Where can I read about this point of grammar? What book? Any fairly complete grammar book should cover this. Look under "Verbs with Predicative Compliments". You can also try searching the internet. There are six different patterns that

I am an English grammar instructor. Your explanation is excellent as is your reference to the history of the form. However, you have a few errors technically in your examples. Although my Japanese is not strong, I had the pleasure of studying with

I have always known that after an indefinite pronoun, namely "everyone," "somebody" etc, the correct possessive pronoun to be used is "their." E.g.: Everyone should always do their best. However, the "Canadian

It should be rather than. Instead of must be followed by a noun phrase, so it basically replaces one thing for the other. Rather than shows a preference over two verbs or nouns. Having children is not a "thing"/noun. Sorry, I'm not

That article at that link you posted mentions three ways of dealing with "spoken grammar". The second one is actually the approach I was taking: one single grammar. This is what is said in that article, and what I have been saying

Sorry, this is simply me forgetting to add it in. Yes, it is a part of the noun phrase. As you said, it is a prep. phrase modifiying 'life.' A noun phrase is simply just the head noun plus its modifiers, in the form of prep. phrases, etc.

Immediate constituent analysis (ICA) is a theory of grammar that use sentences as made up of layers of constituents. Example: He put the book on the table. First two immediate constituents are (He = Noun phrase) and (put the book on the table =

I don't even know the "traditional" term for the structure we're discussing here (with making ... ) except that it involves a present participle. CJ: In the "classical" grammar I learned soon after the emergence of

I feel ignorant... I don't know what a noun phrase is. Ok, wait, checking on Wikipedia in progress... found! --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noun_phrase If noun phrases are like those, then I don't think they are much of a problem. But

<< It's somewhat unfortunate because it leaves students in ignorance of some powerful tecniques for explaining grammar. >> I see. So would you agree with Mr Pedantic when he says "noun phrases seem to feature regularly in the