Nonfinite Verb Phrases

Lecture 21 - 22
English 3318: Studies in English Grammar
Nonfinite Verb Phrases
Participle and Gerund Phrases
Dr. Svetlana Nuernberg

Objectives
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Identify Infinitive Phrases
Recognize infinitives with or without to and those
preceded by for
Distinguish between infinitives and prepositional
phrases
Recognize functions of infinitive phrases
Distinguish between present-participle and gerund
phrases
Recognize past participle phrases
Recognize functions of participle phrases
Identify the nominal functions of gerund phrases

Present Participle Phrases
Present participle phrase with
subordinating conjunction
(elliptical clause)
Present participle phrase without
subordinating conjunction
Present participle phrase with
subject expressed
While eating dinner, we discussed politics.
Turning the corner, we felt a sudden
gust of wind.
Many students being sick that day,
the professor postponed the film.

Functions of Present Participle
Phase
Adverbial Participial Phrase
Sentence modifier Considering how late it is,
we ought to go home.
Verb modifier
[After] hearing about the
new assignments, the students
groaned.
Adjectival Participle Phrase
Noun modifier
Those people waiting for the bus
look tired.

Diagramming Present Participle
Phrases Turning the corner, we felt a sudden gust of wind.
NP 1
we felt gust
MVP
S V
Turning
corner
VP
the
a sudden of
NP 2
ADVP
MV CONJ
S
tr V
wind
Grammatical transformation
alter this underlying structure by
deleting the conjunction, the
subject we, and TENSE + AUX
from embedded sentence and
moving present participle phrase
to the beginning of the sentence.
NP 1
VP
MVP
NP 2
MV tr
We felt a sudden gust of wind as [we were turning the corner]

Different Between Present
Participle and Adjectives
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Some present participles have occurred as noun
modifiers so often and for so long that they have
become adjectives.
– participle can modify a noun but will fail all other
adjective tests
– some can be function as participle or as adjective
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The static on that radio is annoying me. (participle)
*The static on the radio is very annoying me.
* The static on that radio is more annoying me than anything
else.
The static on that radio is annoying to me. (adjective)
The static on that radio is very annoying to me.
The static on that radio is more annoying to me than
anything else.

Gerunds
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When a verb with -ing inflection occupies a noun
position it is called a gerund.
– can have all the constituents associated with the sentence
from which they are derived
– can have a subject, take an object, be followed by a
complement, or be modified by an adverb phrase
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He liked being editor of the school paper last year.
– gerund phrase functions as a direct object of liked
– he = the underlying subject of being
– noun phrase editor of the school paper functions as subject complement of
being
– noun phrase last year functions as adverbial modifier
His considering the play amusing surprised them.
– gerund phrase functions as a subject of surprised
– his – posessive pronoun (he) functions as subject of considering
– the play = noun phrase functions as direct object of considering
– amusing = present participle functions as object compliment of the play

Functions of Gerunds and Gerund
Phrases
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Gerund and Gerund Phrases function like nouns
and noun phrases
– subjects
– His immediately demanding your payment showed his
inexperience.
– objects (direct object)
– Felicia's grandmother enjoys riding a ten-speed
bicycle.
– subject complements (predicate nominative)
– Sherry's hobby was saving ordinary coins in a tin can.
– objects of a preposition
– Gerald can afford college by regularly working two
jobs.

Summary
Tests for Identifying Adverbial Participle Phrases.
He tried to think carefully while answering their questions.
1. Substitution of an adverb He tried to think carefully then.
2. Wh-question using wh-adverb
When did he try to think carefully?
3. Movability
While answering their questions, he tried
to think carefully.
Tests for Identifying Adjectival Participle Phrases.
The static coming from that radio is annoying.
1. Usually can be restated as a relative
clause
2. Modifies a noun that precedes it
Tests for Identifying Gerunds
She hates waiting around for a repairmen to show up.
1. Substitute something or it for
the gerund phrase
2. Wh-question using what
The static that is coming from that radio is
annoying.
The static coming from that radio is annoying.
She hates something.
What does she hate?

