The use of participle phrases.

Question

Hi guys. I understand that participle phrases can be adjectival or adverbial.
But how do I identify whether it is used as adjectival or adverbial in a sentence?

1.) For example: ''I saw Jane working in a restaurant.'' (we don't say ''I saw Jane who is working in a restaurant.'', right?) & ''He is the one tricked me into giving him 20 dollar.''
In both of these 2 sentences, participle is modifying Jane& one, and they are adjectival.
By the way, do we usually say something like this?
''I saw a girl looking like you.'' does it sound weird? Or we should say: ''I saw a girl who looks like you.''

2.) How do we use participle phrases as adverbial?
Example: ''I work 10 hours a day subsidizing your job.'' Is the participle in this sentence used as adverbial?
What's the difference between it and ''I work 10 hours a day to subsidize your job.'' (to-infinitive)

Here is my own example: ''They left home travelling to somewhere else.'' or ''They left home to travel to somewhere else.''

Thanks in advance.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

1. I saw [ Jane working in a restaurant.]
The clause is the complement of the verb "saw." It is neither adjectival nor adverbial.

2 I saw Jane [ who was working in a restaurant.]
There is nothing wrong here. The clause is a relative clause.

3. He is the one tricked me into giving him 20 dollar.
This is ungrammatical. The relative pronoun is required.
He is the one who tricked me into giving him 20 dollars.

4. I saw a girl looking like you.
This one is not acceptable because "look like" is a stative (not dynamic) verb. These are OK:
I saw a girl looking at you. (Verbal complement)
I saw a girl who looks like you. (Relative clause.)

5. I work 10 hours a day [subsidizing your job.] The clause shows a consequence of your working.
I work 10 hours a day, thereby subsidizing your job.
I work 10 hours a day [to subsidize your job. ]
The clause shows the purpose of your working.'I work 10 hours a day for the purpose of subsidizing your job.

5. 'They left home, travelling somewhere else.
This does not make much sense to me.
Maybe you meant this:
They changed their journey, travelling somewhere they hadn't planned on.

They left home to travel somewhere else.
The purpose of their leaving home was to visit a place they had not seen before.

Jasonkhlim · Answer

Hi, AlpheccaStars.

In what situation we use participle phrases adverbially?

Does adverbial participle phrase answer the questions "why" "how" or "where"?

I can handle you trying to control my lifestyle."
Is this clause complement of the verb?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

jasonkhlimDoes adverbial participle phrase answer the questions "why" "how" or "where"?

Yes. And it can be deleted from the sentence, without leaving an incomplete idea (a fragment).

jasonkhlimI can handle you trying to control my lifestyle."

I can handle your trying to control my lifestyle. ( That is a verb complement.)
Note that the subject of a gerund in traditional grammar is possessive.

Jasonkhlim · Answer

Thanks for the explanation!

I do have question regarding subject of gerund too.

"To understand this story, i have to go back to Marry wanting to camp out for a branded dress."

Marry is the subject of wanting?

When do we use/have subject of a gerund?

I realize that the subject of a gerund usually occurs after a preposition.
Example: "What do you think about him/his buying a new house?"

And most of the time, they will just say "you" instead of "your", "him" instead of "his" , "me instead of "my" .

AlpheccaStars · Answer

jasonkhlimMarry is the subject of wanting?

Yes. (I think the name is Mary, though.)

"To understand this story, I have to go back to Marry (Mary?) wanting to camp out for a branded dress."

jasonkhlimWhen do we use/have subject of a gerund?

Whenever the verb needs an explicit subject. The same is true for the infinitive.

Consider these two:
1. I'd like to go shopping. Do you want to come along?
2. I'd like mother to go shopping with you. She needs to get out of the house. Will you take her?
3. I'd like you to take mother shopping with you.

In #1, the subject of the main verb (like) carries over to the infinitive (go).
In #2 and #3, the subject of the infinitive is different from the subject of the main verb. So it is explicit in the sentence.

Examples of the gerund with / without an explicit subject:
I like singing.
I like Mary's singing.

jasonkhlimI realize that the subject of a gerund usually occurs after a preposition.

No, it comes before the verb. It is no different from an inflected verb is that regard.

Mary's singing makes my skin tingle.
We talked about her singing.
I could listen to her singing for hours and hours.

jasonkhlimAnd most of the time, they will just say "you" instead of "your", "him" instead of "his" , "me instead of "my" .

True. That is one aspect of English grammar that has been changing, and the change is quite evident by usage patterns. The possessive has been changing to the object form except when the gerund is a subject.

Johan is a soccer player. His playing is superb.

Jasonkhlim · Answer

Thanks for your detailed explanation with examples! They helped me so much!

AlpheccaStars: 1. I saw [ Jane working in a restaurant.]
The clause is the complement of the verb "saw." It is neither adjectival nor adverbial.
2. I saw Jane [ who was working in a restaurant.]
There is nothing wrong here. The clause is a relative clause.

Are there any differences between these sentences?

'They left home, travelling somewhere else. & They left home to travel somewhere else.

Again, are there any differences between these sentences? Or the first sentence doesn't make sense? But to me, the participle phrase in the first sentence answer the question why. Likewise to ''I work 10 hours a day subsidizing your job.

(I think the name is Mary, though.)

Yeah, I typed it wrong.

I saw a line on television.
A: ''Wouldn't me giving him this money just be me trying to buy his love?''
B: ''It would be you making amends to him.''

They are possessive too? What does just be mean?

Jasonkhlim · Answer

Here's my own example: ''you/your going out with your friend everyday is the only reason you failed your test.''

They are subject of the gerund too, right?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

1. I saw Jane working in a restaurant.
You saw her work - that is, you observed that she was serving people, taking orders, bringing food. Maybe she didn't have a real job there; she could have been helping out a friend who owned the restaurant.

2. I saw Jane [ who was working in a restaurant.]
You saw Jane, but it is less clear what she was doing when you saw her. All we know is that she had a job in a restaurant.

A: ''Wouldn't me giving him this money just be me trying to buy his love?''
B: ''It would be you making amends to him.''

jasonkhlimI saw a line on television.

A: ''Wouldn't me giving him this money just be me trying to buy his love?''
B: ''It would be you making amends to him.''

That is part of the evolution of language. The pronouns are not in possessive form but objective form.

This change is similar to the change from subject case to object case in subject complements:

Who's there?
It's me, your best friend. (Not the formal "It is I...")

And the change from "whom" to "who"
Who (Not "whom") did you give it to?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

jasonkhlimThey are subject of the gerund too, right?

Yes. And you might see it both ways. "Your" would be formal, and "you" informal.

Jasonkhlim · Answer

Thanks AlpheccaStars. Sorry to trouble you again.
But, I think you might have overlooked one of my question

'They left home, travelling somewhere else. & They left home to travel somewhere else.

Are there any differences between these sentences? Or the first sentence doesn't make sense? But to me, the participle phrase in the first sentence answer the question ''why''. Likewise to ''I work 10 hours a day subsidizing your job.

The use of participle phrases.

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AlpheccaStars: 1. I saw [ Jane working in a restaurant.]

The clause is the complement of the verb "saw." It is neither adjectival nor adverbial.

2. I saw Jane [ who was working in a restaurant.]

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