Light verbs

Light verbs are very commonly used verbs, which are very versatile due to the fact that their meanings are not as specific as other verbs. For example, a verb like give is rather general in meaning compared to its its synonyms like donate, contribute, transfer.

A light verb often forms a light verb construction (LVC), consisting of a light verb, a noun, and sometimes a modifier or modifier phrase; the noun is often a more general, common, or abstract noun.

Some typical light verbs in different languages include the following.

Language	Light verbs
English	be, come, do, get, give, go, have, make, put, run, set, take
German	sein, kommen, tun, machen, gehen
French	prendre, faire
Spanish	dar, estar, ser, hacer
Latin	agere, haber, esse, facere, ponere
Chinese	作, 是, 給, 有
Korean	하다, 있다, 나다, 가다, 오다

1 Characteristics

Light verbs can be identified by these common characteristics.

1. General meaning.: A light verb is semantically general, light, or in semantics terminology, semantically weak or underspecified, that is, its meaning is not very specific or specified. The verb give for example has a general, basic meaning that includes presenting something or transferring possession to someone; its meaning is not specific about the type, manner, or context of the giving, while its synonyms are more specific in those respects.

2. Argument structure meaning.: More so than other verbs, the meaning of a light verb comes from its argument structure, or the configuration of semantic roles of the nouns in the sentence. A semantic role refers to the semantic function that a noun plays in the sentence. These roles correspond somewhat to grammatical functions like subject, direct object, and indirect object. Some typical semantic roles in LVCs include:

Agent: The one doing the action. It is often the subject, as in Mustafa threw the ball.
Patient: The person or thing that is directly affected by the action. It is often the direct object of a transitive verb, as in Mustafa threw the ball.
Theme: This is the subject of some intransitive verbs, where the subject is not actually doing anything, but the subject is what the sentence is about; e.g., Mustafa is tired.
Dative (Recipient): The one to whom something is given; this generally corresponds to an indirect object, as in Mustafa gave Luna a new basketball.

3. High frequency.: These are generally the most commonly used verbs, especially in daily use, in the language. For example, the most common verbs in English include the light verbs give, take, be, have, set. They form the core vocabulary of the language, along with other high frequency words.

4. Early age of acquisition.: These are among the first verbs that children learn in the language, and these are learned before other verbs of similar meanings. Children learn be before other verbs of existence, and give before learning other verbs of giving.

5. Phrasal verbs.: These are particularly common as components of phrasal verbs (though not all phrasal verbs are derived from light verbs, many of them are), e.g., give up, give out, take up, take on, set something up.

6. Idioms.: These are common elements in idiomatic expressions, such as give him an inch and he'll take a mile, get lost, take a hike! or run someone down.

7. Collocations.: A collocation is a regular occurrence of two or more words, often expressions with set meanings, or commonly occurring and meaningful word combinations (expressions) in a language. Light verbs are common in common collocations, e.g., take a chance, take a bath, don't give a damn, get married, set her straight.

8. Grammatically unrestricted.: While we can say Mary gave Tom a cake or Mary gave a cake to Tom, synonyms of the light verb to give are more restricted in meaning, and in the types of arguments they can take. Thus, they may less flexible. The verb give can alternate as in the preceding examples to express different nuances, but most of its synonyms cannot, and the synonyms are more restricted in their use according to context or formality, as their meaning is more specific. Thus, some alternations are possible, but some are not (the starred examples are ungrammatical).

Mary gave Tom a cake = Mary gave a cake to Tom
Mary donated a million pounds to the children's home. ≠ *Mary donated the children's home a million pounds.
Luna contributed ten euros to the charity. ≠ *Luna contributed the charity ten euros.

9. Light verb constructions.: Many collocations and idioms with light verbs qualify as LVCs. These constructions tend to have some of the following characteristics.

LVCs can have noun objects that are common nouns, e.g., take a bath.
LVCs can have verbs with noun compliments or objects that are deverbal nouns, i.e., nouns derived from or related to similar verbs; e.g., take a bath cf. to bathe or she made a comment cf. she commented (on it).
LVCs can sometimes contain more abstract nouns as objects, like get married, make a claim, have hope
The word order of LVCs is collocational and cannot be easily changed. For example, we can say that Mary gave Tom a headache but not Mary gave a headache to Tom. The latter version might be possible, but it is rare, and the altered word order changes the meaning or nuance of the sentence.

10. Informal.: Due to their characteristics, these verbs are more informal and colloquial. They are not only very common in conversational discourse, but they are also useful in semi-formal settings such as giving a presentation in a college course or a business meeting. In formal academic writing, more specific synonyms are generally preferred when possible.

2 English light verbs

The following light verbs form idioms and collocations, and some more specific alternatives for more formal style.

