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avid_learner
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 14
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 Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:06 am Post subject: sentence structure sos |
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Jim hurt his arm playing tennis.
what is the function of playing tennis here? is it a participle?
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2006
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
Posts: 610
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| Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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I would call "playing tennis" a gerund phrase but as I am not a real grammar teacher, I don't know if that is the most accepted name.
The meaning of your sentence is Jim hurt his arm (while)(through) playing tennis. |
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:08 pm Post subject: Re: sentence structure sos |
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| Quote: |
Jim hurt his arm playing tennis.
what is the function of playing tennis here? is it a participle?
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Playing tennis is a present participial phrase, consisting of the present participle playing and its direct object tennis. It is related to the subject Jim but has the force of an adverbial clause of time. 
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
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2006
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
Posts: 610
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| Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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Mary:
Why can we not call this a gerund phrase which, to my understanding, consists of a gerund and its object. Isn't a present participle supposed to function as an adjective?
Jim hurt his arm (through) playing tennis. There is no adjective here, but "playing tennis' looks like a noun (phrase) to me. [Playing tennis (is what) hurt Jim's arm.]
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CP
Joined: 12 Jun 2006
Posts: 2875
Location: California
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| Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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Mary Ng is a real grammarian, and I'm not, but I think it is the present participle of play, not the gerund. I think (and I may be wrong) that it is a short version of "Jim hurt his arm while he was playing tennis."
If it were a gerund, I think it would have to be something like, "Playing tennis was the cause of Jim's arm injury," or "Jim hurt his arm as a result of playing tennis."
But let's hear from Ms. Ng on this one, or maybe Mr. Micawber.
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 9:02 pm Post subject: Re: sentence structure sos |
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If it were a gerund, I think it would have to be something like, "Playing tennis was the cause of Jim's arm injury," or "Jim hurt his arm as a result of playing tennis."
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CP is right.
Traditional grammar call the -ing form of a verb a gerund or a present participle. Descriptive grammar calls it a gerund-participle.
Both the gerund and the present participle have the same form and can take a direct object. Whether we call an -ing form of the verb a gerund or a present participle depends on its function in a sentence. When the -ing form functions as a noun as in CP's examples, it is called a gerund. When the -ing form functions as an adjective, it is called a present participle.
| Quote: |
Jim hurt his arm playing tennis.
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In this quoted sentence, playing tennis behaves like an adjective as it relates to the subject Jim, but it has the force of an adverbial clause of time because it also relates to the verb hurt (expressing when he hurt his arm).
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Mary:
Why can we not call this a gerund phrase which, to my understanding, consists of a gerund and its object. Isn't a present participle supposed to function as an adjective? |
Hi 2006,
Have I answered your question?
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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Hi CP,
Thank you for your nice compliment. I forgot to mention it in my previous post.
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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2006
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
Posts: 610
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| Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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CP
Hi...Yes, Jim hurt his arm (while) (through) (as a result of) playing tennis is what the sentence means.
Also, sometimes one has to rearrange the sentence to more easily understand what grammarical function certain words or phrases perform. (Playing tennis hurt Jim's arm.)
Mary...Is a present participle considered to be taking an object or a noun?
I may be missing something but I see no adjective function in the sentence in question. To me, "playing' refers to tennis, not to Jim.
"Playing" in 'playing coach', a coach who also plays, is clearly an adjective and I would see how that is a present participle. |
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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Mary...Is a present participle considered to be taking an object or a noun?
I may be missing something but I see no adjective function in the sentence in question. To me, "playing' refers to tennis, not to Jim.
'playing coach', a coach who also plays, is clearly an adjective and I would see how that is a present participle. |
Hi 2006,
Playing refers to Jim who was playing tennis; tennis is the direct object of playing.
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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avid_learner
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:28 am Post subject: thank you |
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wow! i thought nobody bothered to answer my query. Thanks for the information.
in relation to this, is it safe to assume that all -ing (be it a word or a phrase) in sentences with svoc are participles/participial phrase?
examples:
i saw george riding a motorcycle.
i hear the birds singing.
is it safe to assume that a gerund can't be an objective complement?
could you recommend a book that talks about sentence structure in detail? i really need help in sentence structure. |
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Mary W. Ng
Joined: 26 Jun 2006
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:07 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
in relation to this, is it safe to assume that all -ing (be it a word or a phrase) in sentences with svoc are participles/participial phrase?
examples:
i saw george riding a motorcycle.
i hear the birds singing. |
Yes.
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| is it safe to assume that a gerund can't be an objective complement? |
Yes.
You do need to capitalize the first word in your sentence.
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Mary W. Ng
Helping students learn grammar
http:www.aimpublishing.com |
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