In the sentence...She did not notice the hours passing. Is "not" included in the verb phrase?
No.
The word, "not," is an adverb and is not part of the verb phrase.
The verb phrase is "did notice."
To determine whether "not" is part of the verb phrase in the sentence "She did not notice the hours passing," let's break it down:
1. Identify the main verb: The main verb in the sentence is "notice."
2. Identify the helping verb: The helping verb in this sentence is "did," which is used to form the negative past tense.
3. Determine if "not" is part of the verb phrase: In this sentence, "not" is used to create the negative form of the verb phrase. Since "not" modifies the verb "notice" in combination with the helping verb "did," it is considered part of the verb phrase.
Therefore, in the given sentence, "not" is included in the verb phrase.