0
Lagataw Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Catenative verbs

1. In the sentence I had the bellboy carry my suitcase, is the verb had considered a catenative verb. From what I learned, catenative verbs should be directly followed by another verb (infinitive, bare infinitive and participle) e.g. I want to go. I couldn't help laughing.

2. What is the sentence pattern of I had the bellboy carry my suitcase? I am interested in the part after the direct object bellboy.
  

Top answer

They do appear to be just catenative verbs with a noun stuck between, don't they? But if catenative structures strictly demand an unbroken series of verb forms, then this cannot be one. 'Have' is a ' coercive ' verb here, and it is followed by an object and a bare infinitive verb complement.

— Mister Micawber

  • They do appear to be just catenative verbs with a noun stuck between, don't they?
  • But if catenative structures strictly demand an unbroken series of verb forms, then this cannot be one.
  • 'Have' is a ' coercive ' verb here, and it is followed by an object and a bare infinitive verb complement.
  • Other verbs accepting this kind of structure are some perceptual verbs, which may take 'to' infinitives and/or participles): She let me touch her knee.
  • They made us toe the line.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
They do appear to be just catenative verbs with a noun stuck between, don't they? But if catenative structures strictly demand an unbroken series of verb forms, then this cannot be one.

'Have' is a 'coercive' verb here, and it is followed by an object and a bare infinitive verb complement. Other verbs accepting this kind of structure are some perceptual verbs, which may take 'to'
0

Related Questions