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Comment on Parts of Speech - Phrases
Hi Brent,
Can't participial phrases also act as an adverb, modifying the main verb of the sentence?
A participial phrase always
A participial phrase always modifies a noun.
Are you thinking of a specific example?
Cheers,
Brent
For instance, in the below
"Dennis left work 15 minutes late, forcing him to run to catch the train."
Is 'Forcing him to run to catch the train' a participial phrase that is an adverbial modifier modifying the clause before it?
Great question!
Great question!
In this case, we have an EVENT that occurred (leaving 15 minutes late).
The event can be considered a NOUN.
The consequence (Dennis being forced to run to catch the train) tells us more about the event.
So, we can think of the participial phrase as modifying the event.
Cheers,
Brent
Hey Brent!
My question is about participial phrases.
You used an example in your video:
Forced into early retirement, the surgeon found a new career performing liposuction on pets.
I don't understand what meaning the second participial phrase conveys.
1. Is the surgeon's new career performing liposuction on pets? So know what he does is performs liposuction on pets as his newly discovered vocation.
2. By performing liposuction on pets, the surgeon found a new career, which is not mentioned in that sentence(but anyway the liposuction was just an inspiration for him, not the new profession)
Thank you in advance,
In the case of your 2nd point
In the case of your 2nd point, I think we'd need an extra word or two to convey that the surgeon's discovery occurred WHILE he/she was in act of performing liposuction.
As it stands now, the modifying participle phrase "performing liposuction on pets" directly follows CAREER to tell us more about the CAREER. If we want to convey something other than this, we need to either move the phrase or add a word like WHILE (Forced into early retirement, the surgeon found a new career WHILE performing liposuction on pets)
I hope that helps.
Cheers
Brent
Hi Brent,
Concerning infinitive phrases and participle phrases. I am going to list several sentences. Please tell which one is correct and which is wrong and why so. And what is the difference in meaning among those that are correct(i made a few iterations based only on comma placement)
A) Lefonda returned to help the inspectors.
B) To help the inspectors, Lefonda returned.
C) To help the inspectors Lefonda returned.
D) Lefonda returned helping the inspectors.
E) Lefonda returned, helping the inspectors.
F) Helping the inspectors, Lefonda returned.
G) Lefonda, helping the inspectors, returned.
H) Lefonda, while helping the inspectors, returned.
Thank you in advance for your help Brent,
A) Good.
A) Good.
B) Good (the sentence begins with an infinitive modifier. So, the comma separates that which it is modifying)
C) Incomplete sentence. This suggests that, in the past, Lafonda returned the inspectors (in the same way one might return a defective toot to the hardware store). So, we have "To help the inspectors (whom Lefonda returned).
D) This is fine, but the meaning is subtly different from E. (Note: I may be stretching the definition of RETURNED to be similar to RESUMED)
This sentence suggests that Lefonda was helping the inspectors, but stopped for a while. Now she is RESUMING that work.
So Lefonda returned/resumed helping the inspectors.
E) This is fine. Here "helping the inspectors" is the byproduct of Lafonda's return.
It's similar to "Lefonda returned, and her return helped the inspectors."
F) This is fine. The meaning here is that, Lafinda was already helping the inspectors at the time she returned.
Similar sentence: Holding a red balloon, Lefonda returned.
G) Same meaning as F.
H) Same as F and G.
Cheers,
Brent
Hi Brent,
Really appreciate your effort,
I have an additional question about C) To help the inspectors Lefonda returned.
I can see now that it is an incomplete sentence, but let's make it a complete one. If I replace "help" and "inspectors" with "fix" and "computers" respectively, I will get this: "To fix the computers Lefonda returned". It is still an infinite phrase that can't stand by itself. So to make this infinitive phrase complete I have to put a complete(independent) clause right after.
To fix the computers Lefonda returned, computer service had to work on weekends.
Is this sentence now repaired from flaws?
And lastly, as far as I understand before "Lefonda" there is a hidden relative pronoun "that" which can be omitted since it relates to the "computers" which is the object.
If the sentence was like that:
"To fix the computers that were broken, computer service had to work on weekends."
the relative pronoun "that" is mandatory since it relates to "computers" - subject
Did I miss anything?
Thank you for your help,
"To fix the computers Lefonda
"To fix the computers Lefonda returned, computer service had to work on weekends."
Is this sentence now repaired from flaws?
Yes, it's good.
"To fix the computers that were broken, computer service had to work on weekends."
You're right; if we omit THAT, we bet "To fix the computers were broken, computer service had to work on weekends."
That said, we can make things nicer by writing: "To fix the broken computers, computer service had to work on weekends."
Cheers,
Brent
Hey Brent,
one question: Does the Apposotive pharse have to be to the right of a noun? Or can it be to the left as well, also being seperated by a comma?
Example: Vancouver is home to the finest hockey team in the world, the Vancouver Canucks?
Thanks for your help and I am really enjoying your content :)
Cheers,
Philipp
An appositive phrase can
An appositive phrase can appear in either location. For example:
The president of Maltania, Jane Doe, wears shoes made of gold.
Jane Doe, the president of Maltania, wears shoes made of gold.
Hey Brent, another Q:
What would be better:
To watch Aunt peg makes me happy or
Watching Aunt peg makes me happy?
What is the GMAC´s preference?
And when used as an Adj. or Adv. it sounds more akward using the -ing form, but would it still be possible? Technically?
