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Avangi Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
When a present participle is not one
0 Hi, 02 br
02 br
00 Something seems amiss in the category structure. My understanding used to be that the dictionary entry for a verb begins with the (bare) infinitive, and is typically followed by the present and past participles, and then the present 3rd person singular, or something like that. I always thought of these as building blocks in the formation of different tenses and other forms. 02 br
02 br
00 I have no problem calling the present participle a gerund when it serves as a noun, although I formerly thought "gerund" had a much broader definition. But why does it have to stop being the present participle? The infinitive is still the infinitive, regardless of which of several uses it's put to. 02 br
02 br
00 If they insist on doing this, why don't they come up with a correspondingly neat name for the present participle when it serves as an adjective? 02 br
02 br
00 It seems very strange indeed to say that the present participle cannot serve as the subject of a sentence, when I can see it doing so with my own eyes. 02 br
02 br
00 Can anyone justify this unbalanced treatment?? I've been hoping for an epiphany for several months now, and I'm about to give up. To me, it's like saying that an uncountable noun is not singular because "singular" has to do with countables. (This position recently held in a thread) 02 br
02 br
00 present participle as noun = (gerund) 02 br
00 present participle as adjective = (??????) 02 br
02 br
00 Best wishes, - A. 0-
02 br
00 Something seems amiss in the category structure. My understanding used to be that the dictionary entry for a verb begins with the (bare) infinitive, and is typically followed by the present and past participles, and then the present 3rd person singular, or something like that. I always thought of these as building blocks in the formation of different tenses and other forms. 02 br
02 br
00 I have no problem calling the present participle a gerund when it serves as a noun, although I formerly thought "gerund" had a much broader definition. But why does it have to stop being the present participle? The infinitive is still the infinitive, regardless of which of several uses it's put to. 02 br
02 br
00 If they insist on doing this, why don't they come up with a correspondingly neat name for the present participle when it serves as an adjective? 02 br
02 br
00 It seems very strange indeed to say that the present participle cannot serve as the subject of a sentence, when I can see it doing so with my own eyes. 02 br
02 br
00 Can anyone justify this unbalanced treatment?? I've been hoping for an epiphany for several months now, and I'm about to give up. To me, it's like saying that an uncountable noun is not singular because "singular" has to do with countables. (This position recently held in a thread) 02 br
02 br
00 present participle as noun = (gerund) 02 br
00 present participle as adjective = (??????) 02 br
02 br
00 Best wishes, - A. 0-
Top answer
0 Heh, you know everyone wants to call stuff their own way. 02 br 00 In all other cases, I am not sure what I would call it. Probably "present participle".
- 0 Heh, you know everyone wants to call stuff their own way.
- 02 br 00 In all other cases, I am not sure what I would call it.
- Probably "present participle".
- 02 br 02 br 00 In some ESL books, forms like "running" are called "ing forms".
- I don't think it's an official name, but it's used when teaching ESL students, to simplify matters and remind them you just have to add -ing at the end.
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3 Answers
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0 Heh, you know everyone wants to call stuff their own way. 05 0 02 br
00 Running naked in the rain is great fun <-- I call this a "gerund". 02 br
00 In all other cases, I am not sure what I would call it. Probably "present participle". 02 br
02 br
00 In some ESL books, forms like "running" are called "ing forms". I don't think it's an official name, but it
00 Running naked in the rain is great fun <-- I call this a "gerund". 02 br
00 In all other cases, I am not sure what I would call it. Probably "present participle". 02 br
02 br
00 In some ESL books, forms like "running" are called "ing forms". I don't think it's an official name, but it
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0 01 blockquote
01 cite 10 Avangi 12 cite 10 why don't they come up with a correspondingly neat name for the present participle when it serves as an adjective? 12 blockquote10 One already exists: adjective. 0-
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