DOCSLIB.ORG

Structures: Gerunds & Infinitives

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Structures: Gerunds & Infinitives STRUCTURES: GERUNDS & INFINITIVES A. GERUNDS The Gerund and the Present Participle of verbs have the same '‐ING' form. When the '‐ING' form is used as a verb it is called the Present Participle. E.g. Walking along the pier, he met an old friend. When the '‐ING' form is used as a noun it is called the Gerund. E.g. I like fishing in mountain rivers. 1. With verbs and verbal expressions. Certain verbs, phrasal verbs and expressions are always followed by the Gerund. The Gerund must be used after the following verbs: ADMIT, ANTICIPATE, AVOID, CONSIDER, DEFER, DELAY, DETEST, DREAD, ENJOY, EXCUSE, FANCY, FINISH, FORGIVE, IMAGINE, INVOLVE, KEEP (= CONTINUE), MIND (= OBJECT), MISS, PARDON, POSTPONE, PREVENT, RECOLLECT, RESENT, RESIST, RISK, SAVE, STOP (= CEASE), SUGGEST, UNDERSTAND. E.g. I detest swimming in cold water. He doesn't fancy swimming in that dirty lake. Can you imagine swimming in the Dead Sea?. The following may also take a preposition before the Gerund, particularly when they have a direct object and a preposition: EXCUSE, FORGIVE, INVOLVE, PARDON, PREVENT, SAVE. E.g. He saved the little boy from drowning in the canal. The following phrasal verbs also take the Gerund: BE FOR / AGAINST, CARE FOR, GIVE UP, KEEP ON, LEAVE OFF, LOOK FORWARD TO, PUT OFF, SEE ABOUT, TAKE TO. E.g. I'm all for learning to row and sail at school. She doesn't care for rowing but is looking forward to sailing at the Isle of Wight. Would you see about hiring a rowing boat for this afternoon?. Use the Gerund after these expressions as well: Adapted from: Thomson & Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, R. Murphy, English Grammar in Use. CAN'T HELP, CAN'T STAND, IT'S NO USE, IT'S NO GOOD, IT'S WORTH(WHILE), DON'T MIND, WOULDN'T MIND, BE ACCUSTOMED TO, BE USED TO. E.g. I can't help thinking it would be fun to live on a houseboat. Well, it's no use trying to persuade me, I can't stand going on the water. Do you think it's worthwhile waiting for the ferry?. Oh, I don't mind staying here, I'm used to waiting for it. The verb ‘MIND’ is generally used in the negative or as a question. E.g. I wouldn't mind sailing on that yacht. Would you mind moving your boat along the quay? (a polite request). Would you mind my moving your boat? (a polite question meaning ‘Do you have any objection to my moving your boat?’). 2. With prepositions. If a verb follows a preposition the Gerund forms must be used. E.g. What about swimming to the island and back before lunch?. After casting anchor the sailors went ashore. He was fined for smuggling brandy into the country on his yacht. See also 1.‐ above. 3. As the subject of a sentence. When the action is being considered in a general sense then the Gerund is used. E.g. Swimming underwater is easy if you remember to breathe deeply before going down. When the action is being considered as a habit the Gerund is used. E.g. Swimming every day is marvellous exercise and good for the figure. When the action is prohibited the Gerund is often used. E.g. No smoking; no parking; talking is not allowed. 4. With adjectives. The Gerund is used after ‘BUSY’ and ‘WORTH’. E.g. He was busy mending the fishing nets. It isn't worth fishing in that river as it's polluted. A few adjectives accompanied by special prepositions are followed by the Gerund. They are: KEEN ON, PROUD OF, ACCUSTOMED TO, USED TO, EXEMPT FROM. Adapted from: Thomson & Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, R. Murphy, English Grammar in Use. E.g. He was very keen on sailing and scent to the coast most weekends. The Boys' Club was very proud of winning the prize for the second year running. She was exempt from paying the yacht club fees. 5. The Perfect Gerund. This can be used instead of the Present Gerund when a past action is being considered. It is formed with 'HAVING' followed by the Past Participle. E.g. The Boys' Club was very proud of having won the prize last year. 6. The Passive Gerund. This is formed with 'BEING' or 'HAVING BEEN' followed by the Past Participle. E.g. I resent being made to swim two lengths of the baths directly after lunch. The wreckage of the pirate ship rose to the surface two days after having been sunk. B. INFINITIVES Certain verbs are followed by ‘TO’ + Infinitive, others by the Infinitive without ‘TO’, and others by an object + ‘TO’ + Infinitive. 