Which is the entire verb phrase in this sentence?
My friends and I could have carefully dismantled the playhouse.
A.
dismantled
B.
could have dismantled
C.
could have carefully dismantled
D.
could have
... and you think it's ... ??
I think its C or B
The entire verb phrase in the sentence "My friends and I could have carefully dismantled the playhouse" is option C: "could have carefully dismantled."
To identify the entire verb phrase, we need to look for the main verb and any auxiliary verbs that accompany it. In this sentence, the main verb is "dismantled," and it is preceded by the auxiliary verbs "could" and "have" to form the verb phrase "could have dismantled."
However, the sentence also includes the adverb "carefully" before the main verb "dismantled." Since the adverb is part of the verb phrase and modifies the verb, the entire verb phrase becomes "could have carefully dismantled."