Light verb	Alternatives
be	exist, be present, be alive, subsist, survive, endure, remain, stay, stay put, occupy, seem, tend to
come	arrive, reach, show up, appear, turn up, materialize, transpire, happen, occur, befall
do	conduct, perform, carry out, act, accomplish, engage in, effect, undertake, suffice, succeed, complete, create, determine, serve, behave, portray, appear, manage, render, enact
get	acquire, attain, obtain, procure, secure, gain, collect, receive, earn, come by, fetch, pick up, take, find, come into possession of, be given, be handed
give	yield, donate, contribute, supply, transfer, accord, administer, allow, bequeath, cede, commit, confer, deliver, dispense, entrust, furnish, gift, grant, abdicate, present, permit, provide, relinquish, remit, subsidize, transmit, communicate, supply, proffer, demonstrate, extend, evidence, display
go	proceed, move, travel, journey, head, set off, depart, leave, withdraw, retreat, vacate, exit, depart from, withdraw from, retire from, pass away, pass on, move on, be gone, be lost, be away
have	possess, own, hold, retain, keep, control, command, occupy
make	create, build, form, accomplish, assemble, constitute, effect, fabricate, generate, produce, prepare, induce, compel, constrain, drive, designate, appoint, enact, execute
put	place, locate, position, concentrate, deposit, embed, establish, install, plant, repose, propose, advance, express, formulate, posit, propose, present, render, propound, transpose, suggest, commit, assign, constrain, impose, employ, require, subject, exhibit, arrange
run	operate, function, work, go, move, flow, race, sprint, hasten, hurry, scurry, scuttle, scamper, bound, leap, jump, dart, dash, speed, rush, race, jog, flow, stream, move fast
set	place, position, put, lay, arrange, adjust, fix, establish, install, mount, embed, embed in, root, plant, stick, fasten, secure, affix, position, locate, situate, station, establish, fix, determine, regulate
take	grab, seize, grasp, capture, snatch, hold, pick up, lift, bear, carry, fetch, collect, assume, adopt, acquire, secure, bring, get, accept, inherit

2.1 Common expressions

The following are some common idoms and expressions build from the light verbs above.

Be

To be all ears: To be ready and willing to listen
To be on the same page: To be in agreement or understanding
To be in a pickle: To be in a difficult situation
To be in the doghouse: To be in trouble with someone
To be in the driver's seat: To be in control
To be in the pink: To be in good health
To be in the black: To be financially successful
To be in the red: To be in financial trouble
To be in two minds: To be uncertain or indecisive
To be out of the loop: To be uninformed or not included in something
To be over the moon: To be extremely happy
To be the bee's knees: To be the best of the best
To be the cat's meow: To be the best of the best
To be the icing on the cake: To be an added bonus
To be the apple of one's eye: To be someone's favorite or most treasured person.

Come

To come clean: to confess or admit to something
To come to an agreement: to reach a mutual decision or understanding
To come to a head: to reach a critical or decisive point
To come to a standstill: to stop or pause progress
To come to terms: to reach an understanding or agreement
To come to grips with: to understand and accept something
To come to nothing: to have no result or outcome
To come out on top: To be victorious or successful
To come in handy: To be useful or helpful
To come in like a lion, go out like a lamb: to start with a strong impact but end weakly
To come full circle: to return to the starting point
To come into one's own: to reach one's full potential
To come to fruition: To be realized or completed successfully.

Get

To get the ball rolling: to start something happening
To get on the right track: to start making progress or making positive changes
To get in over one's head: to take on more than one can handle
To get cold feet: to become too nervous to do something
To get the cold shoulder: to be ignored or rejected
To get the hang of it: to learn how to do something
To get the boot: to be fired or dismissed
To get the goods on someone: to find evidence or proof of something
To get a handle on: to gain control or understanding
To get a taste of one's own medicine: to experience something one has inflicted on others
To get down to business: to start working or doing something serious
To get the green light: to be given approval or permission
To get the show on the road: to begin a project or event.

Give

To give up the ghost: to die
To give someone the run around: to avoid giving a straight answer or making a decision
To give someone a hard time: to trouble or harass someone
To give someone a piece of one's mind: to speak one's thoughts or feelings directly to someone
To give someone a hand: to help someone
To give someone the benefit of the doubt: to trust or believe someone despite some uncertainty
To give the game away: to reveal something unexpectedly
To give someone a cold shoulder: to ignore or reject someone
To give it one's all: to try one's best
To give someone a break: # To give someone a chance or an opportunity
To give in: to surrender or yield
To give it a shot: to try something
To give and take: to compromise or negotiate
To give back: to return something or repay a debt
To give way: to yield or give in.

