Melisa caught me [reading her diary]

Question

Melisa caught me reading her diary.I'd like to know if "reading her diary" means "when I read her diary."Thank you in advance for your help.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

"when I was reading her diary."

Melissa saw her do it.

Park sang joon · Answer

Thank you, AlpheccaStars, for another very helpful answer from you.

And I'd also like to know whether or not "reading her diary" is a dangling participle.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

park sang joonAnd I'd also like to know whether or not "reading her diary" is a dangling participle.

No, it goes with its verbal subject, "me."
You can visualize it as a reduced clause:
Melissa caught me (while I was) reading her diary.

It's a similar structure as:
Melissa saw me reading her diary.

Park sang joon · Answer

Thank you, AlpheccaStars, for continuing support.

Then, I'd like to know if "catch" can take an object and an objective complement like "smell," "see," "get," "have," and so forth.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

park sang joonThen, I'd like to know if "catch" can take an object

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/catch?r=66

He caught the ball in mid-air. (Physical catch; entry #3)
The police caught him in the act. (Figurative catch: entry #4)

She caught me reading her papers. Some schools of grammar would analyze this as a non-finite (gerund) clause. It is the object of "catch." The subject is "me" and the object "papers."

Other schools would analyze it as a pronoun object with a complement.

She caught me in the act of reading her diary.

Melisa caught me [reading her diary]

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