Sentence pattern

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Anonymous  #252858  Sat, 05 Aug 06 10:13 PM

From English grammar  books, we learn that there are 6 types of basic sentence patterns around which you can expand to add more meaning.  One of the patterns involves using a transitive verb with a direct object and an indirect object, both of which are nouns.  In another pattern, the indirect object is followed by an object complement, which is an adjective.  Now I would like to know what function the words that come after the indirect object in the following sentences have:

  1. I saw him run.
  2. I saw him running.
  3. He heard him cry.
  4. He heard him crying.
  5. He heard him whisper.

I know that participles function as adjectives.  In my examples, the complements: running, cry, crying and whisper are not participles.  They are verbs, but they provide more information about the state of the object: 'him'.  So are the complements in these examples verbs or adjectives?  I would appreciate it if someone would help me clear my confusion.

Thanks.

Carol Chan

  
CalifJim  #252917  Sun, 06 Aug 06 06:26 AM
Most likely, the six patterns you are referring to are patterns for sentences of a single clause.
But the sentences you are asking about are combinations of two clauses, one embedded in another.

I saw shows the subject and verb of the main clause.  (The same analysis applies to I heard.)  The words that follow this subject and verb combination form a clause which acts as the (direct) object of saw (or heard).

I saw (something).  I saw (him run / him running).
I heard (something).  I heard (him whisper).


The embedded clauses also consist of a subject and verb:  him run; him running; him whisper; ...

It is just a characteristic of certain verbs (such as verbs of perception like see and hear) that the object clause has a subject in the objective case (him instead of he) and the verb in the object clause can be the bare infinitive or the gerund.

CJ

  
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