Go

To go the extra mile: to do more than what is required

To go with the flow: to conform or adapt to the current situation
To go against the grain: to act contrary to one's nature or usual behavior
To go off the deep end: to become extremely emotional or irrational
To go through the motions: to do something without enthusiasm or interest
To go cold turkey: to stop something abruptly or suddenly
To go to the dogs: to decline or deteriorate
To go belly up: to fail or go bankrupt
To go to pot: to decline or deteriorate
To go south: to decline or deteriorate
To go round in circles: to repeat the same thing without making progress
To go the distance: to persist or last until the end
To go off the rails: to deviate from a plan or course of action
To go off half-cocked: to act impulsively or recklessly
To go to the mattresses: to prepare for a fight or battle.

Have

To have a chip on one's shoulder: to be easily offended or hold a grudge
To have a lot on one's plate: to be busy or have a lot to do
To have a change of heart: to change one's mind or opinion
To have a close call: to almost experience a negative outcome
To have a bone to pick with someone: To have an issue or problem with someone
To have a heart of gold: to be kind and generous
To have a knack for: to be naturally good at something
To have a wild hair: To have a sudden idea or impulse
To have a ball: To have a good time
To have a blast: To have a great time
To have a good head on one's shoulders: to be sensible and practical
To have a good run: to be successful for a period of time
To have a one-track mind: to be obsessed or only think about one thing
To have a taste for: To have a liking or preference for something.

Make

To make a long story short: to summarize
To make a mountain out of a molehill: to exaggerate the importance of something
To make amends: to apologize or correct a wrong
To make a clean break: to end something completely and move on
To make a beeline: to move straight towards a goal
To make a killing: # To make a large profit
To make a name for oneself: to become famous or successful
To make a scene: to create a disturbance or commotion
To make a point: to emphasize something
To make a fuss: to complain or create a disturbance
To make a living: to earn enough money to support oneself
To make a comeback: to recover or regain success
To make a mess: to create disorder or disarray
To make a hash of: to mess up or do something poorly
To make a play for: to try to win someone's affections or interest
To make a dent: to achieve a small success or gain some progress.

Put

To put one's foot in one's mouth: to say something that is offensive or embarrassing
To put two and two together: to make a logical connection or deduction
To put the cart before the horse: to do things in the wrong order
To put on a brave face: to pretend to be strong or confident
To put on the back burner: to postpone or delay something
To put on the spot: to place someone in an uncomfortable or difficult situation
To put in an appearance: to make a brief visit or show up
To put all one's eggs in one basket: to take a big risk on a single opportunity
To put up or shut up: to either do something or stop talking about it
To put on the dog: to dress up or put on airs
To put on a show: to make a performance or display
To put one's best foot forward: to make a good impression
To put to bed: to settle or resolve a problem or issue
To put through the wringer: to subject someone or something to intense stress or pressure
To put in one's time: to serve a period of time or fulfill an obligation.

Run

To run on empty: to have no energy or resources left
To run circles around someone: to be much more capable or efficient than someone
To run the show: to be in charge or in control
To run the gamut: to cover a wide range of things
To run out of steam: to lose energy or momentum
To run for the hills: to flee or escape quickly
To run a tight ship: to be an efficient and well-organized leader
To run in the family: to be a trait or characteristic that is passed down through one's family
To run afoul of: to violate or break a rule or law
To run hot and cold: to be inconsistent or changeable
To run the gauntlet: to face a difficult or challenging test
To run a risk: to take a chance or gamble
To run the numbers: to perform calculations or analysis
To run wild: to act in an unrestrained or uncontrolled way
To run with the pack: to conform or follow the crowd.

Set

To set the stage: to prepare or make ready for something
To set the record straight: to correct misinformation or clarify the truth
To set in stone: to make something fixed or permanent
To set one's sights on: to aim or strive for something
To set the bar high: # To set a high standard or expectation
To set the tone: to establish the mood or atmosphere
To set the wheels in motion: to start something happening
To set foot: to step or enter a place
To set the table: to prepare for a meal
To set the world on fire: to achieve great success or make a great impact
To set the cat among the pigeons: to create a disturbance or commotion
To set the tone: to establish the mood or atmosphere
To set the standard: to establish a norm or model
To set one's heart on: to be determined or resolved to do something
To set the pace: to establish the tempo or rate of progress.

Take

Take it easy: Relax, calm down
Take it or leave it: This is my final offer, you can accept it or reject it
Take the bull by the horns: To tackle a problem head-on
Take advantage of: To use an opportunity to gain some benefit
Take a back seat: To let someone else # Take control or be more prominent
Take a crack at: Try to do something
Take a stand: To express a clear opinion or position on an issue
Take a shot at: Attempt to do something
Take a turn for the worse: To become worse
Take a load off: Relax, sit down, # Take a break
Take a liking to: Begin to like someone or something
Take heart: Be encouraged, gain courage
Take the cake: To be the best or most extreme example of something
Take the fall: accept blame or punishment for something
Take the wind out of someone's sails: To deflate someone's confidence or enthusiasm

Light verbs

1 Characteristics

2 English light verbs

2.1 Common expressions

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