1. Verbs followed by ‘TO’ + Infinitive. AFFORD, AGREE, AIM, APPEAR, ARRANGE, BOTHER, CARE, CHANCE, CLAIM, CONSENT, DECIDE, DEMAND, ENDEAVOUR, FAIL, GET(= REACH), HAPPEN, HAVE (= BE OBLIGED), HESITATE, HOPE, LEARN, LONG, MANAGE, OFFER, PREPARE, PRETEND, PROCEED, PROMISE, REFUSE, RESOLVE, SEEK, SEEM, SWEAR, TEND, THREATEN, TROUBLE, UNDERTAKE, VOLUNTEER. E. g. I can't afford to buy a new boat this year. He arranged to meet his friend at the boathouse. She decided to go to the river in the afternoon, as the weather was fine. I have to reach the harbour before the fishing boats leave. I hope to learn to swim before the end of my holiday. Don't pretend to like him, you know you don't really. It seems to be an ideal day for sailing. It is no trouble to wait another five minutes for your friend. 2. Verbs followed by either ‘TO’ + Infinitive or object + ‘TO’ + Infinitive. ASK, BEG, EXPECT, HATE, HELP, INTEND, LIKE, LOVE, MEAN, PREFER, WANT, WISH. (some of them also take a Gerund ‐ see Gerund section). E.g. I asked to lease the room. Adapted from: Thomson & Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, R. Murphy, English Grammar in Use. He asked me to lease the room. I want to go to the seaside but my husband wants me to go to the mountains. 3. Verbs followed by object + ‘TO’ + Infinitive. ADVISE, ALLOW, COMPEL, ENCOURAGE, FORBID, INSTRUCT, INVITE, OBLIGE, ORDER, PERMIT, REMIND, REQUEST, TEACH, TELL, TEMPT, URGE, WARN. E.g. Children should be encouraged to swim as early as possible. He ordered us to abandon ship as it capsized. She reminded me to phone the docks about the arrival of the ship. It s impossible to teach him to swim as he’s afraid of the water. I've warned you not to go near the water before. 4. Auxiliaries followed by Infinitive without ‘TO’. WILL, SHALL, SHOULD, WOULD, CAN, DO, MAY, MUST. E.g. He will go to the harbour in the morning. Not many people can swim the Channel. The children mustn’t swim in that lake, it’s too dirty. Exception: OUGHT TO 5. Verbs followed by object + Infinitive without ‘TO’. LET, MAKE, HELP. (also with ‘TO’) E.g. He let me steer the boat up the river. The Captain made me sit down as the boat was tossing about on the waves. He helped me secure the rope to the post on the quay. Prepositions ‘EXCEPT’ and ‘BUT’ are followed by the Infinitive without ‘TO’. E.g. He is able to do most things well except swim. The sailor did nothing but complain about the food. 6. Infinitive of purpose. An infinitive is often used to indicate the reason why somebody does something. E.g. He went to meet his friend off the boat. He paused on the way to the harbour to hate a rest. The phrases 'SO AS TO' and 'IN ORDER TO' intensify the idea of purpose. E.g. He joined the navy in order to see the world. Adapted from: Thomson & Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, R. Murphy, English Grammar in Use. The construction ‘FOR’ + object + ‘TO’ + Infinitive also has the meaning of purpose. E.g. The results of the race were put up on the board for the competitors to see. 7. Infinitive after the verb 'TO BE' + adjective. ‘TO’ + Infinitive is used after adjectives of emotion such as: AMAZED, ANGRY, ASHAMED, ASTONISHED, BEWILDERED, DELIGHTED, DISAPPOINTED, DISGUSTED, EXCITED, GLAD, HAPPY, OVERJOYED, PLEASED, PROUD, SAD, SHOCKED, SORRY, SURPRISED, UPSET. E.g. I was angry to find my boat had drifted away on the tide. They were delighted to see their father standing on the deck. She was overjoyed to receive the first prize. He was very upset to hear that all the places on the cruise were already booked. Other adjectives which can be followed by ‘TO’ + Infinitive are: AWKWARD, DIFFICULT, EASY, HARD, POSSIBLE, etc. E.g. The gangplanks were difficult to walk up. It was hard to cast off in the choppy sea. 8. 