Eg.: His decision appointing the king caused controversy?
Thanks,
Philipp
To watch Aunt peg makes me
To watch Aunt peg makes me happy.
Watching Aunt peg makes me happy.
The GMAT would be fine with both of these.
RE: "His decision appointing the king caused controversy"
It would be unidiomatic to write "His decision appointing...."
It should be "His decision TO APPOINT the king causes controversy.
Hi Brent,
In your previous video about linking verbs you said that linking verbs (they connect nouns to additional information)
The book is black. (book - noun/ black - adjective_additional information)
so black was the adjective.
My favorite book is War and peace.
"War and Peace" - is an adjective that describes "my favorite book"
You told spoke about infinitive phrase functioning as a noun and as an adjective.
Kely's ambition is to win the state lottery.
"to win the state lottery" - is a noun or an adjective?
Thank you in advance,
In this case, "to win the
In this case, "to win the state lottery" functions as a noun.
In other words, Kyle's ambition = to win the state lottery
Similarly, "Joe is my brother" means "Joe = my brother"
Conversely, in the sentence "Joe is happy," HAPPY is an adjective describing Joe.
So, when it comes to the sentence "My favorite book is War and Peace," we have "War and Peace" is a noun.
That is My favorite book = War and Peace
Cheers,
Brent
Hi Brent,
I know that choice D is the correct one.
I know for sure that "which or that" have a strict touch rule, therefore we can easily eliminate A-C.
But what about present participle what does it modify and why we don't need the touch rule.
In other words: What is the function of this portion of the sentence: "including establishing size limits for shark catches, closing"
A study by the Ocean Wildlife Campaign urged states to undertake a number of remedies to reverse a decline in the shark population, which includes the establishment of size limits for shark catches, closing state waters for shark fishing during pupping season, and requiring commercial fishers to have federal shark permits.
(A) which includes the establishment of size limits for shark catches, closing
(B) which includes establishing limits to the size of sharks that can be caught, closing
(C) which include the establishment of size limits for shark catches, the closing of
(D) including establishing size limits for shark catches, closing
(E) including the establishing of limits to the size of sharks that are caught, the closing of
Thank you in advance
In the phrase "including
In the phrase "including establishing size limits for shark catches, closing," ESTABLISHING is a gerund (functions as a noun)
The structure is: A study urges states to undertake a number of remedies, including ...(list of various remedies).
The listed remedies are: ESTABLISHING size limits, CLOSING waters, and REQUIRING....
Thank you very much Brent,
Do you mean that "including establishing size limits for shark catches, closing" is an Additive phrases
There are a few remedies, including establishing size limits for shark catches, closing state waters for shark fishing during pupping season, and requiring commercial fishers to have federal shark permits, that states are urged to undertake.
Is the above sentence correct?
Thank you in advance,
Yes, it's an additive phrase.
Yes, it's an additive phrase.
Your sentence is correct, but I'd prefer to write: States are urge to undertake a few remedies, including establishing size limits for shark catches, closing state waters for shark fishing during pupping season, and requiring commercial fishers to have federal shark permits.
Hi Brent,
Last week local shrimpers held a news conference to take some credit for the resurgence of the rare Kemp's ridley turtle, saying that their compliance with laws requiring that turtle-excluder devices be on shrimp nets protect adult sea turtles.
(A) requiring that turtle-excluder devices be on shrimp nets protect
(B) requiring turtle-excluder devices on shrimp nets is protecting
(C) that require turtle-excluder devices on shrimp nets protect
(D) to require turtle-excluder devices on shrimp nets are protecting
(E) to require turtle-excluder devices on shrimp nets is protecting
Could you please explain why E is wrong and B is correct.
As you said infinitive phrase can function as an adjective,
participle phrase -ing also functions as an adjective, so why do we have to eliminate E,
Thank you in advance,
Laws TO require is
Laws TO require is unidiomatic.
So, D and E are eliminated.
I loved the example: "..
I'm glad you liked it :-)
I'm glad you liked it :-)
If I wish to state the
A Gerund acts as a noun and hence can be the Subject or the Object of a sentence, while a Participle is basically a modifier - A verb ending in "ed" or "ing"
I think that's a pretty good
I think that's a pretty good summary.
Are present participle from
As per the lesson, the present participle acts a verb or an adjective & participle phrase as only an adjective.
A present participle is a
A present participle is a type of participle. A past participle is another type of participle.
In general, a participle is a word that LOOKS like a verb but does not behave like a verb (in a certain sentence).
Example: Joe PAINTED the chair.
Here, PAINTED behaves like a verb, and Joe performed the act of painting.
Another example: Joe sat on the PAINTED chair.
Here, the verb is SAT, and PAINTED (a past participle) is an adjective that modifies chair (What kind of chair? A painted chair)
A participle phrase (beginning with either a past participle or present participle) always modifies a noun (i.e., it functions as an adjective).
Example: LAUGHING MANIACALLY, Joe counted the money from the robbery.
Here, the (present) participle phrase LAUGHING MANIACALLY modifies (tells us more about) Joe.
Does that help?
In the 1st example, isn't
That's correct.
That's correct.
"Henry photographed the flock of flamingos. "
HENRY is the subject.
PHOTOGRAPHED is a verb
FLOCK is a noun
OF FLAMINGOS is a prepositional phrase that modifies the noun FLOCK.
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