serial verb construction
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): S
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004