'TO BE' + 'TO' + lnfinitive. ‘TO’ + Infinitive can be used directly after the verb 'TO BE' with the meanings: • Of an order or command, or to give instructions. E.g. The sailors are to go to the bridge and wait for the captain. • Of an obligation or fulfilment of a plan. E.g. Two of the passengers are to get married at the end of the cruise. 9. Infinitive with ‘TOO’. The constructions ‘TOO’ + adjective, or ‘TOO MUCH’ / ‘TOO MANY’ / ‘TOO LITTLE’ / ‘TOO FEW’ + noun, can be followed by ‘TO’ + Infinitive. E.g. It was too late to save the drowning boy as he had gone down for the third time. ‘FOR’ + pronoun / noun is often added to this construction. E.g. It was too late for the sailor to rescue the drowning boy. 10. Infinitive with ‘ENOUGH’. Adapted from: Thomson & Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, R. Murphy, English Grammar in Use. E.g.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Verbals: Participle Or Gerund? | Verbals Worksheets
    Name: ___________________________Key VErbals: Participle or Gerund? A participle is a verb form that functions as an adjective in a sentence. A gerund is a verb form that functions as a noun in a sentence. Below are sentences using either a participle or a gerund. Read each sentence carefully. Write which verbal form appears in the sentence in the blank. 1. The jumping frog landed in her lap. _______________________________________________________________________________ 2. Lucinda had a calling to help other people. _______________________________________________________________________________ 3. The mother barely caught the crawling baby before he went into the street. _______________________________________________________________________________ 4. The house was filled with a haunting spector. _______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Running in the halls is strictly forbidden. _______________________________________________________________________________ 6. They won the award for caring for sick animals. _______________________________________________________________________________ 7. Paul bought new climbing gear. _______________________________________________________________________________ 8. Escaping was the only thought he had. _______________________________________________________________________________ Copyright © 2014 K12reader.com. All Rights Reserved. Free for educational use at home or in classrooms. www.k12reader.com Name: ___________________________Key VErbals: Participle
    [Show full text]
  • TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR REVIEW I. Parts of Speech Traditional
    Traditional Grammar Review Page 1 of 15 TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR REVIEW I. Parts of Speech Traditional grammar recognizes eight parts of speech: Part of Definition Example Speech noun A noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. John bought the book. verb A verb is a word which expresses action or state of being. Ralph hit the ball hard. Janice is pretty. adjective An adjective describes or modifies a noun. The big, red barn burned down yesterday. adverb An adverb describes or modifies a verb, adjective, or He quickly left the another adverb. room. She fell down hard. pronoun A pronoun takes the place of a noun. She picked someone up today conjunction A conjunction connects words or groups of words. Bob and Jerry are going. Either Sam or I will win. preposition A preposition is a word that introduces a phrase showing a The dog with the relation between the noun or pronoun in the phrase and shaggy coat some other word in the sentence. He went past the gate. He gave the book to her. interjection An interjection is a word that expresses strong feeling. Wow! Gee! Whew! (and other four letter words.) Traditional Grammar Review Page 2 of 15 II. Phrases A phrase is a group of related words that does not contain a subject and a verb in combination. Generally, a phrase is used in the sentence as a single part of speech. In this section we will be concerned with prepositional phrases, gerund phrases, participial phrases, and infinitive phrases. Prepositional Phrases The preposition is a single (usually small) word or a cluster of words that show relationship between the object of the preposition and some other word in the sentence.
