Participle?
She reached Australia, and set off on the last part of her journey across the Pacific on July 2nd. A few hours later, she sent a radio message [saying] she was running out of fuel. Then there was silence.
Do you call "saying" an adverbial participle here? Or do you think it's a reduced adjectival clause (which said = saying)?
Thank you. 
Top answer
A few hours later, she sent [a radio message saying she was running out of fuel ]. You are partly right. Saying is a gerund-participle verb heading the underlined gerund-participial clause, which is functioning as postmodifier to a radio message .
- A few hours later, she sent [a radio message saying she was running out of fuel ].
- You are partly right.
- Saying is a gerund-participle verb heading the underlined gerund-participial clause, which is functioning as postmodifier to a radio message .
- The bracketed NP identifies which radio message she sent a few hours later; it is functioning as direct object of sent .
- Gerund-participial clauses when modifying nouns are semantically similar to relative clauses: compare a radio message which said she was running out of fuel .
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A few hours later, she sent [a radio message saying she was running out of fuel].
You are partly right.
Saying is a gerund-participle verb heading the underlined gerund-participial clause, which is functioning as postmodifier to a radio message. The bracketed NP identifies which radio message she sent a few hours later; it is functioning as direct
0So, both aspects can be applied here. We have two different viewpoints.
0I mean "saying" can be either "reduced adjectival clause" or "participle" here.
0AnonymousDo you call "saying" an adverbial participle here? Or do you think it's a reduced adjectival clause (which said = saying)?
I'd say it's ambiguous, which can easily happen when a participle clause is at the end of the sentence after a noun.
The implicit subject of 'saying' can be either 'she' (the pilot) or 'it' (the message).
CJ
0What is wrong with:
A few hours later, she sent a radio message [which says] she was running out of fuel. Then there was silence.
0
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