In linguistics, a compound verb or complex predicate is a multi-word compound that functions as a single verb. One component of the compound is a light verb or vector, which carries any inflections, indicating tense, mood, or aspect, but provides only fine shades of meaning.

What is a compound of a verb?

Lesson Summary

A compound verb is a verb that consists of two or more words. There are four types of compound verbs. A prepositional verb is when a verb and a preposition come together to form a new verb. A phrasal verb is when a verb is combined with another part of speech, together functioning as a verb.

What is a compound verb in writing?

A compound verb is made up of one or more words. They're sometimes called serial verbs because one verb follows another. You'll often find compound verbs that share a subject, such as in these examples. John swims and runs for exercise.