0
Ter Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
What sentence structure is this?
While I was reading Reader's Digest:
"They speak in Arabic for a while, the young man delighted to see his old friend again."
What is the structure of the end-phrase? Is it passive with "was delighted", the word "was" being omitted here? Then does that make it a past participle phrase? (how come it can be omitted...)
Because if "was delighted" is used instead, shouldn't that become a second sentence rather than a phrase?
thanks for the help.
"They speak in Arabic for a while, the young man delighted to see his old friend again."
What is the structure of the end-phrase? Is it passive with "was delighted", the word "was" being omitted here? Then does that make it a past participle phrase? (how come it can be omitted...)
Because if "was delighted" is used instead, shouldn't that become a second sentence rather than a phrase?
thanks for the help.
Top answer
It is a non-finite participial clause acting as a sentence adverbial. It is more than the omission of 'be'. This is a paraphrase: They speak in Arabic for a while, as the young man is delighted to see his old friend again.
- It is a non-finite participial clause acting as a sentence adverbial.
- It is more than the omission of 'be'.
- This is a paraphrase: They speak in Arabic for a while, as the young man is delighted to see his old friend again.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
It is a non-finite participial clause acting as a sentence adverbial. It is more than the omission of 'be'. This is a paraphrase:
They speak in Arabic for a while, as the young man is delighted to see his old friend again.
They speak in Arabic for a while, as the young man is delighted to see his old friend again.
0
Related Questions