hkqq  +  622330 Fri, 26 Dec 08 01:10 PM Hi Sir/Madam, is below syntax correct? Talking (Gerund) with youngsters including teenagers and university students (prepositional phrase), I (subject) found (verb) most (noun) were quite concerned (verb) about their future career (prepositional phrase) and (conjunction) were also bewildered (verb) about the purpose of their lives (prepositional phrase).   hkqq Joined on Thu, Feb 21 2008 Full Member 133 Prepositions, Nouns, Gerunds, Universities, Students, Speaking, Chat, Friendships, Schools

	Avangi  +  623189 Sat, 27 Dec 08 07:16 AM hkqq “ Talking (Gerund) with youngsters(XXX phrase), including teenagers and university students (prepositional phrase) (YYY phrase), I (subject) found (verb) most (noun) were (verb) quite concerned (verb) about their future career (prepositional phrase) and (conjunction) were (verb) also (adv.) bewildered (verb) (adj. complement) about the purpose(prepositional phrase) of their lives (prepositional phrase). ”   (XXX phrase)  I don't know if you call this a gerundive phrase or a noun phrase. (YYY phrase)  "Including" is a preposition in Canada only.  In the rest of the world, this is a participial phrase. Also, that whole introductory phrase up to the subject "I" is probably considered a noun phrase, made up of the other two phrases. Avangi Joined on Mon, Nov 19 2007 Veteran Member 7,960 ". . . le plaisir delicieux et toujours nouveau d'une occupation inutile." - Henri de Regnier Prepositions, Nouns, Noun Phrases, Gerunds, Universities, Phrases, Students, Speaking, Chat, Friendships, Schools

	Grammar Geek  +  623211 Sat, 27 Dec 08 07:43 AM Talking with youngsters is a particple phrase. Racing from the library, I saw... Opening her purse, she was shocked to find... Eating breakfast late one morning, Edward realized... Is this useful to you in forming your own sentences? I wonder how identifying these part of speech and phrases helps you come up with your own, well-construted English sentences.     Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,508 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Sentences, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Speaking, Chat, Friendships, Speeches, Languages

	Avangi  +  623257 Sat, 27 Dec 08 08:39 AM Hi GG, I was tickled to hear you say that "talking with youngsters" is a participial phrase. I had been itching to say that for an hour. (Now I'll probably be scratching all night long!") I had learned in grammar school that "gerund" was a functional definition.  But everyone here seems adamant that once a participle is assigned the function of a noun in a sentence, it may nevermore be called a participle, or thought of as a participle,in any way, shape or form.  That pride of origin is allowed only to those lucky participles who are chosen to function as adjectives. In this last case "participle" describes what it was, what it is, and how it functions, as though "participle" were a new part of speech. I struggle to integrate my new grammar model, but I keep losing ground.  I thought to have corrected my concept of "verbals," but CB posted an Oxford page this morning that blew it all away.  It's demoralizing. Best regards,  - A. Avangi Regards, Nouns, Gerunds, Adjectives, Sentences, Countries, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Speaking, Chat, Friendships, Speeches

	Grammar Geek  +  623503 Sat, 27 Dec 08 01:49 PM I've never claimed to be good at naming things. Opening the box was a stupid idea - yes, gerund, sure. Opening the box, I was horrified to discover - how can that be anything but a particple phase? I opened the box. As I was opening the box. Oh well. People call things what they call things. Yet another reason that I find little value in running around throwing labels on things. Grammar Geek Gerunds

	Avangi  +  623660 Sat, 27 Dec 08 04:44 PM But you're right, GG!  Now that I've had a couple hours' sleep, I can see that I got suckered by "hkqq's" label.  Hot dang!  How's that for an excuse? I was taking "talking" as a subject. (something like, Talking with students, including etc. etc., is etc.) How stupid.  Your examples are perfectly appropriate.  It's not a gerund. (How do you work all night long and get everything right??)  Too much clutter, with all those labels in the way!  I usually scrape all that garbage aside to figure what's really going on.  No excuse! Sorry about that!  - A. Avangi Gerunds, Students, Speaking, Chat, Friendships, Apologies