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Mina Uzun Posted 7 years ago
Grammar

The usage of "-ing form"

Hi

Is the "-ing form" used to make gerund or noun in the sentence below? Or is it about the verbs of perception?

"I was imagining my friend trying to bake a cake."

By the way, it's a self-made sentence. I would like to learn possible meanings or if it has one meaning as a gerund, noun or verb of perception.

I don't know whether I express myself well but I hope you'll help me out.

Thanks in advance.

  

Top answer

I was [ imagining [ my friend trying to bake a cake ]] . The two -ing forms in your example are verbs serving as heads of the bracketed non-finite clauses. "Imagine" is a catenative verb, so this is a catenative construction where the gerund-participial clause "my friend trying to bake a cake" is catenative complement of "imagining".

— BillJ

  • I was [ imagining [ my friend trying to bake a cake ]] .
  • The two -ing forms in your example are verbs serving as heads of the bracketed non-finite clauses.
  • "Imagine" is a catenative verb, so this is a catenative construction where the gerund-participial clause "my friend trying to bake a cake" is catenative complement of "imagining".
  • The term 'catenative' comes from the Latin word for "chain", which is appropriate here since the verbs "imagining" and "trying" do indeed form a chain.
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2 Answers
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I was [imagining [my friend trying to bake a cake]].


The two -ing forms in your example are verbs serving as heads of the bracketed non-finite clauses.

"Imagine" is a catenative verb, so this is a catenative construction where the gerund-participial clause "my friend trying to bake a cake" is catenative complement of "imagining".

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Mina UzunOr is it about the verbs of perception?

No. Neither 'imagine' nor 'try' is a verb of perception.

Mina UzunIs the "-ing form" used to make gerund or noun

There are no nouns there.

I was imagining [my friend trying to bake a cake].

The bracketed portion is a non-finite clause and 'trying'

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