adverbial or prepositional phrase or both?

Share on Facebook

Inchoateknowledge

#247893 Sat, 22 Jul 06 12:19 PM

The driver was found to have above the permitted level of alcohol in his blood.
Is "found" a catenative here?
Is the underlined part of the sentence the object? No.
Strange.
"above the permitted level of alcohol in his blood" is an adverbial I think.
"above" I have a nagging doubt that it should be a preposition. But then the underlined is a prepositional phrase and a noun phrase and a adverbial phrase.
Am I right?

Inchoateknowledge

Joined on Wed, May 3 2006

Senior Member (2,536)

Beep! Beep! :)

Prepositions, Nouns, Noun phrases

Grammar Geek

#247949 Sat, 22 Jul 06 05:38 PM

Hi Incho,

I've certainly found I'm not at ALL a grammar geek since I've come here, because I don't do well with the types of questions you asked here, but use this as a model:

The student was found to have a mouse in his pocket. Same structure, but "above the permitted level of alcohol" is replaced with the simple word mouse. That seems like an object to me.

or if it were some candy - how much candy? some. how much alcohol? above the permitted level.

You can teach ME how to solve these things. I just know what sounds like good writing - I can't name the parts like you can.

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (15,958)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Grammar

Big A Deal

#248035 Sun, 23 Jul 06 05:06 AM

I think It is the object omitted

(things) above the permitted level of alcohol

I know (things) about him.

thus,above the permitted level of alcohol is a preposition phrase.

The driver was found to have (things) above the permitted level of alcohol in his blood

I hope you get satisfaction.

Big A Deal

Joined on Thu, Aug 4 2005

In Korea

New Member (44)

I'm Korean .

Prepositions

Feathers

#248044 Sun, 23 Jul 06 05:44 AM

The driver was found to have above the permitted level of alcohol in his blood.

Sorry for my butting in. I'm not a specialist, Inchoateknowledge, but I'd have thought that the part in pink is a noun phrase (the head of which is alcohol), which functions as an object of the verb have. Cannot above the permitted level of be considered as a quantifier...?

Feathers

Joined on Thu, Jul 6 2006

Full Member (226)

Verbs, Nouns, Noun phrases

CalifJim

#248064 Sun, 23 Jul 06 08:31 AM

The passive of find, know, say, report, see, hear, discover and similar verbs can be thought of a catenatives, yes. They are followed by the infinitive.

The driver was [found / known / said / reported / seen / heard / discovered] to [be / have / ...]

The driver [had / was found to have] more than the permitted level ...

would be better.

The implication is more alcohol than the permitted level of alcohol. This noun phrase (which includes a comparative structure) is the object of to have.

CJ

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (17,477)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

Verbs, Nouns, Noun phrases