Difference Between Gerund and
Present Participle
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Compare:
Betty having told us that you were coming, we
weren't surprised.
– contains a participle
– adverbial present participle construction
– its subject (Betty) is in uninflected form
We appreciate Betty's having told us that you were
coming.
– contains a gerund
– the entire phrase functions as a direct object of the
verb appreciated
– its subject (Betty's) is a possessive form of a noun

Differences Between Gerunds and
Nouns
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Gerunds appear in the noun positions of sentences,
but they can not take noun inflections
– Eating too many green apples made her sick.
– *Eatings too many green apples
After functioning on the periphery of nounlike
words, some gerunds became true nouns
– The congressional meetings lasted several hours.
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meetings comes after a determiner and is plural
– We held the final meeting last week.
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a true noun (has a determiner, modified by an adjective, can be
plural)
– They enjoy meeting each other for lunch every Saturday.
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fails the noun tests (it is a gerund)

Past Participle Phrases
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Passive clauses containing past participles can also
be reduced so that they become participle phrases.
– When they were awakened by the unusual noise, the
dog began to bark.
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were awakened = TESNE [past]
+ BE + {-en} + awaken
– When awakened by unusual noise, the dog began to
bark.
– Restored by good rest, Cindy was eager to enter
another marathon.
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by way of clause reduction
– After Cindy was restored by a good rest, Cindy was
eager to enter another marathon.
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by way of passive transformation
– After a good rest [subject]
restored [tr]
Cindy [DO]
+ Cindy was
eager to enter another marathon.

Restrictive and Nonrestrictive
Participle Phrases
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Because they are derived from relative clauses,
participle phrases functioning adjectivally can either
be restrictive or nonrestrictive.
– The lone Romulan warship, crippled by photon
torpedoes, drifted slowly toward the asteroid.
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nonrestrictive
only one Romulan warship is reffered to
doesn't specify or restrict which warship is being referred to
provides additional information
set off with commas (like non restrictive relative clause)
– The lone Romulan warship crippled by photon torpedoes
drifted slowly toward its undamaged sister ship.

Functions of Past Participle
1. Postnoun modifier (adjectival) The car parked behind the movie theater
belongs to an asher.
2. Prenoun modifier (adjectival) Irrigated fields produce most of our lettuce.
3. Adjectival object complement The crowd saw them trounced by their
opponents.
4. Pre – or postclause modifier When inflated, the balloon measured six feet
(adverbial)
in diameter.
5. Pre – or postclause modifier Refused a place on the ticket, Hubert
(ambiguous: adverbial or adjectival) decided to run as an Independent.

Differences Between Past
Participles and Adjectives
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Many past participles have been used as noun
modifiers for a long time, so they have become
adjectives
– Disturbed by rumors, the committee decided to
investigate the mail order company. (adjective)
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can be compared – very disturbed, more disturbed than usual
– The painting offered to the museum were auctioned off
for 30 million dollars. (participle)
– Informed of her test results, Patrice decided to take the
Sats again. (participle)
– Informed on many subjects, Meredith is in demand as a
speaker. (peripheral adjective)

Nominative Absolutes
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Are related to the nonfinite verb phrases.
– consist of a subject noun phrase followed by some part of
the predicate
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Examples
either a participle form of the main verb or a compliment or
modifier of the main verb
TENSE and forms of the verb be (aux, or main) in the following
examples have been removed to create absolute
– The year's work completed, Santa lay down for a long rest.
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The year's work was completed (Type V passive completed = past
participle
– His voice quavering, Charlie called, “Is anyone there?”
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His voice was quavering (Type I quavering = present participle)
– Help neaby, the team climed confidently to the top.
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help was nearby (Type II nearby = adverb)