    [Show full text]
  • Complex Adpositions and Complex Nominal Relators Benjamin Fagard, José Pinto De Lima, Elena Smirnova, Dejan Stosic
    Introduction: Complex Adpositions and Complex Nominal Relators Benjamin Fagard, José Pinto de Lima, Elena Smirnova, Dejan Stosic To cite this version: Benjamin Fagard, José Pinto de Lima, Elena Smirnova, Dejan Stosic. Introduction: Complex Adpo- sitions and Complex Nominal Relators. Benjamin Fagard, José Pinto de Lima, Dejan Stosic, Elena Smirnova. Complex Adpositions in European Languages : A Micro-Typological Approach to Com- plex Nominal Relators, 65, De Gruyter Mouton, pp.1-30, 2020, Empirical Approaches to Language Typology, 978-3-11-068664-7. 10.1515/9783110686647-001. halshs-03087872 HAL Id: halshs-03087872 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03087872 Submitted on 24 Dec 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Public Domain Benjamin Fagard, José Pinto de Lima, Elena Smirnova & Dejan Stosic Introduction: Complex Adpositions and Complex Nominal Relators Benjamin Fagard CNRS, ENS & Paris Sorbonne Nouvelle; PSL Lattice laboratory, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 1 rue Maurice Arnoux, 92120 Montrouge, France [email protected]
    [Show full text]
  • What Does the Copula Do? Kunio Nishiyama Cornell University, [email protected]
    University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics Volume 4 | Issue 2 Article 15 1-1-1997 What Does the Copula Do? Kunio Nishiyama Cornell University, [email protected] This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. http://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/vol4/iss2/15 For more information, please contact [email protected]. What Does the Copula Do? This working paper is available in University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics: http://repository.upenn.edu/pwpl/vol4/ iss2/15 What Does the Copula Do?* Kunio Nishiyama 1. Introduction It is widely assumed in the literature on the copula that there are at least two kinds of copula (cf. Higgins 1973): (1) a. John is a boy. (predicative) b. Dr. Jekyll is Mr. Hyde. (equative) It is controversial whether these different usages should be treated differently or can be given a unified account, and this is not my concern here. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the syntactic structure of predicative copular sentences like (1a) from a crosslinguistic perspective. Since Bach (1967), it has often been claimed that the copula is a tense-supporter.1 For example, Rapoport (1987: 152ff) notes the following contrast: (2) a. I consider [Xeli a nut]. b. Xeli *(is) a nut. In a small clause structure like (2a), no copula is necessary, even though there seems to be a predication relation between Xeli and a nut. In the matrix sentence, however, the copula is necessary (2b). Since (2a) shows that the copula is not necessary for predication, Rapoport (1987: 157) claims that “[b]e is inserted to support the feature of INFL, in the cases above [2b] the features of tense ([- past]) and agreement.” According to this hypothesis, (3) is analyzed as (4): (3) Sal was strong.
