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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

I saw the boy reading.

I was asked to describe the grammatical function of the word "reading" in the following sentence:

I saw the boy reading.

I can't. Can you? Someone suggested it's a present participle functioning as an adverb, but another person said participles don't function as adverbs in English, only as adjectives.
  

Top answer

Anon, We can approach this type of structure this way : I saw the boy- is a complete sentence * ( reading a book). * The whole phrase in parenthesis is considered an adverbial clause consisting a present participle which modifies the noun, "boy". There are many examples in our everyday life.

— Dimsumexpress

  • Anon, We can approach this type of structure this way : I saw the boy- is a complete sentence * ( reading a book).
  • * The whole phrase in parenthesis is considered an adverbial clause consisting a present participle which modifies the noun, "boy".
  • There are many examples in our everyday life.
  • complete sentence Adverbial clause She walked to her own room mumbling about something.
  • He ran out of his apartment trying t o catch the bus.
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2 Answers
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Anon,
We can approach this type of structure this way:I saw the boy- is a complete sentence * (reading a book).
* The whole phrase in parenthesis is considered an adverbial clause consisting a present participle which modifies the noun, "boy". There
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Anonymous... describe the grammatical function of the word "reading" in the following sentence:

I saw the boy reading.
I'd say it's the verb of the clause "the boy reading".

I saw [the boy (was) reading].

see and hear and a few other verbs form this kind of structure.

CJ
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