Pronoun

Question

Most romantic comedies begin with a couple meeting, go on to show them falling in love, and end with a wedding.Does 'them' mean an audience?Thanks.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

LiveinjapanDoes 'them' mean an audience?

No! The couple.

CJ

Liveinjapan · Answer

Thanks, CJ.

Could you tell me what 'show' mean?

Liveinjapan · Answer

Thanks, CJ.

I finally got what the whole sentence means. I made a terrible mistake.

CalifJim · Answer

LiveinjapanI made a terrible mistake.

Oh, no!!!

Did you understand that the couple was presented on the screen (shown) in situations where the audience could see that the couple was becoming more and more affectionate toward each other (falling in love)?

That's the idea.

CJ

Liveinjapan · Answer

CalifJimDid you understand that the couple was presented on the screen (shown) in situations where the audience could see that the couple was becoming more and more affectionate toward each other (falling in love)?

Yes.

"show them falling in love"

Could you tell me what part of speech is 'falling in love' here?
Is it an adjectival phrase describing/modifying 'them'?
Many thanks.

CalifJim · Answer

LiveinjapanCould you tell me what part of speech is 'falling in love' here?

falling in love is, of course, an idiom, so we're not talking about literal falling. falling is a verb. (in is a preposition; love is a noun.) It is used in a concatenative structure similar to these:

We heard them falling down the stairs.
The visitors watched the actors rehearsing the play.
Paul saw them walking toward the bank.

These are based on the following, where it is more clear that the -ing words are verbs: They were falling down the stairs; The actors were rehearsing the play; They were walking toward the bank.

Some verbs (like show) can take the -ing forms of verbs in a similar way:

We will show them falling in love. (from They are falling in love.)

So I would not call falling an adjective.

CJ

Liveinjapan · Answer

CalifJimWe heard them falling down the stairs.
The visitors watched the actors rehearsing the play.
Paul saw them walking toward the bank.

These are familiar to me!
Got it!
Thanks, CJ.

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