    [Show full text]
  • Grade 8 Writing and Language Teacher At-Home Activity Packet 3
    Grade 8 Writing and Language Teacher At-Home Activity Packet 3 This At-Home Activity Packet is organized as a series of journal entries. Each entry has two parts. In part 1, the student writes in response to a prompt. In part 2, the student completes a Language Handbook lesson and practices the skill in the context of their writing from part 1. We recommend that the student completes one part each day. Most lessons can be completed independently. However, there are some lessons that would benefit from the support of an adult. If there is not an adult available to help, don’t worry! Just skip those lessons. Although we are providing an Answer Key, we would like to emphasize that it is effort that matters most, and not how many questions a student gets right or wrong. Encourage the student to do the best they can with this content. The most important thing is that they continue to work on their writing and language skills. Directions for this packet: Part 1: • Read the writing prompt. Flip to see the • If needed, use the sentence frames to help Grade 8 Writing you get started writing. Part 2: and Language • Complete Guided Practice. activities included • Complete Independent Practice. • Complete the Try It prompt. in this packet! © 2020 Curriculum Associates, LLC. All rights reserved. Table of Contents Grade 8 Writing and Language Activities Entry Writing Prompt Resource Answer Key Page 1 Part 1 Part 2 Guided practice: 7 Grade 8 Ready 1. performing: OP Language Handbook, 2. Planning: S Lesson 1 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesson 8 Parts of Speech: Verbals
    Lesson 8 Parts of Speech: Verbals Some forms of verbs take a special role in sentences. Verbals are verbs that are used as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs instead of as predicate verbs. There are three basic types of verbals. The first type of verbal, called a gerund, is formed by adding ing to the end of a verb and is used as a noun: Selling is an acquired skill. Selling (a gerund) is the subject of this sentence, and is is the predicate verb. Be careful not to mistake gerunds for predicate verbs that use an ing ending. Compare these sentences: Predicate verb: He is merchandising a new product. Gerund: He has a knack for merchandising. In the second sentence, has is the predicate verb, and merchandising is the object of a phrase. The major problem that arises with gerunds is the use of a possessive noun or pronoun with them. The following sentence is incorrect: We appreciate you calling about this matter. Because calling takes the place of a noun in this sentence, you must be changed to a possessive pronoun, like this: We appreciate your calling about this matter. Only the second sentence below is correct: Incorrect: Deborah delaying will jeopardize the whole program. Correct: Deborah's delaying will jeopardize the whole program. You can decide whether to use a possessive noun or pronoun with a gerund by replacing it with another noun. For example, if you replace the word delaying with the word temper, you will find that you must use a possessive noun in order to make sense: Deborah's temper will jeopardize the whole program.
    [Show full text]
  • Category Change in the English Gerund: Tangled Web Or Fine-Tuned
    Category change in the English gerund: tangled web or fine-tuned constructional network? LAUREN FONTEYN & LIESBET HEYVAERT KU Leuven - Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) Abstract This study considers the diachronic categorial shift from nominal (NG) to verbal gerunds (VG) in Middle English in terms of Langacker’s functional account of noun phrases and clauses as ‘deictic expressions’. The analysis shows that the Middle English gerund was essentially formally nominal but functionally hybrid, thus exhibiting ‘form-function friction’. This friction furthered a split between in the gerundive system a verbal component, associated with clausal deixis, alongside a nominal component, which specialized in nominal deixis; but this split is not absolute. The constructionist idea of language as a network of (inter)paradigmatically connected constructions helps to explain why the verbal gerund seems to simultaneously drift away from and again partake in the deictic behaviour of the nominal category. Keywords: Middle English, construction grammar, nominalization, verbalization, gerund Short title: Category change in the English gerund 1. Introduction 1 This paper discusses the category shift that has affected the English gerund and explores the contribution that a constructionist perspective can make to its description. Present-day English gerunds are deverbal nominalizations in -ing that can be either ‘nominal’ (abbreviated as NG), as illustrated in (1), i.e. with the internal syntax of a noun phrase (NP), or ‘verbal’ (abbreviated as VG), as in (2), with the internal syntax of a clause: (1) He'd been working too hard to spend time with women, and the courting of his wife had been very proper and unexciting.
