0
Sebayanpendam Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Verb form

Hi,
In a sentence like 'I saw she running/run towards the gate', the first verb 'saw' is the past form while the following verb can be either in the base for or continuous form.What if a sentence especially with that-clause reads like this,
"I heard (that) she passed away at her home"?
Thanks .
  

Top answer

In "I saw her runing / run toward the gate," "running" and "run" are not verbs, but verbals. They don't have tenses. "Running toward the gate" is a participial phrase.

— Avangi

  • In "I saw her runing / run toward the gate," "running" and "run" are not verbs, but verbals.
  • They don't have tenses.
  • "Running toward the gate" is a participial phrase.
  • "Run toward the gate" is an infinitive phrase.
  • They only resemble present simple and present continuous.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

3 Answers
0
In "I saw her runing / run toward the gate," "running" and "run" are not verbs, but verbals. They don't have tenses. "Running toward the gate" is a participial phrase. "Run toward the gate" is an infinitive phrase. They only resemble present simple and present continuous. They do not express time, but are simply adjectival modifiers, describing the direct object, "
0
0
Thanks,
By the way, what is a participial phrase?
0
0
sebayanpendam By the way, what is a participial phrase?
Where shall I begin??

When you look up a verb in the dictionary ("to teach," for example) you'll find certain elements of the word listed:

teach taught teaching teaches

The first one is the bare infinitive, the second is the past participle, the third is the presen
0

Related Questions