‘turning as a gerund or a participle?’

Question

Hello, everyone,“Imagine something secretly entering your body and controlling your behavior, turning you into one of those zombies from science fiction movies. Does that sound creepy? That's exactly how a parasitic fungus species called the “zombie ant fungus,” inhabiting tropical forests around the world, attacks ant colonies. What happens is that when spores from the fungus land on an ant searching for food in the forest, it infects the ant, hijacks its central nervous system, and controls its brain with a special chemical. The victim doesn't act like an ant but like a zombie: it stops searching for food for its colony, and instead climbs up a tree and holds onto a leaf or a branch, where it is finally killed by the fungus. Soon, a stalk of spores grows out of the back of the ant's head, from which more spores can access more ants under the tree, a cruel but very effective way of expanding the fungus' territory.“1. I understand the construction - 'imagine + ing' means 'picture + gerund'. Since I think the three ‘-ing’s above underlined are in a parallel structure, I don't understand why the author didn't write, "Imagine something secretly entering your body&lt;,&gt; controlling your behavior &lt;and&gt; turning you ~ " (I mean this should read not 'A and B, C' but 'A, B, and C').2. Is there any possibility that the clause - ‘turning you into one of those zombies from science fiction movies’ is functioning as an adverbial participle one?Would appreciate your valuable explanations.* source; from our local textbook

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

The sequence is a logical progression. Here is a paraphrase (my interpretation)

Here are two actions in time order:

First, the alien enters your body.
Second, it starts to take control over you and succeeds.

The next thing that happens is different; it is a consequence of the other two.

Third, the result of this strange behavior is that other people perceive you as a zombie.

The author wanted to distinguish the three actions. So the order of clauses is A and B, [resulting in C.]

That was the writer's choice.

CalifJim · Answer

deepcosmos
1. I understand the construction - 'imagine + ing' means 'picture + gerund'. Since I think the three ‘-ing’s above underlined are in a parallel structure, I don't understand why the author didn't write, "Imagine something secretly entering your body<,> controlling your behavior <and> turning you ~ " (I mean this should read not 'A and B, C' but 'A, B, and C').
2. Is there any possibility that the clause - ‘turning you into one of those zombies from science fiction movies’ is functioning as an adverbial participle one?

The way it comes across to me is that the first two participle clauses are adjectival and the third is adverbial.

1. something entering your body
2. something controlling your behavior
3. thereby/thus/and as a result: turning you into one of those zombies from science fiction movies

I get this impression because the writer grouped 1 and 2 as he did, and the writer may have grouped the clauses as he did because he conceptualized the three actions in the same way.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

deepcosmos
Hello, everyone,
“Imagine something secretly entering your body and controlling your behavior, turning you into one of those zombies from science fiction movies. Does that sound creepy?
Would appreciate your valuable explanations.
* source; from our local textbook

I see that you have asked this question on three grammar websites.

I think this is discourteous of you. Why should respondents bother to answer your question if you are simultaneously seeking the same information elsewhere?

You should ask your question on a single website and await an answer. Only then, and if you think the answer fails to address your concern, should you proceed to another website for an alternative answer, although it may be the same as the first one.

‘turning as a gerund or a participle?’

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