    [Show full text]
  • Gerund Or Infinitive - Exercise 1 1) a Lot of People Are Worried About ______Their 6) Are You Thinking of ______London? (Visit) Jobs
    Infinitive and Gerund Infinitive After an adjective Example: The new computer is really easy to use . After certain verbs (with to) Example: He refused to pay the bill. • afford • expect • manage • refuse • agree • fail • mean • want • appear • help (also • offer • wish • arrange without to ) • plan • would like • beg • hesitate • prepare • would love • choose • hope • pretend • would prefer • decide • learn • promise Gerund As the subject of a clause Example: Cycling is good for your health. After a preposition Example: I did my homework before going out. Verbs followed by Gerund Example: I enjoy cooking . • admit • can't stand • finish • practise • advise • deny • keep • suggest • allow • dislike • mind • waste time • avoid • enjoy • miss / money • can't help • fancy • permit Verbs with Prepositions followed by Gerund Example: I'm looking forward to seeing you again soon. • accuse of • blame for • dream about/of • look forward to • agree with • care for • feel like • object to • apologize for • carry on • forgive for • think of • ask about • complain about • give up • succeed in • believe in • concentrate on • insist on • use for • be used to • depend on • keep on Words followed either by Infinitive or Ing -Form Words with the same meaning Example: I started to read. / I started reading. • attempt • cannot bear • hate • prefer • begin • cease • intend • start • bother • continue • love Words with the same meaning but different use Word Infinitive - with an object Gerund – without an object advise I advise you to go by bus. I advise going by bus. allow / permit He allowed her to take the car. He allowed taking the car. forbid She forbids us to smoke.
    [Show full text]
  • Using Gerunds and Infinitives
    GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS Using Gerunds and Infinitives A gerund is a verb form that ends in “-ing” and is used as a noun (walking, traveling, voting); an infinitive is the base form of a verb preceded by “to” (to walk, to travel, to vote). Gerunds and infinitives can function as the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb. Words derived from verbs are known as verbals and may take modifiers, objects, and complements to form verbal phrases A gerund phrase uses the “-ing” form of the verb to function as a noun; an infinitive phrase is formed using the infinitive and can function as a noun, adverb, or adjective. USING VERB FORMS AS SUBJECTS When functioning as the subject of a sentence, gerunds and infinitives always use a singular verb form, for example: “Walking is good exercise.” In this sentence, the “-ing” verb form (“Walking”) is the simple subject and the verb “is” links the subject to the subject complement “good exercise,” which refers to and describes the subject. When a gerund phrase functions as a subject, the “-ing” verb form is expanded as a word group, for example: “Traveling with a friend made the trip to New York more enjoyable.” In this sentence, the gerund phrase (“Traveling with a friend”) is the subject, “made” is the verb, “the trip” is the direct object, “to New York” is the indirect object, and “more enjoyable” is the object complement.. Similar to a gerund, the infinitive form of a verb can also function as the subject of a sentence, for example: “To vote is a legal obligation.” In this sentence, the subject (“To
    [Show full text]
  • Verbs of Liking with the Infinitive and the Gerund
    English Studies. 2004, 4, pp. 358-380 ooi3-838x/04/o4-oo97/$i6.oo I j Routledge © 2004, Taylor & Francis L(d. s\ T.ylor6,f™cisGfoc VERBS OF LIKING WITH THE INFINITIVE AND THE GERUND 1. Introduction In a number of teaching grammars of English (Azar,' Murphy/ Steer & Carlisi'), like is treated as one of the verbs which shows no difference in mean- ing when it is construed with the gerund or the /o-infinitive. Even Palmer's spe- cialized study on the English verb"* makes no comment on the distinction between these two constructions. Uses such as (1) and (2) below show however that the infinitival and gerundive constructions do not mean exactly the same thing with the verb like: (1) I like to finish work at 4:00. (2) I like finishing work at 4:00. What the difference is and what is responsible for producing it will be one of the things we will try to come to grips with in this study. Another aspect of usage in this area which will merit our attention is the fact that like is different from most of the other verbs in its semantic field in being used with both the infinitive and the gerund as complements: besides love, which also admits both forms of complementation, all the other verbs in this semantic group are con- strued exclusively either with the gerund {enjoy, relish, fancy, appreciate) or with the infinitive {want, wish, desire, long, yearn, hanker, pine, hunger and thirst). Why some verbs allow both complements and others only one is another fact about the functioning of complementation in this area of usage which calls for an explanation.
    [Show full text]
  • Participles, Gerunds and Infinitives
    Participles, Gerunds and Infinitives One of the more confusing practices in English grammar involves the use of verbals (participles, gerunds and infinitives), which are words that look like verbs but that function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in sentences. Participles Participles usually look like either past tense (-ed) or continuous tense (-ing) verbs, but they actually function as adjectives. The present participle is formed by adding –ing to the verb stem. As an adjective, the present participle modifies a noun that affects someone or something else. Ex. The article is interesting. or The article was interesting. In other words, the ‘article’ in this example is affecting the speaker by provoking their interest. Alternatively, the present participle can be placed before the noun: Ex. the interesting article Note: In this case, the present participle and noun together create an adjectival phrase rather than a complete sentence as in the first two examples. The past participle is formed by adding –ed to the verb stem; however, some irregular verbs may end in –d (ex. ‘paid’), -en (ex. ‘taken’), -n (ex. ‘seen’), or-t (ex. ‘burnt’). Note: With the ending –t, the more commonly used past tense form of the verb is the conventional –ed; for example, ‘to learn’ is ‘learned’ in academic writing in North America, while the past participle form is ‘learnt’. As an adjective, the past participle modifies a noun that is affected by someone or something else. Ex. The professor is interested in the article. or The professor was interested in the article. These examples are similar to the first two examples for the present participle, but notice that, in these two cases, the focus is on the person and their reaction to the ‘interesting article’.
    [Show full text]
  • Gerunds in Greek"
    <LINK "tsi-n*">"tsi-r12">"tsi-r5">"tsi-r32"> <TARGET "tsi" DOCINFO AUTHOR "Ianthi-Maria Tsimpli" TITLE "Gerunds in Greek" SUBJECT "JGL, Volume 1" KEYWORDS "" SIZE HEIGHT "220" WIDTH "150" VOFFSET "4"> Gerunds in Greek* Ianthi-Maria Tsimpli Aristotle University of Thessaloniki This paper discusses the properties of Greek V-ondas forms, referred to as gerunds in Holtonetal. (1997). Itis argued thattheclauses in which they occur are adjuncts with a reduced functional structure. Their temporal interpretation will be shown to illustrate the underspecified status of the features of the V-ondas complex as well as the truncated structure of the clause in which it occurs. The position and interpretation of subjects of gerunds will be argued to follow from (a) the inflectional underspecification of gerunds and (b) the pragmatic nature of control. 1. The data Greek V-ondas forms have been referred to in descriptive grammars as gerunds (Holton et al. 1997) or active (present) participles (Bouboulides 1946; Tzar- tzanos 1946). Consider the following Greek data: (1) a. ∆ιπλνοντας το φ ρεµα, πρ σεξε το λεκ. δiplonondas to forema prosekse to leke folding the-acc dress noticed-3sg the stain ‘While folding the dress, he noticed the stain.’ b. ∆ιαβζοντας τα δηµοσιογραφικ σχ λια, ο υπουργ ς δjavazondas ta δimosioγrafika sxolia o ipurγos reading the journalists’ comments the minister θµωσε. θimose got-angry ‘As soon as he read the comments, the minister got angry.’ Journal of Greek Linguistics 1: (2000), 133–169. issn 1566–5844 © 2000 John Benjamins Publishing Company Downloaded from Brill.com09/25/2021 06:39:57AM via free access <LINK "tsi-r23"> 134 Ianthi-Maria Tsimpli c.
    [Show full text]